Organized in 1793 and 1805, respectively, Christ Church and St. Stephen's were the second and fifth Episcopal parishes to be established in New York City (then Manhattan).
Christ Church's Moves and Merger
1793: Christ Church was organized and its first edifice built on Ann Street, between William and Nassau Streets. Its first rector was the Rev. John Pilmore, D.D.
1823: A larger, Gothic structure was built on Anthony Street, near Worth, to house a growing congregation.
1847: The Anthony Street church was destroyed by fire.
1848: The rebuilt church on Anthony Street was consecrated.
1854: A new church farther north on 18th Street near Fifth Avenue was built.
1858: The congregation moved to 35th Street at Fifth Avenue, the former Fifth Avenue Baptist Church.
1890: Christ Church relocated to the northeast corner of 71st Street and the Boulevard (now Broadway).
1975: Christ Church merged with and moved to the nearby St. Stephen's.
St. Stephen's Moves and Mergers
1805: St. Stephen's Episcopal Church was built at the southeast corner of First and Bullock Streets, entrance on First. It was consecrated on St. Stephen's Day, December 26th. Its first rector was the Rev. George Strebeck.
1806: Bullock Street became Broome Street.
1817: First Street became Chrystie Street.
1866: The Chrystie and Broome location was sold in anticipation of relocation to points northward. Graves were reinterred, and the building was destroyed. The original cornerstone, however, is currently at Christ & St. Stephen's.
1866–1873: French Church, 22nd Street; Ferreras Hall, 42nd Street; Trinity Chapel, 26th Street (sometimes referred to by its other entrance on 25th Street); Home for the Friendless, 29 East 29th Street.
1873: St. Stephen's absorbed the Church of the Advent and occupied that building at 53 West 46th Street.
1897: St. Stephen's bought the present structure from the Church of the Transfiguration (see further below) and moved to 120 West 69th Street. The first service there was 3 October 1897.
1975: St. Stephen's merged with Christ Church.
Following the 1975 merger of the two, records for both parishes, with some gaps, are found in the current archives of Christ & St. Stephen's at 120 West 69th Street. Some additional records held there are evidence of relationships, to one degree or another, with other parishes as well.
Christ Church Records
Some registers are wrapped in brown paper and labelled in marker with Roman numerals and brief descriptions. There is significant overlap in some of the early "original" registers (e.g., volumes III, IV, and VI) as a result of copying some ministers' registers into the church's registers. The archives contain some of those minister's registers.
I. Baptisms 1793–1848, Confirmations 1833–1836, Burials 1833–1836, Communicants 1833–1836
This is a copy of a 1919 transcription by Minnie Cohen of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, certified by the Society's archivist Royden W. Vosburgh. Hard-bound copies of this typescript are found in the G&B Society Collection at the New York Public Library and the New-York Historical Society; a microfilmed version is at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City (FHL 532,976, items 2 and 3). The earliest portion of these baptisms (1793–1799) was published in The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Volume 42, Number 3 (July 1911), 326–328.
II. Marriages 1794–1848, Sacramental Offerings 1796–1804, Distribution of Alms 1796–1804, Subscriptions 1825
This is a copy of a 1919 transcription by Minnie Cohen of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, certified by the Society's archivist Royden W. Vosburgh. Hard-bound copies of this typescript are found in the G&B Society Collection at the New York Public Library and the New-York Historical Society; a microfilmed version is at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City (FHL 532,976, items 2 and 3). The earliest portion of these marriages (1794-1808) was published in The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Volume 42, Number 3 (July 1911), 322–325.
III. Baptisms 1793–1811
IV. Baptisms 1793–1848
V. Marriages 1794–1805, Offerings for the Poor 1796–1804, Distribution of Alms 1796–1804
VI. Baptisms 1806–1846
VII. Marriages 1804–1848
VIII. Baptisms 1848–1862, Confirmations 1850–61, Marriages 1848–1862, Burials 1848–1862, Offerings 1848–1862
IX. Baptisms 1862–1868, Marriages 1862–1868, Burials 1862–1868, Confirmations 1863–1868, Communicants 1862–1868, "Churched" 1864–1867, Offerings 1862–1868, Tabular Summary of Parochial Statistics 1862–1867 (also contains some early church history and rector biographies)
X. Baptisms 1866–1870, Marriages 1866–1870, Burials 1867–1870, Confirmations 1866–1870, Offerings 1870, Communicants 1866 and 1870, Families [undated] (the inside front of the register was originally labelled "Mission Chapel," but that name is stricken, followed by "Christ Church ad interim.")
