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Philadelphia, First Presbyterian Church

According to the Historical Directory of Presbyterian Churches and Presbyteries of Greater Philadelphia, by Kenneth A. Hammonds (Philadelphia: PHS, 1993), First Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was organized in 1698. This congregation merged with Calvary Presbyterian Church (org. 1853) in 1928, and with Second Presbyterian Church (org. 1743) in 1949—in both cases retaining the name First Presbyterian Church. In some instances, records of the merged congregations remain with the records of the churches as they were known before the mergers. Records from this church deposited with the society include:

First Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA

  • Excerpts from First Church Committee Meetings, 1749–1772, 1809 (Call number: RG 35, box 1, folder 23)
  • Session minutes, 1807–1909 (Call number: RG 35, box 1, folders 11–12)
  • Session minutes, 1807–1949, 10 vols. (Call number: Vault MI46 P477s)
    • vols. 1 through 5 include church registers.
  • Session minutes, 1949–1976, 7 vols. (Call number: 00-0622)
  • Registers, 1707–1746; 1760–1804; 1806–1946, 4 vols. (Call number: Vault MI46 P477rr)
    • v.1. Baptisms, 1701–1746; marriages, 1702–1746 (original closed, use LGFOLIO copy). Also available on microfilm, MFPOS.785 r. 1.
    • v.2. Baptisms, 1760–1806; marriages, 1760–1803 (in vault folio/ use Microfilm MFPOS. 1189).
    • v.3. Membership, 1802–1804; baptisms, 1799–1804; marriages, 1799–1804.
    • v.4. Baptisms, 1806–1946; marriages, 1806–1945.
  • Register, 1957-2010, 1 vol. Includes baptisms, 1957-2005; marriages, 1967-2005; deaths, 1970-2010. (Call number: 19-1205)
  • Members suspended or erased, 1870–1900, 1 vol. (Call number: Vault MI46 P477n)
  • Membership data, 1929–1949, 1 vol. (Call number: Vault MI46 P477m)
  • Membership roll, 2 vols. (Call number: Vault MI46 P447me)
    • v.1. 1932–1938.
    • v.2. 1947–1949.
  • Membership register, 1949–1968 (Call number: 95-1129a 49B)
  • Persons with First Church, 1774–circa 1803 (Call number: RG 35, box 1, folder 18)
  • Communicants list, 1830, 1 vol. (Call number: Vault MI46 P477co)
  • List of families and church members, 1835–1854, 7 vols. (Call number: Vault MI46 P477clf)
  • Communicants list, 1885–1924, 1 vol. (Call number: Vault MI46 P477col)
  • Membership, additions to, 1904 (Call number: RG 35, box 2, folder 23)
  • Correspondence re: transfers to First Church, undated (Call number: RG 35, Box 2, folders 1–13)
  • Certificates of Dismission, 1870–1949, 6 vols. (Call number: Vault MI46 P477d)
  • Baptisms, 1806–85, (Call number: RG 35, box 1, folder 14–15)
  • Marriage records, ca. 1890–ca. 1903, (Call number: RG 35, box 1, folder 16–17)
  • Marriage record stubs, 1949–1953 (Call number: Vault MI46 P477r)
  • Bill of burials, 1796–1797 (Call number: MS P477 (5))
  • Strangers buried, 1797–1798 (Call number: MS P477 (5))
  • Burial lists, 1799, 1800 (Call number: MS P477 (5))
  • Burials in the church yard, 1808–1829, 1 vol. (Call number: V MI46 P477bu)
  • Register of interments, 1808–1867, 1 vol. (Call number: V MI46 P477ri)
  • Deaths, 1827–1828, 1900–1902, (Call number: RG 35, box 1, folder 19)
  • Data regarding deaths, 1935–1947, 1 vol. (Call number: V MI46 P477pd)
  • List of names on grave stones…on Pine Street, circa 1900 (Call number: Vault MI46 P54i v. 4)
  • Pew rentals, 1809–1879, 15 vols. (Call number: V MI46 P477p)
  • Pew rent books, 1783–1909, 24 vols. (Call number: Vault MI46 P477px)
  • Pew committee records, 2 vols. (Call number: Vault, MI46 P477pm)
    • v.1. 1774–1786.
    • v.2. 1819–1833.
  • Pew holders, 1810–1833, 3 vols., (Call number: Vault MI46 P477ph)
  • Applications for pews, 1798–1811 (Call number: RG 35, Box 2, folder 17)
  • Relinquishment of pews, 1808–1879 (Call number: RG 35, Box 2, folder 18)
  • Exchange of pews, 1826–1869 (Call number: RG 35, Box 2, folder 19)
  • Pew rents, 1797–1871 (Call number: RG 35, Box 2, folder 20)

The records also include session correspondence, deacons and trustees records, Sunday school, youth group, and missionary society records, settlement house records, charters, deeds, legal documents, and financial records (card catalog). Additional accessions have added more session correspondence, trustees and deacons minutes, reports, property records, financial records, photographs, historical materials, and published items. Record Group 35 includes additional session correspondence, legal and financial records, Sunday school and missionary society records, property records, and historical notes.

Calvary Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA, 1853–1929

  • Session minutes, 1854–1928, 5 vols. (Call number: Vault MI46 P46m)
  • Record of communicants, 1853–1924, 1 vol. (Call number: Vault MI46 P46r)
  • Communion register, 1924–1928, 1 vol. (Call number: Vault Folio MI46 P46cr)
  • Certificates of dismission, 1907–1927, 1 vol. (Call number: Vault MI46 P46cd)
  • Baptismal records, 1853–1939, 1 vol. (Call number: Vault MI46 P46ba), includes records of merged congregation, 1929–1939.
  • Marriage records, 1854–1935, 4 vols. (Call number: Vault MI46 P46m), includes records of merged congregation, 1929–1935.
  • Records of burials, 1854–1891, 4 vols. (Call number: Vault MI46 P46b)
  • Pew rents, 1853–1876, 2 vols. (Call number: Vault MI46 P46p)

The following records from the church have been microfilmed:

First Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA

  • Records, 1706–1949, r. 1 Registers, 1706–1746; 1802–1946; Session minutes, 1807–1884; r.2 Session minutes, 1884–1949; r. 3–4 Trustees minutes and records, 1749–1949 (Call number: MFPOS. 785, 4 reels)
     
  • Register, 1759–1807, membership, 1800–1803; baptisms, 1759–1806; marriages, 1760–1803. 1 reel. (Call number: MFPOS. 1189, 1 reel)

If you are interested in borrowing the microfilm, please have the interlibrary loan (ILL) librarian at your local public or academic library contact us directly to submit the request on your behalf. We accept ILL requests by letter, email and fax. We loan a maximum of three reels per request for a four-week loan period. We charge a fee of $20.00 per reel, plus $5.00 for shipping. This material will be held on reserve for you and may only be used within the borrowing library. Please provide your ILL librarian with the catalog information provided above when making your request. Please tell the ILL librarian that requests cannot come from OCLC (Online Computer Library Center, Inc.) because we are not listed as a borrowing institution.

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