COLONIAL AMERICAN CLERGY OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND DATABASE
Compiled and edited by
James B. Bell
Welcome to the Colonial American Clergy of the Church of England
Database. It is a database of biographical and professional information for the
1,281 men who were associated with the King’s Church in the provinces between
1607 and 1783.
Many bibliographical and manuscript sources in England, Scotland,
Ireland and the United States have contributed to the compilation of the database. In particular I am
indebted to many helpful resources including the publications of Frederick
Lewis Weis, Edward Lewis Goodwin, George MacLaren Brydon, Nelson Waite
Rightmyer, and John K. Nelson. In addition the following works have been of
assistance: alumni publications of the colleges and universities of the period
attended by many of the biographees, the national biographical dictionaries,
and the manuscript collections of the Lambeth Palace Library and the Guildhall
Library in London, and the Rhodes House and Bodleian libraries of the
University of Oxford.
The program provides the names, and if known the dates of birth and
death of the men, places of birth and death, and the name of the wife (wives).
Also included if known is date of ordinations to the deaconate and priesthood,
date licensed by the bishop of London for service in a particular colony or place,
and the date of receiving the “bounty” fund to meet their expenses of
travelling from London to their assignments.
In addition there are categories noting the collegiate education of the
men, other occupations that they may have pursued such as: schoolmaster,
college professor, fellows of Oxford or Cambridge colleges, and so forth. If
known, the political opinions of the men at the outbreak of the Revolutionary
War is also recorded.
It is possible to see the full list of the 1,281 ministers.
The list of men may be filtered alphabetically.
A Individual Minister Page may be examined and printed.
A feedback link is provided for email communication.
An Update Mailing List is provided for persons who request to be informed about revisions on an individual’s account.
It is possible to subscribe or unsubscribe from the mailing list.
I would be grateful to learn of evidence of new information relating to
individuals listed in the database or of proposed revisions for consideration.