Gloria Dei Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Gloria Dei Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church records and registers]]> Lutherans]]> Baptismal records]]> Marriage records]]> Burial records]]> Registers of births, etc.]]> Clergy]]> Lutheran Church]]>
Baptismal records are found on images 5-67 (1750-1780) and 191-203 (1780-1788).

Burial records from are found on images 2-4 (1787-1789) and 177-190 (1750-1776).

Marriage records from are found on images 4-5 (1778); 68-158 (1750-1779); and 169-175 (1779-1780); and 204-237 (1779-1789).

Although the vast majority of records in this bound volume are baptisms, burials and marriages, images 158 to 168 include accounts of the experiences of several early pastors of Gloria Dei in the 1730s, 1740s and 1750s. These pages include notes from meetings with the congregation and vestry.

Some entries are written in Swedish.]]> Minutes (Records)]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> Dorr, Benjamin, 1796-1869]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Money]]> Finance, Personal]]> Dorr, Benjamin, 1796-1869]]> Debt]]> Clergy]]> Debtor and creditor]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> ]]> Dorr, Benjamin, 1796-1869]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Clergy]]> Wages]]> Health]]> Church work]]> Episcopal Church]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> ]]> Dorr, Benjamin, 1796-1869]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Clergy]]> Wages]]> Church finance]]> Episcopal Church]]>
In a second letter to Joseph K. Wheeler, Accounting Warden of Christ Church, Dorr explains that he has been paying the assistant, the Reverend W. Foggo, at a rate of $400 from his own rector's salary and wishes Wheeler to begin paying Foggo directly, $100 from each quarter's salary beginning with the quarter due January 10 [p. 2r]. Dorr also instructs Wheeler to pay the additional clergyman selected by the Rector's Warden for six months of service, in an amount not exceeding $500, taking receipts as vouchers for the accounts [p. 2r-p. 2v].]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Dorr, Benjamin, 1796-1869]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church finance]]> Clergy]]> Charities]]> Christmas]]> Episcopal Church]]>
The letter is dated December 24, 1848, and the verso includes a docket dated December 26, 1848, recording the instructions.]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> ]]> Church of England]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church of England]]> Psalms (Music)]]> Psalmody]]> Bible. Psalms]]> Religious leaders]]> Sacraments]]> Consecration]]> Clergy]]> Episcopal Church]]> Episcopalians]]> United Churches of Christ-Church and St. Peter's (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Rites and ceremonies]]> Manuscripts]]> Liturgical books]]> ]]> Third Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Third Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Presbyterians]]> Clergy]]> Duffield, George, 1732-1790]]> Religious leaders]]> Presbyterian Church]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> ]]> Abercrombie, James, 1758-1841]]> Dobbins, Joseph]]> Harison, Richard, 1747-1829]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church finance]]> Clergy]]> Annuities]]> Debt]]> Poor]]>
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].]]> Correspondence]]> Records (Documents)]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Bell ringing]]> Church bells]]> Clergy]]> Burial]]> Baptism]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Bell ringers]]> Fourth of July celebrations]]> Loyalists--United States]]> American Revolution (1775-1783)]]>
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.]]>
Dolby addresses Bishop White and the Rector, Church-Wardens, and Vestrymen of Christ Church and St. Peter's, responding to a letter from the Governor of Pennsylvania alleging that Dolby, out of disaffection to the independence of the United States, refused to allow the bells to be rung on the late 4 July, and further alleging he was an Englishman and had been a Tory during the Revolution. Dolby asks, as an act of justice to a man who has been their Head Bell Ringer for 36 years, that his statement be entered on the minutes. He asserts he was born in Philadelphia (as shown in the baptism register), that his father was also a native and a respectable member of the churches, that he served in the militia artillery from the beginning of the Revolutionary War until disabled by a nervous fever affecting his limbs, and that on 4 July 1776 he was carried into the bell-room in the arms of John Williams and John Field to be present at the exhibition of public joy despite his infirmity [p.2r-2v]. He states that in the summer of 1777 he took the oath of allegiance to the United States within the time limited by law, retiring to New Jersey with his family upon the approach of the British army to the city and not returning until after the evacuation [p.4].

