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Creator: Gloria Dei Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1733/1789 Contributing Institution: Gloria Dei Church, Philadelphia, PA Description: 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. View Full Item at Gloria Dei Church, Philadelphia, PA -
Creator: Congregation Mikveh Israel (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1782/1783 Contributing Institution: Congregation Mikveh Israel, Philadelphia, PA Description: Minutes of the parnas (president of the congregation) and junta (board of managers) and general meetings of Congregation Mikveh Israel from 1782 to 1783. The majority of the minutes are concerned with funding and building a new synagogue. Other topics include the election of leaders, the need for a new constitution/code of laws, and the appointment, payment and duties of a shamas (warden or sexton). View Full Item at Congregation Mikveh Israel, Philadelphia, PA -
Creator: Congregation Mikveh Israel (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1824/1870 Contributing Institution: Congregation Mikveh Israel, Philadelphia, PA Description: Meeting minutes of the Board of Managers, or "adjunta" of Congregation Mikveh Israel, from 1824 to 1870. Each entry includes the date and usually the location of the meeting, names of members present, and business discussed. Business discussed includes (but is not limited to): regular elections of officers (parnas and adjunta, gabay, and secretary); assessment and collection of seat rents; the dedication of a new synagogue and ongoing repairs/improvements to the building; financial record keeping, including auditing accounts, debt collection, and payment of bills, rents and taxes; employment of officials such as the shamas (sexton), hazan (minister), and superintendent of the burial grounds; improvements to the burial grounds; and permissions for burials. This volume has been partially digitized, up to 1870. Names of officers for each Hebrew calendar year covered are listed at the back of volume, and those pages are also included. View Full Item at Congregation Mikveh Israel, Philadelphia, PA -
Creator: First Baptist Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1760/1761 Contributing Institution: American Baptist Historical Society Description: 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. View Full Item at American Baptist Historical Society -
Creator: First Baptist Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1757/1769 Contributing Institution: American Baptist Historical Society Description: 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. View Full Item at American Baptist Historical Society -
Creator: First Baptist Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1771/1775 Contributing Institution: American Baptist Historical Society Description: 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. View Full Item at American Baptist Historical Society -
Creator: First Baptist Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1779/1786 Contributing Institution: American Baptist Historical Society Description: 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. View Full Item at American Baptist Historical Society -
Creator: First Baptist Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1786/1791 Contributing Institution: American Baptist Historical Society Description: 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. View Full Item at American Baptist Historical Society -
Creator: First Baptist Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1792/1795 Contributing Institution: American Baptist Historical Society Description: 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. View Full Item at American Baptist Historical Society -
Creator: First Baptist Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1795/1806 Contributing Institution: American Baptist Historical Society Description: 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. View Full Item at American Baptist Historical Society -
Creator: First Baptist Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1806/1813 Contributing Institution: American Baptist Historical Society Description: 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. View Full Item at American Baptist Historical Society -
Creator: Congregation Mikveh Israel (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1810/1883 Contributing Institution: Congregation Mikveh Israel, Philadelphia, PA Description: Congregational minutes of Mikveh Israel, spanning 1810 to 1883. Topics covered include: elections to leadership and caretaking positions; admittance of new members; financial matters such as rents, fundraising, insurance and investments; renovation and expansion of the synagogue; and management of the burial ground. The Articles of Constitution approved in 1823 are reproduced on pages 48 to 62. View Full Item at Congregation Mikveh Israel, Philadelphia, PA -
Creator: Second Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1749/1775 Contributing Institution: Presbyterian Historical Society Description: 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. View Full Item at Presbyterian Historical Society -
Creator: Second Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1772/1805 Contributing Institution: Presbyterian Historical Society Description: 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. View Full Item at Presbyterian Historical Society -
Creator: Second Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1792/1803 Contributing Institution: Presbyterian Historical Society Description: 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. View Full Item at Presbyterian Historical Society -
Creator: First Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1747/1772 Contributing Institution: Presbyterian Historical Society Description: Meeting minutes begin with the names of members elected for the Committee in May of 1747, and go on to document the dates of meetings, members present, and business conducted. Topics covered include financial matters such as account balances, collections, payments to those employed by the church, and pew rents; charity, including a very active widows' fund; and repairs and upgrades such as new roof shingles and a new velvet cover for the pulpit. The minutes also contain discussion of the need for a second church building to accommodate a growing congregation, and the eventual split with Third Presbyterian ("the Pine Street church.") View Full Item at Presbyterian Historical Society -
