Erie County (PA) Genealogy

1870 Fairview Presbyterian Church Charter

Charter of Incorporation

The Presbyterian Church of Fairview

September 27, 1870

We, the undersigned citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, having associated ourselves together for religious purposes, desire to be incorporated as a religious society, and do hereby adopt and agree to be bound by the following, Articles of Association.

First: The name style or title of the Association under which they have associated in and shall be "The Presbyterian Church of Sturgeonville".

Second: The objects of the Association are and shall be to maintain Divine worship according to the rites of the Presbyterian Church in the United States.

Third: The location of the house of worship is and shall continue to be in the Borough of Fairview, in the County of Erie.

Fourth: The temporal concerns of the society shall be managed by three trustees, who shall be members of the society, and shall hold their office for the term of one year.

Fifth: The annual election of the trustees shall be on the first Monday of April, unless a different day is fixed by vote of the Society , and the first election under these Articles of Association shall be on the first Monday of September A. D. 1870, of three trustees to hold until the next annual election.

Witness our hands at Fairview, this 20^th day of May 1870:

R. M. Sturgeon K. E. Kirk

Robt. Kirk D. H. Strickland

W. W. Eaton D. C. Thomas

J. E. Gerould S. C. Sturgeon

W. C. Eaton E. D. Gates

Joseph Thornton Wm. B. McCreary

Perry Fargo John Johnson

Johnston Eaton J. W. Kirk

Isaac Eaton S. M. Eaton

Richard Swan J. A. Kline

Joseph Arbuher M. K . Sturgeon

O. Easterbrooks

And now, to wit, May 23rd, 1870, the above and forgoing instrument having been presented in open court and the court having been perused and examined the same, and the objects, articles, and conditions therein set forth and contained appearing lawful and not injurious to the community, the court directs the foregoing instrument to be filed in the office of the Prothonotary and direct notice to be inserted in one newspaper printed in the County of Erie for at least three weeks setting forth that an application has been make to this Court to grant a Charter of Incorporation to " The Presbyterian Church of Sturgeonville " sub con act of assembly in such case made and provided.

Per Curiam

In the matter of the petition for the incorporation of the Presbyterian Church of Sturgeonville

In the Court of Common Pleas of Erie Co., No. 9, August term 1870:

Notice is hereby given that an application has been made to the Court of Common Pleas for the incorporation of the Presbyterian Church of Sturgeonville and that if no sufficient reason be shown to the contrary, the same will be granted at the next term of said court, May 26^th, 1870.

E. G. Whittelsey, Prothonotary

Thomas Gliddon, publisher of The Erie Gazette, Erie Co., being duly sworn according to law, saith that he published the annexed notice in said Erie Gazette on three consecutive weeks, the first of which publication was on the 26^th day of May 1870 in the regular weekly issue of said paper.

Sworn and subscribed before me, Aug. 23^rd , 1870.

E. G. Whittelsey, Prothonotary

To the Honorable Judges of the Court of Common Pleas of Erie County,

The undersigned would respectfully represent that on the __ day of June 1870, they presented a petition for the incorporation of a Presbyterian Church in Fairview to be called The Presbyterian Church of Sturgeonville. That since that time by vote of said church and by vote of the Presbytery with which said church is connected, the name of said church has been changed to "The Presbyterian Church of Fairview." They therefore would pray the Court to permit the record and petitions in this case to be so changed before the decree of incorporation is made, that the same shall read " The Presbyterian Church of Fairview", instead of " The Presbyterian Church of Sturgeonville" in every place where the same occurs in the petition and record, and your petitioners will ever pray.

Joseph Thornton W. E. Hathaway

W. W. Eaton Isaac Eaton

Robt. Kirk O. Easterbrooks

Augustin Austin J. E. Geroned

Samuel C. Sturgeon R. Pettit

Perry Fargo Dale Thomas

James McCreary D. H. Strickland

A. L. Perkins Chas. J. Sturgeon

S. Vance E. D. Gates

R. M. Sturgeon Frank Caughey

James W. Kird Geo. W. Coole

Thomas Sterrett Franklin Willis

J. A. Kline Peter Weidler

M. K. Sturgeon W. C. Eaton

And now August 29, 1870, it is ordered that the prayer of the petitioners be granted and that the said petitioners be incorporated according to the terms of their Articles of Association as " The Presbyterian Church of Fairview " and with all the rights, liberties, immunities, and privileges lawfully pertaining to a Corporation erected for such purposes.

Per Curiam

From the Record, Witness my hand and the seal of said Court at Erie, the 31^st day of August, 1870. E. L. Whittelsey, Prothonotary

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