Old Dutch Parsonage Explained

Old Dutch Parsonage
Location:65 Washington Place, Somerville, New Jersey, United States
Coordinates:40.5681°N -74.6231°W
Added:January 25, 1971
Refnum:71000514
Designated Other1 Name:New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Designated Other1 Abbr:NJRHP
Designated Other1 Link:New Jersey Register of Historic Places
Designated Other1 Date:September 11, 1970
Designated Other1 Number:2581[1]
Designated Other1 Num Position:bottom
Designated Other1 Color:
  1. ffc94b

The Old Dutch Parsonage is a historic house built in 1751, moved about 1913 and now located at 65 Washington Place, in the borough of Somerville in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 25, 1971, for its significance in education and religion. The nomination form notes it as "an excellent example of mid-18th-century Flemish Bond brick structure".[2]

History

The -story brick house was the home of the first ministers of the first Dutch Reformed Churches in the area, built by the combined efforts of the congregations in Somerville, New Jersey, and Raritan, New Jersey, in 1751.

The first occupant was Reverend John Frelinghuysen who taught seminarians in the house. His son Frederick Frelinghuysen was a captain in the Continental Army.Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh, one of the seminarians who occupied the house after Frelinghuysen's death along with the former reverend's widow and her children, succeeded Frelinghuysen as minister, occupant of the house, and, in 1756, as husband to the former Mrs. Frelinghuysen.[3]

Hardenbergh helped establish Queen's College, now known as Rutgers University, in 1766 and in 1785 became its first president. He moved from the house in 1781, but it continued in use as a parsonage until 1810.[4]

Peter Stryker bought the house in 1810 and sold it to the Doughty family in 1836. They owned it until 1907 when they sold it to the Central Railroad of New Jersey.

In 1913, the house was set to be knocked down by the railroad, but instead it was moved adjacent to the Wallace House, which was built in 1775.

Notable burials

The Old Dutch Parsonage Burial Ground located behind the house contains early-18th-century graves.[5]

Harmanus Barkeloo II (1745–1788) and John Waldron (1737–1790) are buried in the cemetery.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places – Somerset County . New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection – Historic Preservation Office . 14 . June 28, 2024 .
  2. Web site: [{{NRHP url|id=71000514}} National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Old Dutch Parsonage ]. . Tomaszewski . Charlotte . January 1971 . With
  3. Web site: Old Dutch Parsonage, Somerville . 2007-08-26 . The Old Dutch Parsonage was constructed in 1751 with funds from three Dutch Reformed Church Congregations of the Raritan Valley. It was first occupied by Reverend John Frelinghuysen, a member of George Washington’s staff during the Revolutionary War. While he served the three congregations, he also tutored several young men in his home, preparing them for the seminary. Frelinghuysen died in 1754, leaving behind his wife, Dinah, and two children, Frederick and Eva. . Richard Stockton College of NJ.
  4. Web site: Old Dutch Parsonage and Wallace House. 2012-02-03 . New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry.
  5. Book: Sarapin, Janice Kohl . Old Burial Grounds of New Jersey . 1994. . 106. 0-8135-2111-4.