Creator: Gloria Dei Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1653/1760 Contributing Institution: Gloria Dei Church, Philadelphia, PA Description: Bound manuscript containing many accounts of Swedish settlement along the Delaware River from the early 17th century to the mid-late 18th century. These accounts come from various sources, including several ministers sent to Gloria Dei by the King or Queen of Sweden. The accounts do not appear in strict chronological order and sometimes overlap with each other, but provide a rich and detailed account of this time and place. Translations of the Swedish have been provided for the bulk of the manuscript. 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. View Full Item at Gloria Dei Church, Philadelphia, PA -
Creator: St. George's Methodist Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Methodist Episcopal Church. Philadelphia Conference Date: 1800/1814 Contributing Institution: St. George's United Methodist Church Description: Minutes of the annual Philadelphia Conference from 1800 through 1814, presided over by Francis Asbury and others. Each year's entry states the date, place, church leaders presiding, and members present, followed by the business discussed. Business regularly includes the recommendation and evaluation of traveling preachers, allegations of misbehavior, financial accounting, requests for assistance, and committee reports. An index of names, compiled from the records in 1868, appears at the rear of the book. View Full Item at St. George's United Methodist Church -
Creator: First Moravian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1743/1747 Contributing Institution: Moravian Archives Description: This committee included the elders of the English-speaking Moravians in Philadelphia. Minutes run from September 27, 1743 to July 3, 1747, and cover a variety of topics. Disputes between the German and English members of the Philadelphia congregation were common in the early period, so management of those conflicts - as well as conflicts among the English speaking congregants, including marital disputes - is a recurrent subject. Other topics include, but are not limited to: collections to pay for church supplies, ground rent, and preachers' salaries; relations with the Quakers; visitation of the sick and care of vulnerable members; reception of new members; baptisms and love feasts; upkeep of the church building and grounds; members' travel; the desire for a school church; and a conference to bring together English and German-speaking laborers in the congregation. View Full Item at Moravian Archives -
Creator: St. George's Methodist Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1819/1830 Contributing Institution: St. George's United Methodist Church Description: Minutes of the St. George's Board of Trustees from 1819 to 1830. Each entry notes the date and place of the meeting, members present, and business discussed. Business includes, but is not limited to: the election of trustees and appointment of acting committees, superintendents, stewards, and collectors; financial support for preachers and their families; church finances; reports from various committees and member churches; upkeep of buildings and grounds; charity sermons to raise money for the poor; the settlement of disputes between members; correspondence with another church about a proposed union; and a proposal to build a new church near Nazareth. View Full Item at St. George's United Methodist Church -
Creator: Congregation Mikveh Israel (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1813/1864 Contributing Institution: Congregation Mikveh Israel, Philadelphia, PA Description: The Society for the Visitation of the Sick and Mutual Assistance started as "the Hebra," or a sacred society that ensures the bodies of deceased Jews are prepared for burial according to Jewish tradition and protected from desecration before burial. The new name was adopted around 1850 and made official by new Articles in 1853 (see page 250 in the bound manuscript.) Meeting minutes cover topics such as elections, resignations, admissions, expulsions and deaths of members; the drafting and redrafting of rules and regulations; accounting, including debt collection, donations and investments; interactions with other Jewish charitable organizations; and the organization of day and night watches. View Full Item at Congregation Mikveh Israel, Philadelphia, PA -
Creator: St. Paul's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1759/1835 Contributing Institution: Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania Archives Description: This bound volume includes St. Paul's early trustee and vestry minutes from 1760 to 1762, marriage records from 1759 to 1835, baptism records from 1782 to 1834, and death records from 1790 to 1812. The first numbered pages include a defense of Reverend Mcclenachan, and plans to build a church separate from Christ Church. Entries then cover the election of trustees and a treasurer, committees to secure land and materials for a new church, lotteries to raise funds, decisions on architecture and furnishings, management of pews, and selection of wardens. Vestry minutes from 1762 start on page 21; these can also be found in the separate volume entitled "Vestry minutes, 1762-1774." Records of marriages, baptisms and deaths start with image 46, whereupon page numbering starts anew. Marriage and baptism records include the date of the ceremony, officiant and the names of the people being married or baptized. Later baptism records also note names of parents. Death records include the name of decedent, age at time of death (or date of birth, from which it can be extrapolated), and date of death. View Full Item at Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania Archives -
Creator: First Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1774/1786 Contributing Institution: Presbyterian Historical Society Description: The minutes of the meetings of "the committee for regulating pews" from 1774 to 1786 include the meeting time, place, names of committee members present and business discussed, primarily the assignment of pews and collection of pew rents. Other topics discussed include the split with "Pine Street Church" (Third Presbyterian), fees for burials, and charitable assistance to widows. View Full Item at Presbyterian Historical Society -
Creator: Second Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1744/1798 Contributing Institution: Presbyterian Historical Society Description: The Session is a body of elected elders governing a Presbyterian church. In this bound volume, the Session is referred to as the Consistory until 1767. Meeting minutes run from 1744 to 1798, and note the date, members present, and business discussed. Business includes elections to office and management of church finances, including financial assistance to the poor, with the bulk of entries concerning resolution of conflicts between church members and discipline of church members found guilty of offenses such as drinking, fighting, theft, slander and adultery. View Full Item at Presbyterian Historical Society -
Creator: First Baptist Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1794-1836 Contributing Institution: American Baptist Historical Society Description: 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. View Full Item at American Baptist Historical Society -
