By Bob Josuweit
History Committee
In the book, Swedish Annals, Rev. Jehu Curtis Clay, writes that Dr. Collin said the “parsonage on Passyunk was bought by or from Andrew Bengtson, containing eighty acres of land, whereof seventy are situated near the minister’s house, and ten on Ponskon-hook. It cost in all sixty pounds in 1698.”
Earlier the Rev. Andrew Rudman said “the minister’s garden and mansion- house are at
a distance of four English miles from Philadelphia, a clever town built by Quakers.” The glebe-house was in turn the residence of Rev. Andrew Rudman, Rev. Andrew Sandel, Rev. Jonas Lidman, and J. Eneberg in the early 1700s.
Thompson Westcott in his book on historic buildings in Philadelphia says “This ground was eighty acres in extent, situate at Point Breeze, exactly where the lower road running from the road to Penrose Ferry strikes the Schuylkill, proceeding up the bank past Port Gibson to the Gas-Works. The glebe was afterward enlarged by a purchase of sixteen acres more, and the whole tract of ninety-six acres cost seventy pounds. The parsonage house was accidently burnt down in 1717, and was immediately rebuilt. Clay says there are records of who furnished the timber, who cut it, who hauled it, who built the walls, who cut the rafters, who carried them to the ground, who put them up, who bought the shingles, who shaved them, etc. At the time Clay said anyone that is “curious in such matters, may see all the particulars on application to the rector of the church.” About 1727 the glebe was abandoned as a place of residence for the clergyman, a nearer and more eligible site having been procured at Wicaco, adjoining the church. In 1731 the parsonage was leased to Peter Cock and Mouns Cock for four pounds yearly. By 1737 the rent to Andrew Rambo increased to five pounds.