Christ Church Episcopal Churchyard, New Brunswick
Encyclopedia
Christ Church or Christ Episcopal Church is a historic Episcopal church in New Brunswick, New Jersey
.
, the rector, Abraham Beach, gathered the scattered clergy of New Jersey
, New York
and Pennsylvania
in 1785 to plan a union of several existing Church of England
parishes, which became the first General Convention of the Episcopal Church. Samuel Seabury
, first Bishop in the Episcopal Church served as rector, as well as the Rt. Rev. John Croes, first Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey
. John Henry Hobart
served as Rector in 1799. The church served as the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey
from 1815-1832. The original building was torn down and rebuilt in 1852. Poet Joyce Kilmer
was baptized and confirmed in the church. Long noted for its excellent music program, the church's first pipe organ
was purchased in 1788. Richards, Fowkes and Company
's pipe organ was installed in 2001-2002.
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
.
History
The church was organized in 1742 by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel. The original church was built in 1745 and the extant tower was built in 1773. Following the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, the rector, Abraham Beach, gathered the scattered clergy of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in 1785 to plan a union of several existing Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
parishes, which became the first General Convention of the Episcopal Church. Samuel Seabury
Samuel Seabury
Samuel Seabury was the first American Episcopal bishop, the second Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, USA, and the first Bishop of Connecticut. He had been a leading Loyalist in New York City during the American Revolution.-History:Samuel Seabury was born in Groton, Connecticut in 1729...
, first Bishop in the Episcopal Church served as rector, as well as the Rt. Rev. John Croes, first Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey
Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey
The Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey forms part of Province II of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. It is made up of the southern and central New Jersey counties of Union, Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean, Burlington, Camden, Atlantic, Gloucester, Salem,...
. John Henry Hobart
John Henry Hobart
John Henry Hobart was the third Episcopal bishop of New York .He vigorously promoted the extension of the Episcopal Church in Central and Western New York...
served as Rector in 1799. The church served as the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey
Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey
The Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey forms part of Province II of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. It is made up of the southern and central New Jersey counties of Union, Middlesex, Somerset, Hunterdon, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean, Burlington, Camden, Atlantic, Gloucester, Salem,...
from 1815-1832. The original building was torn down and rebuilt in 1852. Poet Joyce Kilmer
Joyce Kilmer
Alfred Joyce Kilmer was an American journalist, poet, literary critic, lecturer, and editor. Though a prolific poet whose works celebrated the common beauty of the natural world as well as his religious faith, Kilmer is remembered most for a short poem entitled "Trees" , which was published in...
was baptized and confirmed in the church. Long noted for its excellent music program, the church's first pipe organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
was purchased in 1788. Richards, Fowkes and Company
Richards, Fowkes & Co.
Richards, Fowkes & Co., are builders of historical-style mechanical-action pipe organs. The firm is located in rural Ooltewah, Tennessee, just outside of Chattanooga and was founded in 1988 by Bruce Fowkes and Ralph Richards...
's pipe organ was installed in 2001-2002.
Notable burials
- Anthony Walton WhiteAnthony Walton WhiteAnthony Walton White was a cavalry officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.-Early life:Anthony W. White was the son of Anthony White...
, Revolutionary War Continental Army Officer - John CroesJohn CroesJohn Croes was a Bishop in the Episcopal Church.-Biography:Croes served in the Revolutionary War as a sergeant and quartermaster. He studied for the ministry of the Episcopal Church and was ordained deacon by Bishop William White in Philadelphia, on February 28, 1790, and priest in March 1792...
, First Bishop of New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware... - Abraham Beach
- Charles BoggsCharles BoggsRear Admiral Charles Stuart Boggs served in the United States Navy during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.-Early life and career:Boggs was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey...
External links
- Official website
- History
- Pictures of pipe organ
- Christ Church, New Brunswick at The New Jersey ChurchscapeThe New Jersey Churchscape"The New Jersey Churchscape: Encountering Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Churches" is a book and website from Frank L. Greenagel. Greenagel spent five years researching and photographing 1,100 churches in New Jersey and his book includes photos and background information on 225 of them...
- Marriage records 1758-1778