Removals Received, Original Certificates Nos. 301-450, 1729-1736
Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia
Genealogy
Society of Friends
Quakers
A certificate of removal was a document given to persons who were transferring their membership from one monthly meeting to another. Their removal testified that they were members in good standing with the meetings they were leaving. These are the original certificates, mounted in a volume at a later date, as received by Philadelphia Monthly Meeting. Indexed.
Removals Received, Original Certificates Nos. 451-600, 1736-1742
Removals Received, Original Certificates Nos. 601-750, 1742-1746
Removals Received, Original Certificates Nos. 751-900, 1747-1750
Removals Received, Original Certificates Nos. 901-1049, 1750-1755
Resolutions in regard to interment, 1846
First Baptist Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Church records and registers
Baptists
Cemeteries
Church finance
Church management
Pews and pew rights
One printed page, addressed "To the Members of the First Baptist Church and Congregation," dated May 11, 1846 and outlining policies and prices for interment in the First Baptist burial ground, including a pew rent requirement.
Peters, Richard, 1704-1776
Duche, Jacob, 1737-1798
Poor
Charity
Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
United Churches of Christ-Church and St. Peter's (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Two items of correspondence involving Richard Peters, an important figure in colonial Philadelphia and rector of Christ Church from 1762 to 1775. The first letter, dated September 31, 1771, is from Rector Peters and Assistant Minister Jacob Duche to the Bishop of Cork, regarding a relation of the bishop who is a member of their congregation. She traveled to Philadelphia with her husband, who drowned two years previously, and fell on hard times. Peters and Duche request financial assistance on behalf of the widow, so she can set up a shop and support herself. The second letter, dated June 28, 1771, is to the Reverend Doctor Peters from Robert Smith, regarding the purchase of a lot of land from the church.
Richard Peters' full discharge, 1776 April 6
Clergy
Resignation
Release
Bonds
"Dr. Richard Peter's full discharge." Details of Richard Peters' resignation from the rectorship. The document records Richard Peters, late Rector of the United Congregations of Christ Church and St. Peter's Churches, releasing the churches from all financial demands and claims, provided they exonerate him from a bond he entered into on their account to the Academy of the City.
Robert Blackwell letter to Mr. Cumpston concerning burial of Mrs. Richard Simpson, 1797 June 16
Burial
Letter from Robert Blackwell to Mr. Cumpston regarding the burial of Mrs. Richard Simpson in St. Peter's burial ground. Simpson lives in Gloucester and promises to pay the expenses within a week.
Blackwell, Robert, 1748-1831
Church of England
Robert Jenney served as the Reverend of Christ Church from 1742 until his death in 1762. Jenney wrote this letter "to the Subscribers for erecting a new Church in Philadelphia" in 1753. As the population of Philadelphia grew, Christ Church no longer had enough room, and as a result, some members wanted to build a new church. While Jenney approved of the goal to accommodate more congregants, he was concerned about the approach, and strongly believed that the new church should remain part of one congregation with Christ Church, led by the same vestry, with a minister licensed by the Bishop of London. As long as they followed the "established rules" of erecting new churches, he was willing to assist them however he could. In 1758 the vestry of Christ Church authorized the construction of a new chapel at Third & Pine Streets to accommodate its members living in the southern section of the city. St. Peter's Church, located at the corner of Third & Pine Streets, and Christ Church shared the same vestry, ministers, and records and until they formally separated in 1832, and were known as the United Churches of Christ Church & St. Peter's.
Robert Jenney Pledge of Conformity, 1742
Oaths
Religious leaders
British colonies
Robert Jenney served as the Reverend of Christ Church from 1742 until his death in 1762. In this document, he writes: "I do declare that I will Conform to the Liturgy of the Church of England as it is now by Law established." Such a pledge of conformity was required to secure license to perform ministerial office in the colonies.
Congregation Mikveh Israel (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Church fund raising
Church buildings
Two page manuscript documenting the previously secured Commonwealth approval for a lottery to raise money for repairs to Mikveh Israel's synagogue and burial ground, "and other purposes of relief," as well as laying out a detailed plan for how to structure the lottery.
Second Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Presbyterians
Education
Church schools
Public schools
Church committees
Presbyterian Church
Forty loose pages documenting the activities of the church committee charged with overseeing the development of the "congregational or charity school" in 1795. Documents include committee reports regarding school organization, securing the land and completing the school building, and accounting for such things as plumbing improvements and school supplies. Documents also include a list of initial subscribers and their donations, and records of continuing donations over the course of three years.
Schoolmaster records, 1786-1791, John Ely
In 1787, schoolmaster John Ely agreed to rent the Second Presbyterian schoolhouse and provide instruction to local children on reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion, with Second Presbyterian serving as a patron to the school and referring children of parishioners for instruction there. These seven loose documents include Ely's contract with Second Presbyterian, and letters from Ely regarding the need to enlarge the schoolhouse, a proposal to create "an academy for the instruction of young ladies," the employment of tutors and ushers, and an account of his expenditures in improving the building.
