Westervelt, John A. (1857-1951) | Heritage Hall, Hekman Library

John Westervelt was born in New York City, June 27, 1857, the son of Jacob and Rachel A., nee Voorhis.  His father was Captain of the D.S.S. Underwrighter, which was destroyed on February 2, 1864, by the enemy in the Neuse River in North Carolina during the Civil War.  John was a descendent of lubbert Lubbertsen Van Westerveld who came from Mepel, Holland, on the Ship Hoop in 1662.  His mother was a descendent of Steven Coerts van Voorhees who came from the Village of Hees on the ship Bontekoe in 1660.

He was educated in Hackensack, New Jersey.  His tutor in theological training was the Rev. John De Baun, pastor at that time of the True Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in Hackensack and later of the La Grave Avenue Christian Reformed Church (1887-1892).  Westervelt was ordained and installed on Sunday, November 14, 1880 in the True Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in New York City.  His installation sermon was based on I Corinthians 2:2.  A Ministry of eight year in  New York was followed by four year in the True Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in Paramus (now part of Ridgewood, N.J.) from 1888-1892.  After the True Reformed Protestant Dutch Church united with the Christian Reformed Church, the Rev. John Westervelt was assigned to home mission work in the Mohawk Valley of New York, particularly at Flat Creek and Mariaville.  After serving one year as home missionary, Westervelt returned to the study of theology and became a student at Princeton Theological Seminary from 1893-1896.

March 16, 1896, Rev. John Westervelt began a ministry of thirty-one years as pastor of the Third Christian Reformed Church of Paterson, New Jersey (now the Trinity C.R.C. of North Haledon, New Jersey).  Although he received honorable emeritation by the Classis of Hackensack on October 19, 1927, he delivered his farewell sermon (Numbers 6:24-26) the evening of December 25, 1927.  He continued preaching in a number of churches and maintained an active interest in the activities of Classis.

John Westervelt was married to Rachel June De Marest who was also a native of New York.

When he passed away at the age of 91, December 1, 1951, he was considered to be the "last living link" with the True Reformed Protestant Dutch Church.

The sermon outlines of the Rev. John A. Westervelt were given to the Archives in 1983 by the Trinity Christian Reformed Church of North Haledon, New Jersey (formerly the Third Christian Reformed Church of Paterson, New Jersey).

The outlines have been placed in chronological order according to date of delivery of the sermons.  It will be noted, however, that when the pastor repeated a message on a given text, he inserted previous outlines with the later outlines and/or notes.  Consequently, many outlines are found in the notes of subsequent years.