Metadata
Title
Christ Church and St. Peter's Church correspondence and other records, 1802
Creator
Date
1802
Digital Identifier
ChristChurch.CorporationCorrespondence_4-2-0-18
Call Number
4.2.0.18; F506
Description
Correspondence to and from the Vestry of Christ Church and St. Peter's Church. Includes a letter from James Abercrombie requesting financial assistance due to the pressures of supporting his family of sixteen; a draft letter regarding a claim on the estate of Gunning Bedford for the poor of the churches; a letter from Joseph Dobbins in South Carolina requesting his annuity payment following the death of Bishop Robert Smith; and a reply from Richard Harison in New York concerning a bond and debt related to Dr. Kearsley's will and the widow of Cornelius Bradford.
Subject
Place
Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
Congregation
Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA
Extent
4 documents
Format (Digital)
tiff
Rights
http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/
Language
eng
Type
Text
Abstract
This group of four documents concerns the affairs of the United Churches of Christ Church and St. Peter's, Philadelphia, during 1802.
In a letter dated April 26, 1802, the Reverend James Abercrombie appeals to the Rector and Vestry for financial assistance, explaining that despite two years of diligent effort conducting an Academy alongside his parochial duties, the enterprise had produced little beyond its own expenses. Having exhausted his own property and the support previously provided by his mother, and facing the unavoidable expenses of a family of sixteen that far exceeded his salary, he reluctantly entreats their generosity [p. 1r-1v].
A draft letter dated July 26, 1802, addressed to the Reverend Stanford, records the Vestry's instructions to inquire into the status of a claim on the estate of the late Gunning Bedford, money intended for the poor of the churches. The Vestry note their obligation to recover the money or, if impeded, to enter a narrative of their conduct on their minutes. The Reverend Mr. Hobart is named as bearer of the letter [p. 2r-2v].
Joseph Dobbins writes on May 24, 1802, from the country on the Catawba River near the mouth of the Wateree, informing Bishop William White and the wardens and vestry that no one had been appointed to pay his annuity since the death of Bishop Robert Smith, whose last payment was July 28. He requests payment through someone in Charleston and asks that correspondence be left with Colonel Cantey at the Camden post office, noting he will be twenty years of age the following January [p. 3].
Richard Harison replies from New York on August 4, 1802, to Bishop White and Thomas Cumpston regarding a bond owed by the widow of Cornelius Bradford. He returns the bond, describes his repeated but unsuccessful attempts to obtain a settlement, and notes the widow's distress and her belief that the demand ought to have been addressed to her brother-in-law's family. He advises that no suit could be maintained in New York courts unless Dr. Kearsley's will was proved or administration taken out there, and that any suit must be in the names of his executors or administrators. He emphasizes that he sought no advantage in the business [p. 4r-4v].
In a letter dated April 26, 1802, the Reverend James Abercrombie appeals to the Rector and Vestry for financial assistance, explaining that despite two years of diligent effort conducting an Academy alongside his parochial duties, the enterprise had produced little beyond its own expenses. Having exhausted his own property and the support previously provided by his mother, and facing the unavoidable expenses of a family of sixteen that far exceeded his salary, he reluctantly entreats their generosity [p. 1r-1v].
A draft letter dated July 26, 1802, addressed to the Reverend Stanford, records the Vestry's instructions to inquire into the status of a claim on the estate of the late Gunning Bedford, money intended for the poor of the churches. The Vestry note their obligation to recover the money or, if impeded, to enter a narrative of their conduct on their minutes. The Reverend Mr. Hobart is named as bearer of the letter [p. 2r-2v].
Joseph Dobbins writes on May 24, 1802, from the country on the Catawba River near the mouth of the Wateree, informing Bishop William White and the wardens and vestry that no one had been appointed to pay his annuity since the death of Bishop Robert Smith, whose last payment was July 28. He requests payment through someone in Charleston and asks that correspondence be left with Colonel Cantey at the Camden post office, noting he will be twenty years of age the following January [p. 3].
Richard Harison replies from New York on August 4, 1802, to Bishop White and Thomas Cumpston regarding a bond owed by the widow of Cornelius Bradford. He returns the bond, describes his repeated but unsuccessful attempts to obtain a settlement, and notes the widow's distress and her belief that the demand ought to have been addressed to her brother-in-law's family. He advises that no suit could be maintained in New York courts unless Dr. Kearsley's will was proved or administration taken out there, and that any suit must be in the names of his executors or administrators. He emphasizes that he sought no advantage in the business [p. 4r-4v].
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