REV. JOHN H. DURYEA, D.D.— The family represented by the subject of this sketch is directly descended from one of those fearless and pious men who were forced to leave the sunny confines of France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1682, and for God and conscience sake to seek an asylum and an abiding-place in other lands. The history of the French Huguenots is the history of the triumph of truth and faith over the sinister machinations of men, and of the planting of the seeds of a true and independent religion in a soil on its face uninviting, but afterwards rich in spiritual productiveness.
The original ancestor of the Duryea family in this country settled on Long Island. Yost, or George, the great-grandfather of our subject, emigrated from Jamaica, L.I., at an early period, and planted the family name in Orange County, N.Y., where the representatives of the family are numerous to this day. He located in the township of Blooming Grove, situated in the centre of a rich and productive region, where he was one of the pioneers of the country. He died in 1760, and was buried at Greycourt. He had three children,— George, Garret, and Hannah.
Garret was the grandfather of Rev. Dr. Duryea, and was a farmer by occupation. A man possessed of strong characteristics, full of energy, thrown by the accidents of birth into a wild and undeveloped section of the country, he proved a valuable factor in the pioneer development of his section, and a useful and esteemed citizen. During the trying scenes of the American Revolution he performed active service in the cavalry department of the Continental army, remaining true to that spirit of independence and intolerance of oppression which had transplanted his family from the soil of monarchical France to that of free America. He married Hannah Hudson, of Goshen, whose father came from New London, Conn., and was the first sheriff of Orange County, N.Y., and had a family of five sons and four daughters, viz.: George, John, Henry, Garret, Hudson, Hannah, who married Cornelius Decker, of Montgomery township, N.Y.; Dolly, who became the wife of John Rosa, of Sullivan County, N.Y.; Betsey, who married Pierson Geming, of Blooming Grove; and Mitte, who never married. Mr. Duryea lived to the ripe age of eighty-six years, and at his death, in 1832, was buried on the homestead upon which his years of toil had been passed.
John Duryea, the father of our subject, was born at the ancestral seat of the family in Blooming Grove, where he was reared, on Dec. 29, 1778, and his educational opportunities were such only as the district schools of his day afforded. In early life he learned the trade of a blacksmith. On Feb. 18, 1800, he married Mary, daughter of Samuel and Jeannette (McCurdy) Crawford, of Montgomery township (born May 12, 1778), and the same year removed to Wallkill township, in Orange County, and settled upon a farm about two miles east of Bloomingburgh, where he passed his life as a farmer. He was a man of plain parts, modest and reserved in both thought and deed, and held himself aloof from public affairs, performing the part only of a good and useful citizen. He died Jan. 21, 1859, and his wife Nov. 27, 1857. The children were Nancy, who married Daniel Brush, of Bloomingburgh, and subsequently a farmer in Crawford township, N.Y.; Jeannette, who became the wife of Horace Mills, of Bloomingburgh; Hannah, who married James G. Thompson, of Craigville, N.Y.; Mary A., who resides in Middletown, N.Y.; John H.; Samuel, who is a farmer in Crawford township; and Jonathan, who for many years occupied his father’s homestead, but who now lives in Middletown. Two other children died in their youth.
