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Center for Brooklyn History Finding Aids
Guide to the Prospect Heights Presbyterian Church records ARC.087

Prospect Heights Presbyterian Church records

Call Number

ARC.087

Date

1890-1978, inclusive

Creator

Prospect Heights Presbyterian Church (New York, N.Y.)

Extent

3.5 Linear Feet
in nine manuscript boxes.

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

This collection contains records of Prospect Heights Presbyterian Church and its various boards and organizations from 1890 to 1978. The records chronicle the church's membership, regular sermons, and activities of the church's groups. Document types include membership rolls, Sunday school rolls, financial ledgers, reports, programs, and minutes of subdivisions of Prospect Heights Presbyterian Church.

Historical note

Prospect Heights Presbyterian Church was founded in 1888 as a merger of the Memorial and First Presbyterian Church on Seventh Avenue and the Twelfth Street Reformed Church, both of Brooklyn, N.Y. The chapel was constructed at Eighth Avenue and Tenth Street, located in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, and dedicated on April 7, 1889. The church was home to an active congregation, with social groups such as the Ladies' Aid Society and Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor, and formed a part of the Presbytery of New York City.

With the rise of the Catholic population in Park Slope, the congregation of Prospect Heights Presbyterian Church began to shrink, resulting in financial difficulties for the church during the mid-20th century. The congregation disbanded in 1980s, and the the Church of the Gethsemane took possession of the chapel in 1989.

Sources

  1. "Beggars and Preachers." Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 7, 1889, 13.
  2. "City Pastors and People." Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 17, 1888, 11.
  3. "Local Church Consolidation." Brooklyn Daily Eagle, May 4, 1888, 4.
  4. "Our History," The Church of Gethsemane, accessed September 2, 2010, http://www.thechurchofgethsemane.org.

Scope and Contents

This collection contains records of Prospect Heights Presbyterian Church and its various boards and organizations from 1890 to 1978. The records chronicle the church's membership, regular sermons, and activities of the church's groups. Document types include membership rolls, Sunday school rolls, financial ledgers, reports, programs, and minutes of subdivisions of Prospect Heights Presbyterian Church.

The collection is organized into nine series: Financial Records, Membership Records, Sunday School Records, Minutes, Reports, Correspondence, Baptism and Marriage Documents, Secretarial Records, and Photographs.

Subjects

Organizations

Genres

Topics

Places

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restriction.

Conditions Governing Use

Reproduction rights for photographs have not been evaluated. Please consult library staff for more information.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date (if known); Prospect Heights Presbyterian Church records, ARC.087, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Bob Levine, 1986.

Other Finding Aids

Item-level description and digital versions of images from the collection are available for searching via the image database in the library.

Collection processed by

Weatherly Stephan

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 11:20:52 +0000.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: English.

Processing Information

Fully processed to the folder level; described to the series level.

This collection combines two accessions: 1986.045 and V1997.056.

Repository

Brooklyn Historical Society

Container

Box: 5 (Material Type: Text)
Box: 4 (Material Type: Text)
Box: 9 (Material Type: Text)
Box: Cabinet Cards 1, item: V1987.50.11 (Material Type: Graphic Materials)
Box: 1 (Material Type: Text)
Box: 7 (Material Type: Text)
Box: 6 (Material Type: Text)
Box: 8 (Material Type: Text)
Box: 3 (Material Type: Text)
Box: 2 (Material Type: Text)

Series 1: Financial Records, 1921-1969, inclusive

Extent

1.25 Linear Feet in three manuscript boxes.

Scope and Contents

Financial Documents contains ledgers and account books of receipts and disbursements of the benevolent fund, the deacon's fund, the Ladies' Aid Society, and the mortgage fund of the church. The treasurer's journal and pledge payments from congregants are also kept in this series.

Series 2: Membership Records, 1890-1972, inclusive

Extent

0.6 Linear Feet in two manuscript boxes

Scope and Contents

Membership Records includes church directories, pastors' address books, and certificates of reception and dismission. Documents in this series identify members, their addresses, dates of membership of the church, and their church memberships preceding and following Prospect Heights Presbyterian Church.

Series 3: Sunday School Records, 1905-1965, inclusive

Extent

0.4 Linear Feet in one manuscript box.

Scope and Contents

Sunday School Records includes detailed roll books, listing student names and attendance dates, for Sunday School classes, and exam questions for confirmation classes.

Series 4: Minutes, 1891-1971, inclusive

Extent

0.6 Linear Feet in two manuscript boxes.

Scope and Contents

Minutes contains minutes of the Sunday School, Board of Deacons, Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor, Pulpit Committee, Young Women's Club, and Men's Club. Material in this series shows regular decisions about activities in the church and the array of organizations that were performing outreach into the church community.

Series 5: Reports, 1907, 1932-1968, inclusive

Extent

0.1 Linear Feet in one manuscript box.

Scope and Contents

Reports contains annual reports of Prospect Heights Presbyterian Church, as well as the annual reports of its treasurer. These reports summarize membership information, financial data, and outreach activities for the year.

Series 6: Correspondence, 1908-1969, inclusive

Extent

0.1 Linear Feet in one manuscript box.

Scope and Contents

Correspondence includes letters regarding the transfer of congregants to and from Prospect Heights Presbyterian Church, and letters to and from members of the Board of Deacons regarding church matters.

Series 7: Baptism and Marriage Documents, 1908-1965, inclusive

Extent

0.4 Linear Feet in two manuscript boxes.

Scope and Contents

Baptism and Marriage Documents contains stubs from certificates presented to individuals baptized or married at the church. These stubs contain names, addresses, dates of baptism or marriage, birthdates, and parents' names.

Series 8: Secretarial Records, 1906-1978, inclusive

Extent

0.1 Linear Feet in one manuscript box.

Scope and Contents

Secretarial Records includes church publications, programs, news clippings, and manuscript notes on the church and its history. Records of the Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor, the Lookout Committee, and the Clerk of Sessions are contained in this series. Also in this series is a volume of Rev. MacCall's quotations, presumably used for sermons.

Publications include Prospect Heights Bulletin and Prospect News. Programs in the series document weekly church services and social gatherings.

Series 9: Photographs, circa late 19th century-1960s, inclusive

Extent

12 items in one folder and one cabinet card sleeve.

Scope and Contents

Photographs consists of black-and-white prints, negatives, cabinet cards, and cartes-de-visite. Prints and negatives depict the church exterior, church members, and activities from the 1960s, as well as one unidentified rector. Cartes-de-visite and cabinet cards in the series show members of well-known Brooklyn families, such as Carrie Cortelyou and Henry Cortelyou.

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