Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> United Churches of Christ-Church and St. Peter's (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church management]]> Church finance]]> Church of England]]>
Jenney wrote this letter "to the Subscribers for erecting a new Church in Philadelphia" in 1753. As the population of Philadelphia grew, Christ Church no longer had enough room, and as a result, some members wanted to build a new church. While Jenney approved of the goal to accommodate more congregants, he was concerned about the approach, and strongly believed that the new church should remain part of one congregation with Christ Church, led by the same vestry, with a minister licensed by the Bishop of London. As long as they followed the "established rules" of erecting new churches, he was willing to assist them however he could.

In 1758 the vestry of Christ Church authorized the construction of a new chapel at Third & Pine Streets to accommodate its members living in the southern section of the city. St. Peter's Church, located at the corner of Third & Pine Streets, and Christ Church shared the same vestry, ministers, and records and until they formally separated in 1832, and were known as the United Churches of Christ Church & St. Peter's.]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Oaths]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church of England]]> Religious leaders]]> Church management]]> British colonies]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> Congregation Mikveh Israel (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Congregation Mikveh Israel (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church fund raising]]> Church buildings]]> Cemeteries]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> Second Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Second Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Presbyterians]]> Education]]> Church schools]]> Public schools]]> Church buildings]]> Church committees]]> Presbyterian Church]]> Account books]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> Second Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Second Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Education]]> Public schools]]> Church schools]]> Church buildings]]> Presbyterians]]> Presbyterian Church]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> ]]> Congregation Mikveh Israel (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Congregation Mikveh Israel (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Synagogue records and registers]]> Jews]]> Synagogue fund raising]]> Synagogues]]> Pews and pew rights]]> Account books]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Pews and pew rights]]> Episcopalians]]> Episcopal Church]]> Manuscripts]]> "Charts]]> diagrams]]> etc."]]> ]]> Second Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Second Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church records and registers]]> Church discipline]]> Church finance]]> Church management]]> Corporate minutes]]> Presbyterians]]> Presbyterian Church]]> Minutes (Records)]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> Second Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Corporate minutes]]> Church management]]> Church discipline]]> Church finance]]> Poor]]> Charity]]> Second Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Presbyterians]]> Presbyterian Church]]> Church committees]]> Church membership]]>
Meeting minutes run from 1798 to 1817, and note the date, members present, and business discussed.

Business includes elections to office and appointments to committees; management of church finances, including financial assistance to the poor; church membership; and the resolution of conflicts between, and discipline of, church members.]]> Minutes (Records)]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> First Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Corporate minutes]]> Church management]]> Church discipline]]> Church finance]]> Poor]]> Charity]]> Presbyterians]]> Presbyterian Church]]> First Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church membership]]> Missionaries]]> Church committees]]>
Business includes elections to office and appointments to committees; management of church finances, including the funding of missionary work and financial assistance to the poor; and the resolution of conflicts between, and discipline of, church members.

The history of First Presbyterian is sketched out on the verso of the first flyleaf, and the first few pages of the notebook contains a list of members from 1807. A list of communicants runs from image 116 to image 147, followed by several pages of certifications for members in good standing, and a list of members who had moved to other churches.]]> Manuscripts]]> Minutes (Records)]]> ]]> Third Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Third Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Corporate minutes]]> Church management]]> Church discipline]]> Church finance]]> Poor]]> Charity]]> Presbyterians]]> Presbyterian Church]]> Church membership]]> Church committees]]>
This manuscript begins with a brief history of Third Presbyterian, followed by an alphabetical list of "members in full communion." Meeting minutes begin on image 19 and run from 1809 to 1828. Each entry notes the date, members present, and business discussed.

Business includes: elections to office and appointments to committees; management of church finances, including financial assistance to the poor; church membership; and the resolution of conflicts between, and discipline of, church members.

Please note there are some page numbering irregularities in the original manuscript; image numbers will provide better identification of each page.]]> Manuscripts]]> Minutes (Records)]]> ]]> Second Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Corporate minutes]]> Church management]]> Church discipline]]> Church finance]]> Poor]]> Charity]]> Second Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Presbyterians]]> Presbyterian Church]]> Church committees]]> Church membership]]>
Meeting minutes run from 1817 to 1841, and note the date, members present, and business discussed.

