Abraham Pierson, 1609-1678

Rev. Abraham Pierson was the pastor of the Branford church in Connecticut where many of the former New Haven colonists had come from who were the first English settlers in Newark. Rev. Pierson was born in 1609 in Yorkshire, England and was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, graduating in 1632 at age 19. He was episcopally ordained at the parish church of Newark-on-the-Trent. He landed in Boston in 1639, was ordained a Congregational minister there, and later organized a Congregational church in Lynn, Massachusetts.

In 1640, he led a group of Puritans to found "The Isle of the Innocents," Southampton, Long Island. They landed there on June 12, 1640, on what is now known as Conscience Point. He was opposed to Southampton joining the more liberal Connecticut colony in 1644 and made his way to Branford, Connecticut around 1647. Southampton remains the oldest English settlement in the state of New York.

Rev. Pierson married Abigail Wheelwright. The couple had 10 children, most of them born in Southampton. When Robert Treat set sail in early May of 1666 with the New Haven party, Rev. Pierson stayed behind in Branford until 1667. Newark was the last Puritan theocracy to be founded in America.

Rev. Pierson remained pastor in Newark until his death on August 9, 1678. Cotton Mather characterized Pierson as a "godly, learned man" and "wherever he came he shone." When he died, his library included over 400 books (one of the largest collections in the colonies), which were left to his son, Abraham. This son was the first rector, from 1701 to 1707, and one of the founders of the Collegiate School — which later became Yale University.

Unanswered Questions:

• When did the Puritan theocracy in Newark end? And what led to its demise?

Old First Presbyterian Church, Newark, NJ

Building on the First Presbyterian Church in Newark began before the American Revolution but was halted during the war. Work resumed in 1787 with first services held in 1791. It was designed by Eleazer Ball. The organizing of the congregation dates to the founding of Newark in 1666; originally they were Congregationalists. By 1720, the congregation was organized as a Presbyterian church.

Abraham Pierson, one of Newark's original founders, was the congregation's first minister.

The church still stands at 820 Broad Street, at the intersection of Market Street. It is at this intersection that the original settlement of Newark began. First Presbyterian is the oldest congregation in Newark.

This engraving was made in the year the church was opened, 1792. Tiebout, Cornelius, 1777-1832, engraver. Illus. in: New York Magazine, 1792 (September). Repository: Library of Congress Rare Book and Special Collections Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Call Number: Illus. in AP2.A2 N5 [Rare Book RR]

For more information see:

• Historic American Buildings Survey
• The New Jersey Churchscape
• A Walk Through Newark
• Library of Congress, photos of First Presbyterian
• Old Newark, Houses of Worship
• Old Newark, Houses of Worship: List of Pastors