Church and Family History Research Assistance for Albany County, New York

RENSSELAERVILLE & BERNE (RENSSELAERVILLE)(1797)

The Rensselaerville and Berne Church was originally a colony of the Baptist Church of Preston Hollow. It was constituted on August 19, 1796. The first meeting house was built in 1797 just across the Rensselaerville town line in Berne, on Peasley Road, just north of the Peasley schoolhouse, which was across the road to the north from where the Baptist Church Burying Ground is now located. The first ministers were William Stewart and Truman Beaman. Ephraim Crocker was ordained to preach in 1802. Elder Evan J. Williams was also a member of this church. The records are believed to have been lost as a result of a fire which destroyed a barn where the records were being kept. The location of the church are shown on an 1866 map as being in the southeast corner of Lot 401. The building was sold in 1898 for !00 to Wallace Peasley, who tore it down and used the lumber to build a wagon house on his farm. The Burying Ground was established in 1800, and still remains.

SOUTH WESTERLO (1891)

SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:

Bryan, Mabey, Porter, Wicks (very incomplete list due to loss of records).

ALBANY & TROY (1897)

The Albany and Troy Old School Baptist Church was organized on January 22, 1897, at the home of Bro. Charles Schade. The charter members were Lorenz Hecker, George Schade, Frank Curtis, Charles Schade, Sarah Ann Curtis, Kate Schade, and Sister Wolf, who were dismissed from the Middletown and Wallkill Church for that purpose. The presbytery was composed of Elder D. M. Vail, moderator, and Elder Balas Bundy and Samuel G. Squire of Otego. The church agreed to meet at the house of Bro. Charles Schade, 415 Canal Street, Albany, till further notice, with Elders Vail and Bundy supplying the pulpit. Preaching was appointed at Watkins Hall, corner of First and Congress Sts., in Troy, for the following Sunday.

In 1912 the Albany and Troy Church was meeting at No. 2 Second Street, Monument Square, in Troy, with John B. Slauson as pastor.

SURNAMES OF MEMBERS:

Curtis, Hecker, Schade, Wolf (very incomplete list due to loss of records).

Go Back to the Primitive Baptist Library Page

Go Back to the Family History Assistance Page