Business includes elections to office and appointments to committees; management of church finances, including financial assistance to the poor; church membership; and the resolution of conflicts between, and discipline of, church members.]]> Minutes (Records)]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> Third Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Third Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Corporate minutes]]> Church management]]> Church discipline]]> Church finance]]> Poor]]> Charity]]> Presbyterians]]> Presbyterian Church]]> Church membership]]> Church committees]]>
Meeting minutes run from 1828 to 1863, and note the date, members present, and business discussed.

Business includes elections to office and appointments to committees; management of church finances, including financial assistance to the poor; church membership; and the resolution of conflicts between, and discipline of, church members.]]> Manuscripts]]> Minutes (Records)]]> ]]> First Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Corporate minutes]]> Church management]]> Church discipline]]> Church finance]]> Poor]]> Charity]]> Presbyterians]]> Presbyterian Church]]> First Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church membership]]> Church committees]]>
This manuscript begins with a list of pastors at First Presbyterian up to 1830, then includes an historical list of elders, followed by a list of communicants, with their dates of admission as well as notes on certificates, dismissals, exclusions and deaths.

Session minutes begin on image 90. They run from 1830 to 1851, and note the date, members present, and business discussed.

Business includes elections to office and appointments to committees; management of church finances, including financial assistance to the poor; church membership; and the resolution of conflicts between, and discipline of, church members.]]> Manuscripts]]> Minutes (Records)]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church finance]]> Pews and pew rights]]> Wages]]> St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Organists]]> Episcopal Church]]> Organ (Musical instrument)]]> Organ builders]]> Church music]]>
Additional records document a dispute with New York organ builders John Geib & Son over travel expenses, and a draft contract with local builder John Lowe for $4,000, which the Vestry ultimately rejected due to lack of funds. The folder also includes a petition from organist Rayner Taylor requesting a salary increase due to the high cost of living, his subsequent resignation to take a better position at St. Paul's Church, and a petition signed by parishioners protesting a 25% increase in pew rents during 'times of Calamity.']]>
John Geib & Son of New York submitted a detailed plan and estimate for an organ modeled on the Grace Church organ case, listing stops for the great organ, choir, and swell, along with pedals and coupling mechanisms [p. 6]. Their estimate totaled $4,865, including $4,500 for the organ, packing, transportation, cartage, travel expenses, and board for two people to install it [p. 7-8]. They compared the number of pipes in the Grace Church and proposed St. Peter's organs, and proposed completion within a year, with payment by installments [p. 7-8]. They also advised selling the old organ to the highest bidder, stating that only the metal would be of use to them and that even that might not justify the expense of removal and transportation [p. 7-8].

Subsequent letters from John Geib & Son show that negotiations with Meredith did not lead to a contract. The firm billed Meredith $100 for William Geib's trip to Philadelphia, including stage hire, travel expenses, and time spent on the road and in Philadelphia [p. 10r-p. 10v]. In later correspondence, the firm objected to Meredith's refusal to pay the full amount, argued that its time and plans should be compensated, and acknowledged receipt of $50 as the only sum it was willing to accept [p. 11r-p. 11v]. A September letter again asserted that Meredith's promise to defray expenses should include compensation for loss of time, not merely travel costs [p. 16r-p. 16v].

The folder includes a July 29, 1813 letter from Cumpston stating that the vestry would not be a party to a proposed agreement between Meredith, Binney, and organ builder John Lowe because church funds would not permit it [p. 12]. A draft agreement with Lowe proposed that he build and install a mahogany-cased organ in St. Peter's Church for $4,000 plus the old organ, with installment payments and satisfactory security [p. 13-p. 14]. The attached schedule specifies the compass of the keys, stops for the great organ, choir, and swell, pedal pipes, coupling movement, ivory keys with ebony sharps, and two bellows [p. 14-15].