Creator: Third Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1771/1796 Contributing Institution: Presbyterian Historical Society Description: Inscribed as "The Pine Street Presbyterian Church Committee Book," this bound volume contains the minutes of the meetings of trustees of Third Presbyterian from 1771 to 1796. Each entry includes the date, place, members present, and business discussed. 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." View Full Item at Presbyterian Historical Society -
Creator: St. Paul's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1762/1774 Contributing Institution: Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania Archives Description: Minutes of the meetings of the St. Paul's vestry, from 1762 to 1774. Each entry records the date of the meeting, members present and business discussed. One of the main topics covered is the ill health of Reverend McClenachan and the subsequent need to secure an assistant minister and, eventually, a replacement minister. Other topics include: election of vestry members, wardens, clerks and sextons; appointments to committees; management of finances; pew assignments; regulation of burials, fundraising for an organ; building upkeep such as painting doors and windows; and the purchase of supplies such as candles and collection plates. View Full Item at Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania Archives -
Creator: Gloria Dei Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1765/1840 Contributing Institution: Gloria Dei Church, Philadelphia, PA Description: 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. View Full Item at Gloria Dei Church, Philadelphia, PA -
Creator: St. Paul's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1792/1797 Contributing Institution: Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania Archives Description: Minutes of the meetings of the St. Paul's vestry, from 1792 to 1797. Each entry includes the date of the meeting, members present, and business discussed. Many entries include wardens' accounts, as reports from the committee appointed to examine those accounts. Other topics include: elections to the vestry and the appointment of wardens and sextons; the management of pews and of the church graveyard; the departure of one minister and need to secure a new one; and the presentation of an act of incorporation to the state assembly for ratification in 1795. View Full Item at Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania Archives -
Creator: St. Paul's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1797/1810 Contributing Institution: Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania Archives Description: Minutes of the meetings of the St. Paul's vestry, from 1797 to 1810. Each entry includes the date of the meeting, members present, and business discussed. Topics include but are not limited to: elections to the vestry and the appointment of wardens and sextons; hiring of a new minister and assistant minister; management of church finances, including ground rents, pew rents and bequests; the problem of a full burial ground; appointments to various committees; plans for a singing school for children and home for aged widows; establishment of a subscription to raise funds for a church organ; and ongoing upkeep of church buildings and grounds. View Full Item at Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania Archives -
Creator: St. Paul's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1810/1829 Contributing Institution: Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania Archives Description: Minutes of the meetings of the St. Paul's vestry, from 1810 to 1829. Each entry includes the date of the meeting, members present, and business discussed. Topics include but are not limited to: vestry elections; appointment of wardens and sextons; various committee assignments; management of financial accounts, including loans, investments and bequests; management of pew assignments; management of the cemetery; mediation of interpersonal disputes between church members; upkeep of and improvements to the buildings and grounds; the continued quest to secure a church organ; and continued support for the church school and house for aged widows. View Full Item at Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania Archives -
Creator: St. Thomas' Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1813/1821 Contributing Institution: African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas Description: The vestry is the governing body of an Episcopal church; it is comprised of the rector and members of the congregation elected by other congregants. 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. View Full Item at African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas -
Creator: St. Thomas' Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1821/1831 Contributing Institution: African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas Description: The vestry is the governing body of an Episcopal church; it is comprised of the rector and members of the congregation elected by other congregants. 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. View Full Item at African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas -
Creator: St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1832/1852 Contributing Institution: St. Peter's Episcopal Church Description: The vestry is the governing body of an Episcopal church; it is comprised of the rector and members of the congregation elected by other congregants. 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. View Full Item at St. Peter's Episcopal Church -
Creator: St. Thomas' Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1848/1855 Contributing Institution: African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas Description: The vestry is the governing body of an Episcopal church; it is comprised of the rector and members of the congregation elected by other congregants. This bound volume contains the St. Thomas vestry meeting minutes from 1848 to 1855, including date, time of day (morning, afternoon, or evening), members and Reverend present, and a brief description of each meeting. Note: Pages 32 through 36 of this volume were written upside down, starting from the back with page 36, and moving forward chronologically to page 32. View Full Item at African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas -
