Second Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Burial records
Presbyterians
Cemeteries
Presbyterian Church
Record of persons buried in Second Presbyterian Church's Noble Street burial ground, who were moved to Mt. Vernon cemetery in 1867. Each burial listing includes the original grave number, name of deceased, the location of their grave after re-interment at Mt. Vernon, and the type of grave marker used. Maps of each cemetery are inserted at the beginning of the bound volume. Note: For reasons as yet unknown, there are also records from the Ninth Presbyterian Church inserted into the front of this volume.
Burial records, vol. 4, 1804-1838, and sexton's accounts, 1818-1837
Church finance
Church buildings
African Americans
This bound manuscript holds three main groups of records, which are not in chronological order. First, sexton's records of burials from 1826 to 1832, including the date, person buried, and fees paid. Second, records of the sexton's expenditures dating from 1818 to 1837, including purchases of wood and oil and money paid for groundskeeping and building maintenance. Third, more records of burials in Second Presbyterian's graveyard from 1804 to 1838, including date of burial, name of deceased, fees paid and age at time of death. Note: Researchers interested in the burials of African-Americans can search the transcription of this volume for the terms "colored" and "coloured."
Record of persons buried in Second Presbyterian's graveyard from 1804 to 1810. More details are included in this bound manuscript than in the sexton's records covering the same time period. The book is written in sideways to create a wider page for nine columns, including: name of deceased, place of birth, whether they were a church member of stranger, cause of death, age at time of death, occupation, range where buried, grave number, and date of burial.
Burial lists and sexton's accounts, 1783-1799
18 loose pages documenting the individuals buried in the graveyard of Second Presbyterian Church from 1783 to 1799. Individual burial dates are not included, but date ranges are provided. Children are often listed with only a parent's name, and it is noted if the decedent or parent is a stranger to the church. The cost of burial is usually noted as well.
Estimate of damages and repairs from the British occupation, 1778-1783
American Revolution (1775-1783)
Cost of damages suffered by Second Presbyterian Church while British troops occupied Philadelphia during the American Revolution; the estimates were made in 1778 and certified in 1783. Pews, fencing, and a chandelier all had to be repaired or replaced, totaling an estimated 203 pounds.
Charters
Church management
During the American Revolution, the trustees of the Second Presbyterian Church found it difficult to gather the quorum required by their original charter in order to conduct church business. They also desired the freedom to hold property in a greater amount than allowed for in the original charter. This document reaffirms the charter of Second Presbyterian Church in the City of Philadelphia, while also allowing for a smaller quorum and increased investments.
Gloria Dei Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Corporate minutes
Church records and registers
Lutherans
Wrangel, Carl Magnus, -1786
Poor
Charity
Church discipline
Sweden
Church committees
Pews and pew rights
Lutheran Church
Meeting minutes of the vestry of the United Swedish Lutheran Churches of Wicaco (Gloria Dei), Kingsessing and Upper Merion. The book begins with a partial index of contents, then the charter of incorporation for the three churches. Meeting minutes start in 1765, and include the date, list of attendees, and business discussed. Topics covered include, but are not limited to: election of vestrymen and selection of other church employees such as wardens, clerks and deacons; filling and supporting the position of minister; management of church finances, including rents and deeds; establishing rules for the management of the cemetery and assignment of pews; communications with Swedish royalty and church leaders in Europe; appointing committees and receiving their reports; assisting widows and the sick and poor of the congregations; and mediating conflict. Many of the early entries concern the vestry's defense of minister, Dr. Carl Magnus Wrangel.
Sepulchral monuments
Record of the inscriptions on tombstones in the Gloria Dei Church Yard. Inscriptions include the deceased individual's name, dates of birth and death, and other information such as place of birth, occupation, names of family members, and epitaphs. There is an alphabetical index of names in the back of the book. 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.
Baptisms, burials, and marriages, 1750-1789, and records of pastors, 1733-1758
Baptismal records
Marriage records
Registers of births, etc.
