Heroes & History
Peter Vanderpoel, Sexton, 1864
A Sexton by definition is the church officer in charge of the maintenance of the buildings and surrounding grounds. Vestry meeting minutes from September 23, 1864 made reference to securing ‘the services of Peter Vanderpoel as Sexton for six months from the first of October at the rate of $60.00 per annum’. Each time Mr. Vanderpoel’s name is mentioned, it is followed by the word ‘colored’ in parenthesis.
This was a sign of the times. As recently as 1935, when the book History of St. Paul’s Church was published by Mrs. Harriet Van Alstyne, a listing of the parishioners of St. Paul’s included after some of the names the word "Negro" in parentheses.
Peter Vanderpoel's surname is spelled the same as one of the local aristocratic families. Slavery in New York State was abolished in 1827; upon emancipation, former slaves often adopted the surname of the master of the household.
It is notable that the Gettysburg address and Emancipation Proclamation happened only one year prior to Mr. Vanderpoel's appointment as Sexton. Before Mr. Vanderpoel’s initial six month term was completed, President Abraham Lincoln would be assassinated.
Sextons have the distinguished tradition of preserving houses of worship for future generations, therefore, we honor the memory of Peter Vanderpoel.
Excerpted from original research and report submitted September 2011
by Sue Brignull, RN
Notation from Judith Warren:
The charcoal drawing on paper was by the artist Betty Warren who has an art school in Malden Bridge. The drawing depicts Peter Vanderpoel and was likely rendered in the 1960s. The two names mentioned on the plaque represent Dr. Leroy Hobert, who lived across the street from the church, and Robert Atkinson who was a parishioner. It should be noted that Cornelia Hobert worked with the migrant community.
Notation from Sue Brignull:
In my research I ran across the statement “we can not move forward in Christ when we are looking back”. I can see where there are situations when & where this is accurate, but I beg to differ with the phrase. Coming from someone who personally spends much of her spare time studying history, I think we can and should honor the past, learning from it when possible. Ephesians 4:23 states “Instead there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. 24: You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God’s likeness: righteous, holy and true”. It is this authors hope that this discriminatory way of past thinking has well been put behind us. One of my favorite lines from our liturgy references the Eucharist being the Gifts of God for the people of God. We are all to be considered the people of God, without stipulation or mention of sex, race, creed, heritage or ethnicity. As the people of God, we are here to do the will of Christ. As we continue to move forward on our journey of faith, let us remember that the doors of St. Paul’s Church open wide and welcome all to come inside.
A Sexton by definition is the church officer in charge of the maintenance of the buildings and surrounding grounds. Vestry meeting minutes from September 23, 1864 made reference to securing ‘the services of Peter Vanderpoel as Sexton for six months from the first of October at the rate of $60.00 per annum’. Each time Mr. Vanderpoel’s name is mentioned, it is followed by the word ‘colored’ in parenthesis.
This was a sign of the times. As recently as 1935, when the book History of St. Paul’s Church was published by Mrs. Harriet Van Alstyne, a listing of the parishioners of St. Paul’s included after some of the names the word "Negro" in parentheses.
Peter Vanderpoel's surname is spelled the same as one of the local aristocratic families. Slavery in New York State was abolished in 1827; upon emancipation, former slaves often adopted the surname of the master of the household.
It is notable that the Gettysburg address and Emancipation Proclamation happened only one year prior to Mr. Vanderpoel's appointment as Sexton. Before Mr. Vanderpoel’s initial six month term was completed, President Abraham Lincoln would be assassinated.
Sextons have the distinguished tradition of preserving houses of worship for future generations, therefore, we honor the memory of Peter Vanderpoel.
Excerpted from original research and report submitted September 2011
by Sue Brignull, RN
Notation from Judith Warren:
The charcoal drawing on paper was by the artist Betty Warren who has an art school in Malden Bridge. The drawing depicts Peter Vanderpoel and was likely rendered in the 1960s. The two names mentioned on the plaque represent Dr. Leroy Hobert, who lived across the street from the church, and Robert Atkinson who was a parishioner. It should be noted that Cornelia Hobert worked with the migrant community.
Notation from Sue Brignull:
In my research I ran across the statement “we can not move forward in Christ when we are looking back”. I can see where there are situations when & where this is accurate, but I beg to differ with the phrase. Coming from someone who personally spends much of her spare time studying history, I think we can and should honor the past, learning from it when possible. Ephesians 4:23 states “Instead there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes. 24: You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God’s likeness: righteous, holy and true”. It is this authors hope that this discriminatory way of past thinking has well been put behind us. One of my favorite lines from our liturgy references the Eucharist being the Gifts of God for the people of God. We are all to be considered the people of God, without stipulation or mention of sex, race, creed, heritage or ethnicity. As the people of God, we are here to do the will of Christ. As we continue to move forward on our journey of faith, let us remember that the doors of St. Paul’s Church open wide and welcome all to come inside.