Charity, change, and community : Frankford's Swedenborgians and their circle / Gail Rodgers McCormick

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McCormick, Gail Rodgers, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Frankford (Philadelphia, Pa.)--History.

Frankford (Philadelphia, Pa.).

Swedenborgians--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia--History.

Swedenborgians.

New Jerusalem Society of Frankford--History.

New Jerusalem Society of Frankford.

Physical Description:

2 volumes : illustrations, facsimiles, maps, portraits ; 23 cm

Edition:

First edition

Place of Publication:

Irvine, CA : AMZ Publishing, [2024]

Summary:

"Spurred by a family discovery, Gail McCormick embarked on an historical journey to uncover the story of a unique society of Swedenborgians, a Christian sect inspired by the works of eighteenth-century scientist and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg. Unlike most investigations of American Swedenborgianism that have emphasized Swedenborg's influence on the elite, eccentric, and esoteric, McCormick focuses on the experience and impact of this community of faith in the Northeast Philadelphia neighborhood of Frankford. Independent until its consolidation within the city of Philadelphia in 1854, the neighborhood has maintained its own identity for generations, retaining a sense of its colonial past, industrial heritage, and the contributions of its diverse population. Frankford's Swedenborgian congregation, officially the New Jerusalem Society of Frankford, was founded in 1817 as a "Free-Will Baptist" congregation by former Quakers, German Pietists, and English immigrants who had embraced religious Nonconformity in their homeland. They maintained strong family and faith connections to their "Bible Christian" neighbors, the English vegetarian and teetotaling Swedenborgians who arrived in Philadelphia about the same time. The congregation developed deep roots in its neighborhood but also was engaged, and often influential, in many city-wide and national issues. It made its mark not only on religious affairs but also on local business and industry; art, literature, and music; science and medicine; social and political reform; and even communication technology. McCormick uses a wide variety of sources to highlight a special community of faith, whose historic trajectory reflects that of the neighborhood it sought to influence and inspire." - back cover of v.1.

Contents:

Vol. 1. 1817-1875

Vol. 2. 1875-1971.

Volume 1. 1817-1875. Baptists, Bible Christians, and burgeoning industry, 1817-1823

From communalism to cooperation, 1823-1831

The age of Jackson and Biddle, 1831-1840

Homeopathy, political activism, and Swedenborg on the lecture circuit, 1840-1847

Christmas, crime, and cholera, 1847-1851

Consolidation and schism, 1851-1855

Railways, revival, and Republicans, 1855-1860

Civil War, 1861-1865

Catholicity and Congregationalism, 1865-1869

Conflagration and conciliation, 1869-1875

Volume 2. 1875-1971. Revival, reform, and renewal, 1875-1881

Lights, labor, and loss, 1881-1888

Progress, panic and prosecution, 1889-1898

The new century, 1900-1911

Frankford's Swedenborgians and social progress, 1912-1917

War, pestilence and the arrival of the "El", 1917-1922

On the radio: Swedenbog, psychology, and the sesqui-centennial, 1923-1929

The Great Depression, 1930-1939

War and revival, 1940-1951

Decline and demise, 1952-1971.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Athenaeum copy: Gift of the author.

ISBN:

9781916787797 (v. 1)

1916787797 (v. 1)

9781916787810 (v. 2)

1916787819 (v. 2)

OCLC:

1478168914