During the 15^th and 16^th centuries it was a common practice of the English to refer to all persons of Germanic heritage as "Dutch" or "Dutch-men", with the only occasional distinction made being that between "low" and "high". The term "Low" Dutch was sometimes used to signify those persons of Netherlandish descent, while "High" Dutch referred to Germans and the Swiss. It was not until the latter part of the 17^th century that the current distinction between Dutch and German began to come into use.

Most of the "Dutch" settlers in southeastern Pennsylvania, including Bucks county, were in fact German. There was, however, a well established Low Dutch community in lower Bucks county. This community was comprised mainly of settlers and the descendants of settlers from the Netherlands, many of whom came into Pennsylvania through New Jersey from New York. It is in reference to these "Hollanders", rather than the German or "Pennsylvania Dutch" communities, that the term "Dutch" is applied throughout this site. For more information on the defining characteristics of the Pennsylvania Dutch community, as opposed to the Low Dutch described above, visit Charles F. Kerchner's, 'Pennsylvania Dutch Are of German Heritage, Not Dutch' page.

A Brief History Of The Dutch Reformed Church In Bucks County

Going To Church In Richboro

Early Dutch Reformed Church Membership Lists

Neshaminy & Bensalem

Whitemarsh

Six Mile Run, New Jersey

In 1702 a Provincial Council called Paulus Van Vlecq, a precenter (schoolmaster), at Kinderhook, to answer charges that he preached against the order of the governor of New York. Van Vlecq, aspiring toward the ministry, had been forbidden to preach by the governor for having failed to return to Holland for ordination. Rather than face charges he left the province and headed to Pennsylvania. The Dutch settlers whom he joined there had been among the first people to follow the Quakers into Bucks county. Most of these settlers did not come directly from Holland, but rather from older Dutch settlements in New York and New Jersey. At the time Van Vlecq arrived there was a growing Dutch community along the western bank of the Neshaminy Creek. As there existed no established Dutch Reformed church in this area to serve their spiritual needs, he approached the Presbytery of Philadelphia seeking ordination. He gained their confidence, was ordained, and promptly organized a congregation in Bucks county. The now Reverand Van Vlecq's church at "Bensalem & Shammenji" was established on May 20, 1710. Thus came into being a Dutch speaking Reformed congregation under Presbyterian authority.

As this new ministry flourished, Rev. Van Vlecq set up preaching missions at several other Low and High Dutch communities, among them: Whitemarsh, Skippack and Germantown in Pennsylvania, along with Hopewell and Six Mile Run in New Jersey. His ministry grew, and in 1711 he married the daughter of one of the elders of the Bensalem congregation.

Things changed however, in 1712. He was called to Philadelphia, to answer charges of bigamy before the Presbytery. A rumor had been circulating that he had left a wife in Holland. He denied the charges, but the issue remained unresolved. Later evidence was presented against him, including a letter from his own mother. Rev. Van Vlecq, found to be lying, left his ministry in disgrace.

Van Vlecq's congregation, however, managed to survive. Some parishioners joined with a neighboring Scots Presbyterian congregation, at Abington. The Rev. Malachi Jones, founder of the Abington congregation, received them, and for a time there seemed to be a stronger Dutch presence than Scots-Irish at that church. Some of the Dutch congregants eventually asked Rev. Jones to preach at their church and he obliged. By 1719 the Dutch presence at the Abington church diminished as the Rev. Jones preached more frequently at Bensalem. The Dutch church records were reopened, and the congregation again flourished. In the years that followed however, Scots-Irish settlers came to out number the Dutch at not only at Abington, but also at Bensalem, which by 1730 had quite clearly become a Scots-Irish Presbyterian church.

