List of subscribers for rebuilding the First Presbyterian Church on Market Street, v. 3, 1793-1798
First Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Church finance
Church buildings
Church fund raising
Presbyterians
Presbyterian Church
List of subscribers for rebuilding the First Presbyterian Church on Market Street. This bound manuscript includes entries dating from 1793 to 1798, and begins with an alphabetical index of names. The entries which follow are listed by subscriber name, with amounts paid, and span two pages, verso and recto.
Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia for the Southern District
Genealogy
Society of Friends
Quakers
Most Quaker meetings did not keep membership lists until the 19th century, but urban areas were an exception. Population movement into and out of the City necessitated more documentation.
Lists of burials for removal to Mount Moriah Cemetery, 1860
First Baptist Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Church records and registers
Baptists
Cemeteries
Burial records
Mount Moriah Cemetery was established in 1855, on the outskirts of Philadelphia. As the population grew and land in Philadelphia became scarcer and more valuable, many churches had their burials removed to more rural locations. In 1860, after moving to a new building to accommodate their growing congregation, First Baptist Church made the decision to remove their burials from the cemetery on Arch Street to Mount Moriah. These pages contain a list of graves, by range, including the stone number, name of the interred, date buried and age at time of burial. Entries are marked with an "X," presumably meaning those remains were successfully identified and removed. Note: The final page is an invitation to a mock trial hosted by the Young People's Working Association of First Baptist Church in 1890, which includes handwritten notes about unmarked graves on the back.
Congregation Mikveh Israel (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Synagogue officers
Synagogues
Jews
Synagogue records and registers
Pews and pew rights
The document is titled "Proceedings of the Board of Managers of K.K. M. Israel [Kahal Kadosh Mikveh Israel]; Under the new Constitution and Charter," but is only one page listing officers (parnas, adjunta, gabay, and secretary) for the congregation for the years 1823 to 1827.
Lithographs of First Moravian Church of Philadelphia, 1857
Moravian Church
First Moravian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Moravians
Four hand-colored lithographs created by Herline & Hensel of Philadelphia in 1857. The first lithograph features a view of the front and side of the original 1742 Moravian Church, which was located at the southeast corner of Bread Street (then Moravian Alley) and Race Street. The second lithograph features a view of the front and side of the Moravian Church (and parsonage) as it stood, on that same location, from 1746 to 1820. The third lithograph features a view of the front of the 1820 Moravian Church and surrounding buildings on Race Street. Finally, the fourth lithograph features a view of the side and front of the new Moravian Church of 1856, located at the southwest corner of Wood and Franklin Streets.
St. Michael's Church (Trenton, N.J.)
Episcopalians
Episcopal Church
Church membership
Correspondence
Marriage records
Baptismal records
Sermons
A set of many loose documents pertaining to the history of St. Michael's, dating from 1770 to 1862. Several of the documents are accompanied by typewritten transcripts. Included are: a record of the official naming of St. Michael's (submitted 1795, recorded 1796); lists of subscribers paying for Reverend Doctor Henry Waddell's salary, starting in 1797 and continuing for several years thereafter; a list of "Families of Episcopalians" in Trenton; an undated "plan of sittings" (map of church pews); Articles of Agreement for Building a Church in the City of Trenton, 1819; correspondence regarding the engagement of a minister; lists of communicants in 1855 and 1862; some marriage and baptismal records; and extracts from "Sermons by the Late Rev. John Logan, Edinburgh, one of the Ministers of Leith."
Lottery account book, 1773 and charity collections, 1802-1812
St. Paul's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Charity
The first 24 pages of this account book record the funds raised by St. Paul's 1773 church lottery, with entries ordered by date. Records of St. Paul's charity collections from 1802 to 1812 start from the back of the book and run chronologically, upside down, for another eight pages.
Record of funds raised by St. Paul's 1774 church lottery, with entries ordered by ticket number, with the name of purchaser and total amount paid for all tickets per person.
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. Philadelphia Quarterly Meeting
Philadelphia (Pa.)
