Guide to the Papers of Philip William Otterbein
Aaron Smith and Daisy Wiggins King, Student Assistant, Matthew Van Horne, Student Intern and Mark C. Shenise, Associate Archivist
United Methodist Archives and History Center
General Commission on Archives and History of The United Methodist Church
2018-09-12
Overview of Collection
|
|
| Record Creator: |
Otterbein, Philip William |
| Title: |
Philip William Otterbein Papers |
| Date Span: |
1571-1967 | Click here to view the finding aid format suitable for requesting material at the Archives. |
| Abstract: |
Philip William Otterbein was born June 3, 1726 in Dillenburg, Germany. In 1748 he was approved as a candidate for ministry and ordained in 1749. He volunteered to go to America to fill vacant pulpits among the German Reformed in 1752. In 1767 he attended a meeting where he heard Martin Boehm, Mennonite bishop, preach. This occasion began a friendship which furnished roots for a religious movement that eventually was to culminate in the formation of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. Perhaps at the urging of Francis Asbury, Otterbein assumed charge of an independent Reformed congregation in Baltimore, Maryland in 1774. A close friendship developed between Asbury and Otterbein. Never intending to begin a new church, Otterbein and a group of laymen and ministers began to meet regularly for greater spirituality and inward piety. This eventually resulted in a breakaway and the formation of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. Otterbein and Boehm became its first bishops. Otterbein participated in Asbury's consecration and ordination as bishop on December 27, 1784 in Baltimore, Maryland. He died on November 17, 1813 in Baltimore, Maryland. Record types include: correspondence, photocopies, handwritten transcripts, publications, photographs, financial records and contracts. The collection also contains autographs and his ministerial credentials. |
| Extent: |
62 cubic feet |
| Identification: |
gcah.ms.gcah556 |
Biographical Note
Philip William Otterbein was born June 3, 1726 in Dillenburg, Germany. In 1748 he was approved a candidate for ministry and was ordained in 1749. He volunteered to go to American to fill vacant pulpits among the German Reformed in 1752. He was soon called to the congregation in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He married Susan LeRoy of Lancaster, in 1762. She died in 1768 and he remained a widower for the rest of his life. In 1767 he attended a meeting where he heard Martin Boehm, Mennonite bishop, preach. This occasion began a friendship which furnished roots for a religious movement that eventually was to culminate in the formation of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. Perhaps at the urging of Francis Asbury, Otterbein assumed charge of an independent Reformed congregation in Baltimore, Maryland in 1774. A close friendship developed between Asbury and Otterbein. Never intending to begin a new church, Otterbein and a group of laymen and ministers began to meet regularly for greater spirituality and inward piety. This eventually resulted in a breakaway and the formation of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. Otterbein and Boehm became its first bishops. Otterbein participated in Asbury' s consecration and ordination as bishop December 27, 1784 in Baltimore, Maryland. Otterbein never fully recovered from a serious illness in 1805. He remained in Baltimore until his death on November 17, 1813.
Scope and Content Note
Record types include: correspondence, photocopies, handwritten transcripts, publications, photographs, financial records and contracts. This is the only known extent collection of Bishop Otterbein' s papers in the Western Hemisphere. The collection contains autographs and his ministerial credentials.
Arrangement
Materials have been arranged in the following manner.
Ministry
Correspondence
Publications
Financial and Legal
Images
Artifacts
Preferred Citation
When citing material from this collection please use the following format: Direct reference to the item or its file folder, Philip William Otterbein Collection, United Methodist Church Archives - GCAH, Madison, New Jersey. Do not make use of the item's call number as that is not a stable descriptor.
Access Restrictions
There are no restrictions regarding this collection.
Use Access
Detailed use restrictions relating to our collections can be requested from the office of the archivist at the General Commission on Archives and History. Photocopying is handled by the staff and may be limited in certain instances. Before using any material for publication from this collection a formal request for permission to publish is expected and required.
Related Material
Grace Reformed Church, Tanyeytown, Maryland, And History Of Grace Reformed Church, Keysville, Maryland.
William Roland Phinney Papers.
Augustus Waldo Drury Collection.