Additional records include a request (11 Aug. 1801) from James Abercrombie to Thomas Cumpston for an order admitting the burial of John Martin Baker's 13-month-old infant son in Christ Church burial ground, to be carried to Dolby, noting Baker is an English gentleman residing a few miles out of town [p.3]. A later note records the birth (19 June 1800) and baptism (31 July 1808) of John Martin Baker, son of John Martin and Harriet D. Baker, with assurance that Baker, being a stranger unacquainted with the regulations, will cheerfully pay all charges when the funeral is over [p.5r-5v].]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> Records (Documents)]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Poverty]]> Charities]]> Clergy--Salaries, etc.]]> Poor]]> Church charities]]> Clergy]]> Debt]]> Episcopal Church]]> Public welfare]]> Church finance]]>
Additionally, the file contains correspondence regarding a financial arrangement and salary deductions for Reverend James Abercrombie to pay off a debt to Chandler Price, a nomination for Reverend John Rodney to assist Bishop White, and an 1826 letter from Abercrombie to William Meredith concerning personal matters and an accusation by a Mr. Parkman.]]>
The United Churches' reply, dated August 8, 1821, reports an average annual disbursement of $2,846 for church members plus $1,458 for the poor of Christ Church Hospital (totaling $4,305) over eight years, with clothing distributed only in a limited way to needy children of the Sunday School. About 153 individuals were relieved annually, generally females, roughly half of them infirm [p.5r-5v].

A separate document dated June 30, 1825 records the nomination by William Harris of the Rev. John Rodney as a suitable assistant to Bishop White [p.3r-3v]. An 1826 letter from Rev. Dr. James Abercrombie to William Meredith discusses a lost letter and pocket-books, a missing letter from a Mr. Parkman, and a "railing accusation" brought against Abercrombie, for which he offers to apologize [p.4r-4v].

The final documents concern a financial arrangement of November 1821: Chandler Price agrees to endorse Dr. Abercrombie's note for $500 (later extended to $600) in exchange for quarterly payments of $100 drawn from Abercrombie's salary as Assistant Minister, beginning April 1822 [p.6-7]. Church Warden John Read formally agrees, so long as he continues as accounting Warden, to pay $100 quarterly from Abercrombie's salary to Price until the sum is paid, later promising an additional $100 to make the total $600 [p.8-9].]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> Records (Documents)]]> Contracts]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church of England]]> Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (Great Britain)]]> Clergy]]> Clergy--Appointment, call, and election]]> Church buildings]]> Church finance]]> Bequests]]> Philadelphia (Pa.)]]>
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.]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> Records (Documents)]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Abercrombie, James, 1758-1841]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Clergy--Salaries, etc.]]> Marriage]]> Marriage law]]> Minors]]> Clergy]]> Wages]]> Church finance]]> Pews and pew rights]]> Episcopal Church]]>
The central document is a letter from Rev. James Abercrombie to Cumpston (March 19, 1811), written to preempt or answer a complaint brought before the vestry concerning a marriage he had celebrated. Abercrombie recounts that on or about January 12-13, a genteel-looking young man asked him to perform a marriage and assured him he was of full age, above 21 [p.2]. When Abercrombie learned the bride, Miss Eliza Farrel, was only turned 19, he explained she was not of legal age to marry without consent of parents or guardians. The young man stated she had no parents but lived with an aunt who approved [p.3-4]. At the ceremony, a respectable-looking woman identifying herself as Mary Golson, the bride's aunt, confirmed her consent, and Abercrombie married them, entering the bridegroom's name as John Cooper Seckel in his register [p.3-4]. Abercrombie asserts he was grossly imposed upon by deliberate lies, and complains that the defective marriage act throws the whole responsibility onto the clergyman [p.5]. His son John, present in the study, confirmed the account, including that Seckel had declared himself above 26 and that Golson corroborated this [p.6]. A postscript addresses a separate matter concerning the exchange of a pew involving Mr. Meredith [p.6].