Synagogue records and registers
Jews
Synagogue fund raising
Synagogues
Record of seat rentals at Mikveh Israel from 1857 to 1866. Entries are listed by name and include dates and amounts paid. There is an alphabetical index of names at the front of the volume.
Episcopalians
Episcopal Church
Seating plan of Christ Church, first floor and gallery, circa 1760, listing names and pew numbers. These correlate to the numbers found in the pew register listings.
Church discipline
Corporate minutes
The Session is a body of elected elders governing a Presbyterian church. In this bound volume, the Session is referred to as the Consistory until 1767. Meeting minutes run from 1744 to 1798, and note the date, members present, and business discussed. Business includes elections to office and management of church finances, including financial assistance to the poor, with the bulk of entries concerning resolution of conflicts between church members and discipline of church members found guilty of offenses such as drinking, fighting, theft, slander and adultery.
Church membership
The Session is a body of elected elders governing a Presbyterian church. Meeting minutes run from 1798 to 1817, and note the date, members present, and business discussed. Business includes elections to office and appointments to committees; management of church finances, including financial assistance to the poor; church membership; and the resolution of conflicts between, and discipline of, church members.
First Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Missionaries
The Session is a body of elected elders governing a Presbyterian church. Meeting minutes run from 1807 to 1830, and note the date, members present, and business discussed. Business includes elections to office and appointments to committees; management of church finances, including the funding of missionary work and financial assistance to the poor; and the resolution of conflicts between, and discipline of, church members. The history of First Presbyterian is sketched out on the verso of the first flyleaf, and the first few pages of the notebook contains a list of members from 1807. A list of communicants runs from image 116 to image 147, followed by several pages of certifications for members in good standing, and a list of members who had moved to other churches.
Third Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
The Session is a body of elected elders governing a Presbyterian church. This manuscript begins with a brief history of Third Presbyterian, followed by an alphabetical list of "members in full communion." Meeting minutes begin on image 19 and run from 1809 to 1828. Each entry notes the date, members present, and business discussed. Business includes: elections to office and appointments to committees; management of church finances, including financial assistance to the poor; church membership; and the resolution of conflicts between, and discipline of, church members. Please note there are some page numbering irregularities in the original manuscript; image numbers will provide better identification of each page.
The Session is a body of elected elders governing a Presbyterian church. Meeting minutes run from 1817 to 1841, and note the date, members present, and business discussed. Business includes elections to office and appointments to committees; management of church finances, including financial assistance to the poor; church membership; and the resolution of conflicts between, and discipline of, church members.
The Session is a body of elected elders governing a Presbyterian church. Meeting minutes run from 1828 to 1863, and note the date, members present, and business discussed. Business includes elections to office and appointments to committees; management of church finances, including financial assistance to the poor; church membership; and the resolution of conflicts between, and discipline of, church members.
The Session is a body of elected elders governing a Presbyterian church. This manuscript begins with a list of pastors at First Presbyterian up to 1830, then includes an historical list of elders, followed by a list of communicants, with their dates of admission as well as notes on certificates, dismissals, exclusions and deaths. Session minutes begin on image 90. They run from 1830 to 1851, and note the date, members present, and business discussed. Business includes elections to office and appointments to committees; management of church finances, including financial assistance to the poor; church membership; and the resolution of conflicts between, and discipline of, church members.
St. Peter's Church organ correspondence and other records, 1813
Wages
Organists
Organ (Musical instrument)
Organ builders
Church music
Correspondence details the decision to purchase a new organ for Saint Peter's Church. The folder also contains a list of desired specifications for the organ. Additional records document a dispute with New York organ builders John Geib & Son over travel expenses, and a draft contract with local builder John Lowe for $4,000, which the Vestry ultimately rejected due to lack of funds. The folder also includes a petition from organist Rayner Taylor requesting a salary increase due to the high cost of living, his subsequent resignation to take a better position at St. Paul's Church, and a petition signed by parishioners protesting a 25% increase in pew rents during 'times of Calamity.'
St. Peter's Church pew holders meeting minutes and Committee on Organ report, 1814
Meeting minutes and report of the Committee on Organ and pew holders at Saint Peter's Church. The document details resolutions to collect subscriptions, appoint a treasurer to invest funds, and assess a semiannual fee on pew holders if a balance remains. It also authorizes a committee to contract for and superintend the building of the new organ. General Francis Gurney chaired the meeting.
Spires
Church bells
Records kept by treasurer Jacob Duche of donations towards and payments for the construction of the steeple and bells at Christ Church from 1751 to 1755.