Clergy
Record of baptisms, burials and marriages performed by Gloria Dei from 1750 to 1789. Entries are not in strict order, and page numbering starts over several times. Records look to be batched by the pastor performing the ceremony as well as by date, and indexes are found throughout, paged in lowercase roman numerals. 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.
Marriages, baptisms, and burials, 1789-1803
Records of baptisms, burials and marriages conducted by Gloria Dei from 1789 to 1803. Entries for baptisms are listed chronologically, and include the name of the person baptized, their date of birth, parents' names, and sometimes godparents' names. Baptism records, including alphabetical indexes of names, are found on images 3-19, 82-89, 97-120 and 189-194. Entries for burials are listed chronologically, and include at minimum the name of the deceased and date of burial, and often contain more information such as time and cause of death, age at time of death, and names of relatives. Burial records, including alphabetical indexes of names, are found on images 20-26 and 121-188. Entries for marriages are listed chronologically and include the date of marriage, names of the bride and groom, and their place of residence. Marriage records, including alphabetical indexes of names, are found on images 27-81 and 89-96.
List of subscribers for rebuilding the First Presbyterian Church on Market Street, v. 1, 1796
First Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Church fund raising
List of subscribers for rebuilding the First Presbyterian Church on Market Street in 1796. Entries are by subscriber name, with amounts and total paid, and span two pages, verso and recto.
First Baptist Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Baptists
The meeting minutes of the Trustees of First Baptist Church from 1794 to 1836 contain the date of each meeting, the trustees present, the topics they discussed, and the resolutions they passed. Trustee business included appointments to positions such as treasurer and clerk; the management of donations and investments; oversight of record-keeping; payment to workers such as the minister and carpenter; and maintenance of buildings and burial grounds. There is an index on the inside back cover of the bound manuscript. 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.
Church membership
Baptism and church membership
This register begins with a corrected list of the members of the church at its founding, and those added in the initial years. It then lists each member's admission to the church by baptism or letter of transfer. It also includes dates and causes for termination of membership, whether by church discipline, transfer to another church, or death.
Poverty
Orphans
On February 16, 1795, the members of First Baptist Church established "a fund for the relief of Orphans and other indigent Persons." This bound manuscript contains details of how the fund was established and administered, and a list of members who paid an annual contribution to the fund in order to insure those in their charge would receive aid upon their death. Identifying information includes subscriber names, parents' names, birthdates, birthplaces, contributions paid and dates of death.
Congregational minutes include dates of meetings, members present, and business conducted from 1806 to 1813. Topics include but are not limited to: income from pew rents, house rents, legacies, and donations; baptism, dismission, and transfer of members; exclusion of members for bad behavior and readmission upon repentance; repairs and improvements to buildings and grounds, including fundraising for enlargement of the meeting house; payments to the minister and the appointment of a librarian; purchases of firewood, candles, and curtains; and charity for the poor, including funeral expenses for orphans and the loan of stoves to recent widows.
Congregational minutes include dates of meetings, members present, and business conducted from 1795 to 1806. Topics include but are not limited to: collection of pew rent and management of donations and legacies; payments to church employees such as the minister and sexton; payments for goods such as candles and firewood and services such as the printing of minutes and pamphlets; repairs and improvements to church buildings and burial grounds; baptism and transfer of members, as well as exclusions for poor conduct; charitable gifts to other churches and to the poor; and resolutions for improved record-keeping.
Congregational minutes include dates of meetings, members present, and business conducted from 1795 to 1806. Topics include the baptism, dismission, transfer, exclusion and readmission of members, church finance, charity for the poor, and repairs and improvements to building and grounds.
Congregational minutes include dates of meetings, members present, and business conducted from 1786 to 1791. Topics include but are not limited to: baptism, admission, exclusion, readmission, and transfer of members; discipline for drinking, fraud, or holding to the doctrine of universal salvation; building construction and repairs; management of the burial ground; election of deacons; income from legacies, donations, pew money and burial money; and relief for the poor, including widows and orphans.
