Correspondence and records concerning Christ Church Chapel and Christ Church Hospital, 1880

Metadata

Title

Correspondence and records concerning Christ Church Chapel and Christ Church Hospital, 1880

Date

1880

Digital Identifier

ChristChurch.CorporationCorrespondence_4-2-0-65

Call Number

4.2.0.65; F553

Description

Correspondence and other records of Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.) concerning the proposed separation of Christ Church Chapel from Christ Church in 1880, including communications from members of the chapel congregation, the Church of the Mediator, and contributors to the chapel building fund. The records document disputes calling for the resignation of Assistant Minister George Woolsey Hodge, efforts to incorporate the chapel congregation as the Church of the Holy Communion, contested claims to the chapel property on Pine Street west of 19th Street, and objections raised in court to a proposed charter.

The file also includes records from Christ Church Hospital regarding the estate of Maria H. Campbell, who died September 2, 1880, leaving her estate to the hospital after a cemetery payment. Notes describe a caveat entered by her sister, Mrs. Rhodes, and a proposed compromise involving life income from the estate and eventual conveyance to Christ Church for Christ Church Hospital.

Place

Pennsylvania--Philadelphia

Congregation

Christ Church, Philadelphia, PA

Extent

5 documents

Format (Digital)

tiff

Rights

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

Language

eng

Type

Text

Abstract

This group of records from 1880 documents two matters before the Rector, Church Wardens, and Vestry of Christ Church, Philadelphia. The principal matter concerns the dispute over Christ Church Chapel. On February 9, 1880, a committee appointed by the Chapel congregation—D. M. Fairfax (U.S.N.), Anthony E. Stocker, and Isaac Starr—wrote requesting to present resolutions regarding the dissolution of the pastoral relation with the Assistant Minister in charge, the Reverend George Woolsey Hodge [p.1]. The Vestry of the Church of the Mediator adopted a preamble and resolutions on March 22, 1880, quoting the Bishop of the Diocese that any separation of the Chapel would violate a solemn compact and be "an act of great injustice to the parish of the Mediator," and requesting Christ Church to prevent the separation [p.2r-2v].

A lengthy March 30, 1880 statement from contributors to the Chapel building fund recounts the full history of the enterprise: the 1874 printed address seeking to preserve Christ Church by establishing a Chapel in the western part of the city [p.3]; the 1875 and 1876 appeals and the February 9, 1876 resolution creating the Christ Church Chapel Board of Management [p.4]; the 1876 purchase and conveyance of the Pine Street property in trust, and the November 17, 1876 consent of the Bishop and Standing Committee given solely on the ground that the Chapel be an integral part of Christ Church parish [p.5]; the opening of the Chapel by the Bishop on June 9, 1877, and subsequent reports and appeals [p.6]; and the demanded resignation of the Assistant Minister, accepted February 4, 1880 [p.6]. The statement describes the congregation meetings, the vote of 53 against to 16 for separation, and the forcible seizure of the Chapel building on March 9, 1880, held for the proposed Church of the Holy Communion [p.7-8]. It recounts the rejection of the proposed charter by the Court on March 20, 1880 after objections, the presentation of a new charter, and a March 29 meeting adopting articles of association asserting the congregation "has never had any organic connection with Christ Church" [p.8-10]. The contributors request the Vestry to take action to protect their rights and the corporation's title to the Chapel property [p.10].

The second matter is an October 6, 1880 letter from George Hoffman, Secretary of the Board of Managers of Christ Church Hospital, requesting the corporation authorize its accounting Warden to affix the corporate seal to a deed in the matter of the estate of Maria H. Campbell, deceased [p.11r-11v]. An accompanying memorandum details that Miss Campbell died September 2, 1880, leaving her estate to the Hospital (after $150 to Lafayette Cemetery) under a will dated June 7, 1880; describes the property of three small houses at 3rd & South subject to ground rent and mortgage; notes her impaired mind before death and a caveat entered by her sister, Mrs. Rhodes; and sets out the terms of a compromise conveyance in trust [p.12r-12v].

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