Vandewater, Albertus

Vandewater, Albertus a Reformed (Dutch) and Presbyterian minister, was born near Brunswick, L.I., Sept. 21, 1821. He received his education preparatory to college at the school of Dr. J. J. Owen, in Orchard Street, New York city, and united, on profession of his faith, with the Seventh Presbyterian Church of New York city, when about nineteen years of age. He was graduated from the College of New Jersey in 1846, and entered the Princeton Theological Seminary in the same year. There he took a full three years course of study, and was regularly graduated in 1849. Not long after he became stated supply to the Church at Athens, Bradford Co., Pa., where he was ordained as an evangelist by the Susquehanna Presbytery, Nov. 5, 1850, and where he continued to labor until 1854. He then accepted a call to the Reformed Dutch Church of Spotswood, Middlesex Co., N.J., where he was installed Nov. 1, 1854, and continued to labor very acceptably and usefully over thirteen years, until he was released by the Classis of Monmouth, Nov. 5, 1867. His next charge was the United Dutch Reformed churches of Blenheim and Brackabeen, N.Y., in the Classis of Schoharie, where he was installed-Dec. 18, 1868, and was released March 1, 1869. After this he supplied for a short time the Reformed Dutch Church of Wolcott (now Fair Haven), N.Y., but soon accepted a call to the Reformed Dutch Church of Oakland (otherwise called Pands Church), in Bergen Co., N.J., where he was installed May 2,6, 1869, and released April 23, 1872. After this he resided about a year at Princeton, N.J., without special employment; then taught school for a short time at Yardsille, Mercer Co., N.J., after which he taught school and preached as a missionary-near Farmingdale, Monmouth Co. While laboring there, his efforts were blessed with a revivals in which about seventy souls were hopefully converted. He was then induced to remove to Missouri, where he became stated supply to the Church of Mine La Motte, in the Presbytery of Potosi, in the autumn of 1876. Here he was laboring faithfully and zealously when he was summoned away by death. This event occurred Feb. 28, 1879, at Mine La Motte, Madison Co., Mo. His death was a very calm and happy one, and full of triumphant faith in the Savior. (W. P.S.)