Rev. Gustavus Abeel (June 6, 1801 – September 4, 1887) was an American pastor, missionary and writer. He was pastor of several

Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church (, , abbreviated NHK ) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the traditional denomination of the Dutch royal famil ...

es in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

and

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

Biography

Abeel was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, June 6, 1801, son of John Nielson Abeel, who was minister of the Arch Street Presbyterian Church in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

and the

Collegiate Reformed Protestant Dutch Church The Collegiate Reformed Protestant Dutch Church is a Dutch Reformed congregation in Manhattan, New York City, which has had a variety of church buildings and now exists in the form of four component bodies: the Marble, Middle, West End and F ...

in New York, and grandson of Col. James S. Abeel, revolutionary soldier. He was a descendant of

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

Mayor Johannes Abeel. Abeel graduated from

Union College Union College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the s ...

in 1823 and then studied at

New Brunswick Theological Seminary New Brunswick Theological Seminary is a seminary of the Reformed Church in America (RCA), a mainline Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States that follows the theological tradition and Christian practice of John Calvin. It was fo ...

. He was ordained in the Classis of Bergen in 1824. In 1826 he became a minister of the

Reformed church Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyterian, ...

, and preached for a short time in

English Neighborhood The English Neighborhood was the colonial-era name for the towns in eastern Bergen County, New Jersey, along the Hudson Palisades between the Hudson River and the Hackensack River, particularly around its main tributary, Overpeck Creek. The region ...

and in

Belleville, New Jersey Belleville (French: "Belle ville" meaning "beautiful town") is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 38,222. an increase of 2,296 (+6.4%) from the 2010 ...

, while completing his

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...

Rutgers College Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College and was aff ...

. He then removed to Geneva N. Y., where in 1829 he was installed, and where he remained until 1844, when he accepted a call to preach at the new second Reformed church. He earned his

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology (, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equivalent to the Doctor o ...

degree at Columbia College in 1842. His last post was in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, serving from 1849 to 1864. He was an active member of the

New Jersey Historical Society The New Jersey Historical Society is a historical society and museum located in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The Historical Society is housed in the former headquarters of the Essex Club. It has two floors of exhibition spac ...

. Abeel married Mary Jane Nest in 1827. He died at

Stanford, New York Stanford is a town in the north-central part of Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 3,628 at the 2020 census,US Census Bureau, 2020 Census Report, Stanford town, Dutchess County, New York https://www.census.gov/search-re ...

, September 4, 1887.

Writings

*''The Aged Penitent'' *''The Departed to the Bereaved'' *''Systematic Benevolence'' *''A Decennial Sermon, May 6, 1860'' *''A Eulogy in 1858 for Rev. Dr. James Scott.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abeel, Gustavus 1801 births 1887 deaths American people of Dutch descent American religious writers American Calvinist and Reformed ministers Dutch Reformed Church missionaries Writers from New York City Union College (New York) alumni Rutgers University alumni New Brunswick Theological Seminary alumni Columbia College (New York) alumni American members of the Dutch Reformed Church Schuyler family