after separated from the parish of West and Eastchester, lower Yonkers and the manor of Pelham.

"2d. It was further enacted (by the authority aforesaid) that the said town of Eastchester, &c. be and hereby is declared to be and remain for ever a distinct parish from the parish of Westchester, &c. by the name and style of the parish of Eastchester in the county of Westchester, provided that the freeholders and inhabitants thereof do maintain a good orthodox Protestant minister in the said town of Eastchester, &c."a

June the 12th, 1700, "the town exchanged land with Mr. Joseph Morgan, pastor of the church in Eastchester."

"At a public town meeting called by order of the inhabitants, Oct. 4th, 1700, the said inhabitants directed Mr. Henry Fowler and Richard Shute, (with the rest of the intended church,) to write unto the reverend ministers in New England concerning the ordination; they having the assistance of the Rev. Mr. Morgan. Also, that Mr. John Pinckney, Henry Fowler and Richard Shute, shall write unto his Excellency for his approbation, that he will be pleased to induct our minister the Rev. Joseph Moigan; at the same time Joseph Drake and John Shute, were chosen to hire a man to build a pulpit on the town account."

Upon the 3d of April, 1702, John Drake and Thomas Pinckney were authorized to agree with a carpenter to make a pulpit, and set up the gallery and repair the window shutters, &c."

John Tompkins, jun., was also chosen "to beat the drum constantly every Lord's day if occasion require, and at other times when it is needful, and to keep the drum in repair, and the said inhabitants do promise to pay him therefor 9 pence a piece every one."

In a summary account of the state of the church in the province of New York, as it was laid before the clergy, convened October 5th, 1704, at New York, by the appointment of his Excellency Edward Lord Viscount Cornbury and Colonel Francis Nicholson, it was stated, that "There is one independent congregation at Eastchester whose minister designs to leave there, whose congregation upon his departure are resolved to join with the church."b

Col. Caleb Heathcoate, in a letter to the secretary of the venerable Society for Propagating the Gospel in foreign parts, dated Manor of Scarsdale, November 9th, 1705, thus writes; "and thirdly, one Mr. Morgan, who was minister of Eastchester, promised me to conform."a

To Mr. Morgan appears to have succeeded the celebrated William Tennent, who officiated here for a short time only, from whence he removed to Bedford.b

About 1703-4, the Congregational church of this place became merged in the Episcopal, (at that time the established religion of the colony,) which clearly appears from the following notice of the Rev. John Bartow, first Episcopal rector of the parish: "Besides Westchester, (observes Dr. Hawkins,) at which he resided, Mr. Bartow officiated once a month at Eastchester, and occasionally at Yonkers. The population of Westchester was about 55), that of Eastchester 400, who, being Presbyterians, obtained an act by which they were formed into a separate parish, and ob tained a minister of their own persuasion, but on Mr. Bartow's coming among them "they were so well satisfied with the liturgy and doctrine of the church, that they forsook their minister and conformed to the Church of England."e

The following memoranda occurs in the vestry book of St. Peter's Church, Westchester.

January 12th, 1702. "It was resolved by the justices and ves-. trymen, that there shall be raised £50 for the minister's mainte

■ Church Rec. vol. i. No. 29.

b See Bedford.

• See Westchester.

nance, and poor of the parish, (the quota furnished by Eastchester was £7 13s.) to be paid unto the church wardens at or before the 15th of December, next ensuing." The name of Joseph Drake appears in the list of vestrymen.

