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From: Doris Christian <>
Subject: [VASPOTSY] Contents of Early Church Records
Date: Wed, 2 May 2007 10:52:18 -0500


have learned a great deal from reading and editing the books for my
website.And I thought that I might share some of it with you.
This explains some of the early church records and what can be found
in them.

Because we have been brought up in this country with separation of
Church and State, we may not understand exactly what the Church of
England (C of E) was and what its duties and responsibilities were
during Colonial times. Besides administering to the spiritual needs
of its members, the clergyman, clerks and vestrymen of the Parish
also served the community in much the same way as our modern county
government, and health and welfare departments. The clergy, his
clerk and sometimes an actual tax collector, collected taxes. The
vestrymen (usually landed gentry) set the amount of tax and what it
would be based on. The C of E kept track of births (baptisms were
sometimes taxed), marriages (always taxed) and deaths in the "Parish
Records" Taxes were collected to run the church and take care of the
poor. (Note: "Parish Records" is where you find these records).

"Vestry Records" contain lists of taxes collected and from whom
(revenue); some deaths, and “welfare” information, such as payments
to people caring for indigents; the church paying for caskets and
burials for the indigent; the sick, disabled or orphans being placed
in people’s homes with an allowance for their care; etc.; also,
various donations to the church, and craftsmen who worked on the
church (expenses).

Starting with the 1662--Act of the Assembly: Ministers were required
to prove that they were ordained by an English bishop, and all others
were prohibited from teaching or preaching, publicly or privately.
(One instance was in 1682 when Francis Makemie, a Presbyterian
minister landed in New England; preached a sermon; and was jailed
within “a very short period of time”.) Religion in the colonies was
established by law; the union of church and state put the church
under the political control of the state.

If this information is of value to you, please let me know.

Doris



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