Fearing the loss of their identity, the Dutch congregants withdrew to form a new Dutch Reformed congregation. These break-away Dutch invited the Rev. Cornelius Van Santvoort, a minister from Staten Island, to visit. He arrived on May 3,1730, and effected a new congregation, installing two elders, two deacons and performing several baptisms. On the same day, a letter was addressed by the congregation to Reformed church authorities in Holland, requesting a permanent minister to serve their community. It would take several years for a suitable candidate to be found. Even then the congregation had to wait as their new minister to be had not yet completed his religious training. In the mean time the Rev. Van Santvoort traveled down from Staten Island several times a year to see to the spiritual needs of the congregation. On October 5, 1737, the Rev. Petrus Hendrickus Dorsius finally arrived in Philadelphia and made his way to join the faithful in Bucks county. Upon arriving he stayed with various members of the congregation until a home could be found for him. Between April 1738 and March 1739 he over saw the erection of a proper church for his congregation. The chosen site was beside the burial ground, in Feasterville.

Rev. Dorsius was motivated and headstrong in his leadership, and his congregation thrived. But in 1743 he traveled to Holland, to protest before the Synod his having been reprimanded for having assisted, without due authority, in the ordination of a theological student he had instructed. Unsuccessful, he returned to his flock in 1745. His standing weakened, and at odds with both the authority of the Coetus (Convention) of the Reformed Church in Philadelphia, (which had been established by the Reformed Synods of Holland to oversee the Reformed churches of the area), as well as his congregants. He soon stepped down, returning to Holland in 1748.

In 1749 a new minister was found for the congregation. The Rev. Jonathan Du Bois, a member of an old Huguenot family from New York, took the pulpit. Under his tutelage the congregation again prospered. In 1751 it was decided that a second church should be erected, to accommodate growth. Thus Nicholas Winecoop [Wynkoop], William Bennett, Derick Krusen and Joseph Fenton purchased one acre of land, from Evan Jones, in central Northampton township. This new church was erected in Addisville, (now Richboro). It is interesting to note that the deed to this land states, "that none should be buryed [sic] in their Burying Ground but their own congregation except such that shall be strangers..." Together this congregation of two churches, at Feasterville & Addisville, came under one organization and was known as The Reformed Dutch Church of North & Southampton, or more commonly, as the congregation of the Buck and the Bear. This latter title being a reference to two popular taverns located near the respective churches.

Between 1814 and 1816, the congregation erected another new house of worship. This one to replace both of the older structures. The new church was located in Smoketown, thereafter called Churchville, on the line between Northampton and Southampton townships.

The 1840's & 50's saw new growth in membership, and a decision was made to erect a second church, to accommodate the blossoming congregation. The chosen site stood near the old Addisville church. Ground was broken in 1858, and work completed the following year. This new church was successful in its own right, but there was an uncomfortable-ness between the old and new almost from the start. This ended in 1864, when the Addisville church broke from the congregation at large, forming The Reformed Dutch Church at Addisville.

Both of the congregations have prospered while managing to enjoy an amicable relationship. They have also both remained in the same locales, with the Churchville congregation having evolved into The North & Southampton Reformed Church, and the Addisville congregation being presently known as The Addisville Reformed Church.

For more information try reading: A History of Bucks County, Part 1, Terry A. McNealy; History of Bucks County Pennsylvania, J.H. Battle; History of Bucks County, Vol. 1, W.W.H. Davis; Pennsylvania Vital Records, Vol. 1.

