Crane Hook on the Delaware - NC CHAP

56 THE BUILDING OF CRANE HOOK CHURCH
of the City of New Y ~rk.~~ By that time, April 1670, he had married
Annetje Cornelis, Dutch widow of Lucas Dirks van Berg of
New York, and on April 13 received a pass from the governor
for himself and his wife to go to New Castle, to collect a debt of
900 guilders owed to her from the estate of her late husband,
which Governor Lovelace urged be paid without further delay.42
The following letter from the Lutheran elders at New York to
the Consistory of: Amsterdam, June 30: 1670, describes their difficulties
with their eccentric pastor:
Reverelzd Ge?ztle??ze?z of the Colzsistory, our beloved alzd very great . -
Benefactors:
We hope that your Reverences duly received our last of the 27th
of October from New York to your Reverences at Amsterdam, from
which you will have learned our situation here and how our pastor,
Magister Jacobus Fabritius, conducts himself here. We can, therefore,
now that the opportunity offers itself, not refrain from informing you
once more that he does not behave himself or live as a pastor should.
He is very fond of wine and brandy, and knows how to curse and
swear, too. In his apparel he is like a soldier, red from head to foot.
He married a woman here with five children and has dressed them all
in red. For himself he has had coats and a hat made like the pastors
at Hamburg wear. He pays little attention to people, so that our
opponents or neighbors have nothing else to talk about but thc
Lutheran pastor. This has lasted as long as he has been in this country.
He traveled to the South River without notifying any one of us and
remained there for seven weeks. When he came back and preached
again, he announced from the pulpit to the entire congregation that
we must write for another pastor. It seems that he likes it better
among the Swedes at the South River. There he can follow his own
will aid live in the woods, away from the people. Our governor herc
in this place wishes that he were gone, for he has much trouble on
his account. The man has caused us much expense, both at Fort
Orange [Albany} and here. He has been once at Fort Orange and got
into such trouble with the magistrates there that he is not allowed to
come back. We here and at Fort Orange have agreed with him about
his salary and allowed him eighty beavers for one year. On that hc
could live decently here in this country if he were a capable man. . . 4'
In August, 1671, at his petition, Fabricius was permitted to
preach the valedictory sermon and install his successor at New
York. Early the next year, January 16/26, 1672 Governor Lovc
lace issued a passport and arranged transportation for Martill
42 H.lz.~rd. A,III/~~~, 373, 380-381; Dmrun~e,~/~o) H/.r/rir)., 111. 142; Dor~,n~e~l/\,
XII. 473.
43 Quoted in V.ln L.lc.r, I.u/het.r~~ CIJNIC~, 76-77.
THE BUILDING OF CRANE HOOK CHURCH 5 7
Hofman of the New York Lutheran congregation to go to the
Delaware to seek contributions toward the church that congrega-
tion hoped to Just when Fabricius came is not of record,
but collections by Hofman seem not to have interfered with his
Delaware prospects, judging by a deed of gift, dated October 23,
1672, by which Olle Toersen of "Swanwick," "out of love and
favour," conveyed to "Magister Jacobus Fabricius" two pieces of
"Swanwick" land. These pieces began 31 feet "from the church"
on the southwest side and 20 feet from the church on the north-
west side.4>
Olle Toersen, who gave him the land for himself in fee, was
a Swede or Finn, one of the "responsible housekeepers" at <strong>Crane</strong>
<strong>Hook</strong>, it will be remembered; and three years later as a deacon of
<strong>Crane</strong> <strong>Hook</strong> church, he was to sign a protest against permitting
Fabricius to serve as pastor there. For some time Fabricius must
have avoided clashes with the civil authorities on the Delaware
(only scattered records of the court of New Castle survive for
this period) but his time of trouble was coming.
There is no record of the attitude or activities of Lokenius
during the time Fabricius was at Swanwyck. Attendance at <strong>Crane</strong>
<strong>Hook</strong> church would have declined with the loss of most of the
Dutch members and Fabricius by December 10/20, 1672 had made
plans to take the whole congregation. On that day a proposal was
drawn up in Council at New Castle for the approval of the gov-
ernor, dividing the river into two parishes: "all below Verdrietige
Hoek [Edge Moor, north of Wilmington) to be under the pastor-
ate of Magr Jakobus Fabricius" and "all above Verdrietige Hoek"
under the pastorate of Lokeni~s."~
That the governor did not approve this proposal will appear
later, and meanwhile there was a change of sovereignty on the
river. During the war between England and the Netherlands each
country tried to take the other's colonies. The Dutch took New
York on the old calendar July 30, 1673, the city became New
Orange and all of the Duke of York's province was again New
44 I>uo~drrre!~/,~r) H~~/or.y. 111. 242; Dorur?zer~!r, XII. 494. In the summer of
1071 I:.lhr~ 01 111~ \tructurc of this Dut~li 1.~1tlitran cliurcli biulding.
40 1~,,~1I111c11/~, XII, 729.