Second Annual Report, March 5, 1894 (Reprint)

SECOND ANNUAL REPORT Or TEl Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania. OFFICERS FOR 1894. President. EDWARD SHIPPEN, M. D., U. S. N. Vice-Presidents. J. GRANVILLE LEACH, L. TAYLOR DICKSON. Recording Secretary. EDWARD S. SAYRES. Corresponding Secretary. HOWARD W. LLOYD. Treasurer. JNO. HOUSTON MERRILL. Board of Directors. Term to Expire in 1895. Term to Expire in 1896. HOWARD W. LLOYD, WILLIAM H. JENKS, JNO. HOUSTON MERRILL, L. TAYLOR DICKSON, JAMES MIFFLIN, PHILIP S. P. CONNER, THOMAS ALLEN GLENN, FRANKLIN PLATT, WILLIAM FISHER LEWIS. GILBERT COPE. Term to Etpire in 1897. EDWARD SHIPPEN, M. D., U. S. N., J. GRANVILLE LEACH, CHARLES P. KEITH, EDWARD S. SAYRES, FRANCIS B. LEE, of Trenton, N. J. (144) Second Annual Report. 145 The Board of Directors of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, in presenting this, their Second Annual Report, feel that the members of the Society will be, perhaps, more interested in it than any other one in its history, because in all newly-founded societies the first annual report only treats of the preparatory steps and various proposed actions, while the second one is supposed to indicate what are the abilities or resources of the Society, as proved by a year of practical results. While this theory is almost universally true as to all newly-founded societies, yet to a literary one, such as is the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, the results are more slowly developed, and the accretion, as well as the show of good works, perhaps not so apparent. The Board feel, however, that the members can be congratulated that the year last past has been one in which the Society has added greatly to its collections and extended its field of labor, while at the same time your Board have, by practical experience of a year's work, been enabled to discover what it is most judicious to collect and preserve. The field for work is very large. There are many church records all over the country of various denominations, of untold worth to historical and genealogical research, which should be copied and preserved for future reference, and which are now most carelessly kept and in danger of being mislaid, or perhaps entirely lost or destroyed. Besides these church records, various county and court records of like value, as well as private records, the property of individuals, the preservation of all such valuable papers being a part of the duty of the Society, and your Board are only limited in their ability to cover this vast field by the amount of funds in your treasury. In this connection, it might be well to say that the wills of the original counties of West Jersey, to wit, Burlington, Gloucester, Salem, and Cape May, are filed at Trenton, and it was found that a large part of these wills, down to 1700, 146 Second Annual Report. were unrecorded, and liable to be mislaid or lost, and, inasmuch as so much of the blood of these counties is commingled with Pennsylvania, and really become part of its history, it was deemed wise to have abstracts made of all these early unrecorded valuable papers. This work is now under way, and having the personal supervision of one of our Directors, Francis B. Lee, Esq., of Trenton, and at a nominal cost to the Society. Besides this work, the following work has been accomplished during the year : I. The records of Trinity Protestant Episcopal Church, Oxford, Philadelphia, 1709-1856, comprising 1,300 entries, making 113 quarto pages, have all been abstracted, indexed, and bound. II. The records of St. Thomas' Protestant Episcopal Church, Whitemarsh, 1789-1856, comprising 1,093 entries, making 30 quarto pages, have been completed, indexed, and bound. III. The records of the Pennypack Baptist Church, 1697-1745, comprising 1,334 entries, making 84 quarto pages, have been completed, indexed, and bound. IV. The records of the Third Reformed Dutch Church, Philadelphia, comprising 920 entries, making 51 quarto pages, have been completed, and indexed and bound. V. The records of baptisms in Christ Church and St. Peter's, about 20,000 entries, of which over 10,000 are now copied, making 500 quarto pages, are now under way. VI. The records of St. Michael's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Germantown, about 12,000 entries, of which over 2,500 are now copied, are now completed and being indexed. VII. Abstracts of wills, recorded in Philadelphia, 1683— 1800, about 20,000, of which about 18,000 have been done, making about 600 quarto pages, have been abstracted from 1683 to 1793, and indexed and bound from 1683 to 1740, comprising 2 volumes. VIII. The records of the Swedish Lutheran Churches at Second Annuat Report. 