Top of page

Going to Church in Richboro

Slowly promenading down our village street,
Smiling cheerful greetings to the friends you meet;
Talking of the sermon, the wind, the news, the weather,
Thus, on pleasant summer eves, we wandered on together.
Now with careful footsteps, dragging weary feet,
Slowly we go plodding down our village street,
Sighing, "Oh these muddy roads! Oh, this dismal weather!"
Thus, on rainy winter nights, we trudge along together.
"Oh, this mud is awful! dear! what shall I do?"
"Let us try the other side!." "There, I've lost my shoe!"
"There's a board walk somewhere." "Yes, or ought to be,
But it is deeply hidden in futurity;
Coming generations may its glory see -
There is only mud alas! my friend, for you and me."
Once, do you remember yet those happy hopeful days,
Once the men of our town resolved to mend their ways;
How they talked and quarreled, as only men can do,
And, when all was over, (let me whisper this to you)
Just a bit of board walk broad enough for one
Stretched between 2 houses, and - the work was done.
This you must remember was many a year ago,
And the suns of summer and the winter's snow,
And the hurried trampling of unnumbered feet
Have brought sure destruction to our village street.
Many a plank is missing, tho some linger yet,
But the vacant places fill us with regret,
And we steal above them half afraid to breathe,
Lest our footfalls might disturb the sleepers underneathe.
'There is a time for all things,' said a sage of old,
But we who live in later times need rather to be told,
That over here in Richboro we've learned the maxim new -
'There never is a time for what you do not want to do.'
In spring and fall we're busy, in summer 'tis too warm,
In winter - who would ask a man to brave the winter's storm?
So then until the seasons change, our pressing wants to meet,
There'll never be a time, we fear, to mend our village street.

- E.
  Newtown Enterprise, March 16, 1872

Top of page

Dutch Reformed Church at Neshaminy & Bensalem

This congregation has its roots in the Neshaminy & Bensalem congregation, and has, over the years, been served by churches at several locations. The oldest site, having been built in 1738-39, was located in Feasterville area of Southampton township, adjacent to the community's old burying ground. A second church was built in 1751, at Addisville, Northampton township, to aid in serving the growing congregation. Finally a third church was built in 1814, at Smoketown, now called Churchville, in Northampton township, to replace both of the older ones. This was the forerunner of the church that exists at that location today.

On May 20, 1710, the church at Bensalem & Neshaminy was formally established with the Reverand Paulus Van Vlecq as pastor of this congregation, as well as one at Germantown. On the same day Rev. Van Vlecq established a church council at Neshaminy & Bensalem, including:

Elders: Hendrick VAN DYCK & Leendert VANDERGRIFT
Decons: Stoffel VAN SANDT & Nicolaus VANDERGRIFT

20 May 1710
          Hendrick VAN DYCK & his wife Jannetye HERMENSE, by certificate
          Leendert VANDERGRIFT & his wife Styntye ELSHUERT, by certificate
          Cristoffel VAN SANDT, by certificate
          Nicolaes VANDERGRIFT, by certificate
          Hermen VAN SANDT, by certificate
          Johannis VANDERGRIFT, by certificate
          Gerrit DORLANDT & his wife Gysbertye GYSBERTS

22 Jun 1710
          Johannis VAN SANDT, by profession
          Jacob YSELSTIEN, by profession
          Joris VAN SANDT, by profession
          Baerentye VENKERKCK, by certificate
          Elizabeth BROUWERS, by profession
          Lea GROESBEECK, by profession
          Cattlyntye VAN DEUSEN, by certificate

04 Nov 1710
          Baerent VERKERCK
          Kobus VAN SANDT
          Bartholomeus JACOBSE
          Neeltye KROESEN
          Geertye MARTENSEN
          Rebecca VAN DER KEEFT, widow of Jacobus VANDERGREFT
          Hendrickye JACOBSE, widow of Lauwerense JANSEN, by certificate
          Hester VANDERGRIFT, by profession
          Deborae VANDERGRIFT

23 Jun 1710 [sic]
          Rebeckae VANDERGREFT, wife of Kobus VAN SANDT
          Neeltye FOLCKERS, wife of Joh. V. DEGRIFT
          Maychen V. DE GRIFT, wife of Joris V. SANDT
          Raeghel CURSON, wife of Stoffel VAN SANDT
          Abraham VAN DUYN
          Johannis HERNHARDUS
          Johannis NEAL
          Maria SELE, wife of Jurigen CROSSEN
          Jannetye VAN SANDT
          Andre DE NORMANDE
          Dirck KROESEN and his wife Elisabet
          Jarmetye VAN DEYCK, wife of D. VAN VLECQ