First Moravian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Moravian Church
Moravians
A directory of members' names, listed street by street. Spouses and children are also noted, as well as descriptions such as "yellow frame house." Updates and annotations are penciled in throughout the manuscript.
Jewish religious education
Hebrew Sunday School Society of Philadelphia (Pa.)
Female Hebrew Benevolent Society (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Gratz, Rebecca, 1781-1869
Sunday schools
Letters
Four letters regarding the Hebrew Sunday school sponsored by Mikveh Israel: One letter from educator and philanthropist Rebecca Gratz, then secretary of the board of the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society, thanking parnas Lewis Allen for "carrying into effect the business of their anniversary meeting" in 1836; another letter from Rebecca Gratz thanking the parnas and adjunta for permission to use a room in the synagogue for the Sunday school in 1841; a letter presenting curtains for the school on behalf of "the ladies of the congregation" in 1845; and finally a letter from Mary Cohen of the Hebrew Sunday School Society to Henry Cohen, the president of the congregation, thanking him for the donation of a stove and permission to hold class in the synagogue, in 1877.
Cohen, Mary M., 1854-1911
One page, front and back, listing the names and addresses of members of the Sunday School of the First Moravian Church of Philadelphia in 1856.
Supplementary Record to Certificates Received, 1686-1772
A certificate of removal was a document given to persons who were transferring their membership from one monthly meeting to another. Their removal testified that they were members in good standing with the meetings they were leaving. This is a copy made in 1882.
Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia for the Southern District
A disownment was an involuntary termination of membership in a meeting, when a member of a meeting acted contrary to established discipline. This folder includes disownments from the Orthodox branch of Philadelphia Monthly Meeting after the Separation of 1827.
The Neighborhood House of Christ Church, Philadelphia, with a Social Survey of its district
Social conditions
Social surveys
The Women's Monthly Meeting Booke, 1685-1728
Quakers married each other in the presence of witnesses. This book, kept by women Friends, recorded intentions of marriage and the people and causes for distribution of funds. Laid in is another small book with additional marriage and fund disbursement information and 3 loose pages of accounts. Also includes some removals.
Thomas Cumpston letter to William Meredith regarding St. Peter's Church organ fundraising, 1812 December 10
Fund raising
Letter from Thomas Cumpston to William Meredith regarding fundraising for an organ for St. Peter's Church in Philadelphia. Cumpston reports that several gentlemen belonging to St. Peter's Church had asked him about progress in collecting money for building the organ, and he requests that Meredith state how much had been subscribed and what more might likely be collected.
Cumpston, Thomas
Sepulchral monuments
Gloria Dei Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Lutherans
Burial records
Lutheran Church
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.
Transcript of the Travels of Benjamin Dorr, 1819-1864
Dorr, Benjamin, 1796-1869
Voyages and travels
American Civil War (United States : 1861-1865)
Steamboats
Reverend Benjamin Dorr served as rector for Christ Church from 1839 to 1868, and undertook the difficult job of holding the congregation together during the Civil War. Dorr traveled extensively throughout his life. This manuscript was copied from one loaned to a Dr. Hedrick in 1941 or 1942, and contains Dorr's notes about his many travels through the United States from 1819 to 1864. He often traveled through New England, but also visited the mid-Atlantic states, and even ventured into the deep South and as far West as the Green Bay area, stopping in Detroit and Chicago. He traveled by steamboat, stagecoach and horse; stayed with family and friends; dined with persons prominent in the military, church, politics and local businesses; and visited museums, hospitals, libraries, colleges, factories and local historical landmarks. He would sometimes preach and collect money for missionary work. The last entry details his visit to the Army of the Potomac in 1864.
Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia for the Northern District
Lay ministry--Society of Friends
A Travelling Certificate was issued by a meeting to a member in good standing (normally a recorded minister), allowing him or her to travel to other meetings to visit or preach. This is the certificate of William Savery.
Trustee account book, David Lake, 1806-1827, 1843-1844
St. George's Methodist Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Methodists
Methodist Church
Account book of trustee David Lake. The first two pages date from 1843 to 1844 and appear to be a listing of member's burials, with names and grave locations. The records then begin at 1806 and run to 1827. Lake notes the Church's need to raise money through subscriptions to buy more land for burials, although the page for subscribers' names only lists two people, from 1808. From 1809 to 1812 Lake records the money he paid for clothing on behalf of James Ware, David James, and William Lake. From 1814 to 1827, Lake records the amounts (in number of "coppers") taken out and returned, usually written to cash, but sometimes for services, bills, or specific individuals' names.