Additional records concern church music and finances. Rayner Taylor, organist of St. Peter's, petitioned the rector, church wardens, and vestry on September 14, 1813, for a salary increase from $93.32 per year, citing inadequate compensation, high prices for necessities and rent, and the demands of performing through summer heat and winter cold [p. 17]. In October 1813, members of the United Episcopal Churches petitioned for reconsideration of a vestry resolution adding 25 percent to pew rents, citing the "distresses and privations" of the period and requesting that the increase be repealed or suspended until congregants were better able to bear it [p. 19r-p. 19v]. A later letter from Taylor, dated November 15, 1818, states that he had accepted the position of organist at St. Paul's, with an adequate salary and an excellent instrument, and would discontinue playing at St. James's after the following Sunday [p. 20].]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> Contracts]]> Records (Documents)]]> Account books]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church finance]]> Church music]]> Church buildings]]> Organ (Musical instrument)]]> Pews and pew rights]]> Episcopal Church]]> Church fund raising]]>
The document details resolutions to collect subscriptions, appoint a treasurer to invest funds, and assess a semiannual fee on pew holders if a balance remains. It also authorizes a committee to contract for and superintend the building of the new organ. General Francis Gurney chaired the meeting.]]>
Thomas W. Francis made a written report on behalf of the committee, which was read, considered, and unanimously adopted. The meeting resolved that the committee proceed in collecting subscribed amounts and pay them over to a treasurer; that two members of the church, along with the treasurer, invest the money to the best advantage subject to the order of the building committee; and that the pew holders obligate themselves to contribute toward any balance beyond the subscription by paying a semiannual assessment not exceeding 12 1/2 cents per seat for a period not exceeding four years. T. W. Francis was appointed Treasurer, and Messrs. Donaldson and Meredith were appointed to assist in investing the money. Messrs. Francis, Binney, and Meredith were authorized to contract for and superintend the building of the organ [p. 1r].

The report of the committee on St. Peter's Church organ was read April 18, 1814 [p. 1v].]]> Manuscripts]]> Records (Documents)]]> Minutes (Records)]]> Reports]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church finance]]> Spires]]> Church bells]]> Church buildings]]> Church fund raising]]> Episcopalians]]> Church of England]]> Episcopal Church]]> Account books]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> First Moravian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> First Moravian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Moravian Church]]> Moravians]]> Church membership]]> Manuscripts]]> Directories]]> ]]> Congregation Mikveh Israel (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Gratz, Rebecca, 1781-1869]]> Cohen, Mary M., 1854-1911]]> Congregation Mikveh Israel (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Jewish religious education]]> Jews]]> Hebrew Sunday School Society of Philadelphia (Pa.)]]> Female Hebrew Benevolent Society (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Gratz, Rebecca, 1781-1869]]> Sunday schools]]> Synagogues]]> Synagogue records and registers]]> Letters]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> ]]> First Moravian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> First Moravian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Moravian Church]]> Moravians]]> Church membership]]> Church schools]]> Manuscripts]]> Registers (Lists)]]> ]]> Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia]]> Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia]]> Genealogy]]> Society of Friends]]> Quakers]]> volume]]> Records (Documents)]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> (1250/JA4.8)]]> Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia for the Southern District]]> Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia for the Southern District]]> Genealogy]]> Society of Friends]]> Quakers]]> folder]]> Records (Documents)]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> (1250/JI3.4.1)]]> Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia for the Southern District]]> Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia for the Southern District]]> Genealogy]]> Society of Friends]]> Quakers]]> folder]]> Records (Documents)]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> (1250/JI3.4.2)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Washburn, Louis C.]]> Wetherill, Francis Macomb]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Social conditions]]> Social surveys]]> Church work with the poor]]> Social service]]> Charities]]> Public welfare]]> Housing]]> Sanitation]]> Public health]]> Working class]]> Children]]> Recreation]]> Bars (Drinking establishments)]]> Church work]]> Poor]]> Social settlements]]> Drinking of alcoholic beverages]]>
The document serves as a valuable historical record of early 20th-century urban life in Philadelphia, capturing detailed statistics on population demographics, immigration, religious affiliations, and housing conditions. It highlights significant public health and moral concerns of the era, such as the prevalence of unsanitary privy wells, overcrowded tenements, and the dense concentration of saloons and sweatshops in the neighborhood.]]>
The survey by assistant Francis M. Wetherill describes a door-to-door canvass conducted in the winter of 1914 by young women of the congregation, using cards with five questions on dwelling type, occupants and nationality, religion, children of school age, and remarks [p.9]. The methodology drew on the outline of the Social Service Commission of the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America and the Trinity Church Social Survey of New York [p.9]. Detailed tables tabulate population, race, religion, children, and industries across thirty-four blocks [p.10-11], reporting a total of 62,457 working and living in the parish, with 58,935 working there, 3,522 residents, and 1,321 persons under fifteen [p.12]. The Sixth Ward's federal census population is shown declining from 10,004 in 1880 to 6,374 in 1910 [p.12].