Antislavery movements
A manumission was the legal document wherein an owner freed an enslaved person. As Quakers became convinced that the institution of slavery was contrary to their religious beliefs, they began to free their slaves. In 1773, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting made owning enslaved people a disownable offense.
Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia
Quakers married each other in the presence of witnesses. A marriage certificate was drawn up and signed by those in attendance. This document also included the names of the bride and groom, where the wedding took place, and what monthly meeting oversaw the proceedings. Some certificates list the parents as well. This, the meeting's record of the event, was a copy of the original which was retained by the couple after being recorded. Index at front.
Ketubah
Marriage contract between Mr. Isaac [E?] and Hanna [D?], dated 1842. The paper is aging and the ink is fading, making some text difficult to read. The marriage contract, called a ketubah, is in Aramaic. Ketubot (plural) are fairly standardized and usually read like this: In Good Augury On the... [day] in the week, in the... month, the year... from the creation of the world, according to the count that we are counting here... , ... the son of... said to this... the daughter of..., "Be my wife, according to the law of Moses and Israel. And I will work to honor , feed, and support you, according to the laws of Jewish men, who faithfully work to honor, feed and support their wives. And I will give you... silver zuz... , which is due to you...; and your food, clothing and needs and to live with you in the manner of the whole world." And Miss ... here agreed and became his wife. And this dowry that she brought in to him from the house of... - whether in silver, in gold, in jewelry, in clothing apparel, in houseware or in bedclothes - our groom has assumed upon himself for... pieces of refined silver. And our groom... agreed and added another... pieces of refined silver from his own corresponding to them - all in all... pieces of refined silver. And our groom... said as follows, "I accept responsibility upon myself and upon my inheritors after me for this marriage contract, for this dowry and for this addition (to the dowry), to be paid from all the best of my properties and possessions under all the skies, that I have acquired or that I will acquire in the future. Whether they are properties that are liened or are not liened, they are all liable and guarantee payment of this marriage contract, this dowry and this addition from me - and even from the cloak on my shoulder. [This holds] during my lifetime and after my lifetime, from today and forever." And our groom... has accepted responsibility and the stringencies of this marriage contract, this dowry and this addition, in accordance with the stringencies of all marriage contracts, dowries and additions customary with regards to the daughters of Israel that are made according to the ordinance of our Sages, may their memory be blessed. This is not like a conjectural agreement nor like a contract template. And it has been validated by our groom... the son of... towards... the daughter of... here about everything that is written and specified above with an object fit to make such a validation (kinyan). It is all binding and established.
Marriage contracts between members of Congregation Mikveh Israel, from 1813 to 1843. The names of bride and groom have been penciled in at the top of the page for most entries. The Jewish marriage contract is called a ketubah, and is traditionally written in Aramaic. Ketubot (plural) are fairly standardized and usually read like this: In Good Augury On the... [day] in the week, in the... month, the year... from the creation of the world, according to the count that we are counting here... , ... the son of... said to this... the daughter of..., "Be my wife, according to the law of Moses and Israel. And I will work to honor , feed, and support you, according to the laws of Jewish men, who faithfully work to honor, feed and support their wives. And I will give you... silver zuz... , which is due to you...; and your food, clothing and needs and to live with you in the manner of the whole world." And Miss ... here agreed and became his wife. And this dowry that she brought in to him from the house of... - whether in silver, in gold, in jewelry, in clothing apparel, in houseware or in bedclothes - our groom has assumed upon himself for... pieces of refined silver. And our groom... agreed and added another... pieces of refined silver from his own corresponding to them - all in all... pieces of refined silver. And our groom... said as follows, "I accept responsibility upon myself and upon my inheritors after me for this marriage contract, for this dowry and for this addition (to the dowry), to be paid from all the best of my properties and possessions under all the skies, that I have acquired or that I will acquire in the future. Whether they are properties that are liened or are not liened, they are all liable and guarantee payment of this marriage contract, this dowry and this addition from me - and even from the cloak on my shoulder. [This holds] during my lifetime and after my lifetime, from today and forever." And our groom... has accepted responsibility and the stringencies of this marriage contract, this dowry and this addition, in accordance with the stringencies of all marriage contracts, dowries and additions customary with regards to the daughters of Israel that are made according to the ordinance of our Sages, may their memory be blessed. This is not like a conjectural agreement nor like a contract template. And it has been validated by our groom... the son of... towards... the daughter of... here about everything that is written and specified above with an object fit to make such a validation (kinyan). It is all binding and established.
