Old Dutch Parsonage
Encyclopedia
The Old Dutch Parsonage is a historical house at 38 Washington Place in Somerville, New Jersey
.
It was the home of the first ministers of the first Dutch Reformed Church
and was built with the pooled funds from the congregations in Bridgewater, New Jersey, and Raritan, New Jersey
, in 1751. The first occupant was Reverend John Frelinghuysen (1727-1754)
, After Frelinghuysen died in 1754, the house was occupied by his widow, Dinah, and their three children, plus several men studying for Seminary. One of them was Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh
, who would be the next occupant of the house as he replaced Frelinghuysen as minister. Hardenbergh also married Frelinghuysen's widow in 1756.
This house was set to be knocked down in 1913 by the Central Railroad of New Jersey
, which now owns the home. The house was moved adjacent to the Wallace House, which was built in 1775. The two houses were in varying stages of use and disuse until the mid-1940s when they were given to the State of New Jersey. Today they are administered through the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
. Buried in the cemetery are Harmanus Barkeloo II (1745–1788) and John Waldron (1737–1790).
Somerville, New Jersey
Somerville is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 12,098. It is the county seat of Somerset County....
.
History
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...
and was built with the pooled funds from the congregations in Bridgewater, New Jersey, and Raritan, New Jersey
Raritan, New Jersey
Raritan is a Borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 6,881.-Geography:Raritan is located at ....
, in 1751. The first occupant was Reverend John Frelinghuysen (1727-1754)
John Frelinghuysen (1727-1754)
John Frelinghuysen was a minister in colonial New Jersey. -Biography:Frelinghuysen was the 2nd son of Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen , a German who had lived for a short time in Holland before emigrating in 1720. John married Dinah Van Bergh , and they had two children: Eva Frelinghuysen John...
, After Frelinghuysen died in 1754, the house was occupied by his widow, Dinah, and their three children, plus several men studying for Seminary. One of them was Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh
Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh
Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh was a Dutch Reformed minister and the first President of Queen's College from 1785 to his death in 1790. -Biography:...
, who would be the next occupant of the house as he replaced Frelinghuysen as minister. Hardenbergh also married Frelinghuysen's widow in 1756.
This house was set to be knocked down in 1913 by the Central Railroad of New Jersey
Central Railroad of New Jersey
The Central Railroad of New Jersey , commonly known as the Jersey Central Lines or CNJ, was a Class I railroad with origins in the 1830s, lasting until 1976 when it was absorbed into Conrail with the other bankrupt railroads of the Northeastern United States...
, which now owns the home. The house was moved adjacent to the Wallace House, which was built in 1775. The two houses were in varying stages of use and disuse until the mid-1940s when they were given to the State of New Jersey. Today they are administered through the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
The New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry is responsible for the management and operation of New Jersey's 42 parks, 11 forests and 3 recreation areas, as well as for the more than 50 historic sites and districts...
. Buried in the cemetery are Harmanus Barkeloo II (1745–1788) and John Waldron (1737–1790).
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Somerset County, New Jersey
- List of museums in New Jersey