Subsequent sections cover church activities [p.16-21], education [p.21-23], recreation [p.23], health [p.23-27], and housing [p.28-33]. The report documents vital statistics showing a Sixth Ward death rate above the city average, lists tubercular patients' addresses supplied by dispensaries and hospitals [p.25-27], and details unsanitary housing including condemned properties within 75 yards of Old Christ Church, hotels, lodging houses, tenements, and 124 privy wells [p.28-31]. Industrial conditions note about 60,000 daily workers, Jewish clothing sweat-shops along Market Street, and figures for the shoe, clothing, tobacco, wool, and office trades [p.33-34]. Centres of social uplift and public morals sections list charitable agencies, 65 saloons and 7 wholesale liquor dealers, pool rooms, and problems such as excursion steamer "speak-easies" on the Delaware River [p.34-39]. Wetherill concludes with seven constructive criticisms urging greater local awareness and responsibility, reduction of saloon licenses, improved sewer and drainage systems, a model tenement, a social center and playground, and expanded use of the Neighborhood House and the burial ground at Fifth and Arch Streets [p.40-42].]]> Records (Documents)]]> Reports]]> Registers (Lists)]]> ]]> intentions, removals, and accounts]]> Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia]]> Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia]]> Genealogy]]> Society of Friends]]> Quakers]]> volume]]> Records (Documents)]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> (1250/JB5.2.1)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Cumpston, Thomas]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Fund raising]]> Church fund raising]]> Organ (Musical instrument)]]> Church music]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> ]]> Gloria Dei Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Sepulchral monuments]]> Gloria Dei Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Lutherans]]> Cemeteries]]> Burial records]]> Lutheran Church]]>
Although the inscriptions were compiled in 1877, additions were made up to the 1920, which can be found in the loose papers folded into the book and also penciled into the book itself.]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> Dorr, Benjamin, 1796-1869]]> Dorr, Benjamin, 1796-1869]]> Voyages and travels]]> American Civil War (United States : 1861-1865)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Steamboats]]>
Dorr traveled extensively throughout his life. This manuscript was copied from one loaned to a Dr. Hedrick in 1941 or 1942, and contains Dorr's notes about his many travels through the United States from 1819 to 1864. He often traveled through New England, but also visited the mid-Atlantic states, and even ventured into the deep South and as far West as the Green Bay area, stopping in Detroit and Chicago. He traveled by steamboat, stagecoach and horse; stayed with family and friends; dined with persons prominent in the military, church, politics and local businesses; and visited museums, hospitals, libraries, colleges, factories and local historical landmarks. He would sometimes preach and collect money for missionary work. The last entry details his visit to the Army of the Potomac in 1864.]]> Diaries]]> ]]> Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia for the Northern District]]> Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia for the Northern District]]> Lay ministry--Society of Friends]]> Society of Friends]]> Quakers]]> folder]]> Records (Documents)]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> (1250/T2.1)]]> St. George's Methodist Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church finance]]> St. George's Methodist Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church fund raising]]> Methodists]]> Cemeteries]]> Burial records]]> Methodist Church]]> Manuscripts]]> Account books]]> ]]> First Baptist Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> First Baptist Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church records and registers]]> Corporate minutes]]> Baptists]]> Church management]]> Church finance]]> Church buildings]]>
Note: The meeting minutes between March 1796 and February 1798 are missing from the original manuscript, which is why they do not appear in the digital version, and why the page numbering skips from page 8 to page 11. Also, page numbering on the original manuscript starts over at a new page 1 following page 89. To identify page numbers in citations, researchers can use the image number in combination with the page number.]]> Minutes (Records)]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> Third Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Third Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church records and registers]]> Corporate minutes]]> Presbyterians]]> Pews and pew rights]]> Church finance]]> Church committees]]> Church management]]> Church discipline]]> Charity]]> Presbyterian Church]]>
Topics of the meetings generally include the collection of pew rents, settlement of financial accounts, improvements to the buildings and grounds, and management of charitable funds, as well as more specific entries such as the seasonal adjustment of service times and adoption of a new version of the Psalms. Of particular interest are the minutes pertaining to the call for George Duffield to serve as their new pastor, and the resulting rift with First Presbyterian Church.

The bulk of the minutes end on page 168, and pages 174, 175 and 176, which list the books and verses read from during services, are written upside down, so run in reverse chronological order.