Congregational minute book includes dates of meetings from 1779 to 1786, members present, and business conducted. In addition to commonplace business such as repairs to the buildings and grounds, admission and dismission of members, appointment of trustees and directions for better record-keeping, this bound manuscript also documents reinvigorated collection of pew rents for the purpose of securing a new minister, and conflict in the congregation over the Doctrine of Universal Restoration. A listing of members is included in the first few pages of the book, and financial records, including recordings of pew rent, can be found in the last quarter of the book.
Congregational minute book includes dates of meetings from 1771 to 1775, members present, and business conducted. Topics include but are not limited to: property bequeathed to the church; the filling of positions such as moderator, clerk, treasurer, deacon and minister; maintenance of burial grounds; the church's position on the impropriety of the slave trade; collections for the poor; payment of pew rents; nominations for representatives to the annual association meeting; and admission of new members.
On August 11, 1760 the First Baptist Church appointed a committee to "to Settle the Church Affairs, and Examine the State of the Church Purchases, Gifts and Donations, Given to the Said Church, and get them well Secured where they are not, and to settle other Affairs that shall Come before them." The minutes of this committee, recorded on both sides of four loose sheets, include the dates of meetings, members present, and committee work discussed, including registering deeds, paying leases, collecting interest on accounts, and consolidating records.
Congregational minute book begun in 1760, which begins with notes about meetings that occurred during the previous three years, before organized record-keeping was established, and runs to 1769. Entries include dates of meetings, members present, and business conducted. Topics include but are not limited to: disputes between church members, appointments to positions such as deacon and sexton, invitations to visiting preachers, financial gifts to the church and gifts from the church to the poor, which included firewood, coffins, and the forgiveness of burial fees in addition to financial donations, letters of dismission, applications for baptism, excommunications and restorations to membership, construction and maintenance of buildings and grounds, church purchases such as a new chalice, and the settlement of accounts with both debtors and creditors. There is an alphabetical index of church members' names at the back of the book.
Six letters, both to and from First Baptist Church, confirming individuals' good standing for transfer to new church membership in 1785.
Letter providing proof of good standing for Elisabeth Davis at the Church of Christ meeting in Welshtract, for transfer to the Church of Christ meeting of Philadelphia. Some of the text is illegible.
Four letters, both to and from First Baptist Church, confirming individuals' good standing for transfer to new church membership in 1783.
Marriage register, 1761-1894 [partial scan through 1870]
Register of marriages occurring at First Baptist Church between 1761 and 1894. Because of the limitation of the funding source for digitization, this volume was scanned only through the page for marriages occurring in 1870. It appears the manuscript was used as a financial journal prior to use as a marriage register; financial entries date from 1744 to 1760, but are crossed out, and pages are reused to record marriages. There is an alphabetical index of names at the beginning of the book. The date ranges are out of order, marriages from 1761 beginning on p. 15, continuing to p. 270, whereupon the reader is directed back to p. 2 for the continuation of marriage records from Rev. William Rogers. Meanwhile, records of Rev. Henry Holcombe from 1813 start on p. 270 and continue through 1824 on p. 313. Records from succeeding pastors continue to the end of the book, with some gaps in years.
For members of First Baptist Church from 1772 to 1844, this bound manuscript lists their date and manner of admission to the church (whether by baptism or transfer,) date of marriage, and notes on date and manner of removal from membership, including dates of death.
This book records the amounts donated by members to First Baptist Church to help the poor, and the amounts given to the poor from First Baptist Church, from 1774 to 1775. Each entry includes the date, donor or donee's name, and amount donated.
This book records the amounts donated by members to First Baptist Church to help the poor, and the amounts given to the poor from First Baptist Church, from 1767 to 1769. Each entry includes the date, donor or donee's name, and amount donated.
Baptism certificate of Sarah Sallows, 1762
Baptism certificate listing a series of questions about the baptismal candidate's beliefs and commitments, to which she has answered yes. On this profession, Sarah Sallows was baptized by Morgan Edwards in the Schuylkill River on June 22, 1762. Sarah's last name is difficult to discern in this document; she is listed as added to the membership in 1762, with much clearer handwriting, in the Register, 1746-1824.