Marriage contracts between members of Congregation Mikveh Israel, from 1843 to 1866. The names of bride and groom and the date of their wedding have been penciled in at the top of the page for most entries. The Jewish marriage contract is called a ketubah, and is traditionally written in Aramaic. Ketubot (plural) are fairly standardized and usually read like this: In Good Augury On the... [day] in the week, in the... month, the year... from the creation of the world, according to the count that we are counting here... , ... the son of... said to this... the daughter of..., "Be my wife, according to the law of Moses and Israel. And I will work to honor , feed, and support you, according to the laws of Jewish men, who faithfully work to honor, feed and support their wives. And I will give you... silver zuz... , which is due to you...; and your food, clothing and needs and to live with you in the manner of the whole world." And Miss ... here agreed and became his wife. And this dowry that she brought in to him from the house of... - whether in silver, in gold, in jewelry, in clothing apparel, in houseware or in bedclothes - our groom has assumed upon himself for... pieces of refined silver. And our groom... agreed and added another... pieces of refined silver from his own corresponding to them - all in all... pieces of refined silver. And our groom... said as follows, "I accept responsibility upon myself and upon my inheritors after me for this marriage contract, for this dowry and for this addition (to the dowry), to be paid from all the best of my properties and possessions under all the skies, that I have acquired or that I will acquire in the future. Whether they are properties that are liened or are not liened, they are all liable and guarantee payment of this marriage contract, this dowry and this addition from me - and even from the cloak on my shoulder. [This holds] during my lifetime and after my lifetime, from today and forever." And our groom... has accepted responsibility and the stringencies of this marriage contract, this dowry and this addition, in accordance with the stringencies of all marriage contracts, dowries and additions customary with regards to the daughters of Israel that are made according to the ordinance of our Sages, may their memory be blessed. This is not like a conjectural agreement nor like a contract template. And it has been validated by our groom... the son of... towards... the daughter of... here about everything that is written and specified above with an object fit to make such a validation (kinyan). It is all binding and established.
Gloria Dei Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Lutherans
Lutheran Church
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.
Marriage register of Rev. Joseph Pilmore, 1786-1813
Record of marriages performed by Rev. Joseph Pilmore, occurring at St. Paul's Church between 1786 and 1794, at Christ Church in New York between 1794 and 1804, and again at St. Paul's Church from 1804 to 1813. Entries are listed chronologically and include the names of the bride and groom. Additional marriages by Rev. Pilmore after the end of this register are in the registers of St. Paul's Church.
Marriage register, 1761-1894 [partial scan through 1870]
Register of marriages occurring at First Baptist Church between 1761 and 1894. Because of the limitation of the funding source for digitization, this volume was scanned only through the page for marriages occurring in 1870. It appears the manuscript was used as a financial journal prior to use as a marriage register; financial entries date from 1744 to 1760, but are crossed out, and pages are reused to record marriages. There is an alphabetical index of names at the beginning of the book. The date ranges are out of order, marriages from 1761 beginning on p. 15, continuing to p. 270, whereupon the reader is directed back to p. 2 for the continuation of marriage records from Rev. William Rogers. Meanwhile, records of Rev. Henry Holcombe from 1813 start on p. 270 and continue through 1824 on p. 313. Records from succeeding pastors continue to the end of the book, with some gaps in years.
