Parish missions
Sweden
Gloria Dei Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Lutherans
American Revolution (United States : 1775-1783)
Swedes
United States--Delaware River Valley
Lutheran Church
Archivum Americanum contains summaries, extracts and copies of correspondence between the archbishop and consistory of Upsal in Sweden and the missionaries sent to Swedish parishes along the Delaware river, including churches in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. Entries date from 1724 through approximately 1786, but begin with a "Prefatory Note" dated 1891. Topics include but are not limited to: requests to replace pastors who have passed away, opinions on the use of English in liturgy, personal controversies, official meeting minutes, and the welfare of members during the American Revolutionary war. A register of the members of various parishes makes up the rear portion of the volume. Some pages are in Swedish.
Church records and registers
Baptismal records
Episcopalians
Episcopal Church
Baptisms recorded by Nicholas Collin, Director of the Swedish Churches in Pennsylvania, from 1804 to 1878. Each entry includes the date of baptism, name of the person baptized, his or her date of birth, parents' names, and other information such as whether the baptism was conducted in a private home, the names of known extended family members, adults' occupations and countries of birth, and concerns about the family's financial situation or behavior.
Baptisms, burials, and marriages, 1750-1789, and records of pastors, 1733-1758
Marriage records
Burial 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.
Cemeteries
Record of persons buried by Gloria Dei from 1750 to 1878. Entries are listed chronologically and vary over time, but include at minimum the name of the deceased and the date they were buried, and often more extensive information such as the date and place they died, age at time of death, cause of death, whether they were a church member, names of family members, cost of burial, and, during the time multiple cemeteries were in use, the name of the cemetery where they were buried.
Church finance
A day book is used to record each day's financial transactions, for later transfer into a formal ledger. This day book records payments made both by and to Gloria Dei Church from 1811 to 1817. Transactions include ground rents and taxes, salaries for reverends, clerks, and sextons, and payments for supplies such as lumber and stationery and services such as painting and window repair.
Record of funerals performed by Gloria Dei Church from 1803 to 1822. Entries are listed by year, with members, members' children, strangers, and strangers' children listed separately. Each entry contains the date of the funeral, name of the deceased, their date and cause of death, and varying amounts of biographical information, such as country of birth, family members, occupation, public reputation, medical history an cost of burial. Indexes for individual years appear periodically in the book, as well as mentions of church members who were buried elsewhere.
Record of funerals performed by Gloria Dei Church from 1822 to 1927. Entries are listed by year, with members, members' children, strangers, and strangers' children listed separately. Each entry contains the date of the funeral, name of the deceased, date and cause of death, and their age at time of death. Many entries also include the cost of burial and varying amounts of biographical information, such as country of birth, family members, occupation, public reputation, and medical history. Note: Blank pages were not scanned, resulting in some gaps in page numbering.
Rent
Record of ground rents due to Gloria Dei church from 1799 to 1806, kept by Joseph Marsh. Entries are listed by date and include renters' name, amount of rent for given length of time, and due date. Note: The last two pages of this volume contain congregational and vestry meeting minutes from May 11, 1840.
Record of financial transactions made by Gloria Dei Church from 1800 to 1817. Ground rents make up the bulk of entries, and are listed by renters' name, grouped by date, and include the payment amount. Other transactions include the purchase of supplies and payment of salaries. Entries run across two pages, verso and recto, and an alphabetical index of individuals who did business with the church is located at the front of the book.
Record of financial transactions made by Gloria Dei Church from 1819 to 1831. Ground rents make up the bulk of entries, and are listed by renters' name, grouped by date, and include the payment amount. Other transactions include salaries for employees, payments for cleaning and repair, and cash received from pew rents and burials. Entries run across two pages, verso and recto, and an alphabetical index of individuals who did business with the church is located at the front of the book.
Historical accounts of Swedish settlement along the Delaware River and financial records of Gloria Dei, 1653-1760
Indians of North America
Netherlands
Land Settlement
Colonies
African Americans
Rudman, Andrew, 1668-1708
Church buildings
Pews and pew rights
Church fund raising
Poor
Charity
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.