Record of prayers, circumcisions, marriages and deaths, kept by Reverend Jacob Raphael Cohen and continued by others after his death, 1776-1843
Congregation Mikveh Israel (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Circumcision
Synagogue records and registers
Jews
Synagogues
Jacob Raphael Cohen was the second minister of Congregation Mikveh Israel, serving from 1784 until his death in 1811. Prior to coming to Philadelphia, he served as hazzan of Congregation Shearith Israel in Montreal and Congregation Shearith Israel in New York. Cohen began this record book in 1776, writing from the front as well as from the back, and his entries record events in Montreal and New York, as well as a few other locations, in addition to Philadelphia. He wrote in English and Hebrew. After Cohen's death, the record book was continued by several others, including Benjamin Nones, Dr. Alexander Wertheim, Lewis Allen, Zalegman Phillips, and Abraham Hart. Alan Corre, who served as rabbi for Congregation Mikveh Israel from 1955 to 1963 and who was an esteemed scholar of Hebrew Studies, and Malcom Stern, a rabbi and historian who has been described as the dean of American Jewish genealogy, published an article about this record book in The American Jewish Quarterly in 1969 (https://www.jstor.org/stable/23878015). In this article, Corre and Stern provided Hebrew translations for the prayers recorded by Cohen, and with the generous permission of the American Jewish Historical Society, those translations are now included in the transcription for this record. Corre and Stern also organized the data on circumcisions, marriages and deaths into tables, and provided detailed historical context for the records. A prayer for the Eve of Kippur from Cohen's time in Montreal is found on page 1, and repeated with additions on page 93. The misheberach (public blessing) prayer is found on page 4, and escabot/hascabot (memorial) prayers are found on pages 6 to 8, 10, 19a and 19b of the manuscript. A copy of the Order of Service for the Day of Dedication (for Mikveh Israel's new synagogue) is found on pages 20 to 22. Circumcision records are found on pages 14 to 17 and 23 to 25, and include date of birth, name of father, son's name, and date circumcised. Marriage records, called ketubot or ketubah, start on page 92 and run backwards to page 44. The ketubot are written almost entirely in an Aramaic-Hebrew idiom; however they are fairly standardized, and Cohen provides English translations of two Canadian marriage contracts on pages 88 and 92. Please see also https://www.sefaria.org/Ketubah_Text.4 for the traditional ketubah text, which may have been altered slightly in practice. A haliza document, releasing a widow from marriage to her husband's brother, is found on page 72. Records of deaths in Montreal are found on pages 2, 3 and 5; records of deaths and burials in Philadelphia at Mikveh Israel are found on pages 18 to 19 and 27 to 41. The latter records often include information on family relations and location of burial plots.
Synagogue fund raising
Synagogues--Finance
Record of offerings to Congregation Mikveh Israel from 1857 to 1866. Entries are organized by name and include dates and amounts donated or loaned. There is an alphabetical index of names at the beginning of the book.
Record of seat rentals at Mikveh Israel from 1857 to 1866. Entries are listed by name and include dates and amounts paid. There is an alphabetical index of names at the front of the volume.
Burials in Spruce Street Cemetery, 1843-1868 and Federal Street Cemetery, 1849-1863
Record of persons buried in both the Spruce Street Cemetery and Federal Street Cemetery of Congregation Mikveh Israel in the mid-19th century. Burials in the Spruce Street Cemetery are listed chronologically from the front of the book and span the years 1843 to 1868. Listings include the date of burial, name of deceased, age at time of death, date of death, location of grave, and sometimes family relations. Burials in the Federal Street Cemetery are listed chronologically from the back of the book and span the years 1849 to 1863. Listings include both the English and Hebrew dates of burial, name of deceased and location of grave.
A bound volume of birth certificates for members of Congregation Mikveh Israel, dating from 1843 to 1886. Each certificate includes the date of birth in both the Gregorian and Jewish calendars, the name of the newborn, parents' names, and the name of the shamas (the synagogue's sexton) recording the birth.