Register of marriages performed at St. Paul's by a succession of ministers, including Rev. William McClenachan from 1759 to1765, Rev. William Shinger from 1768 to 1778, and Rev. Joseph Pilmore from 1786 to 1794 and again from 1804 to 1824. Entries are listed by year, with the date of the wedding and names of the bride and groom. Many of these entries can be located using the separate volume entitled Marriages, alphabetical index, 1759-1803, if names are known but dates are not. Also, date gaps may be filled in by other marriage registers from St. Paul's.
Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia for the Northern District
Quakers married each other in the presence of witnesses. A marriage certificate was drawn up and signed by those in attendance. This document also included the names of the bride and groom, where the wedding took place, and what monthly meeting oversaw the proceedings. Some certificates list the parents as well. This, the meeting's record of the event, was a copy of the original which was retained by the couple after being recorded.
St. Joseph's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Register of marriages at St. Joseph's Church. In Latin.
Register of marriages at St. Joseph's Church. In Latin. Includes index at rear.
Marriages, alphabetical index, 1759-1803
Record of marriages performed at St. Paul's from 1760 to 1802. Each marriage is listed twice, under the last name of the groom and the bride. Each listing includes the date the ceremony was performed and the names of individuals being married. It appears that records were originally recorded in a chronological register. They have since been copied, cut apart and pasted into a bound manuscript in alphabetical order.
Marriages, baptisms, and burials, 1750-1789
Registers of births, etc.
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.
Marriages, burials, and baptisms, 1830-1884
St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Church history
Bound manuscript listing marriages, burials and baptisms performed at St. Peter's from 1830 to 1884. Marriages span the years 1832 to 1870. Each marriage listing includes the date of marriage and the names of the individuals being married. Often the name of the minister is listed at the top of the page. Burials span the years 1830 to 1884. Each burial listing includes the date of death, name of deceased, and age of death. Baptisms span the years 1831 to 1870. Each Baptism listing includes the date of baptism, name of person baptized, parents’ names, sponsor's name, and minister's name. Note: Due to the nature of scanning primary sources, page numbering for the images of this bound manuscript jump from page 18 to page page 51, and from page 84 to page 147.
Marriages, Christ Church and St. Peter's Church, 1763-1836
United Churches of Christ-Church and St. Peter's (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Record of marriages of the members of Christ Church and Saint Peter's Church from 1763 to 1836. Marriages are listed by date and include the name of the bride and groom and the official who married them. Marriages by license from the governor are marked with an "L" while marriages by publication in the church are marked with a "P".
Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Record of marriages performed at Christ Church from 1837 to 1870. Entries are listed by date and include the name of the bride and groom and the name of the person who married them. A note on the inside front cover from Rector B. Dorr adds to the record five marriages from 1836 and one from 1839, which were recorded in a private record but left out of previous official registers. (This register contains records dating up to 1979, but was only scanned through 1870, per the terms of grant funding.)
Marshall family marriages, births and deaths, 1769-1813
One page listing the marriages, births and deaths that took place in the Marshall family between 1769 and 1813.
Titled in English, "A List of the Children under the Care of the Brethren in Philadelphia." The date of August 13, 1760 is noted in A. G. Spangenberg's handwriting at the top of page 1. The list was handwritten by Jacob Rogers, then pastor of the Philadelphia congregation, and it includes the children's names and dates of birth.
Members of Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, 1759-1762
Society of Friends--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
Quakers--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
Philadelphia (Pa.)--Genealogy
Quaker women
Women and religion
Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia for the Western District
Immigrants
Membership catalog of the First Moravian Church of Philadelphia, with entries dating from 1742 to 1783; likely handwritten by Jacob Friis or Johann Daniel Sydrich, who were both pastors of the Philadelphia congregation. Most of the column headings are in German, for which translations have been provided: "No." (number), "Namen" (names), "geboren" (born/date of birth), "woher" (where born), "Religion" (faith traditions), "in die Ehe getreten" (entered into marriage), "ins Land kommen" (arrival in the country), "Aufgenommen" (received as a member), "zur Communion" (admitted to communion), "Ihre Kinder" (their children), "geboren" (born/dates of birth of children), and "getauft, von wem" (date child baptized, by whom). Contains an incomplete index that was never used.