Rev. Dr. Duryea was born on the paternal farm, near Bloomingburgh, N.Y., on Nov. 28, 1810. His first educational training was had in the district school of the neighborhood, but he subsequently attended the academy at Bloomingburgh, where he was prepared for admission to college. He entered the junior class of Rutgers College, N.J., in 1832, and was graduated the year following. Among his classmates were Rev. J.F. Mesick, D.D., present pastor of the Second Reformed Church of Somerville, N.J.; Rev. W.J. Polman, late missionary to China; Rev. Talbot Chambers, D.D., of the Collegiate Church, N.Y.; and Rev. John T. Demarest, author of the commentaries on the minor epistles, and at present pastor of the church at Pine Bush, Orange Co. After leaving college, Dr. Duryea at once entered the theological seminary at New Brunswick, N.J., with a view of preparing himself for the gospel ministry. It had always been his cherished intention to labor in that field. At the age of sixteen he had experienced conviction of sin, and had connected himself with the Reformed Church of Bloomingburgh, then under the pastoral care of Rev. Samuel Van Vechten. After three years in the seminary he was graduated in 1837, and the same year was licensed by the Classis of Orange. In the autumn of 1837 he was called to an old and venerable church in the township of Wawarsing, Ulster Co., N.Y., known as the Reformed Church of Wawarsing, having his residence at Napanock. He remained in that difficult field, striving to cover the territory and perform the work which now fills the hands of four ministers of the Reformed Church, for a period of eighteen months, when he received an invitation to preach as a candidate for the Second Reformed Church of Totowa, at Paterson, N.J. His first sermon was delivered in that church on the second Sabbath of January, 1839, and was followed by a call to become the regular pastor of the church. The Classis of Orange having dissolved his connection with the church at Wawarsing, Dr. Duryea occupied the pulpit of the church over which he has since presided so long for the first time as pastor on the third Sabbath of February, 1839. For nearly forty-three years he has been the faithful pastor of the church, a length of time that has not been exceeded by but one of the present pastors of the five hundred churches of the denomination, —Rev. Dr. James Brownley, of Staten Island.
The statement of this fact, coupled with a retrospective view of the growth and development of his church up to the influential one of today, furnishes its own commentary on the fidelity and efficiency of Dr. Duryea’s labors. In a plain, modest, yet energetic and substantial manner, he has performed the dual labors of both pastor and preacher, constantly promoting the temporal and spiritual welfare of his church, and working in harmony with its constituted officers. So long has he filled the pulpit of the Second Reformed Church that but few are left of those who strengthened his hands and imparted confidence to his soul in the earlier days of his ministry. One by one they have crossed the silent river and been laid to rest with their fathers, yet he labors on, enjoying the respect and esteem of not only his own congregation but of the entire community.
Dr. Duryea has confined his life-work almost entirely to the care of his church, and has found but little time to engage in outside matters or to contribute many papers to the periodical literature of the day. Several pamphlets, however, have been printed containing sermons and addresses delivered by him, and still others have been printed in the local press of the city. He has taken a lively interest in the growth and development of the institutions of Paterson, and for twenty years was one of the examiners of teachers for the public schools. He was also superintendent of public schools of Manchester township (North Paterson) for a number of years. He has been for years a member of the Board of Domestic Missions of his denomination, and a member of the executive committee of that body, and has enjoyed a wide influence in the councils of the Reformed Church. It is likely that his entire ministerial life will be passed in the field in which be has been so long. Old in years, but strong in faith and devotion to the Master’s cause, he maintains his place among the active pastors of Paterson, performing all his pastoral work in an energetic and efficient manner. He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Rutgers College in 1871.
Dr. Duryea has been three times married. His first wife, to whom he was united on Sept. 5, 1837, was Sophia, daughter of Nial Townsley, of Bloomingburgh, who died five years later. His second wife was Mrs. Elizabeth Thompson Wallace, of Crawford township, Orange Co., the marriage occurring April 10, 1844. The issue of this union was four children, viz.: John, Mary, Elizabeth, and Robert Duryea. The first two reside at home, the others having died in early life. Mrs. Duryea passed away on Feb. 21, 1852, and on Dec. 12, 1854, Dr. Duryea married his present wife, nee Sarah Jane, daughter of John and Sarah Burhans, of Paterson.
The original ancestor of the Duryea family in this country settled on Long Island. Yost, or George, the great-grandfather of our subject, emigrated from Jamaica, L.I., at an early period, and planted the family name in Orange County, N.Y., where the representatives of the family are numerous to this day. He located in the township of Blooming Grove, situated in the centre of a rich and productive region, where he was one of the pioneers of the country. He died in 1760, and was buried at Greycourt. He had three children,— George, Garret, and Hannah.