The third letter, addressed to the Vestry (October 23, 1811), was occasioned by the resignation of Abercrombie's associate, Rev. Dr. Blackwell, and appeals for an increase in salary [p.7]. Abercrombie recalls an earlier application in 1798 or 1799, when the Vestry resolved to raise an additional 1,200 dollars from pew rents, 600 for the Bishop and the residue for himself, but Dr. Blackwell's displeasure led to a division of the 600 dollars [p.8-9]. He describes eighteen years of faithful service on an incompetent salary, his mounting debts, his teaching in the academy with Dr. Magaw, the fatigue of running a school, and the loss of income from the Oxford and All Saints congregations following the building of St. James Church [p.8-9, p.10]. Citing the depreciation of money since his appointment, he trusts the Vestry will not consider his request unreasonable [p.10].]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> Records (Documents)]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Muhlenberg, William Augustus, 1796-1877]]> Kemper, Jackson, 1789-1870]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Clergy]]> Land tenure]]> Rent]]> Resignation]]> United Churches of Christ-Church and St. Peter's (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Landlord and tenant]]> Health]]> Muhlenberg, William Augustus, 1796-1877]]> Kemper, Jackson, 1789-1870]]>
Jane Cooper, a widow, writes on April 10, 1820, regarding ground rent on a lot on Pine Street belonging to the Church. Having previously fallen into arrears and being unable to pay on demand, she was obliged to consent to a charge of interest to prevent the Church's attorney, Mr. Mare, from executing a threat of distress. Having since discharged the arrears and subsequent ground rent, she respectfully requests that the Vestry consider relinquishing the demand for interest [p.1].

The Rev. William Augustus Muhlenberg submits his letter of resignation, dated November 30, 1820, and received at Vestry on December 5. Having accepted his appointment as Assistant Minister the previous October on the condition that he could resign at pleasure, he now resigns the office to accept the Rectorship of St. James's Church in Lancaster. He expresses deep regret at separating from the Rector, to whom he feels indebted for his goodness, instruction, and fatherly affection, and affirms that his decision was made from motives of duty [p.2].

The Rev. Jackson Kemper writes to Church Warden John Read on December 6, 1820, and asks him to convey his gratitude to the Vestry for their resolution of May 8, which enabled him to follow his physicians' advice to travel during the summer. He reports that, after a long journey, his health is perfectly restored, and expresses his wish to prove his appreciation through the faithful discharge of his ministerial duties [p.3].]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Sextons]]> Wages]]> Trusts and trustees]]> Clergy]]> Episcopal Church]]> Church buildings]]> Church finance]]> Resignation from office]]>
Also includes a memorial from the sextons of the United Churches requesting increased wages because the cost of provisions and other necessities had risen, and a resignation letter from the Rev. James Milnor as assistant minister after receiving a call to another congregation.]]>
The second document is a memorial from the sextons of Christ Church, St. Peter's Church, and St. James's Church, read in vestry on June 5, 1816 and ordered to lie on the table. The sextons state that their salaries had not increased despite the rising cost of provisions and other necessities, and compare their compensation unfavorably to that of the sexton of St. Paul's Church, whose salary they say is nearly double and who is provided an assistant [p.2r]. They request an increase in wages appropriate to “the present State of things” and the respectability of the churches; the memorial is signed by Elijah Borden, Christopher Frick, and Frans Helffrichs, with Joseph Dolby’s name struck out [p.2v].

The third document is a June 28, 1816 resignation letter from the Rev. James Milnor to the rector, churchwardens, and vestry of the United Churches. Milnor expresses gratitude for the kindness shown to him during his first ministerial labors, but explains that he has received an unsolicited and unanimous call to another congregation, which he believes offers a more advantageous field of usefulness than the shared charge of multiple churches [p.3].]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> Records (Documents)]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church management]]> Pews and pew rights]]> Rent collection]]> Schools]]> Clergy]]> Correspondence]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> White, William, 1748-1836]]> Peters, Richard, 1743-1828]]> Episcopal Church]]> Clergy]]> Bishops]]> Death]]> Condolence notes]]> Church buildings]]> Church bells]]> Sunday schools]]> Bells]]> Organ (Musical instrument)]]>
The collection also contains a memorial to the Senate and House of Representatives requesting a law permitting duty-free importation of two church bells; about eighty years earlier a harmonically tuned set of bells—the only chime in the city—had been placed in the steeple of Christ Church, and during the Revolutionary War citizens removed them inland to prevent their capture. The arm of the largest bell gave way in the severe cold of the last winter, cracking the bell, so it and the treble bell were sent to England to be recast [p.1r-1v].

A note from Richard Peters, executor of his father, addresses the covering over of the tombstone of the Reverend Richard Peters, D.D., in the middle aisle, requesting a memorial tablet and a record of grave locations in the church books [p.2r-2v, p.4]. John W. James, upon his 1831 election as Rector, inquired about provisions for his support [p.3], and a later note from him praises the church alterations [p.15]. William H. White (Thomas H. White) enclosed his resignation from the Vestry [p.16].