Creator: St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1852/1871 Contributing Institution: St. Peter's Episcopal Church Description: The vestry is the governing body of an Episcopal church; it is comprised of the rector and members of the congregation elected by other congregants. This bound volume contains the dates, members present and business discussed at St. Peters vestry meetings from 1852 to 1871. Topics include but are not limited to: insurance policies on the rectory, house, bells and organ; election of vestrymen, officers, warden and rector; appointments to committees for finance, choir, Sunday school, library, burial grounds and bell; selection of delegates to the Diocesan convention; management of the St. Peters charity fund and Christ Church hospital; and income from pew rent and collections. View Full Item at St. Peter's Episcopal Church -
Creator: St. Thomas' Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1866/1874 Contributing Institution: African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas Description: The vestry is the governing body of an Episcopal church; it is comprised of the rector and members of the congregation elected by other congregants. This bound volume contains the St. Thomas vestry meeting minutes from 1863 to 1876, including date, time of day (morning, afternoon, or evening), members and Reverend present, and a brief description of each meeting. Topics include bills, taxes, salaries, fundraising, recordkeeping, repairs and renovations, burials, elections, and pew rents. View Full Item at African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas -
Creator: United Churches of Christ-Church and St. Peter's (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1761/1784 Contributing Institution: Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA Description: Vestry minutes of the United Congregations of Christ Church and St. Peter's from 1761 to 1784. Each entry records the date and place of the meeting, members present and business discussed. Regular business includes elections of church leaders and hiring and payment of church staff; fundraising and the ongoing settlement of various financial accounts; establishment and collection of pew rents; and maintenance and repair of church buildings and grounds. Other important events and topics include: The opening of St. Peter's and the establishment of the United Churches of Christ-Church and St. Peter's in 1761, with shared government and finances. Minutes include draft and final versions of the charter for the United Churches. The response of the United Churches to the 1763 "Indian invasion" of the "back provinces" of Pennsylvania and subsequent correspondence with church officials from York and Cumberland Counties on behalf of "families on the frontier." The 1763 review and approval of Reverend William Sturgeon's fulfillment of his duty as the "Catechist to the Negroe Children for the Society for Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts." The 1772 bequest from Dr. John Kearsley that funded the development of the Christ Church Hospital for poor women and widows. The American Revolution. Minutes from the Vestry meeting of July 4, 1776, when the Vestry resolved at the onset of the American Revolution: "Whereas the Honorable Continental Congress have resolved to declare the American Colonies to be free and independent States, In consequence of which it will be proper to omit those Petitions in the Liturgy wherein the King of Great Britain is prayed for, as inconsistent with the said Declaration. Therefore Resolved, that it appears to this Vestry to be necessary for the peace and well-being of the Churches to omit the said Petitions, and the Rector and Assistant Ministers of the United Churches are requested in the Name of the Vestry and their Constituents to omit such petitions as are above mentioned." (p. 338) Subsequent minutes reveal effects of the war, including the loss of pew rents after many parishioners fled the city during the British occupation, the damage to church property caused by the British army, and the departure of Reverend Coombe, who could not tolerate the conflict of serving revolutionary subjects while ordained and governed by the Church of England. View Full Item at Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA -
Creator: Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1784/1815 Contributing Institution: Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA Description: Minutes of the vestry of the United Churches from 1784 to 1815; first as the United Churches of Christ-Church and St. Peter's, then as the United Churches of Christ Church, St. Peter's Church and St. James's Church. The first mention of St. James's occurs on p. 151 in the meeting minutes from March 30, 1807, in which a building committee was appointed to erect the new church. By 1810, the vestry is incorporating St. James's Church into their charter. Entries include the date and place of the meeting, members attending, and business discussed. Topics include church elections, improvements to buildings and grounds, fundraising efforts, burial requests, and the ongoing operation of Christ Church hospital. Recorded at the rear of the book are legacies, gifts, and donations made to an assortment of church related funds by various congregation members. Of note is a transcribed copy of Dr. John Kearsley's will. This volume has inserted at page 47 two additional items: a printed excerpt from the minutes of October 30, 1752 and a printed version of Bishop White's sermon delivered on June 21, 1786. Note: Blank pages were not scanned. View Full Item at Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA -
Creator: United Churches of Christ-Church, St. Peter's, and St. James's (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1816/1826 Contributing Institution: Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA Description: 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. View Full Item at Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA -
Creator: United Churches of Christ-Church, St. Peter's, and St. James's (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1827/1832 Contributing Institution: Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA Description: 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. View Full Item at Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA -
Creator: Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1717/1760 Contributing Institution: Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA Description: 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. View Full Item at Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA -
Creator: Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1832/1845 Contributing Institution: Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA Description: 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. View Full Item at Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA -
Creator: Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) Date: 1845/1866 Contributing Institution: Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA Description: 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. View Full Item at Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA