BERGEN, REV. JOHN G., D. D., was born Nov. 27, 1790, at Hightstown, Middlesex county, N. J., ten miles east of Princeton, N. J. Of his ancestors the history is preserved for seven generations, which will be found designated by numbers. 1st. Hans Hansen Bergen was born in Bergen, Norway. He was a ship carpenter, and went to Holland; from there he emigrated to New Amsterdam, now New York city, arriving in 1633. In 1639 he was married to Sarah Rapalje (now Rapalye). She was born June 9, 1622, about where Albany, N. Y., now stands, and is believed to have been the first child of European parentage born in in the colony of New Netherlands, which then included the present States of New York, New Jersey and part of Connecticut. Hans Hansen Bergen and Sarah Rapalje, his wife, had four sons and four daughters. 2nd. Joris, Jores, or George, their fifth child, was baptized in New Amsterdam, July 18, 1649, and married Aug. 11, 1678, to Sara Stryker. They had nine children, and their fourth child. 3rd. Hans Jorise Bergen was baptized Aug. 31, 1684, and married Aug. 16, 1711, to Sytje Evert Van Wicklen. They had five children. Their eldest son (4th), Jores, or George Bergen, married Miss Hoagland. She had three children, and died. He married a second time, and had nine children. His eldest son (5th), John B. Bergen, born March 27, 1739, married June 8, 1763, to Sarah Stryker, who was born August 25, 1745. They had eight children. Their eldest son (6th), George I. Bergen, born June 16, 1764, married in 1789 to Rebecca Combs. They had ten children, all born in New Jersey. Their eldest son was (7th) John G., whose name heads this sketch. Both his parents being consistent Christians, he, under their training and example, became a member of the Presbyterian church, at thirteen years of age. He attended Baskingridge Academy, and when properly prepared entered the junior class at Princeton College, and graduated at seventeen years of age. Having chosen the ministry, he commenced a theological course of study under Rev. Dr. John Woodhull, who had been appointed by the Synod of New York and New Jersey, Professor of Theology, in the absence of a seminary for that purpose. At 20 years of age he was licensed to preach the gospel. It was his desire to mount his horse, go to the west and commence preaching, but he was induced to accept the position of tutor in Princeton College in 1810. In Sept., 1812, he resigned that position, and in Oct., 1812, accepted a call as pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Madison, N. J. Rev. John G. Bergen was married Nov. 10, 1812, at Freehold, N. J., to Margaretta M. Henderson, who was born in 1793 in that city. Her father, Dr. Thomas Henderson, was a Judge, member of Congress, and a ruling Elder in the old Tennent church at Freehold. The pastor of that church, Rev. William Tennent, to all human appearance died, and after laying three days in what proved to be a trance, he opened his eyes just as they were closing the coffin for the last time.

Rev. J. G. Bergen was pastor of the church at Madison for about 16 years, during which time his labors were greatly blessed. They had five children born at Madison. George I. Bergen, the father of Rev. J. G. Bergen, was a merchant, and sustained such losses during the war with England, beginning in 1812, that he closed his business, and in the summer of 1818 emigrated to Woodford county, Ky. In 1824 Mr. G. I. Bergen, in company with a married son and daughter and their father-in-law, Major Conover, six persons in all, set out to explore Indiana, and camped near where Indianapolis now stands. They made up their minds to remain there, and one night while they were around their camp-fire, they were startled with the cry of "Who's here!" coming out of the darkness. The words were run together, and seemed like a single word, "Hoosier," and this circumstance is believed to have been the origin of that appellation for citizens of that State. The traveler who had thus unceremoniously approached them remained all night, and before he left next morning had convinced them that it was better to go and see the prairies of Illinois. The result was that they settled in Jersey prairie, twelve miles north of Jacksonville, in Morgan, now Cass, county, Ill. George I. Bergen died in 1825, and his widow married Rev. Mr. Kenner, in 1827, and they visited Mrs. Kenner's old home in New Jersey. While there her son, Rev. J. G. Bergen, resigned his pastorate of the church at Madison, Sept. 10, 1828, for the purpose of accompanying his mother to Illinois. The party started Sept. 22, 1828, going by the way of Lexington and Frankfort, Ky., to visit friends. After a journey of nearly 1,500 miles, they arrived at Springfield, Nov., 1828, bringing their five children, namely--

JANE ELIZA, born 1813, in Madison, N. J., came with her parents to Springfield. Soon after their arrival, her father built a house on his own lot at the south side of Washington street, between Fourth and Fifth streets, and in that she taught school in 1829. That was believed to have been the first school taught by a lady in Springfield. She was married in April, 1833 to Col. Robert Allen. See his name.