Several documents concern church organs: J. C. B. Stanbridge wrote regarding hiring a small organ of two stops from Mr. Hove for a modest sum [p.22]. Moses Kempton and Horace Binney wrote a strongly worded letter to organ builder Henry Erben of New York, complaining that he had failed to complete and erect the contracted large organ by the last day of August 1836, causing serious inconvenience and personal mortification since they had declined offers from local builders in his favor [p.23r-23v]. Thomas Hall of New York replied that the organ was progressing rapidly [p.24]. Finally, Bishop Benjamin T. Onderdonk of New York recommended the Reverend Isaac Peck, a Presbyter of his diocese for about five years, to the Wardens and Vestrymen of Christ Church [p.25].]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> Records (Documents)]]> Contracts]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Clergy]]> Church officers]]> Church records and registers]]> Baptismal records]]> Organ builders]]> Dorr, Benjamin, 1796-1869]]> Erben, Henry, 1800-1884]]> Organ (Musical instrument)]]> Episcopal Church]]>
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].]]> Manuscripts]]> Contracts]]> Correspondence]]> Records (Documents)]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Clergy]]> Clergy--Salaries, etc.]]> Episcopal Church]]> Church management]]> Resignation]]> Annuities]]> Installation (Clergy)]]>
A copy of the June 30, 1832 letter from the church wardens (Horace Binney and Henry J. Hutchins) informs James of his election at the meeting held the previous evening, noting that all such elections are subject to a negative by a majority of the Congregation within one month [p. 3]. In his acceptance letter of July 25, 1832, James reflects humbly on the honor and duties of the office, quoting scripture ("Who is sufficient for these things?" and "I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me"), and explains that his wife's poor health and the assistant Bishop's visitation delay his arrival in Philadelphia until about the middle of September [p. 4, p. 5-6].

The file also contains correspondence relating to the resignation of Reverend Dr. James Abercrombie. On November 7, 1832, Abercrombie writes to Henry J. Hutchins agreeing to place his resignation in the hands of the Rector, understanding that his salary will be paid to that day and an annuity will commence [p. 8]. His formal letter of resignation, addressed to the Right Reverend William White, tenders his resignation as Assistant Minister [p. 9r-9v]. A copy of the extract from the Vestry minutes of November 5, 1832 records the resolution granting Abercrombie six hundred dollars per annum for life in quarterly payments, provided he resign before the ninth of the month [p. 10].]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> Records (Documents)]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church Hospital (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Episcopal Church]]> Chapels]]> Church property]]> Church controversies]]> Trusts and trustees]]> Estates (Law)]]> Wills]]> Clergy]]> Hodge, George Woolsey, 1845-1929]]>
The file also includes records from Christ Church Hospital regarding the estate of Maria H. Campbell, who died September 2, 1880, leaving her estate to the hospital after a cemetery payment. Notes describe a caveat entered by her sister, Mrs. Rhodes, and a proposed compromise involving life income from the estate and eventual conveyance to Christ Church for Christ Church Hospital.]]>
A lengthy March 30, 1880 statement from contributors to the Chapel building fund recounts the full history of the enterprise: the 1874 printed address seeking to preserve Christ Church by establishing a Chapel in the western part of the city [p.3]; the 1875 and 1876 appeals and the February 9, 1876 resolution creating the Christ Church Chapel Board of Management [p.4]; the 1876 purchase and conveyance of the Pine Street property in trust, and the November 17, 1876 consent of the Bishop and Standing Committee given solely on the ground that the Chapel be an integral part of Christ Church parish [p.5]; the opening of the Chapel by the Bishop on June 9, 1877, and subsequent reports and appeals [p.6]; and the demanded resignation of the Assistant Minister, accepted February 4, 1880 [p.6]. The statement describes the congregation meetings, the vote of 53 against to 16 for separation, and the forcible seizure of the Chapel building on March 9, 1880, held for the proposed Church of the Holy Communion [p.7-8]. It recounts the rejection of the proposed charter by the Court on March 20, 1880 after objections, the presentation of a new charter, and a March 29 meeting adopting articles of association asserting the congregation "has never had any organic connection with Christ Church" [p.8-10]. The contributors request the Vestry to take action to protect their rights and the corporation's title to the Chapel property [p.10].