Note: Prior to 1797, the Trustees were called "the Committee."]]> Minutes (Records)]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church finance]]> Clergy--Salaries, etc.]]> Pews and pew rights]]> Episcopal Church]]> Charities]]> Bonds]]> Annuities]]> Church property]]> Widows]]> United Churches of Christ-Church and St. Peter's (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]>
Includes letters from Cornelius Bradford and the heirs of the Bradford estate about settlement of a bond executed in favor of Dr. John Kearsley and vested in the Vestry; letters from Joseph Dobbins concerning Philadelphia property, money held by acquaintances, an annuity, and a proposed charitable benefit for poor widows; a petition from members of St. Peter's Church objecting to the practice of requiring payment of back arrearages before pews could be rented; and a petition from members of the united congregations asking the Vestry to raise the salary of Rev. James Abercrombie in order to prevent his departure for an Episcopal church in Baltimore.]]>
Other letters come from Joseph Dobbins. An early note of October 28, 1769, arranges for a cast iron chimney case in John Drinker's store to be shipped aboard Capt. Strong or Jones [p.3]. Writing from James Island, South Carolina, on May 27, 1789, Dobbins outlines his intention to give up a lot in 5th Street and land west of the Schuylkill, along with money held by John Drinker, James Hamilton, and Paul Esling amounting to roughly 500 pounds, directing that the land be leased and the money invested for the benefit of Doctor Kearsley's charity for poor widows, in exchange for a quarterly annuity of 40 Mexican silver dollars for life [p.4]. A further letter from Charleston, dated March 23, 1790, discusses accounts, a draft in favor of Isaac Parrish, goods received, and the chimney case valued at £18 per ton [p.5].

A petition dated April 20, 1802, from subscribing members of St. Peter's Church objects to the practice of renting out pews, arguing that requiring back arrearages was a hardship that harmed both religion and the church's interests, and requests that unrented pews occupied without payment be rented out to enhance the church's annual profits [p.6r-6v].

Finally, a letter of July 12, 1796, from members of the united congregations expresses regret at the probable loss of the Rev. Mr. Abercrombie, an assistant minister invited by the Episcopal Church in Baltimore, unless his salary is made competent to support his family. The signatories, who include Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, John Nixon, John Dunlap, and Moses Levy among many others, urge the Vestry to devise measures to prevent his removal [p.7r-7v].]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> Petitions]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church music]]> Church finance]]> Sunday schools]]> Church buildings]]> Church officers]]> Charities]]> Estates (Law)]]> Episcopal Church]]> Organ (Musical instrument)]]> Rent charges]]> Sextons]]> Theological libraries]]> United Churches of Christ-Church and St. Peter's (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]>
Noteworthy items include an 1803 petition criticizing "Light airy and Unseemly Musick & play House Tunes" introduced at St. Peter's Church; correspondence relating to a South Carolina bequest for a Philadelphia charitable institution; a proposal by the Female Sunday School Society of St. Peter's Church to help fund an addition for school use; and documents reflecting early nineteenth-century debates over sacred music, church administration, charitable education, and institutional finance in Philadelphia Episcopal congregations.]]>
Several documents concern the settlement of the estate of Mr. Dobbins, who left his property to a charitable institution in Philadelphia. A letter from Thomas Jones of Charleston dated August 19, 1805 conveys the legal opinion of Henry Bailey, Esq. regarding the transfer of bank stock and the residuary estate [p.2]. A copy of the Vestry's reply of May 6, 1806 to Jones references a power of attorney sent to Judge William Johnson Jr. and Henry William DeSaussure to make releases and acquittances [p.3r-3v], and further correspondence discusses executor's commissions and the assignment of outstanding debts [p.4v].

A January 1, 1807 letter from George Sheaff conveys his sister Mrs. Muhlenberg's terms for the sale of a lot on Seventh Street near Market for erecting an Episcopal church, offered at $8,500 [p.5r-5v]. Hugh Still (or Hill) applies for the position of sexton of St. Peter's Church on April 6, 1807, supported by a list of recommending subscribers [p.6r-6v].

A March 26, 1813 letter from a committee of the Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church (William Tilghman, James Milnor, and William Meredith) proposes to deposit newly purchased modern divinity books in the churches' library to support the education of ministerial candidates [p.7]. Paul Beck Jr., appointed treasurer of Christ Church Hospital, writes on June 2, 1813 recommending the sale of 22 small, taxable ground rents (totaling $294.28) to purchase non-taxable ones, saving the institution about $60 per annum, and includes an itemized list [p.8r-8v].