Garret was the grandfather of Rev. Dr. Duryea, and was a farmer by occupation. A man possessed of strong characteristics, full of energy, thrown by the accidents of birth into a wild and undeveloped section of the country, he proved a valuable factor in the pioneer development of his section, and a useful and esteemed citizen. During the trying scenes of the American Revolution he performed active service in the cavalry department of the Continental army, remaining true to that spirit of independence and intolerance of oppression which had transplanted his family from the soil of monarchical France to that of free America. He married Hannah Hudson, of Goshen, whose father came from New London, Conn., and was the first sheriff of Orange County, N.Y., and had a family of five sons and four daughters, viz.: George, John, Henry, Garret, Hudson, Hannah, who married Cornelius Decker, of Montgomery township, N.Y.; Dolly, who became the wife of John Rosa, of Sullivan County, N.Y.; Betsey, who married Pierson Geming, of Blooming Grove; and Mitte, who never married. Mr. Duryea lived to the ripe age of eighty-six years, and at his death, in 1832, was buried on the homestead upon which his years of toil had been passed.
John Duryea, the father of our subject, was born at the ancestral seat of the family in Blooming Grove, where he was reared, on Dec. 29, 1778, and his educational opportunities were such only as the district schools of his day afforded. In early life he learned the trade of a blacksmith. On Feb. 18, 1800, he married Mary, daughter of Samuel and Jeannette (McCurdy) Crawford, of Montgomery township (born May 12, 1778), and the same year removed to Wallkill township, in Orange County, and settled upon a farm about two miles east of Bloomingburgh, where he passed his life as a farmer. He was a man of plain parts, modest and reserved in both thought and deed, and held himself aloof from public affairs, performing the part only of a good and useful citizen. He died Jan. 21, 1859, and his wife Nov. 27, 1857. The children were Nancy, who married Daniel Brush, of Bloomingburgh, and subsequently a farmer in Crawford township, N.Y.; Jeannette, who became the wife of Horace Mills, of Bloomingburgh; Hannah, who married James G. Thompson, of Craigville, N.Y.; Mary A., who resides in Middletown, N.Y.; John H.; Samuel, who is a farmer in Crawford township; and Jonathan, who for many years occupied his father’s homestead, but who now lives in Middletown. Two other children died in their youth.
Rev. Dr. Duryea was born on the paternal farm, near Bloomingburgh, N.Y., on Nov. 28, 1810. His first educational training was had in the district school of the neighborhood, but he subsequently attended the academy at Bloomingburgh, where he was prepared for admission to college. He entered the junior class of Rutgers College, N.J., in 1832, and was graduated the year following. Among his classmates were Rev. J.F. Mesick, D.D., present pastor of the Second Reformed Church of Somerville, N.J.; Rev. W.J. Polman, late missionary to China; Rev. Talbot Chambers, D.D., of the Collegiate Church, N.Y.; and Rev. John T. Demarest, author of the commentaries on the minor epistles, and at present pastor of the church at Pine Bush, Orange Co. After leaving college, Dr. Duryea at once entered the theological seminary at New Brunswick, N.J., with a view of preparing himself for the gospel ministry. It had always been his cherished intention to labor in that field. At the age of sixteen he had experienced conviction of sin, and had connected himself with the Reformed Church of Bloomingburgh, then under the pastoral care of Rev. Samuel Van Vechten. After three years in the seminary he was graduated in 1837, and the same year was licensed by the Classis of Orange. In the autumn of 1837 he was called to an old and venerable church in the township of Wawarsing, Ulster Co., N.Y., known as the Reformed Church of Wawarsing, having his residence at Napanock. He remained in that difficult field, striving to cover the territory and perform the work which now fills the hands of four ministers of the Reformed Church, for a period of eighteen months, when he received an invitation to preach as a candidate for the Second Reformed Church of Totowa, at Paterson, N.J. His first sermon was delivered in that church on the second Sabbath of January, 1839, and was followed by a call to become the regular pastor of the church. The Classis of Orange having dissolved his connection with the church at Wawarsing, Dr. Duryea occupied the pulpit of the church over which he has since presided so long for the first time as pastor on the third Sabbath of February, 1839. For nearly forty-three years he has been the faithful pastor of the church, a length of time that has not been exceeded by but one of the present pastors of the five hundred churches of the denomination, —Rev. Dr. James Brownley, of Staten Island.
