St. Paul's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Burial records
Episcopalians
Cemeteries
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.
Church finance
Charity
Record of payments received and made by St. Paul's from 1794 to 1809. Entries are listed by date, and include the payee's name, amount paid, purpose of the payment, and signature of the church official who accepted or disbursed the payment. Some of the payments received by the church are charitable donations, and others are payments due, for example, for rents. Outgoing payments by the church include employee's salaries and repairs and additions to the buildings and grounds.
Church records and registers
Registers of births, etc.
Baptismal records
Confirmation
Marriage records
Church fund raising
Record of baptisms, confirmations, communions, marriages, and burials performed for the members of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, as well as offerings made to the church, from 1866 to 1888. Extended sequences of empty openings have not been scanned, page numbers make jumps accordingly. In addition, pages 261, 262, 271 and 272 are missing, the former having been cut from the book, and the latter having fallen out. Baptisms are listed chronologically by date the baptism was performed, beginning on page 110, which is image 16. Entries cross two pages, recto and verso, and include place of baptism, name, birthdate and sometimes birthplace, name of parents and witnesses, signature of the clergyman who performed the baptism, and other notes such as whether the person baptized was suffering from an illness. Confirmations are listed chronologically beginning on page 218, which is image 80. If the person was also baptized at St. Paul's during this time period, the page on which their baptism is recorded is also noted. Communions are listed chronologically beginning on page 234, which is image 94. Entries span two pages, recto and verso, and include notes on whether the communicant later died or was transferred or removed from the church. Marriages are listed chronologically beginning on page 278, which is image 134. Entries span two pages, recto and verso, and note the place of the wedding, the names of the bride and groom, their ages at the time of marriage and respective towns of residence, and the signature of the clergyman who performed the ceremony, as well as other notes such as the bride and groom's place of birth, their occupations, and parent's names and residence. Burials are listed chronologically beginning on page 310, which is image 158. Entries span two pages, recto and verso, and include the decedent's name, age at time of death, place of burial, and signature of clergyman who performed the funeral, as well as other notes including decedent's residence, and their date and cause of death. Offerings are listed chronologically beginning on page 326, which is image 174. Entries include the amount raised and the object of the offering, such as a hospital, school, or mission, or people in need such as orphans, widows or victims of a fire.
Record of baptisms, marriages, funerals, communions and confirmations performed for members of St Paul's church from 1829 to 1865. Baptisms are listed alphabetically by name beginning on page 1, and then again chronologically by date of baptism starting on page 16. Both sets of entries include date of birth and parents' names. Marriages are listed chronologically starting on page 49; entries include the date of marriage, names of bride and groom, and any other remarks, often including the location of the ceremony and name of the officiant. Funerals are also listed chronologically, beginning on page 97. These records include the date of burial, name of decedent, and other remarks such as location of funeral. Communions are listed chronologically starting on page 145. Entries include date, name, and other remarks such as where communion was received and who granted it. Additionally, an alphabetical list of communicants appears across several pages at the end of the book. Finally, confirmations are listed chronologically from pages 185 to 212. Blank pages were not scanned, which accounts for gaps in page numbering.
Church membership
Church schools
Register of baptisms, church membership, bible class membership, confirmations, communions, marriages and funerals at St. Paul's, dating from 1821 to 1829. Baptisms are listed across two pages, recto and verso, and run from page 1a to 13b. Each entry includes the name of the person being baptized, their parents' names, date of baptism, person who baptized them, their age at time of baptism, and any special notes. A list of the members of the church in 1822 runs from pages 15 to 22, and includes both names and street addresses. An alphabetical list of members of the bible class follows, on pages 25 to 33. Confirmations begin on page 37, with names listed by date. Communions follow, starting on page 53 and listing name, address, age & any other remarks, such as the communicant's place of origin. Marriage entries begin on page 73 and include the date of the ceremony and names of bride and groom. Finally, funerals begin on page 86 and include date of burial, name of person(s) being buried, and age upon death.
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.
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.
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.
Lottery account book, 1773 and charity collections, 1802-1812
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 interments at St. Paul's from 1811 to 1852. Entries include the date of the funeral, name of deceased and location of burial. Some children are listed by parent's name. Some entries include the the decedent's former address and cost of the burial. Some removals to other gravesites are noted in pencil. Page numbering starts over again after page 124, and the last 30 pages look like an inventory of existing graves and vacant lots.
Second Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Presbyterians
Education
Public schools
Church buildings
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.
Memoranda book, pew rent and Sunday collections, 1793-1795
Pews and pew rights
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.
Twenty-one documents relating to Second Presbyterian's finances, including lease agreements, bonds, protests of non-payment, promissory notes, and insurance policies, dating from 1764 to 1808.
Correspondence regarding leasing of church property, 1784-1826
Letters
Twenty-nine pages of correspondence between Second Presbyterian and various Philadelphia merchants who leased land and/or buildings from the church over the years spanning 1784 to 1826. Topics include lease terms, requests for reduction in rent, improvements to properties, and repossession of properties by the church.
Deeds
Land previously deeded by Thomas and Mary Coates to the trustees of Second Presbyterian Church in 1784, in 1788 deeded to James Hartley, as witnessed by William Rush and Peter Thomson.
Counterpart deed of land, granted by William and Margaret Coats to the trustees of Second Presbyterian, and attested by Robert Smith. The lot is located at Campington in Northern Liberties, beginning at the corner of Coates & Second Street and running up to St. John's street.