XI. Baptisms 1868–1896, Confirmations 1869–1892, Marriages 1868–1895, Burials 1868–1895, Families 1862–1872, Communicants [undated], Offerings 1868–1890
XII. Baptisms 1896–1913, Confirmations 1893–1912, Marriages 1896–1913, Burials 1896–1912, Offerings 1890–1913
XIII. Marriages 1913–1922
XIV. Baptisms 1913–1975, Confirmations 1913–1975, Burials 1913–1975
XV. Marriages 1922–1975
The remaining group of Christ Church registers are also wrapped in brown paper but are not labelled with Roman numerals. All appear to be originals.
Revised Constitution 1804 (original Constitution was 1794), Rules, Board Minutes, Vestry Minutes 1793–1809
Financial Accounts 1794–1845
Pew Rent Book 1827–1830
Receipts 1823–1845
Receipts 1845–1860
Receipts 1860–1868
Vestry Minutes 1868–1904
Vestry Minutes 1904–1938
Cash Book 1906–1911
St. Stephen's Records
Baptisms, marriages, and burials conducted by the parish's first rector, Rev. George Strebeck (1805–1809), are entirely missing. Marriages and burials for the second rector, Rev. Dr. Richard C. Moore (1809–1814), are also missing. The first rectorship for which baptism, marriage, and burial records are all extant for this parish is that of the third rector, Rev. Dr. Henry J. Feltus (1814–1828).
Certified photostat of 1805 Incorporation, typescript copy of 1827 Re–Incorporation, additional resolutions and special laws
Communicants (including a list of coloured communicants) 1814–1823, Marriages 1814–1822, Baptisms 1809–1828 (note that some pages have been cut out, causing a gap in years for marriages and an absence of burials)
Baptisms 1829–1890 and 1899, Marriages 1829–1890 and 1899–1900, Burials 1829–1891, Confirmations 1852–1867, Communicants 1814–1873 and others undated
Baptisms 1892–1899, Confirmations 1894–1898, Marriages 1892–1899, Burials 1890–1899
Baptisms 1900–1922, Confirmations 1900–1923, Marriages 1900–1923, Burials 1900–1923
Baptisms 1923–1997, Confirmations 1924–1955, Marriages 1923–present, Burials 1923–1932
Late 20th century blueprints
The final parish register above contains baptism and marriage entries pertaining to both the parent St. Stephen's parish as well as the combined Christ & St. Stephen's parish.
Christ & St. Stephen's Records
Baptisms 1997–present
Confirmations 1955–present
Burials 1932–present
Church of the Transfiguration Records
Baptisms 1876–1889, Burials 1877–1889, Marriages 1877–1889, Confirmations 1877–1889, Communions 1880–1889, Pew Rents 1885–1889, Male Bible Class 1880, Communicants 1887 (also contains a list of people requesting or needing aid, detailing their background and circumstances)
Established in 1848, Manhattan's Church of the Transfiguration was built in 1849 on its current premises at 1 East 29th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues. Famously referred to as "the little church around the corner," the parish expanded its reach on October 22, 1876, with the opening service of its Mission Chapel on the southeast corner of 65th Street and the Boulevard (now Broadway). A permanent chapel was built shortly thereafter at 120 West 69th Street. The parish rector, the Rev. George Hendric Houghton, reported in a sermon on October 1, 1893, that the church, its chapel, the grounds, buildings, and furniture were all entirely free from debt. The church's current website, however, reports that financial pressures increased significantly beginning in 1894 as fashionable residences moved north of the home church's 29th Street neighborhood. In 1897, the Church of the Transfiguration sold its chapel at 120 West 69th Street to St. Stephen's parish.