The statement of this fact, coupled with a retrospective view of the growth and development of his church up to the influential one of today, furnishes its own commentary on the fidelity and efficiency of Dr. Duryea’s labors. In a plain, modest, yet energetic and substantial manner, he has performed the dual labors of both pastor and preacher, constantly promoting the temporal and spiritual welfare of his church, and working in harmony with its constituted officers. So long has he filled the pulpit of the Second Reformed Church that but few are left of those who strengthened his hands and imparted confidence to his soul in the earlier days of his ministry. One by one they have crossed the silent river and been laid to rest with their fathers, yet he labors on, enjoying the respect and esteem of not only his own congregation but of the entire community.
Dr. Duryea has confined his life-work almost entirely to the care of his church, and has found but little time to engage in outside matters or to contribute many papers to the periodical literature of the day. Several pamphlets, however, have been printed containing sermons and addresses delivered by him, and still others have been printed in the local press of the city. He has taken a lively interest in the growth and development of the institutions of Paterson, and for twenty years was one of the examiners of teachers for the public schools. He was also superintendent of public schools of Manchester township (North Paterson) for a number of years. He has been for years a member of the Board of Domestic Missions of his denomination, and a member of the executive committee of that body, and has enjoyed a wide influence in the councils of the Reformed Church. It is likely that his entire ministerial life will be passed in the field in which be has been so long. Old in years, but strong in faith and devotion to the Master’s cause, he maintains his place among the active pastors of Paterson, performing all his pastoral work in an energetic and efficient manner. He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Rutgers College in 1871.
Dr. Duryea has been three times married. His first wife, to whom he was united on Sept. 5, 1837, was Sophia, daughter of Nial Townsley, of Bloomingburgh, who died five years later. His second wife was Mrs. Elizabeth Thompson Wallace, of Crawford township, Orange Co., the marriage occurring April 10, 1844. The issue of this union was four children, viz.: John, Mary, Elizabeth, and Robert Duryea. The first two reside at home, the others having died in early life. Mrs. Duryea passed away on Feb. 21, 1852, and on Dec. 12, 1854, Dr. Duryea married his present wife, nee Sarah Jane, daughter of John and Sarah Burhans, of Paterson.
REV. JOHN H. DURYEA, D.D.— The family represented by the subject of this sketch is directly descended from one of those fearless and pious men who were forced to leave the sunny confines of France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1682, and for God and conscience sake to seek an asylum and an abiding-place in other lands. The history of the French Huguenots is the history of the triumph of truth and faith over the sinister machinations of men, and of the planting of the seeds of a true and independent religion in a soil on its face uninviting, but afterwards rich in spiritual productiveness.
The original ancestor of the Duryea family in this country settled on Long Island. Yost, or George, the great-grandfather of our subject, emigrated from Jamaica, L.I., at an early period, and planted the family name in Orange County, N.Y., where the representatives of the family are numerous to this day. He located in the township of Blooming Grove, situated in the centre of a rich and productive region, where he was one of the pioneers of the country. He died in 1760, and was buried at Greycourt. He had three children,— George, Garret, and Hannah.
Garret was the grandfather of Rev. Dr. Duryea, and was a farmer by occupation. A man possessed of strong characteristics, full of energy, thrown by the accidents of birth into a wild and undeveloped section of the country, he proved a valuable factor in the pioneer development of his section, and a useful and esteemed citizen. During the trying scenes of the American Revolution he performed active service in the cavalry department of the Continental army, remaining true to that spirit of independence and intolerance of oppression which had transplanted his family from the soil of monarchical France to that of free America. He married Hannah Hudson, of Goshen, whose father came from New London, Conn., and was the first sheriff of Orange County, N.Y., and had a family of five sons and four daughters, viz.: George, John, Henry, Garret, Hudson, Hannah, who married Cornelius Decker, of Montgomery township, N.Y.; Dolly, who became the wife of John Rosa, of Sullivan County, N.Y.; Betsey, who married Pierson Geming, of Blooming Grove; and Mitte, who never married. Mr. Duryea lived to the ripe age of eighty-six years, and at his death, in 1832, was buried on the homestead upon which his years of toil had been passed.
