Anna Maria Williams correspondence concerning pew sittings, 1839

Anna Maria Williams correspondence concerning pew sittings, 1839

1839-02-15

ChristChurch.CorporationCorrespondence_4-2-0-49

4.2.0.49; F537

A letter from Anna Maria Williams to the Rector, Church Wardens, and Vestry of Christ Church in Philadelphia, defending her claim to permanent sittings in a church pew. Williams protests a recent resolution declaring she had no right to the sittings in Pew No. 12 (formerly No. 37), arguing that her family has held the rights undisputed since 1806 and asking for impartial treatment compared to other pew holders.

Pennsylvania--Philadelphia

Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA

1 document

tiff

http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

eng

Text

Anna Maria Williams writes to the rector, church wardens, and vestry of Christ Church in response to a resolution of January 18, 1839, which stated that church records contained “abundant testimony” proving that she had no right to permanent sittings in Pew No. 37, now No. 12 in the center aisle [p. 1r]. Williams objects that she was not provided with the evidence supporting this claim and states that the sittings had been transferred to her father in 1806 by the then owners of the pew, remaining in her family’s continuous possession as permanent sittings for more than thirty-two years [p. 1r]. She argues that her title had not been questioned before recent alterations to the church and notes that other long-standing pew holders may have similar titles without original purchase vouchers [p. 1r]. Williams asks the vestry to investigate whether other pews are held under comparable transfers before acting against her alone, and requests that the resolution be rescinded or proceedings suspended in the interest of justice and impartiality [p. 1v].

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