First Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA

Metadata

Title

First Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA

Digital Identifier

First Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA

Description

Presbyterians began gathering for worship in Philadelphia in 1692, sharing a building known as the "Barbadoes Warehouse" at Second and Chestnut streets with Baptists and Congregationalists. In 1698, the congregation officially organized as the First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia. Six years later, the congregation moved to High Street (now Market Street) at the corner of Bank Street, and built the first Presbyterian church building in the city, known as "Old Buttonwood." Both the first American presbytery and the first synod met in this church building. In 1820, the church moved to a new building on the south side of Washington Square where it remained until the late 1920s, when it moved to 15th and Locust streets. In 1949, First and Second Presbyterian Churches united as First with the congregation moving into the Second Presbyterian Church building at 21st and Walnut streets, where the congregation continues today.

Records scanned for this project include congregation minutes, pew records, and lists of burials.

Selected Items from the Collection

Record of people who were unaffiliated with any parish, buried at First Presbyterian Church from May 1, 1797 to May 1, 1798. Each burial listing includes the date, names of individual buried and relatives such as parents or spouses, and amount paid…

Five letters related to the rebuilding of First Presbyterian church: William Ruddack's accounting of his fundraising for the rebuilding from 1793 to 1796; John Johnston's 1793 proposal for plastering work, 1794 letter following up and 1796 bill for…

One page, front and back, listing the names of individuals interred in the First Presbyterian burial ground and the date and cost of their lot and burial service, from May 1, 1796 to May 1, 1797.

Two handwritten copies of a letter from First Presbyterian requesting that the Reverend Doctor Samuel Miller join them as pastor, following the illness of pastor Rev. Dr. John Ewing. The Rev. Dr. Samuel Miller was a prominent Presbyterian minister,…

The minutes of the meetings of "the committee for regulating pews" from 1774 to 1786 include the meeting time, place, names of committee members present and business discussed, primarily the assignment of pews and collection of pew rents. Other…

Bound manuscript with "alphabetical list of sundry names to be inquired about." Dates ranging from 1774 to 1803 are penciled in next to the names, which are written in ink.

Also included is a letter dated November 17th, 1894 from a researcher…

The practice of renting pews was common in 19th century churches; members paid a fee for the right to occupy a particular pew every week. This bound manuscript is a record of pew rents owed and paid to First Presbyterian from 1783 to 1785. For most…

The practice of renting pews was common in 19th century churches; members paid a fee for the right to occupy a particular pew every week. This bound manuscript is a record of pew rents owed and paid to First Presbyterian in 1787. For most of the…

The practice of renting pews was common in 19th century churches; members paid a fee for the right to occupy a particular pew every week. This bound manuscript is a record of pew rents owed and paid to First Presbyterian in 1789. For most of the…

The practice of renting pews was common in 19th century churches; members paid a fee for the right to occupy a particular pew every week. This bound manuscript is a record of pew rents owed and paid to First Presbyterian in 1790. Entries are listed…

The practice of renting pews was common in 19th century churches; members paid a fee for the right to occupy a particular pew every week. This bound manuscript is a record of pew rents owed and paid to First Presbyterian from 1791 to 1792. Entries…

The practice of renting pews was common in 19th century churches; members paid a fee for the right to occupy a particular pew every week. This bound manuscript is a record of pew rents owed and paid to First Presbyterian in 1794. Entries are listed…

The practice of renting pews was common in 19th century churches; members paid a fee for the right to occupy a particular pew every week. This bound manuscript is a record of pew rents owed and paid to First Presbyterian from 1794 to 1795. Entries…

The practice of renting pews was common in 19th century churches; members paid a fee for the right to occupy a particular pew every week. This bound manuscript is a record of pew rents owed and paid to First Presbyterian in 1796. Entries are listed…

The practice of renting pews was common in 19th century churches; members paid a fee for the right to occupy a particular pew every week. This bound manuscript is a record of pew rents owed and paid to First Presbyterian in 1798. For most of the…

The practice of renting pews was common in 19th century churches; members paid a fee for the right to occupy a particular pew every week. This bound manuscript is a record of pew rents owed and paid to First Presbyterian from 1798 to 1799. Entries…

The practice of renting pews was common in 19th century churches; members paid a fee for the right to occupy a particular pew every week. This bound manuscript is a record of pew rents owed and paid to First Presbyterian from 1799 to 1800. Entries…

List of subscribers for rebuilding the First Presbyterian Church on Market Street. Each listing in the bound manuscript includes the name of the subscriber and amount given, and entries run from January 1793 to November 1796.

List of subscribers for rebuilding the First Presbyterian Church on Market Street. This bound manuscript includes entries dating from 1793 to 1798, and begins with an alphabetical index of names. The entries which follow are listed by subscriber…

List of persons buried at First Presbyterian Church from May 1, 1799 to May 1, 1800. Listings include the date of burial, name of deceased, relatives' names, age at time of death, and the amount paid to First Presbyterian for their burial.

One page, front and back, listing the dates of burials, names of those buried, causes of death, and costs of burials at First Presbyterian Church between September 1998 and May 1799.

List of subscribers for rebuilding the First Presbyterian Church on Market Street in 1796. Entries are by subscriber name, with amounts and total paid, and span two pages, verso and recto.

Meeting minutes begin with the names of members elected for the Committee in May of 1747, and go on to document the dates of meetings, members present, and business conducted. Topics covered include financial matters such as account balances,…

Francis Alison was born in Ireland in 1705. He studied at the University of Glasgow before traveling to America in 1735. In 1737 he became pastor of Pennsylvania's New London Presbyterian Church. Ten years later he opened an academy in New London.…

Francis Alison was born in Ireland in 1705. He studied at the University of Glasgow before traveling to America in 1735. In 1737 he became pastor of Pennsylvania's New London Presbyterian Church. Ten years later he opened an academy in New London.…

Francis Alison was born in Ireland in 1705. He studied at the University of Glasgow before traveling to America in 1735. In 1737 he became pastor of Pennsylvania's New London Presbyterian Church. Ten years later he opened an academy in New London.…

The Session is a body of elected elders governing a Presbyterian church. Meeting minutes run from 1807 to 1830, and note the date, members present, and business discussed.

Business includes elections to office and appointments to committees;…

The Session is a body of elected elders governing a Presbyterian church.

This manuscript begins with a list of pastors at First Presbyterian up to 1830, then includes an historical list of elders, followed by a list of communicants, with their dates…
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