Philadelphia, Fourth Presbyterian Church

According to the Historical Directory of Presbyterian Churches and Presbyteries of Greater Philadelphia : Related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Its Antecedents, 1690-1990, the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was organized in 1799 when the Presbytery of Philadelphia approved a petition by dissident members of Third Presbyterian Church. They began worshiping in a house at Third and Lombard streets, and in 1802, moved to a church building at Fifth and Gaskill. In 1842, the congregation changed location from Fifth and Gaskill to Twelfth and Lombard. (The moved caused a rift in the congregation when some members stayed at the original location and called the schismatic entity Assembly Church. Two years later it merged with Seventh Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia.) Fourth Presbyterian moved again in 1891 to West Philadelphia at Forty-seventh and Kingsessing. The Fourth Church was dissolved in 1983.

Records of the Fourth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, deposited at the society include:

• Session minutes, 1802-1834, 1841-1983. (Call Number: Vault BX 9211 .P49143 F61)
   
• Registers, 1800-1981.  Includes membership, baptisms, and marriages. (Call Number: Vault BX 9211 .P49143 F62) [v. 1, Baptisms, Marriages, 1800-1835, is restricted; please use microfilm: MF3 P471foa]
   
• Yearbooks, 1902, 1904, 1906-1907. 1937-1947, 1950-1955, 1957/58, 1963/64. [Philadelphia] : the Usher's Association, [Fourth Presbyterian  Church]. (Call number: PAM BX 9211 .P49143 F62)

It is the policy of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to restrict access to all official records on deposit at the Presbyterian Historical Society that are less than 50 years old.  This restriction applies at the national, middle governing body, and congregation level.  We administer this restriction in order to protect the rights and privacy of the records’ creators/owners and the privacy rights of the individuals mentioned in the records.  If researchers want to access official records less than 50 years old, we require that they secure written permission from the records’ owners.

Our holdings also contain material including charters, constitution, congregation minutes, veteran’s banner, Young People’s Society, correspondence, scrapbooks, histories, photographs, financial documents, trustees’ minutes, Women Missionary Society records, sermons, anniversary packets, Westminster Guild records, Pastor’s Aid Society, Missionary Guild, Deacon’s minutes, Building Fund Committee, and metal and silverware from the church.