Old St. Mary's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Church records and registers
Burial records
Catholics
Cemeteries
Registers of births, etc.
Record of burials at Old St. Mary's from 1823 to 1843. The manuscript begins with new regulations dated January 1, 1844, listing fees for various burial services. Burials are then listed by date beginning on page 3, with name, age at time of death, which ground the decedent was buried in, and fees paid. Notes are included for the purchase of a headstone, and if the decedent was a child, "colored," or poor. Entries from January 1830 onward also note causes of death, which include consumption, worms, whooping cough, scarlet fever, old age, inflammation of bowels, drinking cold water, apoplexy, accident, and dropsy, among others.
Record of burials at Old St. Mary's from 1844 to 1850. Burials are listed chronologically, and include the location of the grave, decedent's name, age at time of death, and fees paid.
Record of burials at Old St. Mary's from 1851 to 1859. Burials are listed chronologically, and include the location of the grave, decedent's name, age at time of death, and fees paid.
St. Paul's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Episcopalians
Episcopal Church
Record of interments at St. Paul's from 1852 to 1869. Each entry includes the decedent's name and date and location of burial. Some entries also include age at time of death and cause of death. Some disinterments are also noted, with the location of re-burial. Entries from 1856 to 1869 are listed in the first eight pages; after a few blank pages there are earlier entries from 1852 to 1845, recorded upside down.
Record of burials at Old St. Mary's from 1859 to 1878. Burials are listed chronologically, and include the location of the grave, decedent's name, age at time of death, and fees paid.
Burials, Christ Church and St. Peter's Church, 1763-1831
United Churches of Christ-Church and St. Peter's (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Christ Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
St. Peter's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790
Rush, Benjamin, 1746-1813
Hopkinson, Francis, 1737-1791
Hewes, Joseph, 1730-1779
Ross, George, 1730-1779
Record of persons buried at Christ Church and St. Peter's, listed chronologically, sometimes with relatives and burial plot location noted as well. From 1793 to 1831, Christ Church burials are listed on the left-hand page with burials at St. Peter's churchyard listed on the right-hand page. Notable figures from history whose burials are noted include Benjamin Franklin and four other signers of the Declaration of Independence: Benjamin Rush, Francis Hopkinson, Joseph Hewes, and George Ross.
United Churches of Christ-Church, St. Peter's, and St. James's (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Church finance
Church of England
Burial records kept by the sexton of Christ Church from 1772 to 1786. Burials are listed by date and include the decedent's name, age at time of death, and amount paid for burial. Names of spouses or parents are often noted, as well as cause of death.
Burial records for members of Christ Church from 1832 to 1870 (records from 1871 to 1978 were not scanned as part of this project). This is a record of burial services conducted rather than interments; not all of the deceased are buried in the Christ Church burial ground. Entries are listed by date and typically include the decedent's name, age at time of death, and parent's name if decedent was a child.
First Moravian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Moravian Church
Moravians
Burial plan of the God's Acre (cemetery) at Philadelphia First Moravian Church, bounded by Franklin and Vine Streets, from 1757 to 1805. Column headings translate as: Mägdlein and Mädgen (girls); Vereh[e]l[ichte] Schw[este]rn (married sisters, i.e. married women); Ledige Schw[este]rn (single sisters, i.e. single women); Vereh[e]l[ichte] Br[üde]r (married brothers, i.e. married men); Ledige [Brüder] (single [brothers], i.e. single men); and finally Knäbgen and Knäblein (boys). These burials are also documented on pages 211 to 263 of "Church register vol. 1, 1743-1822."
Yellow fever
Indians of North America
Burial records kept by George Stokes, sexton of St. Peter's, from 1789 to 1793. Burials are listed by date and include the decedent's name, age at time of death, and amount paid for burial. Names of spouses or parents are often noted, as well as cause of death. Of note are the many deaths due to "fever," as yellow fever reached epidemic proportions in Philadelphia in 1793. Also of interest are the interments of the Native American Chiefs who came to visit President Washington and died in Philadelphia of smallpox. The final entry in the book is George Stokes himself, aged 56 years.
Stokes, George
First Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Ewing, John, 1732-1802
Miller, Samuel, 1769-1850
Presbyterians
Religious leaders
Presbyterian Church
Two handwritten copies of a letter from First Presbyterian requesting that the Reverend Doctor Samuel Miller join them as pastor, following the illness of pastor Rev. Dr. John Ewing. The Rev. Dr. Samuel Miller was a prominent Presbyterian minister, teacher and writer in the first half of the 19th century.