Isaac P. Cole submits his resignation as clerk of St. Peter's Church on June 24, 1815, expressing discouragement that his efforts to promote "the Science of Sacred Music" and to establish a choir met with "almost uniform disaprobation" [p.9r-9v]. A memorandum dated April 18, 1819 concerns Samuel Volans's administration of the estate of Mary Stephens and the discharge of a bond and mortgage of $266.66 [p.10].

A petition dated June 19, 1820 from the Managers of the Female Sunday School Society of St. Peter's Church (signed by Thomas Clifford, First Vice, and A. Keasbey, Secretary) reports on their school of about sixty children and requests that the Vestry authorize the enlargement of the vestry room—for which they obtained a plan and estimate not exceeding $700, offering to contribute $200 themselves [p.11r-11v]. Thomas Loud, organist of Christ and St. Peter's, writes on April 30, 1821 requesting compensation of about $40 for Mr. W. Hall, who spent nearly three weeks repairing the Christ Church organ [p.12]. Finally, Francis Cooper, clerk of St. Peter's, protests in a letter of June 20, 1821 a reduction of forty dollars in his annual salary plus the loss of a perquisite for recording baptisms, amounting to a "dead Loss" of fifty dollars [p.13].]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> Records (Documents)]]> Petitions]]> ]]> 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]]> ]]> United Churches of Christ-Church, St. Peter's, and St. James's (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church management]]> Pews and pew rights]]> Cemeteries]]> St. James's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. Thomas' Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Episcopal Church]]> Church buildings]]> Sepulchral monuments]]> Sunday schools]]> Church finance]]> Church controversies]]> Wills]]> Decedents' estates]]> United Churches of Christ-Church, St. Peter's, and St. James's (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]>
Notable events documented include Harriet Keatting's remonstrance to protect her parents' gravestone, a formal petition from St. James' Church members to separate from the union due to financial difficulties, and Rev. W. H. Delancey declining a permanent pastoral connection due to his University duties. Additionally, the Male Sunday School's request for a church collection was formally denied, though members of the Vestry personally raised funds for them.]]>
An October 1828 petition, signed by members including John Markland, Thomas Hale, J. Read, and William Rawle Jr., requests that the vestry consider erecting St. James' Church into a separate corporation, attributing the churches' financial embarrassment to their union; it was read in vestry October 17, 1828, and referred to a committee [p.3].

Several items concern pew rights. An 1849 letter from William Watson to Joseph R. Ingersoll disputes the number of sittings in a pew held by his mother for 25 years [p.4r-4v]. An April 1831 letter from Mrs. Francis inquires about the terms for two seats formerly held by the late Mrs. Powel [p.5]. The most substantial correspondence, dated July 6, 1830 (with related dockets from February 1830), is from executor Edward Shippen Burd to the committee of vestry regarding two sittings in Pew No. 41 at St. Peter's Church held by the late Elizabeth Powel. Burd quotes at length the residuary clauses of Powel's will and includes a legal opinion by Horace Binney dated April 6, 1830, concluding that the pew interest should vest in John Hare Powel, whom Elizabeth Powel treated in loco parentis and who had adopted her name at her request [p.8-22].

A letter from Rev. William H. Delancey, dated April 16, 1832, declines the vestry committee's overture for a permanent connection with Christ Church, citing his obligations to the University [p.6]. Finally, an April 20, 1832 request from Clement English and Eliza C. Souder, a committee of the Male Sunday School of Christ Church, asks permission to take up a collection to address a debt of thirty-five dollars contracted in May 1831; the vestry declined to permit another collection but some individual members collected ten dollars, given to Mr. English on April 29, 1832 [p.7].]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> Records (Documents)]]> Petitions]]> ]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Architecture--Conservation and restoration]]> Church maintenance and repair]]> Church finance]]> Corporation for the Relief of the Widows and Children of Clergymen in the Communion of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania]]> Episcopal Church]]> Church buildings]]> Church charities]]> Fire departments]]> Church bells]]> Cemeteries]]> Organ (Musical instrument)]]> Bells]]> Charities]]> Clergy--Salaries, etc.]]> Walter, Thomas Ustick, 1804-1887]]>
A letter from Corrie and Hubie (19 September 1832) addresses the tuning and repair of the Christ Church organ, defending their work, noting a six-dollar charge to fix the pedal put out of order by laying the floor, refusing to have the organist sign their bill, and offering to resign the charge to "more competant hands" [p.2r-2v].

