Guilliam BERTHOLF

                   Historical information included in notes.




"Reverend Bertholf, as a member of the Dutch Reformed Church, was the first minister of many of theearly churches in what is now Northern New Jersey and Westchester, and was probably the founder ofseven of the first nine churches in New Netherlands, including those at Tappan, Raritan, and SleepyHollow (a National Historic Landmark, it also plays a major role in Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."). He is believed to be buried under the pulpit of the Hackensack Dutch ReformedChurch."---Source: "The Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow - The oldest church in New York State, this colonialDutch-style stone church, nestled on a knoll besidepresent-day Route 9 in Sleepy Hollow, actually datesfrom 1685. Built for Frederick Philipse, the Lord of theManor of Philipsburg, to serve the spiritual needs ofthe good people of the Manor, its first congregationwas officially organized 12 years later as part of theReformed Church in America, with Guilliam Bertholf aspastor. About 125 years later, in his classic tale "The Legendof Sleepy Hollow", Washington Irving referred to thishouse of worship as "The Old Dutch Church," and thename stuck. Indeed, the church's presence figuresrather prominently in the tale, as Ichabod Crane'sfateful encounter with the Headless Horseman takesplace on a nearby wooden bridge." ---Source: Bertholf Family Genealogy Forum, #72 - Posted by: James Albert Hopper