The old merchants of New York City / by Walter Barrett.

OF.JTEJ YORK CITY.

27

generations having professed the same faith. For more
than sixty years he was a worshipper in the Brick Presbyterian Church, under the pastoral charge of Rev.
Doctors Rodgers and Miller (the latter married him)
and of the present venerable incumbent, the Rev. Dr.
Spring. In 1815 he was appointed ruling Elder, and
continued in that office for forty years.
The first Presbyterian Church, as it was called, was
put up in Wall street, north side, between Nassau and
Broadway, in 1719. In 1765, Rev. John Rodgers was
called as colleague pastor to Rev. Joseph Trent. Up to
that time there had been but one place of worship, but
the congregation had become so large that a second
place was neccessary, and a grant was obtained from
the Corporation of the ground out of town in the fields,
now bounded by Beekman and Nassau streets (where
the Times' building now stands).
There the " Brick Church," that stood until within
a few years, was erected, and opened for worship January 1, 1768. It was considered as one with that in
Wall street. Curious enough, most of the founders
were Irishmen. In 1762, Captain John Neilson, a native of Ireland, bequeathed by will $250. He was a
member of this church for years. He commanded a
ship in the European trade out of this port, in which
he was blown up on the coast of France, in the year
1762, and with his whole crew perished. Previous to
the time of John Rodgers, the introductory prayer,
and reading the Scriptures, and giving out the first
Psalm, was read from the clerk's desk instead of the
pulpit. Rev. John took the responsibility of ending all
that, and performed the whole service in the pulpit
from 1765. To build the " Brick Church," in Beekman
street, Mr. Rodgers went for several months from door
to door in New York City. One morning he called at