The second matter is an October 6, 1880 letter from George Hoffman, Secretary of the Board of Managers of Christ Church Hospital, requesting the corporation authorize its accounting Warden to affix the corporate seal to a deed in the matter of the estate of Maria H. Campbell, deceased [p.11r-11v]. An accompanying memorandum details that Miss Campbell died September 2, 1880, leaving her estate to the Hospital (after $150 to Lafayette Cemetery) under a will dated June 7, 1880; describes the property of three small houses at 3rd & South subject to ground rent and mortgage; notes her impaired mind before death and a caveat entered by her sister, Mrs. Rhodes; and sets out the terms of a compromise conveyance in trust [p.12r-12v].]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> Records (Documents)]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Peters, Richard, 1704-1776]]> Duché, Jacob, 1738-1798]]> Terrick, Richard, 1710-1777]]> Clergy]]> Selection and appointment]]> Resignation from office]]>
The documents record Peters's resignation due to bodily infirmities after many years of service, and the vestry's unanimous election and recommendation of Duché, described as a native of Philadelphia who had served as assistant minister for more than fifteen years.]]>
The second document [p. 2r] is the formal deed of resignation executed by Richard Peters on September 23, 1775. In it, Peters, citing his bodily infirmities and desiring to be relieved and exonerated from the burden, cure, and government of his rectory, deliberately and absolutely renounces and resigns the rectory and churches, together with all their rights, profits, members, and appurtenances, into the hands of the Church-Wardens and Vestry-Men, leaving the rectory vacant. The document is signed, sealed, and delivered in the presence of witnesses Matthew Whitehead and Jacob Diegel [p. 2r].]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> Records (Documents)]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Abercrombie, James, 1758-1841]]> Kemper, Jackson, 1789-1870]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Sextons]]> Clergy]]> Church management]]> Charity]]> Church officers]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> ]]> Hodge, G. Woolsey (George Woolsey), 1838-1905]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Clergy]]> Wages]]> Church management]]> Episcopal Church]]> Ordination]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> ]]> Gloria Dei Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Gloria Dei Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church records and registers]]> Lutherans]]> Marriage records]]> Burial records]]> Indians of North America]]> Sweden]]> Netherlands]]> Land Settlement]]> Colonies]]> African Americans]]> Rudman, Andrew, 1668-1708]]> Church buildings]]> Cemeteries]]> Pews and pew rights]]> Church finance]]> Registers of births, etc.]]> Church fund raising]]> Poor]]> Charity]]> Clergy]]> Lutheran Church]]>
Meeting minutes for the general parish and church council of Gloria Dei are interspersed with these personal accounts, as well as copies of letters to and from various kings, queens, bishops and archbishops in Europe. Topics covered include: land purchases; the building and upkeep of churches, including Gloria Dei and its cemetery; the need for new ministers and the struggle to house and pay them; the establishment of standards for religious practices in the new land; listings of Swedish families, including information on births, deaths, and marriages; and ongoing relations between the Swedes and their Indian, Dutch and English neighbors, including Quakers and the leaders of Christ Church.

The last third of the book consists of financial accounts kept by Gloria Dei. Sums recorded include Sunday collections, special fundraising efforts, and expenditures for church repair, ministers' travel, and support of the poor and sick in the congregation.