On the same occasion, Edward Avery late constable of Eastchester produced a receipt from the Rev. John Bartow, for the minister's rate in the year 1703, stating that he had paid Mr. Bartow the sum of seven pounds thirteen shillings, for his collecting.a On the 23d of December, 1707, it was resolved to raise the sum of five pounds towards purchasing boards for Eastchester church.b

In 1703 Capt. John Drake and Edmund Ward were appointed to go to New York to ask concerning the settling the minister according to a warrant granted by General Heathcoate, for the good of the county.c

Upon the 20th of March, 1703, it was agreed that "Judge Drake, Moses Fowler, and Isaac Taylor should have full power to hire a man to repair ye meeting house in Eastchester, and in making a pulpit and pew seat, (reading desk) and further to sell and make other seats in the same as far as the boards that are already bought will go." In 1713 the Rev. John Bartow contributed £9 6s. 6d. towards rectifying the pews and seats in East and Westchester. During the year 1728, the Rev. Thomas Standard (rector of Westchester) officiated here every other Sunday, and publicly catechised the children. This year there ap pear to have been fifty children, and thirty communicants.f In 1745 Mr. Standard informs the society that the parishes of East and Westchester are in a thriving and growing state." The Rev. Mr. Milner, his successor in 1764, reported to the Propagation Society, "That the people of Eastchester have laid the foundation of a new church of stone, seventy-one feet by eighty-eight,

a Westchester Rec.

b Ibid.

Hawkins Hist. Notices of the Church of England, 276. MS. Letters in the Lambeth collection, England, vol. xx. 109.

d Town Rec.

• Ibid.

Propagation Soc. Rep.

in the room of a small decayed wooden building erected in the infancy of the settlement." Throughout the years 1766, 7, and 8, the Rev. Samuel Seabury (afterwards bishop of Connecticut,) officiated in Eastchester.

Occasionally the French clergy of New Rochelle must have performed services in this parish, as we find the following entry on the records of Trinity Church, New Rochelle.

"Cet aujourd'hui le 5 mars, 1733, baptisé à East Chester, William Fowler, fils de Joseph Fowler et de Madame Sarah sa femme agé d'environ six mois, et présenté au saint baptême par Ezekiel Halstead, son oncle et par Sarah Fowler, sa mère, Parrain et Marraime. P. STOUPPE."

The parsonage formerly stood on the Alstine property, directly north of the present church. Here the Rev. Thomas Standard resided for many years,a

St. Paul's Church, Eastchester, was first incorporated on the 12th of March, 1787, in pursuance of an act of the legislature passed April 6th, 1781; on which occasion Thomas Bartow, John Wright, Isaac Ward, Elisha Shute, Lewis Guion, and Philip Pell, jun., were unanimously elected trustees. This church was again incorporated 4th of October, 1795, by the style and title of "St. Paul's Church in the town of Eastchester." William Popham and Lancaster Underhill, church wardens. Philip Pell, Lewis Guion, Isaac Ward, John Reed, Isaac Guion, Abraham Valentine, William Pinckney and William Crawford, vestrymen.

We have previously shown, that the present church was erected in 1764, by the inhabitants of this town, situated in a pleasant valley (bordering the Aqueanouncke.) It presents from the neighboring hills, a very picturesque appearance. On the west end is a neat tower, containing a bell, which bears the following inscription.c

"THE GIFT OF THE REV. THOMAS STANDARD, 1758." "LESTER & PACK FECIT."

a It appears that as early as 1699 a lot was provided for the minister.

b In pursuance of an act passed for the relief of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the state of New York, 17th March, 1795.

Immediately above the tower door are inscribed the initials of the principal benefactors, viz. P. R. P., P. P., D. V., also a tablet bearing the date of erection 1765.

Beneath the chancel floor, repose the remains of the Rev. Thomas Standard, former rector of the parish, and Anne his wife, a

The chandelier and organ, were the gift of George Rapelje, Esq.

The communion silver consists of a flaggon, two chalices, and paten.

The former bears the following inscription:

ΤΟ

St. Paul's Ch., Eastchester, N. Y.

In memory of

MRS. MARY GREGG,

obt. Janry. 2d, 1844.

E 71 years.

The chalices are inscribed as follows: 1st. St. Paul's Church, Eastchester, N. Y., from Mrs. John Quincy Adams, 1829.

2d. The gift of Frederick van Cortlandt.

Eastchester, N. Y., A. D. 1829."

"St. Paul's Church,

On the erection of the present edifice, their bodies were removed from the old

church which stood near the locusts.