Eilardus Westerlo (1738-1790)
Encyclopedia
Eilardus Westerlo, born in Groningen, raised in Denekamp
, and educated at the grammar school in Oldenzaal and the University of Groningen
, only held one full-time job in his entire life, as pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church in Albany
, from October 1760 until December 1790. During this period the United States
fought for its independence, and the Dutch Reformed Church in North America
gained its independence from the mother church in the Netherlands.
Westerlo became one of the leaders of his denomination in America. For thirty years he successfully steered his own congregation past its problems of discord. Moreover, he was instrumental in helping the Dutch Reformed Church
in New York
and New Jersey
establish its own organization in North America.
Although it would take more than a century after the British takeover of New Netherland
in 1664 for the English language to replace Dutch in Albany
, this process was accelerated by the presence of British troops in and around Albany during the French-and-Indian War
(1754-1763). Westerlo’s switch from Dutch to English in his Memoirs in 1782 and the addition of English as a language in which he preached laid his conflicting feelings about the use of Dutch bare: he did not want to disappoint the elderly members of his congregation, while at the same time realizing that hanging on to Dutch would lead to the loss of the non-Dutch-speaking part of the population for the Dutch Reformed Church in Albany
.
Eilardus Westerlo’s success must in part be traced back to Daniel Gerdes and Michaël Bertling in Groningen, who were asked to find an adequate successor for Theodorus Frelinghuysen as pastor in Albany in 1760. Thousands of miles from Albany, unfamiliar with the local situation, faced with a limited number of candidates, these two Groningen
professors appear to have selected a very suitable candidate as the new pastor.
Within a few months after graduating from the University of Groningen
, the young pastor Westerlo proved not only that he understood the issues in Albany, but also that he could come up with workable solutions. He led the large, politically divided congregation, with its powerful consistory and with many influential members, to a solution, first in the Coetus-Conferentie conflict, and later on the issue of whether the congregation in Albany should join the other North American congregations under the Plan of Union proposed by the Classis of Amsterdam
.
As soon as Westerlo’s congregation finally joined the Union of Dutch Reformed Churches
in 1785, he was immediately chosen to be president of the General Synod. Perhaps for this reason, but also to be celebrated for his efforts towards education, he was made an honorary doctor of theology by the College of New Jersey
, now Princeton University
, that same year.
Another delicate issue in which Westerlo carefully guided his congregation was its position vis-à-vis the War of Independence
. The War put the Dutch Reformed pastors at risk. The transition from Dutch to English was not easy either. Westerlo’s preaching reflected that problem too, beginning in 1782.
In 1984 Howard Hageman called Eilardus Westerlo “Albany’s Dutch Pope.” This says more about the influence that is now ascribed to Westerlo in Albany. He should, however, be known as a successful representative of his church community in the quickly changing world of Revolutionary North America.
, in the province of Groningen
, the Netherlands,on October 30, 1738, to Isaac Westerlo (1708-1766), a Dutch-Reformed minister, and Hillegonda Reiners (ca.1715-1750), daughter of Dominee Eilardus Reiners. Westerlo graduated from the University of Groningen
in 1760, and he was ordained as a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church
the same year. He accepted a call to Albany, NY, where he arrived in October 1760. Westerlo died in Albany on December 26, 1790.
Denekamp
Denekamp is a town in the Dutch province of Overijssel. It is a part of the region of Twente and the municipality of Dinkelland, and lies about 9 km northeast of Oldenzaal....
, and educated at the grammar school in Oldenzaal and the University of Groningen
University of Groningen
The University of Groningen , located in the city of Groningen, was founded in 1614. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands as well as one of its largest. Since its inception more than 100,000 students have graduated...
, only held one full-time job in his entire life, as pastor of the Dutch Reformed Church in Albany
First Church in Albany (Reformed)
First Reformed Church in Albany, New York, also known as First Church in Albany or North Dutch Church, was designed by Philip Hooker and built in 1798. It is a member of the Reformed Church in America...
, from October 1760 until December 1790. During this period the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fought for its independence, and the Dutch Reformed Church in North America
Reformed Church in America
The Reformed Church in America is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 170,000 members, with the total declining in recent decades. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1819, it...
gained its independence from the mother church in the Netherlands.
Westerlo became one of the leaders of his denomination in America. For thirty years he successfully steered his own congregation past its problems of discord. Moreover, he was instrumental in helping the Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
establish its own organization in North America.