Note: The vast majority of records in this book run to 1760, but several documents at the back of the volume date from the early 1800s.]]> Minutes (Records)]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Abercrombie, James, 1758-1841]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Finance, Personal]]> Debt]]> Correspondence]]> Clergy]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> James, John W., 1944-]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Clergy--Relocation]]> Sunday schools]]> Church buildings]]> Clergy]]> Moving, Household]]> Church finance]]> Pews and pew rights]]> Church libraries]]> Church work with children]]> Public worship]]> Clergy--Salaries, etc.]]>
In the second letter, James proposes several improvements for the benefit of the church. First, he recommends reconfiguring the galleries with single pews or slips, regularly divided, to improve comfort, convenience, appearance, and the number and value of sittings, believing more seats would be rented if arranged as in other churches [p.2]. Second, he addresses the inadequate accommodations of the Sunday Schools, describing the fatiguing access and insufficient dimensions of the female school room, an interesting infant class of 40 little girls taught in the church under disadvantageous circumstances, and the crowded conditions of the boys' school; he calls for at least three new spacious departments, citing that St. Peter's Church purchased a neighboring house, St. James Church built rooms, and Trinity Church was then arranging a building solely for its Sunday Schools. He notes about thirty teachers serving sixty or seventy children with no inducement but a sense of duty [p.2-4]. Third, he draws attention to the valuable Christ Church Library, which had suffered loss and damage from neglect and was kept in a room too small for use; he suggests a larger room with locked cases opened regularly for those with right of access, and offers to undertake its care and the recovery of lost volumes himself [p.3-4]. Fourth, among smaller matters, he notes that the fixtures for kneeling around the altar were so bad as to cause communicants a strained and uncomfortable position during a holy rite [p.4-5]. He submits these matters respectfully to the Vestry's judgment [p.5]. A docket note records that a committee was appointed to attend to these objects and report later [p.5].]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> ]]> Bearcroft, Philip, 1697-1761]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts]]> Sturgeon, William, 1702-1772]]> Clergy]]> Catechists]]> African Americans]]> Episcopal church]]>
Bearcroft states that the Society has consented to the vestry's request, appointing Sturgeon while relying on Christ Church's promise to supplement the Society's annual £30 salary for his work as catechist to Black people, so that he may have a comfortable and decent maintenance.]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Episcopal Church]]> Episcopalians]]> Church finance]]> Protestants]]> Anne, Queen of Great Britain, 1665-1714]]> Clergy]]> Church schools]]> Tobacco]]> Taxation]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> Peters, Richard, 1704-1776]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Clergy]]> Resignation]]> Release]]> Bonds]]> Manuscripts]]> Records (Documents)]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. James's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Cemeteries]]> Fire departments]]> Church management]]> Church buildings]]> Sunday schools]]> Clergy]]> United Churches of Christ-Church, St. Peter's, and St. James's (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]>
Other notable documents include a letter from a congregant strongly advising the Vestry against hiring an assistant minister on a one-year probationary basis, arguing it would be detrimental to both the minister and the congregation. Additionally, there is a significant 1824 memorial signed by members of Christ Church, St. Peter's, and St. James proposing the separation of the United Churches into independent entities to increase revenues and the usefulness of the clergy.]]>
Several documents relate to fire companies seeking to occupy Church land. A committee of the Resolution Hose Company petitioned the Vestry to confirm a grant of the site in Fifth Street formerly occupied by the Amicable Fire Company, and requested permission to extend and expand the building [p.1]. In their formal petition, the company noted it had been active since 1804 and had lost its previous home when the New Theatre burned in 1820 and was rebuilt [p.2]. The four surviving active members of the Amicable Fire Engine Company explained that their company was effectively dissolved, between 40 and 50 dollars in debt, with a broken engine estimated to cost 150 dollars to repair, and proposed bequeathing their engine and apparatus to the Resolution Hose Company; honorary members endorsed the transfer [p.3r].

Subsequent letters, addressed to committee members G. Bringhurst and Wm. Murdoch, negotiate the terms of building. The company initially objected to being required to build vaults beneath the proposed ornamental two-story house given its limited funds [p.5r-5v], but later agreed to undertake the vaults according to the Vestry's directions and to erect a building from a plan by Mr. Haviland, suggesting the Vestry contribute at least one hundred dollars toward the vaults [p.6r-6v]. In June 1823 the company reported having finished three vaults for the Church's use and again requested assistance in defraying costs [p.7]. The Hope Engine Company separately applied in 1823 for permission to erect an engine house on St. Peter's burial ground [p.8, p.9].

An 1825 letter from the Trustees of the M.E. Union Church requested that two windows opening onto the churchyard from their newly erected Sunday School building be permitted to remain for ventilation and light [p.10].

Two documents concern church governance rather than land. A copy of an 1822 letter from a self-described member and constituent urged the Vestry to abandon its plan of calling assistant ministers on a one-year probationary basis, arguing that turning a clergyman adrift after a year would be cruel and would injure the church's standing [p.4r-4v]. A memorial read in Vestry on 3 March 1824, signed by prominent members of all three congregations including Joseph Hopkinson, Charles Wheeler, William Rawle Jr., and members of the Ingersoll and Lewis families, requested the Vestry consider a plan of altering the charter to make each church independent for certain purposes [p.11r-11v].]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> Records (Documents)]]> Petitions]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church buildings]]> Church music]]> Pews and pew rights]]> Church schools]]> Episcopal Church]]> Church maintenance and repair]]> Clergy]]> Church records and registers]]> Organ (Musical instrument)]]> Marriage records]]> Missions]]>
Other correspondence includes more typical subjects like parishioner's rights to pews, requests for marriage records, and church music. Letters between Horace Binney and Charles Hommann detail a dispute over changes to the congregation's music, leading to the organist's resignation.