Third Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Clergy
Duffield, George, 1732-1790
Following a majority vote by the congregation, the subscribers of Third Presbyterian wrote to Reverend George Duffield requesting he become their new pastor. The letter, dated August 9, 1771, offers him an annual salary of 200 pounds. Duffield accepted the call, and served as pastor at Third Presbyterian until his death in 1790. Duffield also served as chaplain of the Continental Congress during the American Revolutionary War.
Monthly Meeting of Friends of Philadelphia for the Northern District
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.
Charter of the Congregation Beth El Emeth, 1857
Congregation Mikveh Israel (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Charters
Congregation Beth El Emeth (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Leeser, Isaac
Jews
Synagogues
Synagogue records and registers
The official charter and constitution of the Congregation Beth El Emeth, singed by the original leaders of the congregation and incorporated by the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia in 1857. Beth El Emeth emerged from Mikveh Israel, under the leadership of Mikveh Israel's retired Rev. Isaac Leeser. After Leeser's death, Beth El Emeth dissolved, and its records returned to Mikveh Israel.
St. Michael's Church (Trenton, N.J.)
A 1703 land grant from Governor Inglesby, giving four English farmers land to build a church on the hills north of the Delaware Falls, which they shared with Scottish farmers. In 1751 St. Michael's original Trenton sanctuary was built on this land.
Second Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Charter for Second Presbyterian Church, located at the northwest corner of Third Street and Mulberry Street, issued by Thomas and John Penn, witnessed by Richard Penn, and "Inrolled in the Rolls Office" in 1772.
Charter granted to Third Presbyterian Church by Thomas and John Penn, establishing it as a separate institution from First Presbyterian Church. Witnessed by Lieutenant Governor Richard Penn on August 27th, 1772. This charter explains that the church will be recognized by King George the Third of England.
Church membership
Titled on the front-inside cover, "Names & Residence of the Congregation of the United Brethrens Church in Philadelphia, Dec. 14, '36." Names are not listed in alphabetical order, but appear to be listed in geographical groupings. Persons living outside the city are listed on page 11. Known descendants of Moravians who were "not members at present" are listed on page 12. "Friends and contributors" are listed on pages 13 to 14. Although the directory is dated 1836, updates are noted up to 1839.
Baptismal records
Marriage records
This register dates from 1743 to 1822 and includes an extensive alphabetical index in the front of the book. Births and baptisms are then listed from page 1 to page 172, deaths and burials are listed from page 201 to page 302, and marriages are listed from page 305 to page 328. Note: Text on pages i-iv is in German.
This register begins with an alphabetical index. Births and baptisms are listed from page 1 to page 93, marriages are listed on page 131 to 171, and deaths and burials are listed from page 213 to page 262.
Lord's Supper
This register begins with an alphabetical index. Communicants are listed from pages 52 to 117, and again on page 324. Births and baptisms are listed on pages 121 to 153; receptions of new members are listed on pages 181 to 193 (previous congregations are noted); deaths, funerals and burials are recorded on pages 241 to 279; and marriages are recorded on pages 301 to 323. Note: blank pages were not scanned.
Circumcision book of Dr. A. J. Weirtheim, 1810-1829
Circumcision
Medical records
Alexander Wertheim was a Dutch Jew who lived in New York and Baltimore before settling in Philadelphia, where he became clerk to the Board of Health. He died in 1830 at the age of 55. This book is a record of the circumcisions Dr. Wertheim performed from 1810 to 1829. Each entry records the date, place, father's name, and son's name.
Wertheim, Alexander
Class book, Daniel Meredith, leader, circa 1797-1826
St. George's Methodist Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
African Americans
Itinerancy (Church polity)
Methodists
Methodist Church
Daniel Meredith served as class leader for the Methodists in the "Valey" of Chester County, Pennsylvania for many years. He recorded the preachers assigned to the Chester circuit each year, and kept records of members' attendance at the Valey class. The first several pages of the book are faded to the point that some text is illegible; more readable entries begin around 1805 and end with the 1826 class. Often the black classes are listed separately; see "coloured people" on page 56 or "coloured friends" on page 62.