John Duryea, the father of our subject, was born at the ancestral seat of the family in Blooming Grove, where he was reared, on Dec. 29, 1778, and his educational opportunities were such only as the district schools of his day afforded. In early life he learned the trade of a blacksmith. On Feb. 18, 1800, he married Mary, daughter of Samuel and Jeannette (McCurdy) Crawford, of Montgomery township (born May 12, 1778), and the same year removed to Wallkill township, in Orange County, and settled upon a farm about two miles east of Bloomingburgh, where he passed his life as a farmer. He was a man of plain parts, modest and reserved in both thought and deed, and held himself aloof from public affairs, performing the part only of a good and useful citizen. He died Jan. 21, 1859, and his wife Nov. 27, 1857. The children were Nancy, who married Daniel Brush, of Bloomingburgh, and subsequently a farmer in Crawford township, N.Y.; Jeannette, who became the wife of Horace Mills, of Bloomingburgh; Hannah, who married James G. Thompson, of Craigville, N.Y.; Mary A., who resides in Middletown, N.Y.; John H.; Samuel, who is a farmer in Crawford township; and Jonathan, who for many years occupied his father’s homestead, but who now lives in Middletown. Two other children died in their youth.
Rev. Dr. Duryea was born on the paternal farm, near Bloomingburgh, N.Y., on Nov. 28, 1810. His first educational training was had in the district school of the neighborhood, but he subsequently attended the academy at Bloomingburgh, where he was prepared for admission to college. He entered the junior class of Rutgers College, N.J., in 1832, and was graduated the year following. Among his classmates were Rev. J.F. Mesick, D.D., present pastor of the Second Reformed Church of Somerville, N.J.; Rev. W.J. Polman, late missionary to China; Rev. Talbot Chambers, D.D., of the Collegiate Church, N.Y.; and Rev. John T. Demarest, author of the commentaries on the minor epistles, and at present pastor of the church at Pine Bush, Orange Co. After leaving college, Dr. Duryea at once entered the theological seminary at New Brunswick, N.J., with a view of preparing himself for the gospel ministry. It had always been his cherished intention to labor in that field. At the age of sixteen he had experienced conviction of sin, and had connected himself with the Reformed Church of Bloomingburgh, then under the pastoral care of Rev. Samuel Van Vechten. After three years in the seminary he was graduated in 1837, and the same year was licensed by the Classis of Orange. In the autumn of 1837 he was called to an old and venerable church in the township of Wawarsing, Ulster Co., N.Y., known as the Reformed Church of Wawarsing, having his residence at Napanock. He remained in that difficult field, striving to cover the territory and perform the work which now fills the hands of four ministers of the Reformed Church, for a period of eighteen months, when he received an invitation to preach as a candidate for the Second Reformed Church of Totowa, at Paterson, N.J. His first sermon was delivered in that church on the second Sabbath of January, 1839, and was followed by a call to become the regular pastor of the church. The Classis of Orange having dissolved his connection with the church at Wawarsing, Dr. Duryea occupied the pulpit of the church over which he has since presided so long for the first time as pastor on the third Sabbath of February, 1839. For nearly forty-three years he has been the faithful pastor of the church, a length of time that has not been exceeded by but one of the present pastors of the five hundred churches of the denomination, —Rev. Dr. James Brownley, of Staten Island.
The statement of this fact, coupled with a retrospective view of the growth and development of his church up to the influential one of today, furnishes its own commentary on the fidelity and efficiency of Dr. Duryea’s labors. In a plain, modest, yet energetic and substantial manner, he has performed the dual labors of both pastor and preacher, constantly promoting the temporal and spiritual welfare of his church, and working in harmony with its constituted officers. So long has he filled the pulpit of the Second Reformed Church that but few are left of those who strengthened his hands and imparted confidence to his soul in the earlier days of his ministry. One by one they have crossed the silent river and been laid to rest with their fathers, yet he labors on, enjoying the respect and esteem of not only his own congregation but of the entire community.