|
|
|
Index Terms
|
|
|
|
Subject Terms
|
|
|
Bible |
|
|
Church finance |
|
|
Local church |
|
|
Ministry |
|
|
Ordination |
|
Geographic Terms
|
|
|
Germany |
|
|
Maryland |
|
|
Pennsylvania |
|
Occupation Terms
|
|
|
Bishop |
|
|
Minister |
|
Subject Names - Corporate Bodies
|
|
|
Church of theUnited Brethren in Christ (New constitution) |
|
Genre Terms
|
|
|
Artifacts |
|
|
Correspondence |
|
|
Legal documents |
|
|
Local church records |
|
|
Paintings |
|
|
Photographs |
|
|
Wills |
Series: Ministry
|
Call Number
|
Folder Title
|
Date(s)
|
| 1007-1-1:
2 |
Certificates on Verification of Ordination |
1752 |
| 1007-1-1:
6 |
Manuscripts: Die Heilbringende Menschwerding (Sermon): (2) German and (2) English translations by Ehrhardt Lang |
1760-1963 |
| 1007-1-1:
7 |
Records: Lancaster Reformed Church |
1752-1758 |
| 1007-1-1:
8 |
Records: Tulpehocken Area |
1758-1760 |
| 1007-1-1:
9 |
Records: Frederick, Maryland |
1760-1765 |
| 1007-1-1:
10 |
Records: York, Pennsylvania |
1765-1774 |
| 1007-1-1:
11 |
Records: Baltimore, Maryland |
1774-1813 |
| 1007-1-1:
12 |
Records of Itinerant Ministries: Blaser's Reformed Church (West) Donegal Township |
1754-1756 |
| 1007-1-1:
13 |
Records of Itinerant Ministries: Kreutz Creek, Hellam Township, York County |
1757 |
| 1007-1-1:
14 |
Records of Itinerant Ministries: Kreider's Ref. Church (St. Benjamin's) Carroll County, Md. |
1762-1766 |
| 1007-1-1:
15 |
Records of Itinerant Ministries: Quickel's Ref. and Luth. Church (Zion's View) Conewago Township, York County |
1772 |
| 1007-1-1:
16 |
Records of Itinerant Ministries: St. Jacob's (Stone) Church, Codorus, Township Brodbecks, York County |
1805-1808 |
| 1007-1-1:
17 |
Records: Otterbein's Family |
1658-1813 |
| 1007-1-1:
18 |
Records: Pennsylvania Coetus; Minutes |
1752-1774 |
| 1007-1-1:
19 |
Records: Pennsylvania Coetus; Biography of George Geeting |
1728-1812 |
| 1007-1-1:
20 |
Records: Pennsylvania Coetus; Map |
1750 |
| 1007-1-1:
21 |
Records: Pennsylvania Coetus; Steiner's Pastoral Visits |
1757-1759 |
| 1007-1-1:
25 |
Passport: Passport of Reverend Michael Schlatter |
1750 |
| 1007-1-1:
34 |
Miscellaneous: Notes Made by Former Staff Persons on the Collection |
Undated |
| 1007-1-1:
35 |
Pocketbook |
Undated |
Series: Correspondence
|
Call Number
|
Folder Title
|
Date(s)
|
| 1007-1-1:
3 |
Outgoing Correspondence |
1807-1812 |
| 1007-1-1:
4 |
Correspondence: Artificial Collection about Otterbein |
1759-1804 |
| 1007-1-1:
5 |
Correspondence: Concerning the Reformed Church and Ministers in the Pennsylvania and Maryland area |
1752-1778 |
| 1007-1-1:
33 |
Correspondence: Requests about Otterbein - 20th Century |
1929-1965 |
| 1007-1-1:
32 |
Correspondence: Requests about Otterbein - 19th Century |
1858-1899 |
Series: Publications
|
Call Number
|
Folder Title
|
Date(s)
|
| 1007-1-1:
26 |
Publication: Charter of Incorporation of the Trinity Reformed Church |
1879 |
| 1007-1-1:
27 |
Publication: The Reformed Quarterly Review 31 (6 in the new series) January 1884 |
1884 |
| 1007-1-1:
28 |
Publication: W. Otterbein and the Reformed Church by W. J. Hinke |
1901 |
| A201:
0 |
Historien der Martyrer - Martyr's Mirror by Ludwig Rabus |
1571 |
| 1005-1-8:
1 |
Bible: Catherine Drucks - Gift from Otterbein |
1803 |
| 1007-1-1:
1 |
Bible: John Hildt |
1747 |
Series: Financial and Legal
|
Call Number
|
Folder Title
|
Date(s)
|
| 1007-1-1:
22 |
Financial: Receipts of Money sent to Mrs. Otterbein |
1756 |
| 1007-1-1:
23 |
Financial: List of Subscribers to Otterbein's Salary in Lancaster |
1752 |
| 1007-1-1:
24 |
Financial: Account Records of the Building project at Lancaster |
1753 |
| 1007-1-1:
29 |
Legal Document: Copy of Otterbein's Last Will and Testament |
1813 |
| 1007-1-1:
30 |
Legal Documents: Contracts and Agreements |
1753-1757 |
Series: Images
|
Call Number
|
Folder Title
|
Date(s)
|
| 1007-1-1:
31 |
Photographs and Pictures |
1802-1967 |
Series: Artifacts
|
Call Number
|
Folder Title
|
Date(s)
|
| A201:
0 |
Communion Chalice |
Undated |
| A201:
0 |
Crystal Decanter (some damage) |
Undated |
| A201:
0 |
Crystal Decanter with Stopper |
Undated |
| A201:
0 |
Communion Chalice with Lid |
Undated |
| A201:
0 |
China Pitcher |
Undated |
| A201:
0 |
Chippendale Table and Chairs |
Undated |
| Galleries:
0 |
Oil Paintings |
1810-1881 |