The meeting minutes of the Trustees of First Baptist Church from 1794 to 1836 contain the date of each meeting, the trustees present, the topics they discussed, and the resolutions they passed. Trustee business included appointments to positions such as treasurer and clerk; the management of donations and investments; oversight of record-keeping; payment to workers such as the minister and carpenter; and maintenance of buildings and burial grounds. There is an index on the inside back cover of the bound manuscript. Note: The meeting minutes between March 1796 and February 1798 are missing from the original manuscript, which is why they do not appear in the digital version, and why the page numbering skips from page 8 to page 11. Also, page numbering on the original manuscript starts over at a new page 1 following page 89. To identify page numbers in citations, researchers can use the image number in combination with the page number.
Inscribed as "The Pine Street Presbyterian Church Committee Book," this bound volume contains the minutes of the meetings of trustees of Third Presbyterian from 1771 to 1796. Each entry includes the date, place, members present, and business discussed. Topics of the meetings generally include the collection of pew rents, settlement of financial accounts, improvements to the buildings and grounds, and management of charitable funds, as well as more specific entries such as the seasonal adjustment of service times and adoption of a new version of the Psalms. Of particular interest are the minutes pertaining to the call for George Duffield to serve as their new pastor, and the resulting rift with First Presbyterian Church. The bulk of the minutes end on page 168, and pages 174, 175 and 176, which list the books and verses read from during services, are written upside down, so run in reverse chronological order. Note: Prior to 1797, the Trustees were called "the Committee."
St. Paul's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
McClenachan, William, 1714-
Churchwardens' accounts
Minutes of the meetings of the St. Paul's vestry, from 1762 to 1774. Each entry records the date of the meeting, members present and business discussed. One of the main topics covered is the ill health of Reverend McClenachan and the subsequent need to secure an assistant minister and, eventually, a replacement minister. Other topics include: election of vestry members, wardens, clerks and sextons; appointments to committees; management of finances; pew assignments; regulation of burials, fundraising for an organ; building upkeep such as painting doors and windows; and the purchase of supplies such as candles and collection plates.
Charters
Wrangel, Carl Magnus, -1786
Sweden
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.
Minutes of the meetings of the St. Paul's vestry, from 1792 to 1797. Each entry includes the date of the meeting, members present, and business discussed. Many entries include wardens' accounts, as reports from the committee appointed to examine those accounts. Other topics include: elections to the vestry and the appointment of wardens and sextons; the management of pews and of the church graveyard; the departure of one minister and need to secure a new one; and the presentation of an act of incorporation to the state assembly for ratification in 1795.
Minutes of the meetings of the St. Paul's vestry, from 1797 to 1810. Each entry includes the date of the meeting, members present, and business discussed. Topics include but are not limited to: elections to the vestry and the appointment of wardens and sextons; hiring of a new minister and assistant minister; management of church finances, including ground rents, pew rents and bequests; the problem of a full burial ground; appointments to various committees; plans for a singing school for children and home for aged widows; establishment of a subscription to raise funds for a church organ; and ongoing upkeep of church buildings and grounds.
Minutes of the meetings of the St. Paul's vestry, from 1810 to 1829. Each entry includes the date of the meeting, members present, and business discussed. Topics include but are not limited to: vestry elections; appointment of wardens and sextons; various committee assignments; management of financial accounts, including loans, investments and bequests; management of pew assignments; management of the cemetery; mediation of interpersonal disputes between church members; upkeep of and improvements to the buildings and grounds; the continued quest to secure a church organ; and continued support for the church school and house for aged widows.
St. Thomas' Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
African American churches
African Americans
The vestry is the governing body of an Episcopal church; it is comprised of the rector and members of the congregation elected by other congregants. This bound volume contains the St. Thomas vestry meeting minutes from 1813 to 1821, including date, time of day (morning, afternoon, or evening), members and Reverend present, and a brief description of each meeting. Topics include church lotteries, overdue "seat money," building repairs, burials, elections, resignations, committee assignments, and parishioners in financial need.
The vestry is the governing body of an Episcopal church; it is comprised of the rector and members of the congregation elected by other congregants. This bound volume contains the St. Thomas vestry meeting minutes from 1821 to 1831, including date, time of day (morning, afternoon, or evening), members and Reverend present, and a brief description of each meeting.
Church history
The vestry is the governing body of an Episcopal church; it is comprised of the rector and members of the congregation elected by other congregants. The vestry minutes begin with a copy of the 1832 Act by the Pennsylvania legislature which separated Christ Church and St. Peter's Church into two separate entities. Minutes from the vestry meetings from 1832 to 1852 follow, containing the dates and locations of the meetings, members present, and business discussed. Topics covered include but are not limited to: the settlement of separate financial accounts following the split from Christ Church, the hiring of a new minister and assistant minister, election of vestrymen and appointment of organist and choir, purchase of a new building to house the Sunday school, collection of pew rents, improvement of burial grounds, management of the church's charity fund, and committee reports.
Religious education
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.