Dr. Duryea has confined his life-work almost entirely to the care of his church, and has found but little time to engage in outside matters or to contribute many papers to the periodical literature of the day. Several pamphlets, however, have been printed containing sermons and addresses delivered by him, and still others have been printed in the local press of the city. He has taken a lively interest in the growth and development of the institutions of Paterson, and for twenty years was one of the examiners of teachers for the public schools. He was also superintendent of public schools of Manchester township (North Paterson) for a number of years. He has been for years a member of the Board of Domestic Missions of his denomination, and a member of the executive committee of that body, and has enjoyed a wide influence in the councils of the Reformed Church. It is likely that his entire ministerial life will be passed in the field in which be has been so long. Old in years, but strong in faith and devotion to the Master’s cause, he maintains his place among the active pastors of Paterson, performing all his pastoral work in an energetic and efficient manner. He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Rutgers College in 1871.
Dr. Duryea has been three times married. His first wife, to whom he was united on Sept. 5, 1837, was Sophia, daughter of Nial Townsley, of Bloomingburgh, who died five years later. His second wife was Mrs. Elizabeth Thompson Wallace, of Crawford township, Orange Co., the marriage occurring April 10, 1844. The issue of this union was four children, viz.: John, Mary, Elizabeth, and Robert Duryea. The first two reside at home, the others having died in early life. Mrs. Duryea passed away on Feb. 21, 1852, and on Dec. 12, 1854, Dr. Duryea married his present wife, nee Sarah Jane, daughter of John and Sarah Burhans, of Paterson.
The original ancestor of the Duryea family in this country settled on Long Island. Yost, or George, the great-grandfather of our subject, emigrated from Jamaica, L.I., at an early period, and planted the family name in Orange County, N.Y., where the representatives of the family are numerous to this day. He located in the township of Blooming Grove, situated in the centre of a rich and productive region, where he was one of the pioneers of the country. He died in 1760, and was buried at Greycourt. He had three children,— George, Garret, and Hannah.
Garret was the grandfather of Rev. Dr. Duryea, and was a farmer by occupation. A man possessed of strong characteristics, full of energy, thrown by the accidents of birth into a wild and undeveloped section of the country, he proved a valuable factor in the pioneer development of his section, and a useful and esteemed citizen. During the trying scenes of the American Revolution he performed active service in the cavalry department of the Continental army, remaining true to that spirit of independence and intolerance of oppression which had transplanted his family from the soil of monarchical France to that of free America. He married Hannah Hudson, of Goshen, whose father came from New London, Conn., and was the first sheriff of Orange County, N.Y., and had a family of five sons and four daughters, viz.: George, John, Henry, Garret, Hudson, Hannah, who married Cornelius Decker, of Montgomery township, N.Y.; Dolly, who became the wife of John Rosa, of Sullivan County, N.Y.; Betsey, who married Pierson Geming, of Blooming Grove; and Mitte, who never married. Mr. Duryea lived to the ripe age of eighty-six years, and at his death, in 1832, was buried on the homestead upon which his years of toil had been passed.
John Duryea, the father of our subject, was born at the ancestral seat of the family in Blooming Grove, where he was reared, on Dec. 29, 1778, and his educational opportunities were such only as the district schools of his day afforded. In early life he learned the trade of a blacksmith. On Feb. 18, 1800, he married Mary, daughter of Samuel and Jeannette (McCurdy) Crawford, of Montgomery township (born May 12, 1778), and the same year removed to Wallkill township, in Orange County, and settled upon a farm about two miles east of Bloomingburgh, where he passed his life as a farmer. He was a man of plain parts, modest and reserved in both thought and deed, and held himself aloof from public affairs, performing the part only of a good and useful citizen. He died Jan. 21, 1859, and his wife Nov. 27, 1857. The children were Nancy, who married Daniel Brush, of Bloomingburgh, and subsequently a farmer in Crawford township, N.Y.; Jeannette, who became the wife of Horace Mills, of Bloomingburgh; Hannah, who married James G. Thompson, of Craigville, N.Y.; Mary A., who resides in Middletown, N.Y.; John H.; Samuel, who is a farmer in Crawford township; and Jonathan, who for many years occupied his father’s homestead, but who now lives in Middletown. Two other children died in their youth.