Titled in English, "A Catalogue of the Congregation members, Communicants, & not-communicants, & Society People, belonging to the little Flock of United Brethren in Phiadelphia." Names are listed for each category, along with short testimonies about the character or general mood of individuals, for example, "A good heart," or "Goes on as usual," or "Happier than ever." The list is likely not complete, as A. G. Spangenberg noted on page 4, "wo sind aber die übrigen?" (but where are the rest of them?).
Titled in German, "Verzeichniß derer zum Brüder-Gemeinlein in Philadelphia Befindenden, bey Bruder David Nitschmanns Visitation vom 24 30. Januar. 1766," which translates to "List of those in the Brethren congregation in Philadelphia, at Brother David Nitschmann's visitation from January 24-30, 1766." This catalog includes detailed information about individuals belonging to the First Moravian Church of Philadelphia, written in German. Translations of column headings are as follows: Beginning with page 2, the column headings are "Namen" (names), "geboren" (born/date of birth), "Wo?" (where born), "Religion" (faith traditions), "in die Ehe getreten" (entered into marriage), "ins Land gekommen" (arrived in the country), "aufgenommen" (received as a member), and "zur Heiligen Communion" (admitted to Holy Communion). Beginning with p. 21, the column headings are "Namen" (names), "geboren" (born/date of birth), "wo" (where born), and "Religion" (faith traditions).
Titled in English, "Catalogue of Members belonging to the Congregation in Philadelphia : Nov. 13, 1836." Members are listed in groups, with communicants listed first, followed by society members, and both groups further subdivided by sex and marital status. Next children are listed, also divided by sex. Entries include individual's names and dates of birth. Many of the pages of this catalog were not used; a few additional entries are scattered through later pages.
Confirmation records
Titled in English on front cover, "Church Book." Members are listed in groups, with communicants listed first, followed by society members, and both groups further subdivided by sex and marital status. Next children are listed, also divided by sex. Entries include individual's names and dates of birth; some entries also include dates of baptism and confirmation. The manuscript begins with an index that covers the first and largest grouping of entries. Several updated catalogs are recorded throughout the manuscript, and friends of the congregation who were not members are listed on pages 120-121.
Baptism and church membership
This register begins with a corrected list of the members of the church at its founding, and those added in the initial years. It then lists each member's admission to the church by baptism or letter of transfer. It also includes dates and causes for termination of membership, whether by church discipline, transfer to another church, or death.
For members of First Baptist Church from 1772 to 1844, this bound manuscript lists their date and manner of admission to the church (whether by baptism or transfer,) date of marriage, and notes on date and manner of removal from membership, including dates of death.
Memoranda book, pew rent and Sunday collections, 1793-1795
Second Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Memoranda book with brief entries running chronologically from 1793 to 1795, listing congregant names with amounts received for pew rents, as well as totals received in church collections.
Minutes Commencing the 25th day of the 1st Monthly (January) 1765, 1765-1771
The monthly business meeting is the basic unit of Quaker organization. In the 17th and 18th centuries, only members in good standing could participate. Men and women met separately to conduct business but worshipped together. The business meeting usually included Friends who might worship in several different meeting houses in a defined geographic area. It had responsibility for care of members, authorizing marriages and removals (transfers), and maintaining discipline. Index at front.
Minutes of the English Conference, 1743-1747
Corporate minutes
Church meetings
Elders (Church officers)
Church discipline
Conflict management
Church management
Love feasts
Baptism
Church schools
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.
Minutes of the Monthly Meeting of Friends in Philadelphia, 1771-1777
The monthly business meeting is the basic unit of Quaker organization. In the 17th and 18th centuries, only members in good standing could participate. Men and women met separately to conduct business but worshipped together. The business meeting usually included Friends who might worship in several different meeting houses in a defined geographic area. It had responsibility for care of members, authorizing marriages and removals (transfers), and maintaining discipline. Index in front.
Minutes of the Monthly Meeting of Friends in Philadelphia, 1777-1781