Rare Book Monthly

Articles - October - 2003 Issue

The Dutch Dominie of the Catskills<br>By David Murdoch

The Rev. Doctor David Murdoch

The Rev. Doctor David Murdoch


A review and commentary by Bruce McKinney

Table of Contents
  • A review of The Dutch Dominie of the Catskills, a work of historical fiction written by the Rev. Doctor David Murdoch and published for the first time in 1861. The descriptions of Blacks in this book raise a question whether the descriptions reflect reality or prejudice.


  • The Doctrine of Caiaphas by the Rev. Doctor David Murdoch, a defense of his conduct and a narrative of the events that lead to his being asked to leave his position as Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Elmira, New York (1860).


  • The obituary of the Rev. Doctor David Murdoch that was published in the Elmira Gazette shortly after his death on June 13th, 1861


  • Two obituaries of Tracy Beadle, Trustee of the First Presbyterian Church of Elmira and the man who opposed the Rev. Doctor David Murdoch and forced his resignation.


  • An excerpt from a First Presbyterian Church history (1955).


  • An excerpt from a Lake Street Presbyterian Church history (formerly the Second Presbyterian Church). (1961)

Rare Book Monthly

  • Sotheby’s
    Fine Manuscript and Printed Americana
    27 January 2026
    Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: An extraordinary pair of books from George Washington’s field library, marking the conjunction of Robert Rogers, George Washington, and Henry Knox. $1,200,000 to $1,800,000.
    Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: An extraordinary letter marking the conjunction of George Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Benjamin Franklin. $1,000,000 to $1,500,000.
    Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: Virginia House of Delegates. The genesis of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. $350,000 to $500,000.
    Sotheby’s
    Fine Manuscript and Printed Americana
    27 January 2026
    Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: (Gettysburg). “Genl. Doubleday has taken charge of the battle”: Autograph witness to the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, illustrated by fourteen maps and plans. $200,000 to $300,000.
    Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: President Lincoln thanks a schoolboy on behalf of "all the children of the nation for his efforts to ensure "that this war shall be successful, and the Union be maintained and perpetuated." $200,000 to $300,000.
    Sotheby’s, Jan. 27: [World War II]. An archive of maps and files documenting the allied campaign in Europe, from the early stages of planning for D-Day and Operation Overlord, to Germany’s surrender. $200,000 to $300,000.

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