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Presbyterian Historical Society

Pittsburgh, First Presbyterian Church

According to The Church that Kept on Being Born Again, by Ernest Edwin Logan, Presbyterians began conducting services in Fort Pitt (later known as Pittsburgh) as early as 1762. Presbyterian missionaries from New England under the backing of the Synod of New York and Philadelphia arrived in Pittsburgh around 1772 and began holding regular services. The First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was officially formed by the Presbytery of Donegal in April, 1773. When the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. split into Old School and New School factions, the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh became an Old School congregation.  In 1897, it received by merger Central Presbyterian Church (Central Chapel).

Records on deposit from the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, Pa., which are relevant to genealogists, include:

  • Session  Minutes, 1818-1834. Typed. bd. Includes: v.1, 1818-1834. v.2 1834-1866. (Call number: F MI46 P68s)
     
  • Roll of Membership of the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, January, 1891 (Call number: Pam BX 9211 .P45222 F504 1890)

The society holds the following additional records:

  • Trustee minutes  

Most of the church records are available on microfilm:

  • First Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, PA. Records, 1797-1984 microform. Includes: Session minutes, 1818-1866, 1884-1980; Roll books, 1797-1965; Trustee minutes, 1801-1825, 1887-1934, 1937-1984.  (Call number: MFPOS. 269 r. 1-5)

 

If you are interested in borrowing the microfilm, please contact the reference desk for more information.

The Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU) has microfilmed some of the records of the First Presbyterian Church, and they are available through the Family History Centers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To use the microfilm, you may visit their website, www.familysearch.org, and search for a center near you.

The society also holds the following records from the Central Presbyterian Chapel Mission.

  • Pastor’s records, 1948-1965, Includes; Baptisms, 1949-1964, Membership Records, 1948-1965. (Call number: F MI46 P687cpr)

The First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh is an active congregation. For further information, please contact:

The First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh
320 Sixth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
412-471-3436
www.fpcp.org
email: info@fpcp.org

Sources:

Logan, Ernest Edwin. The Church That Kept on Being Born Again. A History of First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, 1773-1997. Pittsburgh, PA: First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, 1998.