He studied at the University of Utrecht and was ordained a minister in October 1745.
His first assignment was at the Dutch Reformed Church in Albany, New York.
[2] He quickly set sail for America but his ship was captured by the French and he did not reach his new congregation until the following Spring.
In October 1759 Frelinghuysen sailed from New York to the Netherlands and died in 1761 at sea while returning from an attempt to raise funds for "Queen's College" (now Rutgers University.
[4] His replacement for the church arrived in Albany in October 1760.