Uzal Ogden

For some years after the beginning of his ministry he labored as a missionary in Sussex County, New Jersey, but after April, 1779, he preached occasionally in Trinity Church in Newark, of which parish he was rector from 1788 till 1805. Meanwhile, he was in 1784-9 one of the assistant ministers of Trinity Church in New York City, and connected with St. John's in Elizabethtown, also preaching at least, once each Sunday in a chapel at what is now Belleville, New Jersey.^[2]

In 1798 he was elected the first bishop of New Jersey, but consecration was refused by the general convention in June, 1799, owing to difficulties that, existed between him and his parish. These culminated in 1804, and his suspension was authorized if he persisted in his refusal to resign.^[3] In 1805 he became a Presbyterian, but, although he continued active in missionary work, he never thereafter held a charge.^[2] The degree of D. D. was conferred on him by Princeton in 1798. He published numerous letters, addresses, sermons, and Antidote to Deism: being an ample refutation of all the objections of Thomas Paine against the Christian religion, as contained in a pamphlet entitled The Age of Reason, addressed to the citizens of these states (2 vols., 1795).

In 1766, Ogden was married to Mary Gouverneur (1755–1814), the daughter of Samuel Gouverneur and Experience (née Johnson) Gouverneur.^[2] Through her brother Nicholas Gouverneur, a merchant, Mary was the aunt of Samuel L. Gouverneur, who was both nephew and son-in-law to President James Monroe,^[4] and Maria Charlotte Gouverneur, the wife of Thomas McCall Cadwalader.^[5] Through her sister Gertrude Gouverneur, wife of merchant Peter Kemble, she was the aunt of U.S. Representative Gouverneur Kemble.^[4] Together, they were the parents of:^[1]

• Nicholas Gouverneur Ogden (1776–1823), who became a business partner of John Jacob Astor.^[1]
• Samuel Gouverneur Ogden (1779–1860), who married Eliza Lewis, a granddaughter of Francis Lewis. After her death, he married Julia Fairlie (1808–1862).^[1]
• Alida Gouverneur Ogden (1785–1847), who married Rev. Anson Rood (1801–1857).^[6]
• Wallace Ogden (1788–1803), who died unmarried.^[1]
• Mary Gouverneur Ogden (1792–1860), who died unmarried.^[6]
• Margaret E. Ogden (1798–1823), who died unmarried.^[1]

Ogden died on November 4, 1822.^[1]

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Wilson, J. G.; Fiske, J., eds. (1891). "Ogden, Uzal". Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. New York: D. Appleton.