132 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER. 



whether he must have returned the previous year. He finally resigned 

 his mission in 1803, when his connection with the Society for Propagat- 

 ing the Gospel ceased altogether." 



Upon the resignation of Mr. Doty, the vestry must have adopted 

 measures for obtaining the services of another minister; for on the 18th 

 of September, 1775, it was resolved by that body, "to set on foot a sub- 

 scription towards the support of the Rev. Bennet Page, during his preach- 

 ing at St. Peter's church, at Peekskill." This individual was probably 

 the Rev. Bernard Page, A. M., who was licensed by the Bishop of Lon- 

 don, August 24th, 1772, appointed to Wyoming parish, Pennsylvania, 

 from whence he removed to this Province. Mr. Page does not appear 

 to have officiated here very long ; and no doubt left in consequence of 

 the breaking out of the Revolutionary war. Several persons of this name 

 were graduates of Harvard University, and staunch loyalists. After 

 this, religious services were suspended in the parish, and no clergyman 

 was called or settled for nearly seventeen years. Seated near the Hud- 

 son river, the village of Peekskill suffered a great deal from the in- 

 roads of the enemy ; who frequently came out-from New York in con- 

 siderable force. In September, 1777, the whole place was sacked and 

 burnt, and the neighboring country pillaged by them. 



At the close of the war (the principal members of the church having 

 removed from the parish) the Presbyterians took advantage of the dis- 

 sentions then existing, bysattempting to seize the church and glebe, and, 

 under the act of 1784,* choosing trustees, who it seems were all of one 

 persuasion. But these nefarious schemes were happily frustrated, and 

 the church finally incorporated under the old title. 



According to a notice of this event given by the Rev. Andrew Fowler, 

 in the year 1793, we learn: — "That three or four years ago the Presby- 

 terians made an attempt to take the church and glebe by force; they 

 called the church by a new name ' Union Church] and in order to carry 

 their schemes they chose one half of the trustees as they said, out of the 

 church. The truth is they had once professed themselves Episcopalians; 

 but most of them have since proved themselves to be rank Dissenters, 

 which the Presbyterians no doubt knew." These facts were recorded in 

 consequence of Mr. Silas Constant (a Presbyterian minister) having ap- 

 plied to the vestry for liberty to preach in the church. The latter, how- 

 ever, referred the matter to Mr. Fowler, who very improperly granted the 

 request. It appears that only a short time previous to this Mr. Fowler 

 had obtained the use of Mr. Constant's pulpit at Yorktown. Fourteen 



a Entitled an act to enable all Religious Denominations in the State to appoint trustees. 