Rev. J. Wilson Sutton Records
Confirmations presented by J. Wilson Sutton 1901–1933
Trinity Parish ephemera 1911–1913
Rev. Sutton served as rector of St. Stephen's 1943–1956, so these records precede his affiliation with this congregation. Confirmations recorded by Sutton in the register above include those prepared by him for St. John's Church, Dover, Morris County, New Jersey; St. James Church, Port Deposit, Cecil County, Maryland; Trinity Church, Manhattan; Trinity Chapel of Trinity Parish, Manhattan (on West 25th Street; for which he was vicar 1915–1943; now the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava); St. Ambrose Chapel and St. Boniface Chapel, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Manhattan. This volume, then, was Sutton's traveling register covering his first three decades of ministry. The records may be duplicated at each of the churches he served.
The volume of Trinity Parish ephemera contains no clear indication of who may have collected or owned the material. During the pertinent years (1911–1913), however, Sutton was among the clergy serving at Trinity Church. The informal collection includes a 1912 Trinity Church Sunday School class assignment card that names Sutton as "superintendent."
Missing Records from Earlier Inventories
Abbreviated inventories for both Christ Church and St. Stephen's are included in the WPA's 1940 publication, Inventory of the Church Archives of New York City; Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, Diocese of New York; Manhattan, Bronx, Richmond, Volume 2. A hard–bound copy of this typescript is found in the G&B Society Collection at the New York Public Library; a microfilmed version is at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City (FHL 1,425,700, item 6).
The following records were found to be included in the 1940 inventory, but are no longer contained in the collection at Christ & St. Stephen's.
Vestry Minutes 1809–1844 (Christ Church)
Vestry Minutes 1845–1868 (Christ Church)
Ledger 1892–1908 (Christ Church)
Vestry Minutes 1805–1900, 4 volumes bound (St. Stephen's)
Vestry Minutes 1900–present [1940], 1 volume loose-leaf (St. Stephen's)
Published Parish Histories, Sketches, Sermons, etc. in Other Collections (Chronologically Ordered)
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Christ Church, The Constitution of Christ Church, in the City of New-York: Enacted in the Year 1794. Revised June 21, 1804 (New York: n.p. 1804).
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Christ Church, A Concert of Sacred Music to Be Given in Christ Church, Ann–Street, New–York, on Thursday Evening, February 16, 1808, Commencing at Six O'clock (New York: Thomas & James Swords, 1809).
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Christ Church, John Bunn, Thomas Swords, and James Swords, Laws and Regulations (Thomas & James Swords, 1809).
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Christ Church, A Grand Concert of Sacred Music to Be Performed in Christ Church, Ann Street, New York, on Thursday Evening, May 3, 1810, Commencing at Seven O'clock (Thomas & James Swords, 1810).
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Society of Inquiry Respecting the Advancement of Christianity and James Lawrence Yvonnet, Report of the Committee of Correspondence and Publication of the Society of Inquiry Respecting the Advancement of Christianity, Attached to the General Theological Seminary of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States, Read in Christ Church, New-York, on Thursday Evening, July 29th, 1824, at the First Annual Meeting of the Said Society (Thomas & James Swords, 1824).
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Christ Church, Christ Church Sunday School: Instituted June, 1815; Superintendent's Annual Report; Fourteenth Year (New York: n.p. 1828).
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John A. Clark and Nathaniel B. Holmes, The Final Meeting of the Pastor and His People: A Farewell Sermon, to the Parishioners of Christ Church (New York: N. B. Holmes, 1832).
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Hugh Smith and Henry Anthon, The True Issue for the Churchman: A Statement of Facts in Relation to the Recent Ordination in St. Stephen's Church, New-York (New York: Harper & Bros., 1843).
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Ferdinand C. Ewer, A Rector's Reply to Sundry Requests and Demands for a Political Sermon, Preached in Christ Church, Fifth Avenue, N.Y. (New York: Francis Hart & Co., 1864).
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Christ Church, The Second Anniversary Celebration of the Charitable Associations of Christ Church, New York, Twenth-Sixth Sunday After Trinity, 1864 (New York: Francis Hart & Co., 1864).
