First Presbyterian Church of Durham

Abstracts from the Minutes

In the village of Durham, town of Durham, Greene County NY
Transcribed by the NY Genealogical and Biographical Society , NYC Sept. 1920
Edited by Royden Woodward Vosburgh

Copied from LDS film # 0533499 by Jackie Towner

This abstract covers all of the first volume of the records; and the second volume (minutes of the session or of church meetings as the case may be) from supplementary information, concerning the members received and dismissed, besides what appears in the Register of Members in the records transcribed. When a person has been received or dismissed by letter, but the church or locality has not been named, the name has not been abstracted. The reader will observe in the Register of Members, many repetition of the words, ‘removed with a letter’. In considerable numbers of cases, the destination of the person dismissed is not indicated and consequently the name does not appear in this abstract.

Church Officers and Government  

As the abstract commences with a record of the election of the Deacons and Elders, a brief survey of the form of church government is necessary. The church was admitted to membership in the Northern Associated Presbytery in the state of New York, an independent body of Calvinistic faith, self constituted; see records of the First Presbyterian Church in West Durham. The Northern Associated Presbytery was dissolved in the fall of 1830. The First Church in Durham then joined the Presbytery of Columbia with the Synod of Albany, Presbyterian Church of the United States of America. This took place in the month of October 1830, at a church meeting held on October 21, 1830, it was voted: “That those brethren who are opposed to the government of the Presbyterian Church may, (if they now request it) have the privilege, (if hereafter subjects of disciplines) of a trial before the church at large. This privilege was requested by Deacon William Beach (since revoked), Richard Tryon and Isaac Sears, Jr.” The privilege of granting a trial under the Congregational form of government was sometimes granted when a church changed from Congregational to Presbyterian. In the case of this church, it will be observed that the members were nearly unanimous in their desire to become entirely Presbyterian. At the same meeting (October 21, 1830) the articles of faith and church discipline of the Presbyterian Church were adopted. Nine Elders were then chosen by ballot. The Elders accepted their office on November 5^th and were installed on Thursday November 18, 1830. The church remained under the Presbyterian form of government until  the fall of 1846, there were no meetings of the session after November 10, 1846. As the result of the dismission of the Rev. Jonathan Cone, in the fall of 11846, the congregation was thrown into a state of great discord and disorder and a number of the members refused to subscribe for the support of another minister. On May 13, 1847 a meeting was called and it was agreed to adopt the Congregational form of government, if this would unite the church again. The Elders agreed to resign their offices. At the meeting held on May 25^th the congregation decided to retain the Confession of Faith and the constitution of the Presbyterian Church, but to adopt the Congregational form of government and retain their connection with the Presbytery of Columbia, “on the accommodation plan”. A petition to this effect was presented to the Presbytery on September 21^st, which was granted. Immediately after the meeting after the on May 25^th 1847, the Congregational form of government was adopted and the Elders either resigned, or their offices lapsed.

At a meeting of the church held February 18, 1857, some of the members requested a return to the Presbyterian form of government. The meeting was adjourned to February 23^rd, when it was decided to change to the Presbyterian form. The vote stood, twenty in the affirmative, eight to the negative, two not voting and one blank. On March 9^th 1857, the new session was chosen. Nine Elders were elected, six of them being survivors of the old session, which had ceased to exist in May 1847.

Register of Deacons 

 Register of Elders

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