Shekomeko, New York
Encyclopedia
Shekomeko was a historic hamlet
in the southwest part of the town of North East, New York
, United States
in present-day Dutchess County
. It was a village
of the Mahican
people. They lived by a stream which Anglo-Americans later named Shekomeko Creek, after their village.
In 1740 Moravians from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
founded a mission
at Shekomeko. Slowly they began to convert the Mahican, and in 1743 built a chapel. With their conversion
s, the Mahican community became the first Native American Christian
congregation in the present-day United States.
Some of the colonists resented the Moravians' work on behalf of the Mahican; others accused them of being secret Jesuits who were working to rouse the Mahican against the settlers on the side of the French
. The New York colony had passed a law against the Catholic
Jesuits in 1700. The Moravians were called before colonial government officials in Poughkeepsie, but supporters also testified on their behalf. The colonial government finally expelled them from New York at the end of 1744, "under pretense of being in league with the French." One of the missionaries died in early 1745 and was buried at Shekomeko. Disheartened, the Mahican left the settlement and went to other areas, and the English colonists took over the Mahican land.
Location is 41°55'41"N 73°35'58"W, by County Route 83. The hamlet of Bethel is now located there, in the town of [Pine Plains, formed in 1823 from part of North East.
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
in the southwest part of the town of North East, New York
North East, New York
North East is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 3,002 at the 2000 census.The Town of North East is in the northeastern part of the county...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in present-day Dutchess County
Dutchess County, New York
Dutchess County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, in the state's Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley. The 2010 census lists the population as 297,488...
. It was a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
of the Mahican
Mahican
The Mahican are an Eastern Algonquian Native American tribe, originally settling in the Hudson River Valley . After 1680, many moved to Stockbridge, Massachusetts. During the early 1820s and 1830s, most of the Mahican descendants migrated westward to northeastern Wisconsin...
people. They lived by a stream which Anglo-Americans later named Shekomeko Creek, after their village.
In 1740 Moravians from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
founded a mission
Moravian mission at Shekomeko
The Moravian mission at Shekomeko was founded in 1740 by Christian Henry Rauch to convert the Mahican Indians in eastern New York.-Background:...
at Shekomeko. Slowly they began to convert the Mahican, and in 1743 built a chapel. With their conversion
Religious conversion
Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religion that differs from the convert's previous religion. Changing from one denomination to another within the same religion is usually described as reaffiliation rather than conversion.People convert to a different religion for various reasons,...
s, the Mahican community became the first Native American Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
congregation in the present-day United States.
Some of the colonists resented the Moravians' work on behalf of the Mahican; others accused them of being secret Jesuits who were working to rouse the Mahican against the settlers on the side of the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The New York colony had passed a law against the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Jesuits in 1700. The Moravians were called before colonial government officials in Poughkeepsie, but supporters also testified on their behalf. The colonial government finally expelled them from New York at the end of 1744, "under pretense of being in league with the French." One of the missionaries died in early 1745 and was buried at Shekomeko. Disheartened, the Mahican left the settlement and went to other areas, and the English colonists took over the Mahican land.
Location is 41°55'41"N 73°35'58"W, by County Route 83. The hamlet of Bethel is now located there, in the town of [Pine Plains, formed in 1823 from part of North East.
See also
- Moravian mission at ShekomekoMoravian mission at ShekomekoThe Moravian mission at Shekomeko was founded in 1740 by Christian Henry Rauch to convert the Mahican Indians in eastern New York.-Background:...
- American Provinces of the Moravian ChurchAmerican Provinces of the Moravian ChurchThe Moravian Church in America is part of the world wide Moravian Church Unity. It dates from the arrival of the first Moravian missionaries to the United States in 1735, from their Herrnhut settlement in present-day Saxony, Germany. They came to minister to the scattered German immigrants, to the...
- History of the Moravian ChurchHistory of the Moravian ChurchThe History of the Moravian Church has two broad phases. This article covers the period from the church's origin in the late fourteenth century to the beginning of mission work circa 1732. With missions came the need for Provinces .From 1732, the history is the history of the Provinces...