Although it would take more than a century after the British takeover of New Netherland
New Netherland
New Netherland, or Nieuw-Nederland in Dutch, was the 17th-century colonial province of the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands on the East Coast of North America. The claimed territories were the lands from the Delmarva Peninsula to extreme southwestern Cape Cod...
in 1664 for the English language to replace Dutch in Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, this process was accelerated by the presence of British troops in and around Albany during the French-and-Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
(1754-1763). Westerlo’s switch from Dutch to English in his Memoirs in 1782 and the addition of English as a language in which he preached laid his conflicting feelings about the use of Dutch bare: he did not want to disappoint the elderly members of his congregation, while at the same time realizing that hanging on to Dutch would lead to the loss of the non-Dutch-speaking part of the population for the Dutch Reformed Church in Albany
First Church in Albany (Reformed)
First Reformed Church in Albany, New York, also known as First Church in Albany or North Dutch Church, was designed by Philip Hooker and built in 1798. It is a member of the Reformed Church in America...
.
Eilardus Westerlo’s success must in part be traced back to Daniel Gerdes and Michaël Bertling in Groningen, who were asked to find an adequate successor for Theodorus Frelinghuysen as pastor in Albany in 1760. Thousands of miles from Albany, unfamiliar with the local situation, faced with a limited number of candidates, these two Groningen
University of Groningen
The University of Groningen , located in the city of Groningen, was founded in 1614. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands as well as one of its largest. Since its inception more than 100,000 students have graduated...
professors appear to have selected a very suitable candidate as the new pastor.
Within a few months after graduating from the University of Groningen
University of Groningen
The University of Groningen , located in the city of Groningen, was founded in 1614. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands as well as one of its largest. Since its inception more than 100,000 students have graduated...
, the young pastor Westerlo proved not only that he understood the issues in Albany, but also that he could come up with workable solutions. He led the large, politically divided congregation, with its powerful consistory and with many influential members, to a solution, first in the Coetus-Conferentie conflict, and later on the issue of whether the congregation in Albany should join the other North American congregations under the Plan of Union proposed by the Classis of Amsterdam
Reformed Church in America
The Reformed Church in America is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 170,000 members, with the total declining in recent decades. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1819, it...
.
As soon as Westerlo’s congregation finally joined the Union of Dutch Reformed Churches
Reformed Church in America
The Reformed Church in America is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 170,000 members, with the total declining in recent decades. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1819, it...
in 1785, he was immediately chosen to be president of the General Synod. Perhaps for this reason, but also to be celebrated for his efforts towards education, he was made an honorary doctor of theology by the College of New Jersey
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, now Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, that same year.
Another delicate issue in which Westerlo carefully guided his congregation was its position vis-à-vis the War of Independence
The War of Independence
The War of Independence is a Pulitzer Prize-winning book by American historian Claude H. Van Tyne. The book was published in 1929. It explains the history and causes of the American Revolutionary War. Van Tyne won the Pulitzer Prize for History for this book in 1930....
. The War put the Dutch Reformed pastors at risk. The transition from Dutch to English was not easy either. Westerlo’s preaching reflected that problem too, beginning in 1782.
In 1984 Howard Hageman called Eilardus Westerlo “Albany’s Dutch Pope.” This says more about the influence that is now ascribed to Westerlo in Albany. He should, however, be known as a successful representative of his church community in the quickly changing world of Revolutionary North America.
Birth and emigration
Westerlo was born in KantensKantens
Kantens is a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Eemsmond, about 16 km north of the city of Groningen.Kantens was a separate municipality until 1990, when it became a part of Hefshuizen.-External links:*...
, in the province of Groningen
Groningen (province)
Groningen [] is the northeasternmost province of the Netherlands. In the east it borders the German state of Niedersachsen , in the south Drenthe, in the west Friesland and in the north the Wadden Sea...
, the Netherlands,on October 30, 1738, to Isaac Westerlo (1708-1766), a Dutch-Reformed minister, and Hillegonda Reiners (ca.1715-1750), daughter of Dominee Eilardus Reiners. Westerlo graduated from the University of Groningen
University of Groningen
The University of Groningen , located in the city of Groningen, was founded in 1614. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands as well as one of its largest. Since its inception more than 100,000 students have graduated...
in 1760, and he was ordained as a minister of the Dutch Reformed Church
Reformed Church in America
The Reformed Church in America is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 170,000 members, with the total declining in recent decades. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1819, it...
the same year. He accepted a call to Albany, NY, where he arrived in October 1760. Westerlo died in Albany on December 26, 1790.