Records from November 1832 concern Christ Church Hospital and the Joseph Dobbins legacy of 200 shares in the Bank of South Carolina. The committee, alarmed by "public agitation in the State of South Carolina of a spirit of opposition to the laws of the United States," recommended selling the stock; the vestry passed a vote of thanks to Henry A. De Saussure of Charleston and directed the sale [p.3r-3v].

Correspondence from the Resolution Hose Company (10 July 1833) requests a ten-year lease renewal for ground occupied at the burial ground, hoping the vestry would not charge rent given the company's expense in erecting the building and vaults [p.4]. A subsequent letter (15 October 1833) records the company's agreement to pay an annual rent of twenty dollars, commencing 2 October 1833 [p.5].

A letter from the Revere Copper Company (J. Davis & Co., Boston, 14 February 1835) to Moses Humpton discusses the difficulty of recasting a bell to match a chime, offering instead to select an existing bell at eight cents per pound difference, with accompanying cost calculations [p.6r-6v].

Several 1836 letters from architect Thomas U. Walter to Moses Kempton concern alterations to Christ Church. On 8 January 1836 Walter estimated the total improvement—including two furnaces, new pews, a western vestibule, stairways, new galleries, and removal of eastern stairs—at about $5,500, with new galleries and modern pews alone costing about $1,500, and declined to contract for the work owing to uncertain labor prices [p.7r-7v]. On 21 March 1836 Walter sent apologies for missing a committee meeting due to illness [p.8]. On 21 July 1836 he estimated replastering the entire interior (except the chancel) at $675 above the contract amount, requiring about one additional month [p.11], and Kempton replied on 22 July 1836 endorsing replastering the whole interior for a "finished & complete whole" and noting a possible mistake in the amount named [p.12r-12v].

Other items include an inquiry from Jacob Ridgway to William Meredith, chairman of the committee of the vestry of St. Peter's Church (10 March 1836), about buying or leasing a church house on the south side of Mulberry Street near Front Street [p.9r-9v], and a letter from William Smith (7 May 1836) tendering his resignation of an appointment because he could not attend the approaching Convention of the Church [p.10].]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> Records (Documents)]]> ]]> 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.)]]> Church controversies]]> Confession]]> Women--Suffrage]]> Episcopal Church]]> Church property]]> Pews and pew rights]]> Hospitals]]> Women]]> Suffrage]]>
Noteworthy events detailed in the correspondence include Assistant Minister G. Woolsey Hodge defending his theological position and use of private confession against the Rector's demands for his resignation; Tobias Wagner objecting to women being allowed to vote on the release of the Chapel property; and Bishop William Bacon Stevens withdrawing a proposed compromise between the Chapel and Christ Church due to the Chapel congregation taking forcible possession of the building to form a new parish (Church of the Holy Communion). Additional letters concern financial transactions for Christ Church Hospital, the assignment of a pew for the Bishop's family, and Thomas H. Montgomery's resignation as Treasurer of the Endowment Fund.]]>
Tobias Wagner objects to votes cast by women on the release of the Chapel property, arguing women are not entitled to vote for Vestrymen [p.13]. Thomas C. Hand, holding a proxy for the ill George H. Flanagan, protests the refusal of Flanagan's vote against the separation as an infringement of his rights as a pewholder [p.14]. Bishop William Bacon Stevens withdraws his compromise plan (22 March 1880), citing the Chapel Committee's forcible possession of the Chapel, its effort to charter a new parish (the Church of the Holy Communion), and its disregard for diocesan canons [p.15r-p.15v].

