Guide to the Presbyterian Church Records 1775-1835 MG 839

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Descriptive Summary
Historical Note
Scope and Content Note
Arrangement
Restrictions
Access Points
Related Material
Administrative Information
Bibliography

Container List

Church Record Books

Guide to the Presbyterian Church Records
1775-1835
MG 839

The New Jersey Historical Society
52 Park Place
Newark, New Jersey 07102
Contact: NJHS Library
(973) 596-8500 x249
library@jerseyhistory.org
https://www.jerseyhistory.org
© 2004 All rights reserved.
The New Jersey Historical Society, Publisher
Inventory prepared by Bob Golon as part of the “Farm to City” project funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Finding aid encoded by Danielle Kovacs. March 2004. Production of the EAD 2002 version of this finding aid was made possible by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Finding aid written in English.


Descriptive Summary

Title: Presbyterian Church Records
Dates: 1775-1835
Abstract: Consists of record books from the Presbyteries of New York from 1775-1788, Morris County from 1797-1819, and Newark from 1824-1835.
Quantity: 0.04 linear feet (4 items)
Collection Number: MG 839

Historical Note

Organized Presbyterian worship in the New York and New Jersey area began in 1692, when Francis Makemie conducted the first Presbyterian service in Philadelphia. The mid-Atlantic region became a fertile ground for Presbyterian expansion, as New England Puritans, seeking respite from the Royal decrees for Anglicanism, moved there. They were reinforced by a wave of settlers from Scotland and Northern Ireland, who were very ardent Presbyterians. The Presbyterian Synod of East Jersey was created at a meeting of the Synod of Philadelphia in 1733. In 1738, the Presbyteries of East Jersey and Long Island were combined into the Presbytery of New York. Due to some philosophical differences, the Reverend Jacob Green and three other ministers withdrew their Morris County churches from the Presbytery of New York and formed the Presbytery of Morris County in 1780.

In 1808, the Presbytery of New York was divided once again, and the Presbytery of Jersey was formed. At a meeting of the Synod at Morristown in 1824, the Presbytery of Jersey was further split into the Presbytery of Newark and the Presbytery of Elizabethtown. The Presbytery of Newark consisted of congregations in Orange, Hanover, Paterson, Rockaway, Parsippany, Bloomfield, Wantage, and Newfoundland, as well as the three churches in Newark. Growth of the Presbyterian church in the area necessitated yet another reorganization, and in 1870, the Presbytery of Morris and Orange, including some of the churches which were in the Presbyteries of Rockaway and Morris County, was formed.

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Scope and Content Note

This collection consists of record books from the Presbyteries of New York from 1775-1788, Morris County from 1797-1819, and Newark from 1824-1835. The record books contain meeting minutes concerning Presbytery business functions, reports on the distribution of supplies, requests by congregations for ministers, reviews of candidates for the ministry, and proceedings concerning disciplinary actions and the sanctioning of members. Also included in the New York Presbytery records are transcripts of correspondence from ministers in the Morris County region, pointing out philosophical differences with the Presbytery and leaving to form the Morris County Synod. The Newark Presbytery record book also contains annual reports of communicants, baptisms, and collections per congregation.

These record books also consist of lists of the prominent pastors in each of the organizations. They include Amzi Armstrong, David Baldwin, Andrew Bay, Ebenezer Bradford, James Caldwell, Jedidiah Chapman, Aaron Condict, Elias W. Crane, Noah Crane, Erza Dayton., Samuel Fisher, John Ford, Jacob Green, Zachariah Green, Stephen Grover, Philip Hay, Asa Hillyer, Gideon Judd, Barnabas King, Alexander MacWhorter, Enos A. Osborne, and James Wyckoff.

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Arrangement

This volumes are arranged in chronological order.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Photocopying of materials is limited and no materials may be photocopied without permission from library staff.

Use Restrictions

Researchers wishing to publish, reproduce, or reprint materials from this collection must obtain permission.

The New Jersey Historical Society complies with the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code), which governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions and protects unpublished materials as well as published materials.

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Access Points

The entries below represent persons, organizations, topics, forms, and occupations documented in this collection.
Subject Names:
Armstrong, Amzi, 1771-1827.
Baldwin, David, fl. 1797.
Bay, Andrew, fl. 1775.
Bradford, Ebenezer, 1746-1801.
Caldwell, James, 1734-1781.
Chapman, Jedidiah, 1741-1813.
Condit, Aaron, fl. 1830.
Crane, Elias W.
Crane, Noah.
Dayton, Erza.
Fisher, Samuel, 1777-1856.
Ford, John, 1787-1872.
Green, Jacob, 1722-1790.
Green, Zachariah.
Grover, Stephen, fl. 1797.
Hay, Philip C. (Philip Courtland), d. 1860.
Hillyer, Asa, 1763-1840.
Judd, Gideon N. (Gideon Noble), 1789-1860.
King, Barnabas, 1780-1862.
Macwhorter, Alexander, 1734-1807.
Osborne, Enos A.
Pierson, George.
Wyckoff, James.
Subject Organizations:
First Presbyterian Church (Hanover, N.J.)
First Presbyterian Church (Newark, N.J.)
Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Presbytery of Elizabethtown.
Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Presbytery of Jersey.
Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Presbytery of Morris and Orange.
Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Presbytery of Newark.
Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Presbytery of New York.
Second Presbyterian Church (Newark, N.J.)
Synod of Philadelphia (1717-1757)
Subject Topics:
Church–New Jersey.
Presbyterian Church–History.
Subject Places:
Elizabeth (N.J.)
Hanover (N.J.)
Morris County (N.J.)
Newark (N.J.)
Philadelphia (Pa.)
Document Types:
Church records.
Minute books.
Minutes.
Subject Occupations
Clergy–New Jersey.
Clergy–New York (State)

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Related Material

For materials related to the individuals or topics documented in this collection, see:

Manuscript Group 128, Alexander Macwhorter Daybook

Manuscript Group 221, Calvin Green Papers

Manuscript Group 347, First Presbyterian Church (Hanover, N.J.) Records

Manuscript Group 422, Crane-Pierson Family Papers

Manuscript Group 454, Condit-Dodd Family Papers

Manuscript Group 579, Jacob Green Papers

Manuscript Group 733, Fourth Presbyterian Church (Newark, N.J.) Session Book

Manuscript Group 1000, Ann Ogilvie Account Book

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Administrative Information

Custodial History

The source of this collection is unknown.

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as: Manuscript Group 839, Presbyterian Church Record Books, The New Jersey Historical Society.

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Bibliography

Jamison, Wallace N. Religion in New Jersey A Brief History. v. 13. Princeton, New Jersey: D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., 1964.

Manual of the Presbytery of Newark. Newark, N. J.: Presbytery of Newark, 1947.

The New Jersey Historical Records Survey Project. Presbyterians. Newark, N.J.: The Historical Records Survey, 1940.

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Container List

Church Record Books

Box Folder Title Date
1 1 Record Book: New York 1775-1777
1 2 Record Book: New York 1779-1789
1 3 Record Book: Morris County 1797-1819
1 4 Record Book: Newark 1824-1835

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