Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Swedenborgians in Powelton

Charles W. Harvey (1870-1952), c1900
   The Swedenborgian Church of North America (also known as the Church of the New Jerusalem) draws its faith from the Bible as illuminated by the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772).  According to Wikipedia, it had about 5,440 members in 1925.  Several Poweltonians were members.  Hannah and Frederick Schoff (3418 Baring St.) were members of the New Jerusalem Church in Upper Darby.  The Burnham family (3401 Powelton Ave. and 214 N. 34th St.) were members of the New Church, (Swedenborgian) Society at 22nd & Chestnut.
    Charles W. Harvey was a Swedenborgian minister who was hired as pastor of the church at 22nd.  He was born in Wivenhoe, Essex, England in 1870 and migrated to Boston in 1896.  He attended Harvard, graduating in 1899 and earning an M.A. degree in 1902.  He trained at the Swedenborgian college in Newton, Mass.  In 1910, he married Leslie Carter who was from Newton.  They moved to Philadelphia in 1911 and lived with the George Burnham, Jr. family at 214 N. 34th St. until about 1919.  In January, 1920, they were living at 315 N. 35th St. which they purchased later that year.  They had a son, John, born in 1915 and a daughter, Dorthea, born in 1922.  They sold the house in 1943.  Harvey wrote a few books including The Problem of Suicide (1945).

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