Metadata
Title
Correspondence and other records, 1837
Date
1837
Digital Identifier
ChristChurch.CorporationCorrespondence_4-2-0-47
Call Number
4.2.0.47; F535
Description
This item contains correspondence and records related to Christ Church in Philadelphia from 1837. It includes a letter from Reverend Benjamin Dorr accepting the Rectorship of Christ Church (March 23, 1837), a notice appointing Philip H. Nicklin as Warden (March 31, 1837), a letter from Joseph Bayland correcting the baptismal record birth year for his son John Charles Beyland from 1820 to 1821 with supporting certificates (October 11, 1837), a detailed contract with organ builder Henry Erben for a new church organ specifying 1812 pipes along with a receipt of payment (dated 1835 and 1837), and an evaluation report by organists expressing satisfaction with the completed organ (March 13, 1837).
Subject
Place
Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
Congregation
Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA
Extent
5 documents
Format (Digital)
tiff
Rights
http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/
Language
eng
Type
Text
Abstract
This collection of five documents concerns the affairs of Christ Church, Philadelphia, between 1835 and 1837, addressing both the church's leadership and the installation of a new organ.
In a letter dated March 23, 1837, the Rev. Benjamin Dorr writes from New York to accept his election to the Rectorship of Christ Church, having received notice of his election while in Richmond, Virginia. He reflects on succeeding the venerable Bishop White and his late friend James, and proposes to enter his new charge by the first Sunday in May, after resigning his existing office at the annual meeting of the Board of Missions in June [p.1r-1v]. In a subsequent note dated March 31, 1837, Dorr, as Rector, exercises his charter authority to appoint Philip H. Nicklin as Church Warden [p.2].
A letter from Joseph Bayland, dated October 11, 1837, requests correction of a "gross mistake" in the church's Register Book, which recorded his eldest son John Charles Bayland's birth as December 9, 1820, rather than 1821, the year following his marriage. The request is supported by certificates from S. A. Dubarry and three witnesses attesting to the marriage of John Beyland and Elizabeth Dubarry on March 13, 1821, and the birth of their first child on December 9, 1821 [p.3r-3v].
The contract with organ builder Henry Erben of New York, dated October 17, 1835, sets out detailed specifications for a first-rate instrument of 1,812 pipes, comprising Great, Choir, Swell, and Pedal divisions, with a pine case to be painted and ornamented as the Committee directed. Erben agreed to remove the existing organ and erect the new one, to be finished by the end of August 1836, for $4,500—$1,000 credited for the old organ and $3,500 in cash [p.4r-4v]. A receipt and quitclaim dated March 13, 1837, confirms Erben's full payment of $4,500 (received through Horace Binney Jr.) and the complete performance of the contract [p.4v]. A report of the same date from organists J. C. B. Standbridge (of Christ Church) and Thomas Loud (of St. Andrew's Church) attests to their entire satisfaction with the superior tone, workmanship, materials, and mechanism of the finished instrument [p.5r-5v].
In a letter dated March 23, 1837, the Rev. Benjamin Dorr writes from New York to accept his election to the Rectorship of Christ Church, having received notice of his election while in Richmond, Virginia. He reflects on succeeding the venerable Bishop White and his late friend James, and proposes to enter his new charge by the first Sunday in May, after resigning his existing office at the annual meeting of the Board of Missions in June [p.1r-1v]. In a subsequent note dated March 31, 1837, Dorr, as Rector, exercises his charter authority to appoint Philip H. Nicklin as Church Warden [p.2].
A letter from Joseph Bayland, dated October 11, 1837, requests correction of a "gross mistake" in the church's Register Book, which recorded his eldest son John Charles Bayland's birth as December 9, 1820, rather than 1821, the year following his marriage. The request is supported by certificates from S. A. Dubarry and three witnesses attesting to the marriage of John Beyland and Elizabeth Dubarry on March 13, 1821, and the birth of their first child on December 9, 1821 [p.3r-3v].
The contract with organ builder Henry Erben of New York, dated October 17, 1835, sets out detailed specifications for a first-rate instrument of 1,812 pipes, comprising Great, Choir, Swell, and Pedal divisions, with a pine case to be painted and ornamented as the Committee directed. Erben agreed to remove the existing organ and erect the new one, to be finished by the end of August 1836, for $4,500—$1,000 credited for the old organ and $3,500 in cash [p.4r-4v]. A receipt and quitclaim dated March 13, 1837, confirms Erben's full payment of $4,500 (received through Horace Binney Jr.) and the complete performance of the contract [p.4v]. A report of the same date from organists J. C. B. Standbridge (of Christ Church) and Thomas Loud (of St. Andrew's Church) attests to their entire satisfaction with the superior tone, workmanship, materials, and mechanism of the finished instrument [p.5r-5v].
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