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There are four main histories of Christ Church written before 1935. The earliest of these was written by Rev. Alfred Stubbs for the meeting of the Diocese of New Jersey in 1846. It was published by the parish in 1850. Rev. Stubbs rewrote this history of Christ Church in 1865, incorporating his endnotes into the text and adding three memorials to the work. Also included in this work is a commentary on the assassination of President Lincoln. For the 150 th anniversary of Christ Church in 1896, a memorial sketch was written of both the church and Bishop John Croes. The final church history included in this library was written in 1934. It is the pamphlet written for the exhibit at the 250th anniversary celebration of the church. |
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Christ Church was incorporated on August 11, 1761. The Charter of incorporation was given by King George III, Supreme Governor of the Church of England. This charter allows the church to act as a ¡°body politic.¡± From this point on it is allowed to sue and be sued, inherit, due business, and own land as long as the annual rents are not greater than 5,000 pounds. Through the charter, the church becomes incorporated and becomes a ¡°body politic¡± a legal entity with certain rights and responsibilities. |
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The Deed to Christ Church is actually a lease to the property for 2,000 years at a rent of one peppercorn due on January 1, if requested. Although the ¡°deed¡± is dated on December 4, the lease period did not begin until Christmas Day of 1745. The unusually long time period of the lease was probably due to the fact that the church was not incorporated until 1761 and, thus, did not have the right to purchase land or receive donations or inheritances. The long term small fee lease enabled the church to ¡°own¡± the land without deeding the land to the church. Philip French, the owner of the land, was a member of the Church of England, and his name also appears on The Charter of Christ Church.
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The List of Memoranda and Data was written for the 250 th anniversary celebration of Christ Church. It gives a timeline of the important events revolving around Christ Church, referencing the items displayed in the exhibit where pertinent. It is written in the format of Year-Historical Entry-Item Description. Some entries to note are the 1791 legalization of the state lottery, which coincided with the problematic church lottery, the death of George Washington, the first steeple fire when it was struck by lightening, the second steeple fire, a section of highlights of Christ Church that contains a simple timeline, the Parish Registers and Records list, the Scrapbook Records list, and an excellent bibliography of Christ Church that explains what was found in each book. |
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The memorial sketch was written for the 150 th anniversary of Christ Church. It is written in a colorful narrative style that is easily readable. The first section discusses the history of the church building and the historical events that occurred around it, such as New Brunswick¡¯s occupation by British troops during the Revolutionary War. The second section regards Bishop Croes and includes the text of some of his letters of introduction when he was seeking employment as a young man. This text includes many personal recollections of the author which are extremely interesting to read from a historical standpoint. He mentions Col. Kemper, a distinguished gentleman of the town, how the church was ¡°dressed¡± for Christmas by the people of the parish, how slavery was phased out in New Brunswick, and how the writer remembers Bishop Croes. |
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Cover full size |
A Record of Christ Church New Brunswick was written originally for the convention of the diocese of New Jersey in 1846, but due to its length and depth the parish decided it was suited for publication for parish purposes. The work has many quotations, although their sources are not always cited. Items of interest in the work are the Revolutionary War¡¯s effects on Anglican ministers, a vivid description of the first steeple fire, the text of the inscription on Bishop Croes memorial tablet, and information on the founding of the American Episcopal Church. Much of the most intriguing information of this work is to be found in the notes. Such information includes the fact that the deed was missing for a number of years note 2, the little recognized occurrence of brothers fighting on opposite sides of the Revolutionary War in note 9, and information about the church lottery in note 13. |
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A Record of Christ Church New Brunswick; 1865 is much like its predecessor of 1850. The major differences are that the notes are not included in the text, some of the information being lost, additional years are added, and memorials are included at the end. The additional information includes information on the forming of American Episcopal Church and Christ Church¡¯s role, a descriptive account of the difficulties that the ministers of the Church of England faced during the Revolutionary War, the renovation of Christ Church, a passionate commentary on the assassination of President Lincoln, a memorial to Rev. Dr. Ogilby, a memorial to Warren Livingston, and a memorial to Mrs. Stubbs. |
The Cover with Stamp of Rugers University Library |