A particularly interesting letter/report discusses the failure of public schools to teach the neighborhood children to read as a reason to maintain support of the church's Parochial Day School, noting that poor children attend public schools for years without learning to read.]]>
Architect Thomas U. Walter wrote to Moses Kempton in August 1836 regarding plastering and the decision whether to paint the church walls, promising to examine the organ in New York on his return [p.1]. A later 1837 letter from Walter concerns an outstanding bill and his examination of stained glass belonging to Mr. Caldcleugh, which he found unsuitable because the gothic figures could not be adapted to the church's windows [p.7r, p.7v]. Thomas H. White resigned his vestry membership in July 1836 [p.2].

Several documents concern the illness and death of Rector Rev. John Waller James. The Vestry's letter of September 1836 to Frances Lapsley expresses gratitude for her Christian kindness in ministering to James, who arrived at Huntingdon suffering from a sharp dysentery during court week and lay in a crowded, noisy tavern until Lapsley cared for him night and day; the letter records his dying message that the congregation should "take heed to the words that he had spoken" [p.4r, p.4v]. Lapsley's reply of October 1836 acknowledges the Vestry's note [p.3]. Rev. Henry W. Ducachet offered in November 1836 to officiate gratuitously while the church was without a rector [p.5r, p.5v], and a committee requested Rev. W. H. De Lancey to preach a sermon on James's death [p.6r, p.6v].

Pew and sitting rights are addressed in Anna Maria Williams's December 1838 defense of her family's four sittings in Pew No. 12, held for 31 years and rented in the name of James Williams, against forfeiture for underletting [p.8r, p.8v], and in Thomas H. White's 1839 correspondence submitting documentary evidence—a receipt from Mrs. Anna Morris—to prove his father's title to a pew [p.9r, p.9v].

An 1844 appeal from the Wardens of the Church of the Nativity, Spring Garden, solicits missionary funds for a field of fifteen thousand inhabitants without any church [p.10]. Church music correspondence includes organist Charles Hommann's December 1844 resignation after his introduction of new tunes (including Mozart) met with congregational discontent [p.11r, p.11v], and Horace Binney's November 1844 letter as chairman of the Committee on Music, regretting the discontinuance of familiar tunes and noting that recent chants were too long [p.12r, p.12v].

An 1845 communication from the female managers of the Parochial Day School details the school's founding in January 1843, prompted partly by the observation that poor children attending public primary schools continued for years without learning to read; it recounts teacher turnover, declining enrollment, financial difficulties in meeting the teacher's $200 salary, and an appeal for the Vestry to subscribe $80 per annum for the education of ten poor Episcopalians, along with complaints about the unsafe and filthy entrance to the school building [p.13r, p.13v]. Finally, a June 1847 letter from James R. Hitchcock of New York inquires how to prove the marriage of Lewis I. Costigan, said to have been performed by a minister of the church between 1792 and 1798; a notation records that the name was not found on the register [p.14].]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> Records (Documents)]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church buildings]]> Clergy]]> Architecture]]> St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. James's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Episcopal Church]]> Church maintenance and repair]]> Resignation]]> Funeral rites and ceremonies]]> Church finance]]> Church property]]> Architects]]> Resignation from office]]>
The file also includes 1880 correspondence from assistant minister George Woolsey Hodge to the vestry concerning Rector Edward A. Foggo's request that Hodge resign, Hodge's conditional resignation, and his concerns for the chapel under his charge.]]>
An 1858 letter from Horace Binney Jr., writing for a committee of St. Peter's Church, encloses a resolution authorizing payment of fifty dollars toward the funeral expenses of the late Right Rev. Henry Ustick Onderdonk and solicits Christ Church's participation [p.3r-3v]. An 1864 letter from Savannah, Georgia, by the former Assistant Minister (signed Cadwalader) to Peter McCall recounts a salary dispute: a $92 balance owed him was paid in depreciated Confederate currency worth only about $33 in specie, and he requests the difference be sent to his niece, Mrs. Mary S. Winslow of Roxbury, widow of Capt. Francis Winslow, U.S.N. [p.4r-4v].

