Joshua York Papers

Identity elements

Reference code

US NjMdUMCG 3642

Name and location of repository

Level of description

Collection

Title

Joshua York Papers

Date(s)

  • 1841-1999 (Creation)

Extent

0.23 cubic feet

Name of creator

(1794-1884)

Biographical history

Joshua York (1794-1884) was a lay preacher in the Methodist Episcopal and Wesleyan (Great Britain) churches. As a young teen he became a local preacher in the British Wesleyan Conference. He was also a Sunday School teacher, trustee, and steward in his local church.

York married Elizabeth Parker shortly before immigrating to the United States in 1841. They had one daughter, Mary Jane (? - 1903).

Joshua York continued as a local preacher once he arrived in the U. S. and was actively involved in the planning of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Madison Avenue and East 126th Street. He was also instrumental with the ministry of the Harlem.

Besides being a local preacher York was also a farmer and involved in real estate. He moved to Staten Island in 1846, New York City in 1850, and Harlem in 1853. York, his wife, and daughter are buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx, New York.

Content and structure elements

Scope and content

Record types include journals, sermons, correspondence, bank drafts, ministerial licenses, circuit plans, and a legal document. There is also a typed manuscript of the journal. The journal is the handwritten original manuscript recording the events of York's daily life, as well as his physical and spiritual health, from 1869 to 1871. The typed manuscript is a transcription of this same journal by the donor, though the sequence of entries is not the same as in the original document. The original order of the journal entries is unclear, as the document arrived with the pages out of sequence, and much re- arranging was necessary. An exact match between the chronology of the manuscript journal and the transcription was not possible. The sermons consist of two handwritten sermon fragments on texts from Exodus and Galatians. There is also a short handwritten poem. The correspondence is two letters to York, one of which is from William Mugoleton and the other, from George Ripley. Both are handwritten originals. The bank drafts are receipts for money loaned. The ministerial licenses consist of four local preacher licenses issued to York by Quarterly Meetings from 1841 to 1856. The circuit local preacher's plans are from Market Darborough Circuit (Wesleyan Methodist Church, England, 1841) and New York and New York East Districts (Methodist Episcopal Church, 1852). Both show the locations in which local preachers are scheduled to take services during one quarter. The legal document is a court summons pertaining to the execution of York's will in 1884.

System of arrangement

This collection has been arranged by record type and calendar date.

Conditions of access and use elements

Conditions governing access

There are no restrictions regarding this collection.

Physical access

Technical access

Conditions governing reproduction

Detailed use restrictions relating to our collections can be requested from the office of the archivist at the General Commission on Archives and History. Photocopying is handled by the staff and may be limited in certain instances. Before using any material for publication from this collection a formal request for permission to publish is expected and required.

Languages of the material

  • English

Scripts of the material

    Language and script notes

    Finding aids

    Acquisition and appraisal elements

    Custodial history

    Immediate source of acquisition

    Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information

    Accruals

    Related materials elements

    Existence and location of originals

    Existence and location of copies

    Related archival materials

    Related descriptions

    Notes element

    General note

    The purpose of this finding aid is to help you understand the nature of this collection and to assist you in the retrieval of material from this collection. The following pages contain a brief biographical history of the person, or persons, who created or collected these papers, followed by a general description of the collection in the scope and content note. If more detailed information is warranted then series descriptions also appear. The container listing appears last and is the listing of material in each box, or container, of this collection. To request material you need to turn to the container listing section. It is essentially a listing of file folders, or artifact items, in the collection. Each folder, or item, has a call number associated with it. Each folder also lists the inclusive dates of the material in the folder. On the material request form list both the call number and the folder, or item, title. Use a different line for each folder, or item, requested. When your request sheet is complete, or full, bring it to the archivist and the material will be retrieved.

    General note

    When citing material from this collection please use the following format: Direct reference to the item or its file folder, Joshua York Papers, United Methodist Church Archives - GCAH, Madison, New Jersey. Do not make use of the item's call number as that is not a stable descriptor.

    Specialized notes

    Alternative identifier(s)

    Description control element

    Rules or conventions

    Sources used

    Archivist's note

    Prepared by Kathleen Knaack, Student Assistant, and Mark C. Shenise, Associate Archivist

    Access points

    Name access points

    Accession area