W. H. Lansdale reports resigning from the trust holding title under the deed from James McCoy, with no transfer of property having been made [p.16r]. George E. Hoffman conveys resolutions from Christ Church Hospital requesting assignment of a $5,000 bond and mortgage and authorization to sell U.S. government loans held in trust [p.17r-p.17v]. Bishop Stevens thanks the Vestry for assigning a pew for the use of the Bishop's family [p.18r-p.18v]. Finally, Thomas H. Montgomery submits his resignation as a Vestry member and Treasurer of the Endowment Fund (10 May 1889) [p.19].]]> Manuscripts]]> Correspondence]]> ]]> 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]]> ]]> St. Paul's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. Paul's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church records and registers]]> Church of England]]> Episcopalians]]> McClenachan, William, 1714-]]> Church buildings]]> Church committees]]> Church finance]]> Church fund raising]]> Churchwardens' accounts]]> Pews and pew rights]]> Cemeteries]]> Episcopal Church]]> Minutes (Records)]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> Gloria Dei Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Gloria Dei Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Corporate minutes]]> Church records and registers]]> Lutherans]]> Church management]]> Charters]]> Wrangel, Carl Magnus, -1786]]> Poor]]> Charity]]> Church finance]]> Church discipline]]> Sweden]]> Church committees]]> Cemeteries]]> Pews and pew rights]]> Lutheran Church]]> Minutes (Records)]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> St. Paul's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. Paul's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church records and registers]]> Church committees]]> Church buildings]]> Church finance]]> Church management]]> Churchwardens' accounts]]> Episcopalians]]> Cemeteries]]> Pews and pew rights]]> Episcopal Church]]> Minutes (Records)]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> St. Paul's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. Paul's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church records and registers]]> Church buildings]]> Church committees]]> Church finance]]> Church fund raising]]> Church management]]> Church schools]]> Episcopalians]]> Cemeteries]]> Charity]]> Churchwardens' accounts]]> Episcopal Church]]> Minutes (Records)]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> St. Paul's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. Paul's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church records and registers]]> Church buildings]]> Church committees]]> Church discipline]]> Church finance]]> Church fund raising]]> Church membership]]> Church schools]]> Churchwardens' accounts]]> Episcopalians]]> Cemeteries]]> Charity]]> Episcopal Church]]> Minutes (Records)]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> St. Thomas' Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. Thomas' Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church records and registers]]> African American churches]]> Episcopal Church]]> Church finance]]> Church fund raising]]> Church management]]> African Americans]]> Corporate minutes]]> Episcopalians]]>
This bound volume contains the St. Thomas vestry meeting minutes from 1813 to 1821, including date, time of day (morning, afternoon, or evening), members and Reverend present, and a brief description of each meeting. Topics include church lotteries, overdue "seat money," building repairs, burials, elections, resignations, committee assignments, and parishioners in financial need.]]> Minutes (Records)]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> St. Thomas' Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. Thomas' Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church records and registers]]> African American churches]]> Episcopal Church]]> Church finance]]> Church management]]> African Americans]]> Church fund raising]]> Corporate minutes]]> Episcopalians]]>
This bound volume contains the St. Thomas vestry meeting minutes from 1821 to 1831, including date, time of day (morning, afternoon, or evening), members and Reverend present, and a brief description of each meeting.]]> Minutes (Records)]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Church records and registers]]> Episcopal Church]]> Church management]]> Church committees]]> Church buildings]]> Church finance]]> Charity]]> Episcopalians]]> Church history]]> Corporate minutes]]> Sunday schools]]> Pews and pew rights]]> Cemeteries]]> Church fund raising]]>
The vestry minutes begin with a copy of the 1832 Act by the Pennsylvania legislature which separated Christ Church and St. Peter's Church into two separate entities. Minutes from the vestry meetings from 1832 to 1852 follow, containing the dates and locations of the meetings, members present, and business discussed. Topics covered include but are not limited to: the settlement of separate financial accounts following the split from Christ Church, the hiring of a new minister and assistant minister, election of vestrymen and appointment of organist and choir, purchase of a new building to house the Sunday school, collection of pew rents, improvement of burial grounds, management of the church's charity fund, and committee reports.]]> Minutes (Records)]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]> Gloria Dei Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Gloria Dei Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)]]> Corporate minutes]]> Church management]]> Church finance]]> Church committees]]> Church buildings]]> Cemeteries]]> Church fund raising]]> Missionaries]]> Religious education]]> Sunday schools]]> Charters]]>
Business includes, but is not limited to: collection of pew rents; record keeping; elections to leadership and appointments to committees; resignations, appointments and payment of staff; upkeep of building and grounds; fundraising for the mission society and Sunday school; and preparation of a charter to be reviewed by the state legislature.]]> Minutes (Records)]]> Manuscripts]]> ]]>