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Christ Church, The Fourth Anniversary Celebration of the Charitable Associations of Christ Church, New-York, Twenty–Fifth Sunday After Trinity, 1866 (New York: Francis Hart & Co., 1866).
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Christ Church, To the Congregation of Christ Protestant Episcopal Church, in the City of New-York (New York: n.p. 1866)
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Joseph Henry Price, D. D., An Historical Sketch, Delivered at the Closing Services, in St. Stephen's Church, New York, on the First Sunday in July, 1866 (New York: Vinten, Steam Printer, 1866).
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Christ Church, The Liturgy of the School of Catechumens of Christ Church, New-York, Taken from the Sarum Office (New York: n.p. 1868).
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Christ Church, Vespers: Being the Office for Opening the Afternoon Session of the School of Catechumens of Christ Church, New York (New York: n.p. 1868).
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Christ Church and Edgar K. Hanscom, Easter Festivals of the Schools of Christ Church: Fifth Avenue, Cor. 35th Street, N.Y. Sunday Schools. Choral Schools. Industrial Schools. Monday, April 14th, 1873, Four O'clock, P.M. (New York: Hanscom, 1873).
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Otto Sievers Barton, Sermon Preached in Christ Church, New York, on Sunday, December 12, 1875, for the Church German Society (New York: Cherouny & Kienle, 1876).
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Gerard Moultrie and John S. B. Monsell, Easter Festival for the Children of Christ Church Parish, Service on Easter Day, at 9:30 A.M. 1878 (New York: Frederick Jenkins & Co., 1878).
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William G. Davies, Historical Sketch of Christ Church, New York City (New York: the church, 1893).
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J. Newton Perkins, History of St. Stephen's Parish in the City of New York, 1805–1905 (New York: Edwin S. Gorham, 1906).
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Rev. George Haws Feltus, M.A., The Feltus Family Book; Containing a Biographical Sketch of The Rev. Henry James Feltus, D.D., Late Rector of St. Stephen's, New York City; Together with a Genealogy of All Descendants to Date (Elmhurst, New York City, n.p. 1917).
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St. Stephen's Church, St. Stephen's Church in the City of New York: Historical Sketch to Mark the 150th Anniversary of the Founding of the Parish, 1805–1955 (New York, the church, 1955).
Additional Episcopal Church Records
Archivist/Historiographer of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, Wayne H. Kempton, has provided the following update to the article by Aaron Goodwin in the Summer/Fall 2009 issue of the Researcher on the church records held at the Archives of Christ & St. Stephen's Church.
There are some additional records that cover St. Stephen's Church held here in the Archives of the Episcopal Diocese of New York.
Rev. Joseph William Sutton Records
There are six volumes in three cartons Box #'s 304, 305 and 306 as follows:
304/1 Baptisms 1901-1926
Confirmations 1901-1915
Burials 1901-1922
Marriages 1906-1916
304/2 Baptisms 1901-1958
NOTE: included in this volume are copies of the above 1901-1926 baptisms
305/1 Confirmations 1916-1925
Burials 1922-1926
Marriages 1916-1921
305/2 Burials 1901-1958
NOTE: included in this volume are copies of the 1901-1926 burials above
306/1 Marriages 1906-1958
NOTE: included in this volume are copies of the 1906-1921 marriages above
306/2 Confirmations 1934-1956
In addition the Archives hold Confirmation Visitation Rosters. By Canon, a roster of Confirmation candidates is to be sent to the Office of the Bishop of New York following each Episcopal Visitation. We have the following, although the collection may not be complete.
Christ Church 1884-1975
St. Stephen's Church 1849, 1886-1975
Christ & St. Stephen's Church 1976-present
The Archives of the Episcopal Diocese of New York are located in Diocesan House on the grounds of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. Researchers are welcome by appointment. Hours are Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Telephone: 212-316-7419 or 212-316-7419. E-mail: archives@dioceseny.org
Aaron Goodwin (aarongoodwin@mac.com) is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists and a Contributing Editor for The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. This inventory was conducted Thursday, December 11, and Saturday, December 20, 2008.
Inventoried by Aaron Goodwin
© 2011 The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society
All rights reserved.