One never knows what one will find and see in these old church ledgers. A few months ago I had the chance to view a few of Christ Episcopal Church old ledgers or financial books. In a large cardboard box I found an old, long, leather-brown, Financial Records (16 inches long & 6.5 inches wide) 1805-1824 that caught my eyes. To a historian it was beautiful. As I opened the book and strolled the pages, a smell of an old ancient book came upon me. It was a sweet, musty, almond-like smell that one finds in very old books. The ink was very brown due to age. I quickly noticed the names of the early communicates of Christ Church. These men and women I knew, for each one was a player in the development of the Borough of Norfolk. As I dived into these old financial records, I came across a few fascinating individuals of old Norfolk that lived so long ago. These individuals were interesting and they had left a faint record of themselves.
As I was reading the financial report of 1807, I found a small annotation of a Mr. Davey who was paid 6 pounds or 6 dollars to pump the church organ in 1815. His title was called, the Organ Blower. However, I wonder if this organ was called a Harmonium, or just a simple foot pump organ.
Who was Mr. John Davey? Interestedly, Mr. Davie lived around the corner from old Christ Church, No. 54 Wide Water Street, and was a grocer by trade here in the Borough of Norfolk. Unfortunately, he passed away on the 8th of September 1817. His wife Margaret Davie posted his obituary in the American Beacon newspaper. Later, his wife posted a notice, "To All Persons indebted to the estate of John Davie, deceased, are requested to make the immediate payments". She signed her name as Margaret Davie, executrix, on February 7th 1818.
Like so many individuals, Mr. Davie decided to work for the church and pick up a little extra cash to add to his income. I found this to be quite interesting.
In using the old Norfolk newspapers of the day, I was able to tract some names listed in this ledger. By tracking these individuals, we see these lives unfold before our eyes, the happiness, hardships, and deaths.
In the old American Beacon newspapers for December 21, 1815, we see Davie was trying to sell his small farm. This small farm was situated on the Cross Road leading to the Pleasure House in Lambert’s Point, about 5 miles from the Borough of Norfolk. The farm contained 26 acres of land and the house was designed for a tavern.
To make matters worse, on Nov. 18, 1817, the American Beacon published ROBBERY at No. 54 Wide Water St. where robbers broken into Davey’s grocery shop stealing Bank Notes, 30 dollars in silver, lots of yards of materials, especially Irish Linen, Blue Ginghams. Mrs. Davie, posted a huge liberal reward for the capture of the thieves. Unfortunately, no one was caught.
In May 1817 in the Christ Church Financial Record Book we read about a man named "Moses" or "Moses Arthur" who is listed as organist for Christ Church and in January 1818, repairs were made on the organ for ten dollars.
In June 1818, in another entry we see a Mr. James H. Swindelle listed as the organist, salary fifty dollars. On September 18, 1819, James Swindelle marries Miss Eliza Benfield, a native of Norfolk, Virginia. And to my surprise, the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., has a favorite Rondo that has made its way over to the United States from Europe by an Alsatian, German composer called, Louis von Esch, (17__-1827). The Rondo was played by a Mr. Swindelle, Professor of Music, lately from Europe. The year was 1818. Could this be the new organist of Christ Episcopal Church?
In October 27, 1819, American Beacon newspaper runs an ad that Mr. & Mrs. Swindelle are opening a school for young ladies in their home on Duke Street. They will teach reading, writing, arithmetic, English grammar, etc. along with history and geography here in the Borough of Norfolk
Around 1823 Mr. James Swindelle is involved with the Handle & Haydn Society and is bringing concerts of these noted composers to the Norfolk area, especially at Christ Episcopal Church. And on December 25, 1822, according to the American Beacon newspaper, another concert, "A Grand Selections of Sacred Music" was performed by James Swindle and others at Christ Episcopal Church.
March 16, 1827, an ad appears in the local American Beacon newspaper that the Swindelle School on Fenchurch is vacant (next door to the Theater). Could this be the old Lancastrian School? Apparently the Swindelles are leaving Norfolk and in June 1840, according to the Federal census, the Swindles are now settled in Ross Allegheny, Pennsylvania.
Looking over these old financial Ledger entries with its faded brown ink and a smell all its own, one can read about simple, ordinary people living in our city. These old church ledgers from the early 19th century served as crucial, multi-functional record books that recorded the financial, social and spiritual lives of people of our community. They recorded citizen’s names and the financial records of Christ Episcopal Church. Unfortunately, many of these old ledgers have disappeared from other churches over time. The old handwriting entries have faded to a warm brown color with such beautiful cursive handwriting. And many of these old ledgers show their age with foxing & stains on many of the pages, plus a few torn pages too. Nevertheless, these old historic records are just gems to the eyes of a historian. They tell us a story of early America, the men and women who lived so long ago, in a place called the Borough of Norfolk, Virginia. These old church ledgers are simply just priceless.
Financial Ledger page
Christ Episcopal Church
Concert Program
Christ Episcopal Church* * * * * *
Robert B. Hitchings is a seventh generation Norfolk resident, graduating with an Associate's Degree in Biology from Old Dominion University and BA in history from Virginia Wesleyan University. During his studies he was awarded a scholarship at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, England, and he was an exchange student at Brooks-Westminster College, Oxford, England. From 1999-2014 he worked as head of the Sargeant Memorial History Room at Norfolk Public Library, and since then has headed the Wallace History Room at Chesapeake Public Library. He is also the President of the Norfolk County Historical Society, and for six years was a columnist for The Virginian-Pilot. Robert may be reached at nchs.wallaceroom@gmail.com
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