Church of the Pilgrims collection
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Abstract
The Church of the Pilgrims collection is housed in one manuscript box and contains printed material documenting the Church's activities for the period 1846 to 1932. Items consist of manuals and yearbooks, registers of officers and members, worship service programs, a psalmbook, pamphlets on organizations within the Church, and an issue of the Church's newsletter. The Church of the Pilgrims, Brooklyn's first Congregational church, was established on December 22, 1844. Construction on the Church's building, located at the corner of Henry and Remsen Streets in the neighorhood of Brooklyn Heights, had begun in July of 1844, though it was not until May of 1846 that the building was officially dedicated. The Church's first pastor, the Reverend Richard Salter Storrs (1821-1900), was installed in November of 1846.
Historical Note
The Church of the Pilgrims, Brooklyn's first Congregational church, was established on December 22, 1844. Construction on the Church's building, located at the corner of Henry and Remsen Streets in the neighorhood of Brooklyn Heights, had begun in July of 1844, though it was not until May of 1846 that the building was officially dedicated. The Church's first pastor, the Reverend Richard Salter Storrs (1821-1900), was installed in November of 1846. Under Storrs's leadership, the Church enjoyed steady growth throughout the 19th century, and also played an instrumental role in the founding of additional Congregational churches throughout Brooklyn. Storrs himself became one of Brooklyn's highly prominent citizens; in addition to his pastorate, he was an active member of the Brooklyn Parks Commission, the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, the Brooklyn City Mission Society, and the Long Island Historical Society (now the Brooklyn Historical Society), of which he was president. Storrs was also nationally recognized for his widely distributed religious writings and emphatic opposition to slavery. Upon his death in 1900, Storrs was succeeded as pastor of the Church of the Pilgrims by the Reverend H.P. Dewey.
In 1934, the Church of the Pilgrims merged with the congregation at Plymouth Church, located on Orange Street between Henry and Hicks Streets, to form the Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims. As of 2010, the Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims continues to serve the Brooklyn community at its Orange Street location, now a National Historic Landmark. The Church of the Pilgrims's original building at Henry and Remsen Streets is now occupied by the Catholic congregation of Our Lady of Lebanon.
Sources:
- Byington, Edwin H., ed., "The Church of the Pilgrims, a Short Sketch," The Pilgrim 3 (1896): 29-33.
- Byington, Edwin H., ed., "Richard Salter Storrs, a Short Sketch," The Pilgrim 3 (1896): 3-9.
Scope and Contents
The Church of the Pilgrims collection is housed in one manuscript box and contains printed material documenting the Church's activities for the period 1846 to 1932. Items consist of manuals and yearbooks, registers of officers and members, worship service programs, a psalmbook, pamphlets on organizations within the Church, and an issue of the Church's newsletter.
Yearbooks and manuals span the periods 1849 to 1869 and 1888 to 1902, with variant gaps occurring in both periods. They include annual reports; lists of the Church's officers, societies, and members, along with members' addresses; lists of newly received members, including each member's year of admittance; information on admission to membership; lists of donors and contributors; doctrines; ecclesiastical principles and rules; and orders for worship services. More information on the Church's membership can be found in a separately published register of the Church's officers and members, dating from 1861, that also notes the years that members were received by the Church.
Worship service programs are comprised of an 1846 program for the installation of Richard Salter Storrs as pastor of the Church, a program for the Church's 60th anniversary service in 1904, and programs for regular worship services spanning the period 1929 to 1932. The Church's services are also illuminated by a psalmbook, dating from 1883, that is supplemented with orders for baptisms, weddings, funerals, and the administration of the sacraments.
Pamphlets on subsidiary organizations within the Church include the 1877 annual report of the Church's educational unit, the Pilgrim Chapel, supplemented with lists of officers and teachers; and the constitution and bylaws of the Young Men's Club, circa 1900, including lists of officers and their addresses.
The final item included in the collection is an 1898 issue of the Church's newsletter, The Pilgrim, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Storrs's pastorate at the Church. The issue includes a biographical sketch of Storrs and a history of the Church, in addition to other articles written in tribute to Storrs.
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Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Church of the Pilgrims collection, 1986.018, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Source and date of acquisition unknown. Formally accessioned in 1986.
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Processing Information
Minimally processed to the collection level.
