Record of Mohawk leaders joining First Reformed Church of Schenectady

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Reform Church and the Mohawk in New York

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Date

1701

Description

The names of more than one hundred Mohawk members are in the records of First Reformed Church of Schenectady. This list is of fourteen couples who became new members in 1701, when the church was known as the Schenectady Dutch Reformed Church. The list is on page 126 of the church's Register Vol. 1, Accounts 1683 - Early 1700s. The ceremony was led by Domine (minister) Bernardus Freerman and included three Mohawk leaders who traveled to London, England with Peter Schuyler, Mayor of Albany, NY in 1710 to meet British Queen Anne: Hendrick Teionihokarawa, Brant Sakwankwarakton and Johannes Onekaheriako (husband of Lowisa). A Mohican ally, Nicholas Etowaucum, was another leader on the trip. Their mission was to strengthen their alliance with the English and obtain forts and reinforcements against the French. Negotiations resulted in the new British governor, Robert Hunter, ordering construction of a new fortification in the Mohawk village Ticonderoga, just west of Schenectady. Fort Hunter was completed there in 1712, along with a stone chapel. British soldiers manned the fort, and an English minister was assigned to the chapel. The Queen donated a silver communion service, still possessed by the Mohawk people. This item was added as part of the Diversity and Collaborative Knowledge Program funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).

Type

Written Document

Region

Capital District, New York State

Era

Colonial America

Topic

Community, Dutch

Repository

First Reformed Church of Schenectady, NY

Identifier

Membership Register Vol 1 p126

Source

From the archives of First Reformed Church of Schenectady, NY

Rights

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