Francis Doughty, who had been expelled by the Congregationalists from Taunton, Mass., is said to have been the first Puritan or Presbyterian minister in New York. He officiated from 1643 to 1648, and was supported by voluntary contributions from the Puritans and Dutch of the city. Puritans were certainly among the early settlers of Westchester. In volume iii. page 557, of the Documentary History of New York, there is an interesting description of a Puritan service at Westchester in 165(5, conducted by two laymen, Robert Bassett and a Mr. Bayley, who were probably ruling elders, one reading a sermon and the other leading in prayer. When the colony was surrendered to the Duke of York, in September, 1044, there were within its bounds six Puritan ministers settled with their flocks. There were Puritan bands at Rye and Westchester without pastors. ^

Governor Andros did not trouble the Puritan churches, which lost some of their veteran pastors, but continued to increase in numbers. Nathaniel Brewster settled at Brookhaven and supplied East Chester in 1665. In 1674 Eliphalet Jones supplied Rye and Ezekiel Fogg supplied East Chester. In 1()75 Peter Prudden preached at Rye, and Thomas Denham settled there in 1677. Thus within twelve years there were five Presbyterian clergymen exercising their functions in Westchester County. They and their flocks shared in the struggle which all Dissenters liadtomake with GovernorSloughter's efforts to establish the Church of England as the State Church, but still Presbyterianism flourished. In Westchester County Rev. John Woodbridge located at Rye and Rev. Warham Mather at Westchester in 1684.