First Baptist Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Corporate minutes
Baptists
Church management
Church committees
On August 11, 1760 the First Baptist Church appointed a committee to "to Settle the Church Affairs, and Examine the State of the Church Purchases, Gifts and Donations, Given to the Said Church, and get them well Secured where they are not, and to settle other Affairs that shall Come before them." The minutes of this committee, recorded on both sides of four loose sheets, include the dates of meetings, members present, and committee work discussed, including registering deeds, paying leases, collecting interest on accounts, and consolidating records.
Love feasts
Sermons
Hymns
A journal of happenings in the "English congregation" from its establishment on January 1, 1743, running up to June 15, 1745. Topics covered include births and baptisms, sermons preached and hymns sung, "love feasts," meetings and conferences, members' travel (including extensive travel between Philadelphia and Bethlehem), missionary work with Native Americans, and correspondence with Moravians in other parts of Pennsylvania and abroad, as far as London and Germany.
Church schools
"The Continuation of ye Philadelphia Journal," documenting happenings in the First Moravian Church of Philadelphia from June 16, 1745 to December 31, 1746. Topics covered include: sermons preached; members' travel and correspondence; burials; love feasts, meetings and conferences; relations with local Native Americans; visits with members, especially those who were ailing; and the committee appointed to look into building a church school.
Although the cover suggests this diary covers a date span of 1747 to 1751, entries actually run from January 1, 1747 to December 31, 1748. Topics covered include: sermons preached; visits to church members, especially those who were ailing; baptisms and burials; meetings, conferences and love feasts; members' travels and correspondence; relations with local Quakers; and admission of new members. Records of sermons and meetings often include notes about the language spoken - English, German, or both.
Diary of happenings in the First Moravian Church of Philadelphia from September 6, 1749 to December 31, 1751. Topics covered include: church meetings, including "Negro Meetings," "German Meetings," and "English Meetings;" members traveling to and away from Philadelphia, particularly to and from Bethlehem; sermons preached in English and German; births, baptisms, deaths, burials, and new members received into the congregation; love feasts; and regular visits to members, including those in ill health.
Church buildings
Church discipline
Poor
Charity
Church fund raising
Pews and pew rights
Congregational minute book begun in 1760, which begins with notes about meetings that occurred during the previous three years, before organized record-keeping was established, and runs to 1769. Entries include dates of meetings, members present, and business conducted. Topics include but are not limited to: disputes between church members, appointments to positions such as deacon and sexton, invitations to visiting preachers, financial gifts to the church and gifts from the church to the poor, which included firewood, coffins, and the forgiveness of burial fees in addition to financial donations, letters of dismission, applications for baptism, excommunications and restorations to membership, construction and maintenance of buildings and grounds, church purchases such as a new chalice, and the settlement of accounts with both debtors and creditors. There is an alphabetical index of church members' names at the back of the book.
Congregational minute book includes dates of meetings from 1771 to 1775, members present, and business conducted. Topics include but are not limited to: property bequeathed to the church; the filling of positions such as moderator, clerk, treasurer, deacon and minister; maintenance of burial grounds; the church's position on the impropriety of the slave trade; collections for the poor; payment of pew rents; nominations for representatives to the annual association meeting; and admission of new members.
Congregational minute book includes dates of meetings from 1779 to 1786, members present, and business conducted. In addition to commonplace business such as repairs to the buildings and grounds, admission and dismission of members, appointment of trustees and directions for better record-keeping, this bound manuscript also documents reinvigorated collection of pew rents for the purpose of securing a new minister, and conflict in the congregation over the Doctrine of Universal Restoration. A listing of members is included in the first few pages of the book, and financial records, including recordings of pew rent, can be found in the last quarter of the book.
Congregational minutes include dates of meetings, members present, and business conducted from 1786 to 1791. Topics include but are not limited to: baptism, admission, exclusion, readmission, and transfer of members; discipline for drinking, fraud, or holding to the doctrine of universal salvation; building construction and repairs; management of the burial ground; election of deacons; income from legacies, donations, pew money and burial money; and relief for the poor, including widows and orphans.
Congregational minutes include dates of meetings, members present, and business conducted from 1795 to 1806. Topics include the baptism, dismission, transfer, exclusion and readmission of members, church finance, charity for the poor, and repairs and improvements to building and grounds.
Congregational minutes include dates of meetings, members present, and business conducted from 1795 to 1806. Topics include but are not limited to: collection of pew rent and management of donations and legacies; payments to church employees such as the minister and sexton; payments for goods such as candles and firewood and services such as the printing of minutes and pamphlets; repairs and improvements to church buildings and burial grounds; baptism and transfer of members, as well as exclusions for poor conduct; charitable gifts to other churches and to the poor; and resolutions for improved record-keeping.