Deed of land, granted by William and Margaret Coats to the trustees of Second Presbyterian and signed and dated October 20th, 1784 by William Rush. The lot is located at Campington in Northern Liberties, beginning at the corner of Coates & Second Street and running up to St. John's street.
Charters
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.
Record of persons buried at Second Presbyterian Church in 1851. Burials are listed by name of deceased, and include date and cause of death, age at time of death, and location of grave.
Record of persons buried at Second Presbyterian Church from 1838 to 1860. Burials are listed by permit number, and include date of death or burial, name of deceased, place of birth, age at time of death, occupation, cause of death, whether the deceased was a church member or stranger, grave location, ground fees, and any additional remarks by the sexton.
Receipt book with stubs for interments at Second Presbyterian Church from 1826 to 1910. Each stub lists the date, name of deceased, at which burial ground they were laid to rest, and fees paid. Note: Scanned image "Insert 4" is an attachment to page 160.
Record of persons buried in Second Presbyterian's northern burial ground between 1804 and 1867. Burials are grouped by range, then listed by plot number, with the name of the deceased and age at time of death. This bound manuscript was used by the exhumation crew when the graves were moved to Mount Vernon Cemetery in 1867, and the crew noted their findings as they worked.
Account of people buried in the graveyard of Second Presbyterian Church from 1785 to 1808. Each listing through page 45 records the date of burial and name of deceased, or in some cases parent's name, and notes if the decedent or parent is a stranger to the church. An index of decedent age at time of death starts at page 46.
Record of persons buried in Second Presbyterian Church's Arch Street burial ground, who were moved to Mt. Vernon cemetery in 1867. Each burial listing includes the original grave location, name of deceased, the location of their grave after reinterment at Mt. Vernon, the size of their case and the type of grave marker used.
Record of persons buried in Second Presbyterian Church's Noble Street burial ground, who were moved to Mt. Vernon cemetery in 1867. Each burial listing includes the original grave number, name of deceased, the location of their grave after re-interment at Mt. Vernon, and the type of grave marker used. Maps of each cemetery are inserted at the beginning of the bound volume. Note: For reasons as yet unknown, there are also records from the Ninth Presbyterian Church inserted into the front of this volume.
Burial records, vol. 4, 1804-1838, and sexton's accounts, 1818-1837
African Americans
This bound manuscript holds three main groups of records, which are not in chronological order. First, sexton's records of burials from 1826 to 1832, including the date, person buried, and fees paid. Second, records of the sexton's expenditures dating from 1818 to 1837, including purchases of wood and oil and money paid for groundskeeping and building maintenance. Third, more records of burials in Second Presbyterian's graveyard from 1804 to 1838, including date of burial, name of deceased, fees paid and age at time of death. Note: Researchers interested in the burials of African-Americans can search the transcription of this volume for the terms "colored" and "coloured."
Record of persons buried in Second Presbyterian's graveyard from 1804 to 1810. More details are included in this bound manuscript than in the sexton's records covering the same time period. The book is written in sideways to create a wider page for nine columns, including: name of deceased, place of birth, whether they were a church member of stranger, cause of death, age at time of death, occupation, range where buried, grave number, and date of burial.
Burial lists and sexton's accounts, 1783-1799
18 loose pages documenting the individuals buried in the graveyard of Second Presbyterian Church from 1783 to 1799. Individual burial dates are not included, but date ranges are provided. Children are often listed with only a parent's name, and it is noted if the decedent or parent is a stranger to the church. The cost of burial is usually noted as well.
Estimate of damages and repairs from the British occupation, 1778-1783
American Revolution (1775-1783)
Cost of damages suffered by Second Presbyterian Church while British troops occupied Philadelphia during the American Revolution; the estimates were made in 1778 and certified in 1783. Pews, fencing, and a chandelier all had to be repaired or replaced, totaling an estimated 203 pounds.
Church management
During the American Revolution, the trustees of the Second Presbyterian Church found it difficult to gather the quorum required by their original charter in order to conduct church business. They also desired the freedom to hold property in a greater amount than allowed for in the original charter. This document reaffirms the charter of Second Presbyterian Church in the City of Philadelphia, while also allowing for a smaller quorum and increased investments.
Gloria Dei Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Corporate minutes
Lutherans
Wrangel, Carl Magnus, -1786
Poor
Church discipline
Sweden
Lutheran Church
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.
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.
Baptisms, burials, and marriages, 1750-1789, and records of pastors, 1733-1758
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.
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.
List of subscribers for rebuilding the First Presbyterian Church on Market Street, v. 1, 1796
First Presbyterian Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
List of subscribers for rebuilding the First Presbyterian Church on Market Street in 1796. Entries are by subscriber name, with amounts and total paid, and span two pages, verso and recto.
First Baptist Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)
Baptists
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.
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.
Poverty
Orphans
On February 16, 1795, the members of First Baptist Church established "a fund for the relief of Orphans and other indigent Persons." This bound manuscript contains details of how the fund was established and administered, and a list of members who paid an annual contribution to the fund in order to insure those in their charge would receive aid upon their death. Identifying information includes subscriber names, parents' names, birthdates, birthplaces, contributions paid and dates of death.
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 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 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 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 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 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.
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.
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.
Six letters, both to and from First Baptist Church, confirming individuals' good standing for transfer to new church membership in 1785.
Letter providing proof of good standing for Elisabeth Davis at the Church of Christ meeting in Welshtract, for transfer to the Church of Christ meeting of Philadelphia. Some of the text is illegible.
Four letters, both to and from First Baptist Church, confirming individuals' good standing for transfer to new church membership in 1783.