Guide to the Papers of Rev. Cortlandt Whitehead, 1868-c1922
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Papers of Rev. Cortlandt Whitehead
- Creator
- Whitehead, Rev. Cortlandt (1842-1922)
- Collection Number
- MSS#85
- Extent
- 3.0 cubic feet (6 boxes)
- Date
- 1868-1922
- Abstract
- Reverend Cortlandt Whitehead was the rector of the Church of the Nativity in South Bethlehem (Armstrong County), Pennsylvania from 1871 to 1882 and served as the second Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church of Pittsburgh from 1882 until 1922. These papers include sermons written by Whitehead from the time he was preacher at the Church of the Nativity in South Bethlehem through his service as Bishop of Pittsburgh.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Sponsor
- This finding aid has been encoded as a part of the Historic Pittsburgh project a joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Funding for this portion of the project has been donated by the Hillman Foundation.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
Biographical Sketch of Reverend Cortlandt Whitehead (1842-1922)
Reverend Cortlandt Whitehead was the rector of the Church of the Nativity in South Bethlehem (Armstrong County), Pennsylvania from 1871 to 1882 and served as the second Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church of Pittsburgh from 1882 until 1922. Whitehead received a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University in 1863, and finished his theological studies at the Philadelphia Divinity School in 1867. Whitehead continued his education in religion, earning doctorates of divinity from Union College, 1880, and Hobart College, 1887. From St. Stephen's College, Whitehead earned a doctorate of sacred theology in 1890 and a doctorate of laws in 1912. In 1868, he was ordained a priest at St. Mark's Chapel of Black Hawk, Colorado and served as a missionary for three years in the same state. He returned to the East to serve as rector of the Church of the Nativity in South Bethlehem and was a delegate to the General Convention twice. During this time, Whitehead contributed much to the literature of the church, including many sermons, addresses, missionary reports, and papers. Whitehead was consecrated as Bishop of Pittsburgh at Trinity Episcopal Church of Pittsburgh on January 25, 1882. His diocese originally was composed of all the counties west of the Allegheny Mountains but was divided in 1910 to include only those in the lower half of the state and renamed the "Diocese of Pittsburgh." As bishop, he served on various revision committees and on the committee on the care of American churches in Europe. Whitehead was a delegate to the Lambeth Conference in London in 1888, 1897, and 1908. Whitehead also served in a religious capacity for other organizations including terms as the grand chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons from 1883-1921, and chaplain of the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Wars from 1906-1921. Along with his wife, Charlotte Burgoyne King, Whitehead enjoyed traveling around the country and Europe and preached in numerous places including California, Florida, Connecticut, Paris, London, and Florence. They had five children and lived on Ellsworth Avenue in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh.
Scope and Content Notes
These papers primarily include Whitehead's sermons, that are arranged according to the church year or by subject heading, with miscellaneous material arranged toward the rear. These papers include sermons written by Whitehead from the time he was preacher at the Church of the Nativity in South Bethlehem through his service as Bishop of Pittsburgh. In most cases, Whitehead included the date and location of church where the sermon was read. Days of the church year that have more than one sermon are arranged in Whitehead's numerical order, recorded by him possibly upon completion. These sermons represent a comprehensive overview of the religious and social views of Rev. Whitehead and include topics such as biblical history, the Episcopacy versus the Papacy, eulogies, evils of society including intemperance, popular messages like Mormonism and Christian Science, and church attendance. More specific and significant sermons include a description of family members' duties (1st Sunday Lent, num;303), and the woman's duty in the church (Sexagesima, num;56). Whitehead also wrote the sermon, "Capital and Labor," on the Sunday morning after the railroad riots in Pittsburgh in 1877 and relates a parable to the event (9th Sunday after (S. A.) Trinity). He also gives a more detailed description of the Ten Commandments (Ash Wednesday, num;304) and speaks about enlistment and service as it is related to the church (General, unnumbered). Besides South Bethlehem and Pittsburgh, these sermons were given in many parts of the country and in Europe, including Colorado (his first sermon, num;14, given for the 1st S. A. Trinity sermons), and sermons that he gave in London, Paris, Florence, and on the Steamship Nevada on the Atlantic Ocean. These sermons include one given in London on the English monarchical system as it relates to God's system (General, unnumbered), a sermon given on the Sunday before the Lambeth Conference and Pan Anglican Congress in London in 1908 (Trinity, num;197), and a sermon given to some Americans in Europe in 1912 (General, "The Lord's Song in a Strange Land"). Whitehead supplemented many of his sermons with clippings of significant articles retlating to a similar theme. Miscellaneous material contains newspaper clippings, a sermon printed in the newspaper, a program of the memorial service after his death, a sermon written by Dr. George Hodges in September, 1911, correspondence, and various other items.
Arrangement
The Reverend Cortlandt Whitehead Papers are housed in six archival boxes and are arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
These materials came in one accession in 1951.
Acc# 1951x Gift of Reverend Dr. Kenneth R. Waldron, (Sermons and Papers).
Preferred Citation
Papers of Rev. Cortlandt Whitehead, 1868-c1922, MSS# 85, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Kara Lewis on April 4, 1994.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Doug MacGregor on August 10, 2001.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.
Subjects
- Church of the Nativity (South Bethlehem, Pa.)
- Whitehead, Rev. Cortlandt (1842-1922)
- Hodges, Dr. George
- Armstrong County (Pa.) -- Religion
- South Bethlehem (Pa.) -- Religion
- Enlistment and Service -- Pennsylvania
- Episcopal Church -- Pennsylvania -- Armstrong County
- Episcopal Church -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- Episcopal Church -- Pennsylvania -- South Bethlehem
- Family Roles -- Pennsylvania
- Labor disputes -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- Masons -- Pennsylvania
- Railroad Riots, Pittsburgh, 1877
- Religion -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- Women's Roles -- Pennsylvania