James Birkby Papers
The papers contain several letters received by James Birkby, receipts issued to James Birkby, a marriage certificate issued by James Birkby, James Birkby's Last Will and Testament, a memorandum of James Birkby, and a letter several years after his death regarding his mortgage. 5 folders James Birkby was born on August 21, 1732 in Wyke/Yorkshire, England and joined the Moravian community in Fulneck in 1742. In 1768 Birkby married Sister Hannah Brook and served as the minister in Wyke for the next ten years. In 1776, James Birkby received a call to serve as a missionary in St. Kitts however prior to his departure for St. Kitts on June 14, 1777 he was ordained as a deacon in Bedford on January 20, 1777. After a year Birkby was called to St. Croix as a missionary. In 1784 Birkby was called to Bethlehem, Pa., where he arrived on December 12. He immediately took up the post as minister in New York in 1885, followed by Staten Island from 1793-1798 when he returned to New York. On October 7, 1799 Birkby's wife Hannah died unexpectedly, forcing him to retire to Bethlehem that December where he lived out the remainder of his life with his niece, Hannah. Birkby suffered from paralytic fits and died on April 10, 1803 while sleeping in a chair.
Full Title
James Birkby Papers
Member of
Language
German
English
Type
Identifier
152D PP BiJ; in box with PP HuVi
moravian-church_5
Record Origin
Converted from Dublin Core to MODS during migration from CONTENTdm to Islandora