An 1867 letter from Eph. Clark to Edward L. Clark discusses the offer of lots on West De Lancey Place for the Vestry of St. James's, with a diagram of the lots and their prospective owners [p.5r-6]. An 1871 letter from Warden G. W. Hunter invites the Vestry of Christ Church to the opening services of the new St. James's Church [p.7]. An 1871 note from G. Woolsey Hodge concerns a contested election and pending protests [p.8r-8v].

A substantial 1873 exchange with the architectural firm H. A. & J. P. Sims addresses defects in the Parish Building. Henry A. Sims explains that his original design supported the floors with wooden columns, but that the Vestry objected to columns and to the interior height, prompting a revised design placing the large parish school room above and spanning it without adequate support, against his stated judgment; he argues the resulting fault is not his and that he should not bear the repair cost [p.9-14]. In a follow-up letter of 5 May 1873, Sims itemizes the work he proposes—reimbursing $55.85 paid to contractor R. B. Blake, adding a man hole to the roof deck, stopping a leak, and placing a flag stone under a wooden post—provided the Vestry pass a resolution accepting the work as final [p.15r-16].

The collection concludes with an extended 1880 statement by Assistant Minister George Woolsey Hodge to the Vestry, transcribing his correspondence with Rector Edward A. Foggo. Foggo demands Hodge's unconditional resignation based on a verbal pledge, refusing to reveal the complaints against him; Hodge tenders a conditional resignation tied to the appointment of a successor or the chapel's erection into a separate parish, which Foggo returns as noncompliant. Hodge defends his conduct, denies the accusations made by a lady formerly connected with the chapel, and stresses his six years of labor for the chapel while leaving the final terms to the Vestry's decision [p.17-24].]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> Records (Documents)]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Elections]]> Church property]]> Legal opinions]]> Church management]]> Episcopal Church]]> Clergy]]> Church buildings]]> Endowments]]> Church controversies]]> Ecclesiastical law]]>
Other notable documents include extensive legal opinions provided by Judge M. Russell Thayer on issues such as the potential separation of Christ Church Chapel, vestry qualifications, quorum rules, and property holdings. Additionally, the folder contains a 1910 letter regarding a music committee contract, and a 1922 letter from John C. DaCosta, 3d to Clement R. Wainwright expressing his acceptance to the Vestry.]]>
The bulk of the folder concerns the 1904 Easter Monday election held April 4, and the movement to sever the rectorship of the Rev. C. Ellis Stevens. Proxy appointments and letters from members abroad or ill—including Charles E. Coxe, writing from Rome [p.24-25], B. M. Campbell [p.32], Harriet M. C. Jacobs [p.33], Elizabeth Hays Da Costa [p.29], M. Russell Thayer [p.34], Richard Peters [p.35], Charles D. Clark [p.36, p.39], and Robert Ralston [p.37-38]—endorse the present Vestry's action. Central to this dispute is confidential correspondence between Edward H. Coates and T. Chester Walbridge: Coates enumerates the Vestry's objections to Stevens, including unreliability in statement, church accounts, and conduct (with allegations of intoxication), as well as offensive manner, intrigue, and worldly ambition [p.26-27]. Walbridge replies that while indebted to Stevens for personal courtesies, he cannot support him, yet urges consideration of Christ Church as a national monument akin to Independence Hall deserving perpetual protection [p.30-31].

A 1910 letter concerns a contract for church music referred to the Music Committee [p.40]. The folder closes with a 1922 letter from John C. DaCosta, 3d, humbly accepting his election to the Vestry and asking that his appreciation be conveyed to the body [p.41].]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> Records (Documents)]]> Contracts]]> ]]> White, William, 1748-1836]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> United Churches of Christ-Church and St. Peter's (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> White, William, 1748-1836]]> Episcopalians]]> Episcopal Church. Diocese of Pennsylvania]]> Religious leaders]]> Clergy]]> Bishops]]> Episcopal Church]]>
Dismissorial letters are testimonials written by a bishop or other qualified religious superior in support of individuals requesting to be ordained by another bishop. In this text, White provides his reasons for refusing to supply dismissorial letters to two deacons in his diocese. The bound manuscript also contains an 1829 draft letter to Bishop Hobart and an 1830 draft letter to the Standing Committee of Maryland regarding the issue]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]>