608 HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF WESTCHESTER. 



Mr. Bondet must have continued his labors at New Oxford and its 

 vicinity until near 1695 ; for in another communication we find that " In 

 1695 Mr. Bondet, a French Protestant minister, preached to the Nip- 

 mug Indians." After this we hear no more of him at New Oxford." 

 He probably removed to this place sometime during the Summer or 

 Fall of 1695, for the inhabitants of New Rochelle addressing the Pro- 

 pagation Society in 1709, declare that "By the assistance of Colonel 

 Heathcote they had been provided fourteen years ago with a worthy min- 

 ister, Mr. Daniel Bondet, ordained by the Bishop of London." To this 

 event, Col. Heathcote himself alludes in a letter to the Society dated 

 10th of April, 1704: — "I did propose to the Vestry of Westchester a 

 medium in that matter, which was, that there being at Boston a French 

 Protestant minister, one Mr. Bondet, a very good man, who was in 

 orders by my Lord of London, and could preach both in English and 

 French ; and the people of New Rochelle being destitute of a minister, 

 we would call Mr. Bondet to the living, (of Westchester) and the parish 

 being large enough to maintain two, we would likewise continue Mr. 

 Mather and support him by subscriptions. The Vestry seemed to be 

 extremely well pleased with this proposal and desired me to send for Mr. 

 Bondet, which I immediately did — hoping by that means to bring them 

 over to the Church • but Mather apprehending what I aimed at, persuaded 

 the Vestry to alter their resolutions, and when he came they refused to 

 call him. 6 



So that projection failing, (of inducting Mr. Bondet to the Parish of 

 Westchester) Colonel Heathcote obtained his services for the French 

 church at New Rochelle. At this early period both Mr. Vesey of New 

 York and Mr. Bondet preached in several parts of the country, and ad- 

 ministered the rite of Holy Baptism. Mr. Bonder's destitute condition 

 soon after his settlement, is proved by the following document : — 



PETITION OF REVEREND MR. BONDET, OF NEW ROCHELLE. 



[TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH.] 



" To His Excellency Milord Cornbury, 



Governor and Commander-in-Chief. 

 My Lord : I most humbly pray your Excellency to be pleased to take cog- 

 nizance of the petitioner's condition. 



I am a French refugee minister, incorporated into the body of the ministry of 

 the Anglican Church ; I removed about fifteen years ago into New England with 

 a company of poor refugees, to whom lands were granted for their settlement ; 

 and to provide for my subsistence, I was allowed one hundred and five pieces 



a His name does not occur in a list of the principal inhabitants in 1696, the year the settle- 

 ment was broken up by an incursion of the Indians. 

 b See Westchester Parish, p. 25. 



