Delve into this collection to discover more about your ancestor who was baptised at the Trinity Episcopal Church, one of New York City’s oldest and most historically significant churches. These records can help you to uncover various details about your ancestor’s baptism such as their parents’ names, baptism year and date, the officiating minister and witnesses to the baptism. This collection is brought to you in partnership with the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society.
Delve into this collection to discover more about your ancestor who was baptised at the Trinity Episcopal Church, one of New York City’s oldest and most historically significant churches. These records can help you to uncover various details about your ancestor’s baptism such as their parents’ names, baptism year and date, the officiating minister and witnesses to the baptism. This collection is brought to you in partnership with the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society.
Each record includes a transcript and the option to view the original image. While details can vary for each record, you can expect to find a combination of the following facts:
These records are brought to you in partnership with the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society.
This collection allows you to delve into baptism records that were recorded at Trinity Episcopal Church in Manhattan. Trinity Church at Broadway and Wall Street has been a part of New York’s history for over 300 years and held the record for the tallest building in New York City up until 1890. It was such a prominent building that it is said that ships entering New York Harbour could use its spire as a landmark.
The church was founded in 1697 when New York was still a relatively small colonial city, with King William III granting the Anglican parish its charter. The first church was completed in 1698. The original church was sadly destroyed in the Great Fire of New York during the British occupation of the city in the Revolutionary War. When the second Trinity Church was competed in 1790, George Washington attended its consecration.
The church you see today evolved after the second building dealt with serious structural problems and was subsequently demolished. The church was redesigned by Richard Upjohn, one of America’s leading Gothic Revival architects and completed in 1846. It is considered to be one of the great early examples of Gothic Revival architecture in America.
The church graveyard also has an interesting history and contains the graves of some well known historical figures including Alexander Hamilton, who was buried there after his duel with Aaron Burr in 1804. Interestingly, the churchyard predates the church. Evidence suggests that is may have been used as a public cemetery from as early as the 1660s.