Church and Family History Research Assistance
for Greene County, New York
CHURCHES:
LEXINGTON (LEXINGTON)(1790)
Lexington Church was organized as the Windham Baptist Church, on October 25, 1790, with thirteen charter members, viz., Thaddeus Bronson, Adonijah Ford, Daniel Gregory, Elijah Moore, Nehemiah Roswell, Jesse Whitcomb, Hezekiah Pettit, Sarah Bronson, Mary Moore, Rhoda Peck, Elizabeth Cornish, Annie Bushnell, and Amos Whitcomb. The council was composed of Elders Hervey from Freehold, Joseph Arnold, William Warren, and others from Stamford, and possibly others from Baptist churches then composing the Rensselaerville Association. In 1813, the church name was changed from Windham Church to Lexington Church. In about 1825 several churches were dismissed from the Rensselaerville Association to organize the Lexington Association, including this church.
The first pastor was Elder Thaddeus Bronson, was followed by Elders Hezekiah Pettit, an Elder Simpson, Joseph L. Purington, Harvey Allen, Samuel Moore, Israel B. Whitcomb, and others. Derrick Schermerhorn was the first clerk, and was followed by Jerome Barber in 1801, and then by Amos Pettit.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Alling, Ballew, Bartley, Cole, Densmore, Faulkner, Ford, Gass, Griffin, Hogaboom, Jones, Kirk, Mackey, Moore, Peck, Pettit, Van Valkenburg, Westervelt, Whitcomb, White (very incomplete list due to the records not being available to us).
MIDDLETOWN & ROXBURY/&HALCOTT/HALCOTT (1822)(SEE ALSO DELAWARE COUNTY)
Letters of dismission from the First Baptist Church of Roxbury were granted to seventy-two members, March 30th, 1822, for the purpose of forming a church nearer Middletown. Steps were immediately taken for the organization of such a church, and a meeting called on the 1st of May following at the house of Noah Dimmick, where the feasibility of organizing this new church was discussed. The meeting adjourned to the 29th of the same month, when the church was organized by a council composed of delegates from Marbletown, Lexington and Roxbury churches. It is recorded that "the Middletown and Roxbury Church was organized at the house of Noah Dimmick, of Middletown, on the 29th of May, 1822, with Elder James Mead as pastor. The members to be those who had taken letters from the First Baptist Church of Roxbury for this purpose."
Elder Mead continued as pastor until his death, which occurred May 17th, 1856. On the 18th of March, 1841, Daniel Morrison, of Halcott, was ordained. He occasionally supplied the pulpit for Elder Mead. In June, 1856, he became the pastor, and continued in that relation until his death, October 30th, 1859. Elder Hewitt and Elder Alling supplied the society occasionally, and in 1861 arrangements were made for preaching once a month, Elder Hewitt and Elder Fuller alternating. In 1870 Elder Buel Maben was ordained to preach, and he is now the resident pastor. The first deacon was Shubal Dimmick. The present deacon is David Earl, who is also a licensed preacher.
At first meetings were held in private houses. Mr. Noah Dimmick and Mr. James Blish being the earliest who operated their houses for religious services. In 1823, Mr. Dimmick built a school-house known as the Dimmick school-house, where meetings were held, and some are living who speak of the school-house, with the cushioned seat by the rostrum for Deacon Dimmick, who was a cripple. In 1847 a church was built in the town of Halcott, but the "old church" was long since abandoned, and the society now hold their meetings in what is known as the Fly school-house.
The church was known as the Middletown and Roxbury church until 1860, when the name was changed to Middletown and Halcott and still later to Halcott.
E. Kelly, Jr., was clerk of this church from 1831 to 1834; Ethiel Travis from 1834 to 1846; James T. Streeter from 1846 to 1861; the present clerk is James Miller, who is also a licensed preacher.
The above account was copied from an appendix in "The History of Delaware County," by W. W. Munsell, 1797-1880.
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Ackley, Berdsil, Blish, Chapman, Demund, Dimmick, Dixon, Earl, Ellis, Faulkner, Green, Griffin, Hicks (Hix), Hubbard, Hull, Huntley, Kelley, Knickerbocker, Maben, Mead, Miller, Morrison, Morse, Muir, O'Connor, Peck, Rolfe, Sanford, Scudder, Streeter, Swart, Travis, Vermilyea, Wooden (very incomplete list due to lack of records).
HUNTER (HUNTER)
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Carl, Merritt, Miller (very incomplete list due to loss of records).
DURHAM (DURHAM)
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
BEAVER DAM (BEAVER DAM)
SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:
Copyright c. 2001-2021. All rights reserved. The Primitive Baptist Library.
