The First Presbyterian Church and Cemetery in New Brunswick, New Jersey is one of the oldest churches in the Presbyterian denomination. It was the seat of the
Presbytery of New Brunswick
The Presbytery of New Brunswick is a presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (USA). In 1738 the Presbytery of East Jersey was merged with the Presbytery of Long Island and renamed the Presbytery of New York, and two days after that, the Presbyter ...
which is now located in
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.Presbytery of East Jersey
Presbytery and presbyterium may refer to:
* Presbyterium, a body of ordained, active priests in the Catholic or Anglican churches
* Presbytery (architecture), the area of a church building more commonly referred to as the "chancel" or "sanctuary" ...
was merged with the Presbytery of Long Island and renamed the
Presbytery of New York
The Presbytery of New York was a presbytery formed in 1717 as the Long Island Presbytery by the division of the Presbytery of Philadelphia into three sections. It covered the Province of New York
The Province of New York (1664–1776) was a ...
, and two days after that, the
Presbytery of New Brunswick
The Presbytery of New Brunswick is a presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (USA). In 1738 the Presbytery of East Jersey was merged with the Presbytery of Long Island and renamed the Presbytery of New York, and two days after that, the Presbyter ...
was created.
In late 1726, or early 1727 Reverend Gilbert Tennent was ordained pastor of the congregation. The church records were destroyed or lost, during the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...
when British soldiers were quartered in the manse. The records of the First Presbyterian Church (Newark, New Jersey) were destroyed at the same time. Because of damage to the church from the war, a new building was set up to replace the damaged one.
In 1937 John Gresham Machen was condemned by the Presbytery of New Brunswick for disobeying higher authorities in a religious court hearing held in
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.Alfred Yorston removed 520 bodies from the church's cemetery to Van Liew Cemetery to make way for new construction at the church.