Record of weddings performed by Gloria Dei Church from 1791 to 1822. Entries are listed chronologically and include the date of the wedding, names of bride and groom, and their town or county of residence.
Record of weddings performed by Gloria Dei Church from 1793 to 1799. Entries are listed chronologically, in three different sections, 1793 to 1795, 1795-1796, and 1796-1799. There is an alphabetical index at the end of each section. Each entry includes the date of the wedding, names of bride and groom, and other information such as their ages, status as widow or widower, their place of residence, parents' names, and names of witnesses.
Record of weddings performed by Gloria Dei Church from 1799 to 1856. Entries are listed chronologically, and page numbering starts over after October 1811. Early entries span two pages and include the date of the wedding, the names of the bride and groom, and other information such as occupation, parents' names, birthplace, residence, and names of witnesses. Later entries are more abbreviated, often including only the date and names of bride and groom. Alphabetical indexes appear within the text for dates from 1799 to 1811. Indexes for other years appear at the back of the book. "Remarkable occurrences" are noted on images 175 to 190 and again on images 364 to 367, and include descriptions of couples who were refused marriage and the reasons for this refusal, including, for example, lack of necessary paperwork or witnesses, a young bride with no adult guardian present, or a very drunken bridegroom.
Marriages, baptisms, and burials, 1750-1789
Record of marriages, baptisms and burials performed by Gloria Dei Church from 1750 to 1789. According to the title page, this text was "transcribed from the original records." Marriages are listed first, ordered chronologically and include the name of the bride and groom, method of marriage (license or publishing), and date. An alphabetical index of names appears after page 140. The Baptisms are listed second, ordered chronologically, and include the name of child being baptized, their place and date of birth, parents' names and godparents' names. An alphabetical index of names appears after page 244. Burials are listed last, ordered chronologically, and include at minimum the name of the deceased and date of their burial, and often more information such as place of death and age at time of death. Alphabetical indexes of names appear at intervals throughout the burial listings.
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.
Naturalization certificate of Andrew Rudman, 1701
Naturalization records
Framed parchment signed by William Penn, Governor of Pennsylvania, granting citizenship to Reverend Andreas (Andrew) Rudman in 1701. Rudman was one of the earliest pastors at Gloria Dei, and oversaw the construction of the church beginning in 1698.
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 record lists pew rents paid to Gloria Dei Church from 1813 to 1829. Entries are listed by pew number, and include the name of occupants, the number of seats rented, occupants' place of residence, and remarks on payment.
Yellow fever
"Account of the Box-money, being collection for the Poor that belong to the Congregation, on Sundays, during Divine Service: from the beginning of the year 1800, til the beginning of May 1806." Entries are listed by month, with each Sunday's total pounds, shillings and dollars added into a monthly sum. Often an explanation is provided for low sums collected, usually bad weather and subsequent low attendance. Expenditures are listed by year and include cords of firewood for the sickly during winter, and cash gifts to individuals such as detained sailors, widows, and disabled parishioners.
Churchwardens' accounts
Receipt book of Samuel Wheeler, church warden, recording disbursements from Gloria Dei from 1801 to 1811. Disbursements include salaries for church employees, supplies such as wood and hay, and upkeep of building and grounds.
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.
Corporate minutes
Church management
Charters
Wrangel, Carl Magnus, -1786
Church discipline
Church committees
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.
Missionaries
Religious education
Sunday schools
The manuscript begins with a transcription of the by-laws of Wicacoe Church adopted on December 3, 1838, which include the duties of the warden, secretary, and sexton, and policies for interment of members. Vestry minutes follow, including the place and date of the meeting, members present, and business discussed. Business includes, but is not limited to: collection of pew rents; record keeping; elections to leadership and appointments to committees; resignations, appointments and payment of staff; upkeep of building and grounds; fundraising for the mission society and Sunday school; and preparation of a charter to be reviewed by the state legislature.