180 THE BOROUGH OF THE BRONX 



On the 12th day of September, 1693, "An Act for settling a 

 Ministry and raising a maintenance for them" was introduced in the 

 General Assembly, the preamble of which read, "Whereas Profane- 

 ness and Licentiousness hath of late overspread this Province for 

 want of a settled Ministry thruout the same, To the end the 

 same may be removed and the Ordinances of God daily admin- 

 istered." Despite the heavy charge expressed in the preamble, the 

 legislators were indifferent. The act, however, was passed on the 

 21st September thru the efforts of Governor Benjamin Fletcher, 

 who was characterized by the Indians Cajenquirogoe (the Lord 

 of the Great Swift Arrow) ; Mr. Jones Graham, the Speaker of 

 the House; and Colonel Caleb Heathcote who was later the first 

 Warden of the Parish (1695) and in 1711 Mayor of the City of 

 New York. 



The Act in its provisions comprehended the City of New York 

 and the three counties of Richmond, Westchester and Queens. In 

 the County of Westchester were formed two precincts the first 

 including the towns of Westchester, Eastchester, Yonkers, and 

 the Manor of Pelham; the second embraced the towns of Rye, 

 Mamaroneck and Bedford. 



In 1694, at a town meeting at Eastchester, it was resolved that 

 "Lift John Drake and Henry Fowler Senr." be chosen to act "in 

 their behalf ... in the business according to the warrant of 

 procuring a minister." On the 2d day of May of the following year 

 Mr. Warren Mather, a dissenting preacher was settled among 

 them. Col. Heathcote, the first Church Warden protested that 

 they had no right "to pay for the maintenance of any minister not 

 of the National Church." In 1700 a bill was passed making East- 

 chester a separate parish and Mr. Joseph Morgan, another dis- 

 senter, was settled. 



On the Festival of St. Michael and All Saints, 1702, the Rev. 

 John Bartow, the Propagation Society's missionary arrived in 

 New York. He was sent to take charge of the Upper Parish of 

 the County (Rye, Mamaroneck and Bedford) but he stopped at 

 Westchester with Col. Graham, who had framed the Act of 1693. 

 He was invited by the people to give a sermon on the next Sabbath 

 Day, October 3d. After the service Col. Heathcote, Col. Graham 

 and other chief inhabitants begged Mr. Bartow to stay among them, 

 to which Mr. Bartow assented provided the change should receive 



