Correspondence and other records, 1801

Correspondence and other records, 1801

1801

ChristChurch.CorporationCorrespondence_4-2-0-17

4.2.0.17; F501

Includes a letter and draft copy from bell ringer Joseph Dolby to the Vestry of Christ Church and St. Peter's, defending himself against accusations made by the Governor of Pennsylvania regarding his Revolutionary War allegiances and his refusal to ring the bells on July 4th. Dolby asserts his Philadelphia birth, militia service, and oath of allegiance to the United States. Also includes a committee report signed by the bell ringers agreeing to ring the bell on July 4th annually, and a letter from James Abercrombie requesting a burial order for the infant son of John Martin Baker. See also object ID: 1.4.0.1 for related documentation.

Pennsylvania--Philadelphia

Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA

4 documents

tiff

http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

eng

Text

Committee minutes and related correspondence concerning Christ Church bell ringers and Joseph Dolby, head bell ringer. On 8 July 1801, a committee met with bell ringers Joseph Dolby, Charles Hollick, Richard Thornhill, John Tister, and Caleb Offley; all except Dolby stated they were unaware of an existing contract obligating them to ring on 4 July until April 1801, and they agreed to ring annually in accordance with vestry resolutions of 5 July 1782 and 27 May 1801 [Image 1]. Dolby addresses Bishop White and the vestry of Christ Church and St. Peter's, responding to reports relayed by the Governor of Pennsylvania alleging Dolby refused to ring the bells on 4 July out of disaffection, and further alleging he was an Englishman and a Tory; Dolby asserts he was born in Philadelphia (as shown in the baptism register), served in the militia artillery early in the Revolutionary War, was disabled by a nervous fever affecting his limbs, and took the oath of allegiance in 1777, retiring to New Jersey during the British approach and returning after evacuation [Images 2-3, 5]. Additional notes include a request (11 Aug. 1801) from James Abercrombie for an order admitting the burial of John Martin Baker's 13-month-old son in Christ Church burial ground, to be carried to Dolby [Image 4], and a later note recording the birth (19 June 1800) and baptism (31 July 1808) of John Martin Baker, son of John Martin and Harriet D. Baker, with assurance of payment of charges [Images 6-7].

https://www.philageohistory.org/rdic-images/iiif.cfm/ChristChurch.CorporationCorrespondence_4-2-0-17/manifest