Rev. George Michael Weiss
1st Pastor of the R.D. Churches of Catskill and Coxsackie
Minutes - 1732-1735

Transcription by unknown individual of the original minutes. Dutch transcription, followed by English translation. This document located at the Catskill Public Library.
English translation typed by Sylvia Hasenkopf

**The ancient document is badly torn here, rendering the sense doubtful. The presumption is in favor of the second rendering. All these memoranda are evidently hastily written notes intended only for the writer's personal use; hence their brevity and occasional vagueness.**
(Original note by unknown transcriber)

February 25, 1732
I accepted the call made to me (and removed to Catskill, or, and appeared in Catskill) being installed and presented to my congregation by Rev. Petrus van Driessen, minister in the city of Albany.

Thereupon, at a free election, with invocation of the name of God, the following persons were chosen as Elders and Deacons of my congregation and shortly thereafter, by me installed, to wit:

Elders - Jno. Bronck, F. Salisbury, Abraham Provost
Diakonen - Peter Bronck, Jacob ten Broeck, Friderich Stregdt

March 10, 1733
At a sitting of the consistory in Katskill, with invocation of the name of God, the following persons were chosen in the place of John Bronck, Elder and Jacob ten Broeck, Deacon, namely, Gerrit van Bergen, Elder and Benjamin Dubois, Deacon, and they were afterwards installed in ecclesiastical form.

March 31, 1733
At a sitting of the consistory in Coxsackie with invocation of the name of God, the following persons were chosen as members of the consistory, and thereupon in ecclesiastical form installed; viz:

Denas Van Slenck (Schenck?) - Elder
Philipp Conyn - Deacon

On October 21st, 1733, the first sermon was preached in the just erected (church) at Coxsackie by G.M. Weiss, V.D.M. The dedicatory text was taken from Psalm 100 verse 2.

On November 25th1733, the House of Worship at Catskill was dedicated and the first preaching done in it by Rev. Petrus van Driessen, Minister in Albany, whose text was taken from Psalm 27:4 and by George Michael Weiss, Minister at Catskill and Coxsackie, whose text was taken from Malachi 1:11.

February 24, 1734, at a meeting of the consistory of Coxsackie, with invocation of the name of God, the following persons were elected to the office of Elder and Deacon, and thereupon installed; viz:

Jurian Offenbach - Elder
Wilhelm van Orden - Deacon

February 10 (1734?) (year not given in manuscript)
Catskill and Coxsackie not being able to agree in regard to the holding of their elections, in case Coxsackie should desire to have a consistory of its own, and thus an independent election, at the advice of both the Ministers of New Albany, Revs. Peter van Driessen and Cornelius van Schie, the following persons were chosen in presence of the Elders and Deacons, all of Coxsackie, with invocation of the name of God, as Elder and Deacon of the congregation at that place, and installed April 14th thereon following, viz:

Conradt Hooghteelingh - Elder
Leonhardt Bronck - Deacon

January 5, 1735 being the 1st Sunday of the New Year, a meeting of the consistory was held after invocation of the name of God, at Catskill, and then by the consistory and that of Coxsackie the following persons were elected as Elders and Deacons, viz:

Elders - Martinus van Bergen, Richard van der Berck,
Deacons - Peter van Bergen, Abraham Salisbury

And in the place of Peter van Bergen who, for some reasons and motives, would not give his consent to his election, Philipp Bronck accepted his office February 23rd, who then, with the others, was installed at Catskill on the 9th March.

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