Old Dutch Parsonage

Old Dutch Parsonage
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location:	71 Somerset Street, Somerville, New Jersey
Coordinates:	40°34′5″N 74°37′23″W / 40.56806°N 74.62306°W / 40.56806; -74.62306Coordinates: 40°34′5″N 74°37′23″W / 40.56806°N 74.62306°W / 40.56806; -74.62306
Area:	1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built:	1751
Governing body:	State
NRHP Reference#:	71000514[1]
Added to NRHP:	January 25, 1971

The Old Dutch Parsonage is a historical house at 38 Washington Place in Somerville, New Jersey.^[2]

History

Old Dutch Parsonage cemetery

It was the home of the first ministers of the first Dutch Reformed Church and was built with the pooled funds from the congregations in Bridgewater, New Jersey, and Raritan, New Jersey, in 1751. The first occupant was Reverend John Frelinghuysen (1727-1754), After Frelinghuysen died in 1754, the house was occupied by his widow, Dinah, and their three children, plus several men studying for Seminary. One of them was Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh, who would be the next occupant of the house as he replaced Frelinghuysen as minister. Hardenbergh also married Frelinghuysen's widow in 1756.^[3]

This house was set to be knocked down in 1913 by the Central Railroad of New Jersey, which now owns the home. The house was moved adjacent to the Wallace House, which was built in 1775. The two houses were in varying stages of use and disuse until the mid-1940s when they were given to the State of New Jersey. Today they are administered through the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry. Buried in the cemetery are Harmanus Barkeloo II (1745–1788) and John Waldron (1737–1790).

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Somerset County, New Jersey
• List of museums in New Jersey

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
2. ^ Sarapin, Janice Kohl (2002). Old Burial Grounds of New Jersey. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 0813521114. http://books.google.com/books?id=uDfIJt5RFWgC&dq=&pg=PP1&ots=auks4TKY6W&sig=SZl5W1s0xzASDS2kY9a9srYICb0&prev=http://www.google.com/search%3Fq%3DOld%2BBurial%2BGrounds%2Bof%2BNew%2BJersey%26sourceid%3Dnavclient-ff%26ie%3DUTF-8%26rls%3DGGGL,GGGL:2006-11,GGGL:en&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title. 
3. ^ "Old Dutch Parsonage, Somerville". Richard Stockton College of NJ. http://www.ettc.net/njarts/details.cfm?ID=33. Retrieved 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 three children, Frederick, Catherine and Eva." 

External links

• New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry
• Virtual tour