Call Number:

01

Repository:

African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas

Extent:

50.0 linear feet

Language:

English

Date:

1790-2019 (inclusive)

Creator:

St. Thomas' Church (Philadelphia, Pa.)

Abstract:

Established in 1792 by and for persons of African descent, the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is the first African American Episcopal Church in the United States. St. Thomas' founder and first rector was Absalom Jones (1746-1818), the first African American ordained in the Episcopal Church. The African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas records, 1790-2019, consist mainly of original church records, as well as some accumulated secondary-source materials. The collection also contains photographs, audio-visual materials, printed materials, and objects.

"Originally established as the African Church, The African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas [in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania] was founded in 1792 by and for persons of African descent to foster personal and religious freedoms and self-determination. The original African Church was an outgrowth of the Free African Society, a mutual aid organization established in 1787 by Absalom Jones, Richard Allen and others, to assist the Black population in Philadelphia. The early religious services were held in private homes and in a school. Within the congregation were many who, because of growing racial tension and insults, had followed the lay preachers, Absalom Jones and Richard Allen, in an historic walkout from St. George's Methodist Church [in 1787]. Affiliation with the Episcopal Church was ratified in 1794. The Reverend Absalom Jones became the first Episcopal priest of African American descent and the first rector of St. Thomas' Church.

"The original church house was constructed at 5th and Adelphi Streets in Philadelphia, now St. James Place, and dedicated on July 17, 1794. Subsequent locations of the church included: 12th Street below Walnut; 57th and Pearl Streets (uniting with the Church of the Beloved Disciple); 52d and Parrish Streets; and the current location, Overbrook and Lancaster Avenues (formerly St. Paul's [Episcopal Church], Overbrook) in Philadelphia's historic Overbrook Farms neighborhood. The congregation has continued to be predominately African American.

"The parish's Eucharist-centered liturgy has evolved over the years from a traditional Anglican/Episcopal high church worship experience to one that is enriched with an evangelical Afrocentric focus.

"...St. Thomas' clergy and parishioners have played key roles in the abolition/anti-slavery/underground railroad movements and the early equal rights movement of the 1800s. [Since the mid-1950s], St. Thomas has figured prominently in the civil rights movement, the NAACP, Union of Black Episcopalians, Opportunities Industrialization Center [of America], Philadelphia Interfaith Action and Episcopal Church Women. Paramount, however, has been the movement to uphold the knowledge and value of the Black presence in the Episcopal Church. Today, that tradition continues with an ever-growing membership and through a host of ministries such as Christian Formation, the Chancel Choir, Gospel Choir, Jazz Ensemble, Men's Fellowship, Young Adult and Youth Ministries, Church School, Health Ministry, Caring Ministry, and a Shepherding Program."

Bibliography:

Quoted text from: African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas. "About Us..." 2006. Accessed on July 2, 2014. http://www.aecst.org/about.htm.

The collection consists mainly of original church records as well as some accumulated secondary-source materials. The latter include: newspaper clippings; research materials (historical/biographical articles and photocopies of primary-source documents held elsewhere); and pamphlets/ephemera from other organizations (including Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, PA). The collection also contains photographs, audio-visual materials, printed materials, and objects. The collection is organized into twelve series: I. Administrative, II. Financial records/ledgers, III. Building sites, IV. Bulletins/Programs, V. Individuals, VI. Registers/Records, VII. Parish organizations, VIII. Printed materials, IX. Plaques, X. Audio-visual, XI. Memorabilia, and XII. Photographs. A partial item-level inventory exists on site.

Church records include, but are not limited to: administrative materials, such as Vestry minutes, records of the Absalom Jones Theological Institute (a unit of the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, GA), annual reports, and correspondence; financial records, such as reports, check stubs, budgets, fundraising ledgers, receipts and disbursements, and accounts (Treasurer, Vestry, and Warden); church bulletins, 1880s-present (with gaps); event programs from church fundraisers, funeral services, music and other events; records and registers of membership, transfers, Church School students; marriage and other sacramental records; records from various church sub-groups and committees; materials relating to organizations associated with St. Thomas' Church or the Episcopal faith such as the Sons of St. Thomas, the Union of Black Episcopalians, and Episcopal Church Women; and a few scrapbooks.

Audio-visual materials include photographs of church buildings, rectors, members, church events, the Vestry, church committees, and other subjects related to the church; at least one DVD; and multiple copies of the phonograph recording for books 1 and 2 of "Francis Johnson: American Cotillions Volume 1." Original photographs in the collection mostly date from the 1930s to the present, but there are some that pre-date the 1930s. Some of the photographs are copies.

Also present in the collection are planning materials, research, and programs/flyers relating to the church bicentennial in 1992; research materials that pertain to the history of St. Thomas, people associated with the church, and African American history; and some materials relating to Boy Scout Troop 133, an African American troop that has operated out of St. Thomas church since its founding in the 1940s.

Of particular interest are early original records of the church, including: Vestry minutes, 1813-1965; pew rental records, 1791-1892; receipts and disbursements, 1790-1840; parish registers, 1796-1919; canonical registers, 1795-1952; and 19th century photographs depicting church members and the Vestry. A volume of financial statements of the Free African Society is a highlight of the collection.