A bound volume of birth certificates for members of Congregation Mikveh Israel, dating from 1841 to 1862. Each certificate includes the date of birth in both the Gregorian and Jewish calendars, the name of the newborn, parents' names, and the name of the shamas (the synagogue's sexton) recording the birth.
Vestry minutes, Christ Church, v. 7, 1845-1866
Parish elections
Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Episcopalians
Church schools
Hospitals
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
Episcopal Church
Meeting minutes of the Christ Church vestry from 1845 to 1866. Each entry includes the date, place, members present and business discussed. Topics include the election of church leaders and hiring and payment of staff; appointments to and reports from various church committees; the upkeep of buildings and grounds; the ongoing balancing of financial accounts including ground rents, loans, investments and bequests; the collection of pew rents; and management of the Sunday school and hospital. The loose sheets tucked into the front of the volume are likely attendance records. The meeting minutes from the Spring of 1865 refer to the death of President Abraham Lincoln. The vestry of Christ Church elected to drape the church in black for a period of three months and muffle the church bells to mourn the death of the president. A copy of the charter separating Christ Church and St. Peter's Church in 1832 is also included in this volume. Note: Blank pages were not scanned.
Vestry minutes, Christ Church, v. 6, 1832-1845
United Churches of Christ-Church and St. Peter's (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Dorr, Benjamin, 1796-1869
Church bells
Episcopal Church. Diocese of Pennsylvania
Meeting minutes of the Christ Church vestry from 1832 to 1845. Each entry records the date and place of the meeting, members present, and business discussed. Regular business includes the election of church leaders; employment of staff (ministers, clerks, sextons, bellringers and organists); financial matters such as budgeting, fundraising, taxation, insurance and bequests; maintenance of buildings (including the steeple and bells) and burial grounds; management of pew rents; appointments to and reports from various church committees; the operation of Christ Church hospital; and charity for the poor. Of special interest, this volume of minutes also records the beginning years of the ministry of the Reverend Benjamin Dorr. Annotated copies of Christ Church's charter and by-laws are inserted in the beginning of the volume, entitled "Charter of Christ Church in the city of Philadelphia and St. Peter's Church, in the city of Philadelphia, As established by an Act of the Legislature of Pennsylvania, passed January, 1832; together with the proceedings of the respective vestries thereupon." These documents reflect the separation of Christ Church and St. Peter's in 1832.
Vestry minutes, Christ Church, St. Peter's Church, and St. James's Church, v. 5, 1827-1832
United Churches of Christ-Church, St. Peter's, and St. James's (Philadelphia, Pa.)
St. James's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Minutes of the vestry of Christ Church from 1827 to 1832. Each entry notes the date and place of the meeting, members present, and business discussed. Regular topics include church elections, staffing, finances, burials, pew rents, management of the church hospital, committee reports, and repairs/improvements to church buildings and grounds. It was during these years that the decision of the United Churches to separate into individual entities took place. Entries relevant to the separation of St. James into its own corporation start around page 50, while entries relevant to the separation of Christ Church and St. Peter's are found at the end of the volume.
Vestry minutes, Christ Church, St. Peter's Church, and St. James's Church, v. 4, 1816-1826
Meeting minutes of the vestry of the United Churches of Christ Church, St. Peter's Church and St. James's Church from 1816 to 1826. Each entry records the date and place of the meeting, members present, and business discussed. Topics include: the election of church leaders; the hiring, duties and salaries of church staff such as minister, organist, clerk, sexton, and bell ringer; reports from committees responsible for tasks such as locating new land to rent, securing insurance, and managing the church hospital; the upkeep of buildings and burial grounds; and the ongoing management of church finances, including bequests.
Vestry minutes, Christ Church, v. 1, 1717-1760
Church of England
This volume holds the oldest known meeting minutes for Christ Church, dating from 1717 to 1760. The vestry is the governing body for the church. Each entry records the date, members present and business discussed. The Lieutenant Governor was often present at early meetings, and the Governor became a member of the vestry in 1718. Topics covered include: elections of wardens and vestrymen; fundraising for a steeple and burial ground; establishment of new pew rents; settlement of various accounts; the need to write to the Bishop of London for a new reverend; application for a charter; and the appointment of a schoolmaster. Note: Page 92 was blank and was not scanned.