05 Sep 1711
          Jacobus HEYDELBURGH and his wife Anna HEYDELBURGH
          Antye VAN PELT
          Maycken VERKERCK

Pennsylvania Vital Records, Vol. 1

Top of page

Dutch Reformed Church at Whitemarsh

Located in an area which was originally a part of Philadelphia county, Pennsylvania, but it is now located in Montgomery county, this congregation was often referred to in records as  Wytmes or Wytmas. While not located in Bucks county it is included here because of its association with the Rev. Van Vlecq, who established this church on June 4, 1710, with the following officers:

Elders: Hans Hendricks MEELS & Evert TEN HEUZEN
Decons: Isack DILBECK

A new church council was established December 25, 1710, including:

Elders: Evert TEN HEUZEN & Isack DILBEECK
Decons: Willem DE WEES & Jan AWEEGH

Members At Whitemarsh

1710
          Hans Hendrick MEELS
          Isack DIBECK
          Jan AWEEG
          Antonie Geert KENS
          Geertruy REINBERGH
          Marritie BLOMERSE, wife of I. DE WEES
          Catriana MEELS, wife of W. DE WEES
          Geertruy AWEEG
          Maria SELE, wife of G. TEN HEUREN
          Evert TEN HEUREN
          Willem DE WEES
          Johannis JODDEN
          Johannnis RAEVENSTOCK
          Elisabet SCHIPBOUWER, wife of E. TEN HEUVEN
          Anneken BAERENTS, wife of J. PIETERSE

25 Dec 1710
          Selus BARTELS and Martye HENDRICKS, his wife, by profession
          Kasper STAELS, by profession

31 Mar 1711
          Elsye SCHOL, by profession
          Sebillae REVENSTOCK, wife of Kendrick TIBBEN, by profession
          Margaret BON, wife of Kasper STAELS, by profession

Pennsylvania Vital Records, Vol. 1

Top of page

Dutch Reformed Church at Six Mile Run, New Jersey

This congregation, often referred to in records as 6 Myl Run, was not located in Bucks county, but rather Somerset county, New Jersey.  Again, it is included here because of its association with the Rev. Van Vlecq, who established the church on November 15, 1710, with the following council:

Elders: Adrien BENNET & Charle FONTEYN
Decons: Baerent DE WIT & Abraham BENNET

A new church council is elected, May 3, 1711, to replace outgoing members Adrien BENNET & Baerent DE WIT, with the following members: 

Ruling Elder: Carl FONTEYN
Ruling Decon: Abraham BENNET
Decon: Gysbert DE HART

Members at Six Mile Run

No Date
          Adrian BENNET
          Charle FONTEYN
          Baerent DE WIT
          Lammert VAN DYCK
          Pieter KINNE
          Isaac VAN DYCK & his wife Barbara REYNIERSEN
          Jannetye VAN HOOREN, wife of Adrian LAERU
          Adriaen Piertersen KINNEN
          Jacob WYCKOF
          Gysbert DE HART
          Angenetye VAN DYCK, wife of Adriaen BENNET
          Sara VAN FESTEN, wife of Baerent DE WIT
          Helenae REYNIERSE, wife of Charle FONTEYN
          Cattelyntye LARUE, wife of Elias DE HART
          Jannetye FOLKERS, wife of Abraham Bennet
          Jeytye VANDERLINDEN, wife of Jan VLIEDT
          Angenetye BENNET, wife of Johnaais FOLKERS

17 Apr 1711
          Eytye WILLEMSE, wife of Pieter KINNE
          Antye WYMANTS, wife of Gysbert DE HART
          Marritye HOOGLANDT, wife of Lammert VAN DYCK
          Lammentye STRYCKER, wife of Jacob WYCKOF

Pennsylvania Vital Records, Vol. 1

Top of page

 This page hosted by  Get your own FREE HOME PAGE