Rev. Dr. Duryea was born on the paternal farm, near Bloomingburgh, N.Y., on Nov. 28, 1810. His first educational training was had in the district school of the neighborhood, but he subsequently attended the academy at Bloomingburgh, where he was prepared for admission to college. He entered the junior class of Rutgers College, N.J., in 1832, and was graduated the year following. Among his classmates were Rev. J.F. Mesick, D.D., present pastor of the Second Reformed Church of Somerville, N.J.; Rev. W.J. Polman, late missionary to China; Rev. Talbot Chambers, D.D., of the Collegiate Church, N.Y.; and Rev. John T. Demarest, author of the commentaries on the minor epistles, and at present pastor of the church at Pine Bush, Orange Co. After leaving college, Dr. Duryea at once entered the theological seminary at New Brunswick, N.J., with a view of preparing himself for the gospel ministry. It had always been his cherished intention to labor in that field. At the age of sixteen he had experienced conviction of sin, and had connected himself with the Reformed Church of Bloomingburgh, then under the pastoral care of Rev. Samuel Van Vechten. After three years in the seminary he was graduated in 1837, and the same year was licensed by the Classis of Orange. In the autumn of 1837 he was called to an old and venerable church in the township of Wawarsing, Ulster Co., N.Y., known as the Reformed Church of Wawarsing, having his residence at Napanock. He remained in that difficult field, striving to cover the territory and perform the work which now fills the hands of four ministers of the Reformed Church, for a period of eighteen months, when he received an invitation to preach as a candidate for the Second Reformed Church of Totowa, at Paterson, N.J. His first sermon was delivered in that church on the second Sabbath of January, 1839, and was followed by a call to become the regular pastor of the church. The Classis of Orange having dissolved his connection with the church at Wawarsing, Dr. Duryea occupied the pulpit of the church over which he has since presided so long for the first time as pastor on the third Sabbath of February, 1839. For nearly forty-three years he has been the faithful pastor of the church, a length of time that has not been exceeded by but one of the present pastors of the five hundred churches of the denomination, —Rev. Dr. James Brownley, of Staten Island.
The statement of this fact, coupled with a retrospective view of the growth and development of his church up to the influential one of today, furnishes its own commentary on the fidelity and efficiency of Dr. Duryea’s labors. In a plain, modest, yet energetic and substantial manner, he has performed the dual labors of both pastor and preacher, constantly promoting the temporal and spiritual welfare of his church, and working in harmony with its constituted officers. So long has he filled the pulpit of the Second Reformed Church that but few are left of those who strengthened his hands and imparted confidence to his soul in the earlier days of his ministry. One by one they have crossed the silent river and been laid to rest with their fathers, yet he labors on, enjoying the respect and esteem of not only his own congregation but of the entire community.
Dr. Duryea has confined his life-work almost entirely to the care of his church, and has found but little time to engage in outside matters or to contribute many papers to the periodical literature of the day. Several pamphlets, however, have been printed containing sermons and addresses delivered by him, and still others have been printed in the local press of the city. He has taken a lively interest in the growth and development of the institutions of Paterson, and for twenty years was one of the examiners of teachers for the public schools. He was also superintendent of public schools of Manchester township (North Paterson) for a number of years. He has been for years a member of the Board of Domestic Missions of his denomination, and a member of the executive committee of that body, and has enjoyed a wide influence in the councils of the Reformed Church. It is likely that his entire ministerial life will be passed in the field in which be has been so long. Old in years, but strong in faith and devotion to the Master’s cause, he maintains his place among the active pastors of Paterson, performing all his pastoral work in an energetic and efficient manner. He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Rutgers College in 1871.
Dr. Duryea has been three times married. His first wife, to whom he was united on Sept. 5, 1837, was Sophia, daughter of Nial Townsley, of Bloomingburgh, who died five years later. His second wife was Mrs. Elizabeth Thompson Wallace, of Crawford township, Orange Co., the marriage occurring April 10, 1844. The issue of this union was four children, viz.: John, Mary, Elizabeth, and Robert Duryea. The first two reside at home, the others having died in early life. Mrs. Duryea passed away on Feb. 21, 1852, and on Dec. 12, 1854, Dr. Duryea married his present wife, nee Sarah Jane, daughter of John and Sarah Burhans, of Paterson.
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