Episcopal Archives - Genealogical.com

Scots Episcopalians, Dundee, 1715-1835

Barry Chodak — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 18:48:30 +0000

Family historians seeking their Scottish origins before 1855, when statutory registration was introduced, have a major research source in the form of a massive database covering baptisms, marriages, and deaths as recorded in the Old Parish Registers of the Church of Scotland and the registers of the Roman Catholic Church. People of Episcopalian origin, however, have no such source at their disposal. While a handful of the Episcopalian registers, where they exist, have been published, the majority are in manuscript form and are scattered throughout the country in churches and archives.

In 1689 Presbyterianism became the established form of church government in Scotland and those people who wished to retain Episcopacy withdrew from the parish churches to form their own congregations. The Episcopalians were generally in favour of the House of Stuart and the Jacobite Cause, which led to Penal Laws being introduced from 1712. As a result, two distinct Episcopalian churches developed: the Qualified Episcopal Church, which prayed for the Hanoverian monarchs, used the English liturgy and prayer book, and employed Anglican clergy; and the other, which was under severe restrictions and retained the Scottish Episcopal practices.

In Dundee both churches existed and retained their independence until the early nineteenth century. The existence of records of baptisms, marriages, and deaths for Episcopalians are virtually non-existent in Dundee until around 1810. To identify who were members of the churches it has been necessary to use other sources, such as the vestry records and financial records, where available. The outcome of that effort is this partial compilation, which cites many, though not all, members of the church during the period 1715 to 1835. It is clear from the data in this book that most members were from Dundee and surrounding counties, but there were a substantial number from England and Ireland, as well as a handful from Germany and the Netherlands. A number of these Episcopalians had family links to Jamaica and India. This book is designed as an aid to genealogists and historians and is overwhelmingly based on records in St. Paul’s Cathedral and in the Dundee City Archives.

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Scots Episcopalians at Home and Abroad, 1689-1800

gpcdevel — Thu, 02 May 2019 19:38:41 +0000

The Registers of the Church of Scotland represent the single most important genealogical source for Scottish family historians prior to the statutory registration of vital records in 1855. The records of the Episcopal churches in Scotland are among the handful of denominational records to which this statement does not apply, however, and history tells us why.

In 1688 Episcopalians comprised about 25% of Scotland’s population and, along with Presbyterians, were members of the Church of Scotland. Following the overthrow of James VII of Scotland (James II of England) in that year, the Episcopalians endured a century-long period of disestablishment, persecution under the Penal Acts of the 18th century (partially as punishment for their participation in the Jacobite wars of 1715 and 1745), immigration, and/or exile to the Americas. Not until the death of Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1788, when the Scottish bishops agreed to pray for King George III, were Episcopalians able to operate without restriction. The genealogical legacy of this history was the disappearance of parish registers comparable to those of the contemporary Church of Scotland.

For his latest book genealogist and historian Dr. David Dobson has surveyed a variety of primary and secondary sources for the purpose of assembling a list of baptism, marriage, and death records in the absence of official registers. Many records are in original manuscript form in churches or diocesan libraries, some are in typescript or manuscript sources in the National Archives of Scotland, while a handful of others have been published in full or in part. All of Dr. Dobson’s entries identify the Episcopalian by name, location, a date, and the source. Many attest to the individual’s confirmation, spouse or other relative, occupation, and even destination in the colonies. While he would be the first to claim that his efforts are far from comprehensive, the compiler has nonetheless rescued the religious affiliation of about 2,000 18th-century Scots men, women, and children that might otherwise have eluded researchers for years, if not decades, to come.

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Staten Island Church Records

gpcdevel — Thu, 02 May 2019 19:36:39 +0000

This work was originally published in 1909 as Volume IV of the Collections of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society. The records are among the oldest surviving church records for Staten Island (Richmond), New York. They pertain to three separate churches: the Dutch Reformed Church of Port Richmond; the United Brethren, or Moravian, Congregation of Staten Island; and St. Andrews Protestant Episcopal Church. Preceding the records themselves is an excellent historical introduction describing the founding of each parish, its various edifices, and its ministers. The Dutch Reformed records consist solely of baptisms from 1696 to 1772, giving the date of the baptism, the names of the child and his parents, and the names of witnesses. The Moravian records comprise the largest collection in the volume. They consist of baptism records from 1749 to 1853 that are similar in content to the Dutch Reformed records; marriages from 1764 to 1863, citing the names of the bride and groom, the date of the wedding, and usually the newlyweds’ parents names and the place of the ceremony; and death and burial records from 1758 to 1828, indicating the deceased’s name and age at death, the date of death, and often something about the next of kin. The third group of church records, that of the Episcopal congregation of St. Andrews, features birth and baptismal entries from 1752 to 1795, stating the child’s date of birth and/or baptism and the names of the parents. The records also include several hundred marriages from 1754 to 1808, naming the bride and groom and the date of the marriage. In all, this important volume preserves the identities of 15,000 early inhabitants of Staten Island, New York, any one of whom is readily found in the complete name index to the work.

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Old Churches, Ministers and Families of Virginia.

gpcdevel — Thu, 02 May 2019 19:30:21 +0000

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Old Churches, Ministers and Families of Virginia.

gpcdevel — Thu, 02 May 2019 19:30:21 +0000

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Baptisms and Burials

gpcdevel — Thu, 02 May 2019 19:28:00 +0000

Christ Church was established in 1695 and was the first Episcopal church in Philadelphia. For a number of years it served the entire Anglican community, and by 1760, when St. Peter’s was split off from it, more than 10,000 baptisms and burials were recorded in its registers. These registers are intact from 1709, and the baptismal and burial records are abstracted in this work and arranged alphabetically by surname.

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Old Churches, Ministers and Families of Virginia. [With] Digested Index and Genealogical Guide

gpcdevel — Thu, 02 May 2019 19:24:00 +0000

Over one hundred years ago the Episcopal Bishop, William Meade, put together an important body of records which he incorporated into a now-famous two-volume work called Old Churches, Ministers and Families of Virginia. Compiled from parish records and vestry records, from moldy official documents, family records, and tombstone inscriptions, and from records in Lambeth Palace, London, Meade’s narrative focuses on the history of the early Virginia parishes and provides details concerning the origins of the parishes, the drawing of parish lines, and the lives of the ministers and selected church members. Each chapter of the work also contains family histories and extensive lists of vestrymen, communicants, justices, and prominent figures. The Index, prepared by Jennings C. Wise, is a guide to 7,000 proper names as well as a digest of important facts recorded in the book.

“This book remains an indispensable storehouse of information about the ecclesiastical history of Virginia during the Colonial period.”–Dictionary of American Biography.

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