While I was digging into details about Justus and Harriet Harrison's arrival in Brooklyn for my previous post, I came across this interesting tidbit: the records of the Second Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn show them both joining that church on Sunday 31 March 1839.
The handwritten ledger, covering memberships for the first three decades at that church (1831-1861), was only 150 pages long so I decided to check through the full thing. Twenty pages later, it lists Justus and Harriet's son George joining the church on Christmas Day, 1842. Interestingly, his departure from the congregation is listed as his being "Licensed" - a term I didn't see anywhere else in the ledger. I suspect this is a reference to his ordination as a minister.
As you may have spotted above, Justus' departure from the congregation is noted as his death in 1850. Harriet's departure isn't noted at all. She does appear one more time, in an antiquated sort of list... every so often in the ledger there would be an accounting of the "widows belonging to the church", and she is listed in one of these at the start of 1852, giving proof that she was still connected with the church at that time.
Frederick and Mary Harrison didn't appear as members, nor do any of their children appear among the baptisms at this church. I am curious about their church life. My current theory is that they attended this church with Frederick's parents while retaining memberships at a church in New Haven. At always, there is more to uncover. This church was located at the corner of Clinton and Remsen Streets.
Sources:
U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970, available from Ancestry.com (with a membership).
Image from the Brooklyn Eagle Postcard collection, Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
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