Archive Record
Metadata
Title |
Vestry |
Date |
1717-1996 |
Scope & Content |
The vestry is the church's governing body, which is elected by the members of the parish annually on Easter Monday. Together with the rector and church wardens, it is responsible for the Church and its affiliates as well as its property and assets. The vestry records house all archival documents produced by this group from 1717 forward. The collection has been divided into nine series, commencing with a complete run of official meeting minutes. The collection also houses committee reports, election records, proposed resolutions and by-laws, correspondence, committee records, and miscellaneous materials. Each of the above listed record groups maintains its own series within the collection. The vestry meeting minutes are by far the richest resource in the archives, as they chronicle the history of the organization and its work in both the religious and civic communities of Philadelphia. Arranged chronologically, minutes provide the basic frame work of all church activities including, but not limited to, associated parishes, schools, social groups and hospital. Other series and collections in Christ Church Archives house supplemental materials to the vestry meeting minutes, however, any inquiries that relate to the history of the church or its direct involvement with the surrounding community should begin with a perusal of the meeting minutes. Other series which house meeting minutes, "Original Minutes" and "Excerpts" (object ID's 1.2.0.0 and 1.3.0.0), are presumed to house duplicate materials to that in the "Meeting minutes" series. In addition to meeting minutes, vestry records incorporate other worthwhile series. Of particular note are two series associated with vestry committees. The committees were created to facilitate efficient and thorough achievement of an extensive list of church and communal obligations. For example, a committee was usually elected to review church finances. In this way, a few individuals would take time to gather information and then report their findings at the next vestry meeting. Committees were also elected for more specific projects such as planning a celebration in honor of Bishop White's centenary anniversary of his ordination. The first committee related series, "Committee reports" (object ID 1.4.0.0), houses finalized reports written for presentation at vestry meetings. The second committee related series, "Committee records" (object ID 1.8.0.0), houses less processed information. The files, arranged by committee name, hold correspondence and general records regarding the efforts made by committee members to accomplish their task. Remaining series are considerably smaller record groups. Please refer to individual series descriptions for particulars. Note that associated entities, such as Christ Church Hospital and the parish schools, also maintained their own records. For information beyond the scope of what vestry records can supply, refer to collections, "Parrish Organizations" and "Affiliated Institutions" (object ID's 5.0.0.0 and 6.0.0.0). Researchers should also consult collections "Rectors," and "Church Wardens" (object ID's 2.0.0.0 and 3.0.0.0) as they house the records of the two major components of the vestry. In addition, researchers may also find the records of the Corporation (object ID 4.0.0.0) useful. Another aspect of the church's governing structure, its membership includes the members of the vestry. Generally speaking, many subjects are documented throughout Christ Church Archives. As such inquiry into a variety of topics may involve the use of multiple collections. Note, too, that Christ Church is a living parish. As such this collection will continue to absorb the records of the vestry as they become archival. Series breakdown is as follows: 1.1.0.0 - Meeting minutes 1.2.0.0 - Original minutes 1.3.0.0 - Excerpts from meeting minutes 1.4.0.0 - Committee reports 1.5.0.0 - Election records 1.6.0.0 - Proposed resolutions and by-laws 1.7.0.0 - Correspondence 1.8.0.0 - Committee records 1.9.0.0 - Miscellaneous vestry records |
Object ID |
1.0.0.0 |
Level of description |
Fonds/Coll |
Collection |
Vestry |
Parent Reference |
For further record details run keyword search on parent object ID. |
Parent ObjectID |
Collection 1 |
Child Records |
Vestry meeting minutes. Committee records Proposed resolutions and by-laws Election Records Committee reports. Excerpts from vestry meeting minutes Correspondence Miscellaneous Vestry Records Original meeting minutes. |