Congregational minutes include dates of meetings, members present, and business conducted from 1806 to 1813. Topics include but are not limited to: income from pew rents, house rents, legacies, and donations; baptism, dismission, and transfer of members; exclusion of members for bad behavior and readmission upon repentance; repairs and improvements to buildings and grounds, including fundraising for enlargement of the meeting house; payments to the minister and the appointment of a librarian; purchases of firewood, candles, and curtains; and charity for the poor, including funeral expenses for orphans and the loan of stoves to recent widows.
Congregational minutes of Mikveh Israel, spanning 1810 to 1883. Topics covered include: elections to leadership and caretaking positions; admittance of new members; financial matters such as rents, fundraising, insurance and investments; renovation and expansion of the synagogue; and management of the burial ground. The Articles of Constitution approved in 1823 are reproduced on pages 48 to 62.
Congregational, corporation, and trustees minutes, vol. 1, 1749-1775
Congregational minutes from 1749, 1751 to 1755, and 1759 to 1772 run through page 163 of this bound manuscript, then the trustee minutes from January 1773 to January 1775 begin at the back of the book, upside down, and continue until page 164. Entries note the date and place of meetings, members present, and business discussed. Topics include but are not limited to: the purchase of new grounds and building of a new meeting house; the assignment of pews and pew rents and later a rise in pew rents to help the church out of debt; fees for baptisms and terms for burials; the choice of a new minister; discipline of members for ill behavior; and application for a charter.
Congregational, corporation, and trustees minutes, vol. 2, 1772-1805
Minutes of the Second Presbyterian trustees, corporation and congregational meetings from 1772 to 1805 are all recorded together in this bound manuscript, in chronological order. Meetings cover topics including but not limited to: elections to church leadership positions; church finance, including the collection of pew rent; and the need for new construction to accommodate growing membership. There is a membership list from 1773 and a map of pews in the back of the book.
Congregational, corporation, and trustees minutes, vol. 3, 1792-1803
Rough draft ("Rough Draught") of minutes for meetings of the Second Presbyterian Church trustees, corporation and congregation from 1792 to 1803. Meetings cover issues such as church committees, church finance, and the need to accommodate a growing membership.
Constitution of Mikveh Israel, as signed by members admitted since the Charter of Incorporation, 1826-1883
Constitutions
Articles of incoporation
This manuscript is a handwritten copy of the constitution of Mikveh Israel, signed and dated by members who joined in the years from 1826 to 1883. Mikveh Israel adopted their constitution on August 5, 1823, and the congregation's charter was granted by the governor of Pennsylvania in 1824, as documented on the title page. Note: Some years are cited using the Hebrew calendar.
Constitution of Mikveh Israel, printed 1823
Printed copy of the Constitution of Mikveh Israel, dated June 29, 1823. One sheet with two sides, and each side divided into quarters. The recto side includes the cover page in the bottom right quarter. The text begins on page three, which is located on the bottom right quarter of the verso side. Pages four and five make up the top half of the recto, pages six and seven take up the left half of the verso, and page 8 concludes on the bottom left quarter of the recto. A scan of the official seal of Mikveh Israel is also included.
Copy of David Solis letter to Isaac Leeser, 1863
Jews--Dietary laws
Letters
Copy of a letter David Solis wrote to Rev. Isaac Leeser, who was the hazan of Congregation Beth El Emeth after retiring from Mikveh Israel. The copy was sent to the president of Beth El Emeth. Solis resigned his membership in the congregation due to what he described as Leeser's violation of Jewish dietary laws.
Solis, David H.
Communication from an unidentified correspondent re the placement of Bishops throughout the colonies.
Address re the appointment of a religious instructor.
Philip Bearcroft, of "The Society for the Propogation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts," writing re Mr. Sturgeon's appointment as secretary to the Rector.
Documents include correspondence relating to the appointment of an assistant to the rector, an address written to the Bishop of London requesting monetary assistence in building [Saint Peter's] church as well as other topics.
Letter to the Bishop of London; and a testimony regarding the resignation of Rev. Richard Peters and the appointment of Jacob Duche to the rectorship.
"Dr. Richard Peter's full discharge." Details of Richard Peter's resignation from the rectorship.
Letter from George Bryan, Vice-president of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, to the corporation regarding the polictical connections of Mr. Coombe.