Journal of the meetings that led to the formation of the diocese, 1784-1790
White, William, 1748-1836
St. Paul's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Church meetings
In 1784, members of the vestry of the United Churches of Christ Church and St. Peter's and the vestry of St. Paul's appointed a committee to confer with the clergy of their respective churches, "on the subject of forming a representative Body of the Episcopal Church in this State." They wrote a letter, signed by chairman William White, to all Episcopal churches in Pennsylvania, asking them to send delegates to a meeting at which general principles and a framework of governance would be established. This bound manuscript includes William White's journals documenting the formation of the Diocese of Pennsylvania in 1784, as well as the institution of a convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the state of Pennsylvania, and minutes from the first six such conventions, up to 1790.
Congregational, corporation, and trustees minutes, vol. 3, 1792-1803
Rough draft ("Rough Draught") of minutes for meetings of the Second Presbyterian Church trustees, corporation and congregation from 1792 to 1803. Meetings cover issues such as church committees, church finance, and the need to accommodate a growing membership.
Congregational, corporation, and trustees minutes, vol. 2, 1772-1805
Minutes of the Second Presbyterian trustees, corporation and congregational meetings from 1772 to 1805 are all recorded together in this bound manuscript, in chronological order. Meetings cover topics including but not limited to: elections to church leadership positions; church finance, including the collection of pew rent; and the need for new construction to accommodate growing membership. There is a membership list from 1773 and a map of pews in the back of the book.
Congregational, corporation, and trustees minutes, vol. 1, 1749-1775
Congregational minutes from 1749, 1751 to 1755, and 1759 to 1772 run through page 163 of this bound manuscript, then the trustee minutes from January 1773 to January 1775 begin at the back of the book, upside down, and continue until page 164. Entries note the date and place of meetings, members present, and business discussed. Topics include but are not limited to: the purchase of new grounds and building of a new meeting house; the assignment of pews and pew rents and later a rise in pew rents to help the church out of debt; fees for baptisms and terms for burials; the choice of a new minister; discipline of members for ill behavior; and application for a charter.
The practice of renting pews was common in 19th century churches; members paid a fee for the right to occupy a particular pew every week. This bound manuscript is a record of pew rents paid to Second Presbyterian from 1796 to 1798. Entries are listed by pew number and congregant name, with dates and amounts paid, and they span two pages, verso and recto.
The practice of renting pews was common in 19th century churches; members paid a fee for the right to occupy a particular pew every week. This bound manuscript is a record of pew rents paid to Second Presbyterian in 1795. Entries are listed by pew number and congregant name, with dates and amounts paid, and they span two pages, verso and recto.
Pew rent records, vol. 7, 1794-1795 and burial records, 1867
The practice of renting pews was common in 19th century churches; members paid a fee for the right to occupy a particular pew every week. This bound manuscript includes a record of pew rents paid to Second Presbyterian from 1794 to 1795. Entries are listed by pew number and congregant name, with dates and amounts paid, and they span two pages, verso and recto. After page 6b, the manuscript starts over from the back, with records of graves and tombs that were moved from the Second Presbyterian burial grounds in 1867.
The practice of renting pews was common in 19th century churches; members paid a fee for the right to occupy a particular pew every week. This bound manuscript is a record of pew rents paid to Second Presbyterian from 1794 to 1795. Entries are listed by pew number and congregant name, with dates and amounts paid, and they span two pages, verso and recto. There is an index of names at the back of the volume.
The practice of renting pews was common in 19th century churches; members paid a fee for the right to occupy a particular pew every week. This bound manuscript is a record of pew rents paid to Second Presbyterian from 1793 to 1794. Entries are listed by pew number and congregant name, with dates and amounts paid, and they span two pages, verso and recto. There is an index of names at the back of the volume.