In a letter dated April 26, 1802, the Reverend James Abercrombie appeals to the Rector and Vestry for financial assistance, explaining that despite two years of diligent effort conducting an Academy alongside his parochial duties, the enterprise had produced little beyond its own expenses. Having exhausted his own property and the support previously provided by his mother, and facing the unavoidable expenses of a family of sixteen that far exceeded his salary, he reluctantly entreats their generosity [p. 1r-1v].
A draft letter dated July 26, 1802, addressed to the Reverend Stanford, records the Vestry's instructions to inquire into the status of a claim on the estate of the late Gunning Bedford, money intended for the poor of the churches. The Vestry note their obligation to recover the money or, if impeded, to enter a narrative of their conduct on their minutes. The Reverend Mr. Hobart is named as bearer of the letter [p. 2r-2v].
Joseph Dobbins writes on May 24, 1802, from the country on the Catawba River near the mouth of the Wateree, informing Bishop William White and the wardens and vestry that no one had been appointed to pay his annuity since the death of Bishop Robert Smith, whose last payment was July 28. He requests payment through someone in Charleston and asks that correspondence be left with Colonel Cantey at the Camden post office, noting he will be twenty years of age the following January [p. 3].
Richard Harison replies from New York on August 4, 1802, to Bishop White and Thomas Cumpston regarding a bond owed by the widow of Cornelius Bradford. He returns the bond, describes his repeated but unsuccessful attempts to obtain a settlement, and notes the widow's distress and her belief that the demand ought to have been addressed to her brother-in-law's family. He advises that no suit could be maintained in New York courts unless Dr. Kearsley's will was proved or administration taken out there, and that any suit must be in the names of his executors or administrators. He emphasizes that he sought no advantage in the business [p. 4r-4v].]]>
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