147 Swedesboro and Penn's Neck, 1714-1810, comprising 4,703 entries, nearly completed. Besides these valuable abstracts a large number of manuscript pedigrees are now being arranged and are to be indexed and bound. The following books and papers have been presented to the Society : The Anglican Register, Penna., before 1800, by P. S. P. Conner, Esq. The Steinmetz Genealogical Tree, by J. Allison Steinmetz, Esq. The Drinker Family in America, to and including the Eighth Generation, by Henry D. Biddle. Presented by Henry D. Biddle, Esq. A Genealogical Sketch of the Posterity of John Rowland, of Rhosybayvil, Parish of Bayvil of Pembroke, by Henry J. and Edward K. Rowland, 1893. Presented by Rev. Henry J. Rowland. Constitution and By-Laws of the Holland Society of New York, by Isaac Meyer, Esq. By-Laws of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts. Portions of the American Catholic Historical Society's Record. Since the last annual meeting there have been elected 18 new members, and there have been 4 resignations. The Treasurer's Report, which is presented as a part of this Annual Report, shows a balance from last report of $158.36, receipts of $1224.63 during the year, and expenditures of $1203.73, leaving a balance in treasury at date of $179.26. The receipts are entirely from annual dues, with the exception of the sum of $140, which was a fund contributed personally by members of the Board, and which fund was used for the purpose of printing the First Annual Report. Copies of this report were sent to every member of this Society, as well as to libraries and learned societies and 148 Second Annual Report. clubs all over the country. The expenditures were for copying records, indexing, and for binding the books. The current running expenses of the Society have been practically nothing. The Board of Directors have, by resignation and death, lost during the year two most valuable members of their Board, Mr. Charles R. Hildeburn, one of the 'founders of the Society, chairman • of the Executive Committee and Treasurer of the Society, and through whose devoted labors and intelligent supervision undoubtedly is due the founding of this Society on a firm basis. Mr. Hildebum's personal business requiring his undivided attention, it became necessary for him to sever his connection as an active member of its Board. His resignation was received with great regret by his co-directors, and only accepted after personal solicitation had failed to secure its withdrawal. In the death of Mr. Thomas M. Cleeman, your Board has not only lost a valuable co-worker, but a gentleman who had endeared himself to the Board by his personal qualities. A committee, consisting of Messrs. Leach, chairman, Mifflin, and Platt, were appointed to prepare a sketch of Mr. Cleeman, which will appear as a part of this report. These vacancies in your Board have been filled by the election of Mr. William H. Jenks to fill the vacancy caused in the Board by the resignation of Mr. Hildeburn, and Mr. Francis B. Lee, of Trenton, N. J., to fill the vacancy in the Board caused by the death of Mr. Cleeman. Your Board would call to the attention of each and every member the desirability of each one securing an additional member. The collection of genealogical matter is in many cases misinterpreted, many persons believing that such matter is of a purely personal character, and valuable only to the individual collector. This is a great error. Those who have collected historical matter will readily understand that the line separating it from genealogical research is so lightly defined that it is almost invisible, and every one who in Second Annual Report. 149 any manner is collecting or helping to collect genealogical material is indirectly, but just so certainly, helping to add to the historical works of the future, because history is only, after all, principally the doings of men, and the study of mankind is man. Much more work could be done by this Society if its membership were just double or treble the present number. The Board of Directors take this occasion also to state that this Society is greatly indebted to the officers of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania for their unvarying courtesy and efforts to add to the success of this foster child of the parent society, and particularly are the thanks of your Board tendered to the Librarian and Assistant Librarian, Messrs. Frederick D. Stone and John W. Jordan, for their individual and kindly efforts in every way to aid the executive officers of this Society with their advice and assistance. Your Board have to report, during the year, the death of the following members : EDWARD C. BIDDLE, GEORGE DE B. BEIM, THOMAS M. CLEEMAN, JOSEPH D. POTTS, JOSHUA LADD HOWELL, EDWARD S. WHELEN, HORATIO GATES JONES. All of which is respectfully submitted. EDWARD SHIPPEN, EDWARD S. SAYRES, .Recording Secretary. March 5, 1894. President. 150 Second Annual Report. STATEMENT OF RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES FROM FEBRUARY 20TH, 1893, TO FEBRUARY 20TH, 1894. RECEIPTS. Balance from 1892 . . . . $158.36 Annual duce 1,075.00 Directors' subscription to annual report 140.00 Interest on deposits . . . . 9.63 $1,382.99 EXPENDITURES. Printing and Stationery . Printing annual report. Abstracting Wills Copying and indexing. • • Indexing boxes, etc . . • • Binding Postage Sundries Cash in Girard Life and Trust Company $66.25 175.00 607.90 257.73 30.00 18.30 21.20 27.35 179.26 $1,382.99 E. k 0. E. Account examined and found correct. Jim. HOUSTON MERRILL, CHAS. P. KEITH, (Signed) Treasurer. P. S. P. CONNER, FRANKLIN PLATT, Auditing Committee. March 3d, 1894.