St. Paul's Church, St. Paul's Parish Collection

St. Paul’s Episcopal Parish was one of the thirty original Church of England parishes created by Act of Assembly (the Establishment Act) in 1692.

There is a group of original records from this parish, dating largely from 1916-2008, that are still unprocessed. Contact the Department of Special Collections with questions.

Administrative History by Franklin A. Robinson, Jr., St. Paul’s Parish Church Archivist.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Parish was one of the thirty original Church or England parishes created by Act of Assembly (the Establishment Act) in 1692. During the colonial period it was served by a variety of priests. The longest serving priest during the colonial period was John Eversfield (1702-1780) rector of the parish from 1728-1776. He was the second longest serving Anglican priest of any parish in colonial Maryland. It was the home parish of Bishop Thomas John Claggett (1745-1816) the first Episcopal Bishop of Maryland and the first bishop consecrated on American soil.

The parish church was originally located at Mount Calvert with the chapel of ease located at Richard Brightwell’s, Brightwell’s Range, in the south county about a mile from the current intersection of Maryland Routes 381 and 382. With the passage of an Act of Assembly in 1732 authorizing the building of a new church and chapel of ease, the parish church was built 1733-1735 on part of Golden Race (present day St. Paul’s Church, Baden) and the chapel of ease was built 1742-1745 on part of the Cuckold’s Rest (present day St. Thomas’ Church, Croom). In the late 1840s another church was planted in Woodville, present day Aquasco, and named St. Mary’s. The location of the rectory was moved from Nottingham to Woodville in the 1850s. St. Paul’s Church has undergone expansion and redecorating on the interior in the Victorian style. The original St. Mary’s Church was replaced with a new building in the early 20^th century.

The Church of England as established in Maryland lasted until November 1776 and the passage of the Declaration of Rights. The final version approved on Sunday, 3 November, contained a total of forty-two articles; two of them, articles thirty-two and thirty-three, dealt specifically with religion and its place in the state. With the Declaration of Rights, the Maryland legislature revoked all acts supporting an Established Church.

The parish was divided in 1704 (Queen Anne’s Parish), in 1850 (St. Thomas’ Parish), and finally in 2004 (Baden Parish). The present day parish (2013) consists of St. Paul’s, Baden and St. Mary’s, Aquasco with a rectory in the former Roy Baden residence at Baden. The former rectory in Aquasco was sold in the latter part of the 20^th century. Initially a parish of the Diocese of Maryland, St. Paul’s became a part of the Diocese of Washington upon the creation of that diocese in 1895. Both diocesan archives are open to the public for research by appointment.

Scope and Content: The records of St. Paul’s Parish prior to 1733 were reportedly lost in a house fire. The earliest surviving vestry records inform us that parish registers beginning in 1693 were still in existence as late as 1819. Presently, the earliest registers date to 1821 being more complete as they move forward to the present time. The earliest vestry minutes still extant begin in 1733. Since the early nineteenth century vestry minutes and parish registers have been kept, for the most part, up to date and extend to the present day.

In approximately 1969, the Maryland State Archives (MSA) in Annapolis borrowed the early parish registers, vestry minutes, treasurers’ accounts, and miscellaneous material for microfilming. Microfilming was accomplished and MSA asked permission to retain the early records for safekeeping in the archives at Annapolis. The vestry agreed to honor this request in June 1969, but retained parish registers beginning in 1884, and vestry minutes beginning in 1913 in the parish offices at Baden. The parish was given paper copies of the early microfilmed material for reference.

The records in this addendum were housed in the parish hall and rector’s office at Baden. The past century has added greatly to the volume and variety of material history of the parish. It is apparent that many individuals have made an effort throughout the years to retain and document the life of St. Paul’s. No doubt much material has been lost due to neglect, indifference, or lack of knowledge on how to care for ephemeral history but what remains is a window into the life of St. Paul’s Parish. Of particular interest would be the material relating to the Bicentennial of the United States as well as the 300^th anniversary of the Maryland Establishment Act. The bulk of the collection covers the early to late 20^th century. There is one item from the 18^th century, a 1739 a “Baskett Bible” purchased during the rectorate of John Eversfield.

The Maryland State Archives also holds collections and books belonging to the Rev. Mr. John Eversfield as well as records for parishes that were once part of St. Paul’s.