Christ Church correspondence and other records, 1759-1760

Christ Church correspondence and other records, 1759-1760

1759/1760

ChristChurch.CorporationCorrespondence_4-2-0-5

4.2.0.5; F493

Documents include correspondence relating to the appointment of an assistant to the rector, an address written to the Bishop of London requesting monetary assistence in building [Saint Peter's] church as well as other topics.

Noteworthy events detailed in the records include the severe paralytic and asthmatic illness of the 70-year-old Rev. Dr. Robert Jenny, which left Rev. William Sturgeon to manage a large and growing congregation. The Vestry outlines their resolution to build a new neat and handsome church, measuring 90 by 60 feet, on a lot provided by the Proprietaries. The files also document efforts to secure additional clergy, including a petition to ordain Jacob Duché Junior, a proposal signed by 74 parishioners to hire Rev. William Macclenachan by private subscription, and subsequent correspondence with Christ Church in Boston seeking a character reference for Macclenachan.

Pennsylvania--Philadelphia

Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA

4 documents

tiff

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

eng

Text

This collection of four documents from 1759 documents administrative and clerical changes at Christ Church in Philadelphia. The first document is a draft letter to Dr. Bearcroft of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel concerning a 1732 bequest by Mr. Jauney, which the Vestry requests be invested in Pennsylvania land for the minister's use [p. 1r]. The second document is an address to the Bishop of London, dated February 10, 1759, explaining that Rev. Dr. Robert Jenny is incapacitated by illness, leaving Rev. William Sturgeon to manage the duties alone [p. 2r]. To accommodate the growing population, the Vestry announces the ongoing construction of a new church building (St. Peter's) and petitions for Jacob Duché Junior to be admitted into holy orders as an assistant minister [p. 2r, p. 2v]. The third document is a proposal dated May 9, 1759, signed by 74 members of the congregation, recommending the appointment of Rev. William Macclenachan as an assistant to Rev. Sturgeon, to be funded by private subscription [p. 3r, p. 3v]. The final document is a letter dated May 31, 1759, from the Church Wardens of Christ Church in Boston to Evan Morgan and Alexander Stedman, stating that they have only superficial knowledge of Mr. Macclenachan and cannot provide a character reference for him [p. 4r].

https://www.philageohistory.org/rdic-images/iiif.cfm/ChristChurch.CorporationCorrespondence_4-2-0-5/manifest