CATHARINE H., born Sept. 21, 1816, in New Jersey, married in Springfield to Edward Jones. See his name.

AMELIA M., born July, 1818, in New Jersey, married in Springfield, May, 1840, to Joshua G. Lamb, a cousin of James L. Lamb. They are without family, and reside in Alton.

THOMAS H., born Dec. 15, 1820, at Madison, Morris county, N. J., brought up in Springfield, married March 29, 1849, at Trenton, N. J., to Mary G. Cooley. She was born in that city, July 20, 1823. Soon after they were married they left for Springfield, and while on board a small steamboat on the Ohio river, near Wheeling, West Va., it blew up, killing 17 persons. They escaped with their lives, but lost their entire baggage. They are without family, and reside one mile east of Springfield.

GEORGE, born April 5, 1824, at Madison, Morris county, N. J., brought up in Springfield, Ill., is unmarried, and resides one mile east of Springfield.

Mrs. Margaretta M. Bergen died Oct. 18, 1853, near Springfield, Ill. Dr. Bergen was married at the latter place, Nov. 9, 1857, to Mrs. Susan A. Vanhoff. Rev. Dr. J. G. Bergen died Jan. 17, 1872, and his widow resides in Springfield.

Dr. Bergen, describing Springfield as he first saw it, said it was composed of about thirty-five log cabins, two or three small frame houses, without a place of divine worship other than a log school house just built. That school house stood in the street at the crossing of Adams and Second streets, in a thicket of hazel and brier bushes, and a few tall oaks. It was built in the street because (he says) the town authorities and owners of the lots were too penurious to donate the land. Rev. J. G. Bergen found a Presbyterian Church that had been organized Jan. 30, 1828, by Rev. John M. Ellis, a missionary from the southern part of the State. It was without a house of worship. He took charge of the church, and on the second Sabbath after his arrival he gave notice to the little church and the people generally, that he came to Springfield, not to make an experiment, but to live, labor and die on the field with his armor on, and then said: "Come, let us rise up and build a house for God." A brick house was accordingly built at the east side of Third street, between Washington and Adams. He says that was the first church built in the central part of the State for any Protestant denomination. The Methodists of Springfield were building a frame house of worship at the same time, but they were a few weeks later in finishing it. The original members of the First Presbyterian Church were Mrs. Elizabeth Smith, widow of Rev. John Blair Smith, D. D., mother of Mrs. Dr. John Todd. The Presbyterian Church of Springfield was organized in her house. The other members were John Moore, John N. Moore, Andrew Moore, Mary Moore, Elizabeth Moore, Margaret Moore, Catharine Moore, Phoebe Moore, James White, Elijah Scott, Jane Scott, Samuel Reed, Jane Reed, William Proctor, Sarah Stillman, Nancy R. Humphreys, Ann Iles and Olive Slater, nineteen in all; five only lived in Springfield. Some lived forty miles distant. The Ruling Elders were John Moore, John N. Moore, Samuel Reed and Isaiah Stillman. Rev. J. G. Bergen preached, as stated supply, until 1835, when he received a formal call to become Pastor of the church, and was installed Nov. 15 of that year. That was the only Presbyterian Church in the country at that time. Six churches have been organized by colonies from that church (two of them in the city). During the ministry of Rev. Mr. Bergen, from 1828 to 1848, when he resigned the pastorate, five hundred were added to the church. When he came to Springfield he was the eighth Presbyterian minister in the State, and the farthest north of any of them. There were twenty-five churches under the care of these eight ministers. He lived to see, including both branches of the Presbyterian and the Congregational churches, 600 ministers and 800 churches in the State. He assisted in forming the first Presbytery and first Synod in the State; was the first Moderator of each. When the Old and New school churches were reunited in 1869, he was the first Moderator of the United Synod.

In 1854, without any previous intimation of their intentions, Center College, at Danville, Ky., conferred on the Rev. John G. Bergen the Degree of D. D.

After his resignation as pastor of the First Church, he devoted much of his time to writing for the religious press, over the signature of "Old Man of the Prairies." He has left two large scrap books full of these writings.