George Roe Van De Water (April 25, 1854 – March 15, 1925) was an Episcopal priest and a major proponent of the compatibility of

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

with Christianity. A prominent American of Dutch descent, he was a graduate of the

General Theological Seminary The General Theological Seminary of the Episcopal Church (GTS) is an Episcopal seminary in New York City. Founded in 1817, GTS is the oldest seminary of the Episcopal Church and the longest continuously operating Seminary in the Anglican Communi ...

and a member of the

Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York The Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York is a charitable organization in New York City of men who are descended from early inhabitants of the State of New York. Charles R. Mackenzie is the current president. The organization preserves ...

and the

Holland Society of New York The Holland Society of New York was founded in New York City in 1885 to collect information respecting the settlement and history of New Netherland. Its main objective is to find and preserve documentation about the inhabitants' lives and times s ...

. Van De Water was born in

Flushing, New York Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial and retail area, and the i ...

to John Titus Van Der Water and Ellen Fowler. He is a descendant of Jacobus van de Water, one of the last Dutch mayors of New York City. Van Der Water earned a B.S. from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

in 1874, where he later became an alumnus trustee. In 1879 he married Cornelia Townsend Youngs of Oyster Bay, a descendant of

Elizabeth Fones Elizabeth Fones Winthrop Feake Hallett (21 January 1610 – c. 1673) was an early settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1640 Fones, with her then-husband Robert Feake, were founders of Greenwich, Connecticut. Wolfe (2012) She married her ...

. Van De Water served as the rector of Christ Church in Oyster Bay, and accompanied

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

during the

Spanish American War Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

and became the chaplain of the 71st New York Volunteers. Hammond, John E. Oyster Bay, 2009, page 60 He served as rector of

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church (New York City) St. Andrew's Episcopal Church is a historic Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church (building), church located at 2067 Fifth Avenue at List of numbered streets in Manhattan#127th Street, 127th Street in the neighborhood of Harlem in Man ...

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

from 1880 to 1920, as well as the chaplain of

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

from 1892 to 1905. After retiring from St. Andrew's he became the rector of the Church (later Chapel) of the Beloved Disciple in Manhattan's

Upper East Side The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 96th Street to the north, the East River to the east, 59th Street to the south, and Central Park/Fifth Avenue to the wes ...

, which later became St. Thomas More Roman Catholic Church.

References

External links

Bibliographic directory
from Project Canterbury
Memorial Minute Drafted by the Committee Appointed by Bishop Manning for the Memorial Service of the Rev. George Roe Van De Water held at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine March 18, 1925
1854 births 1925 deaths American Episcopal priests American Episcopalians American people of Dutch descent Cornell University alumni General Theological Seminary alumni Freemasonry People from Harlem Schuyler family {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Se Water, George