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James T. Townsend papers of African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas

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Held at: African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas [Contact Us]6361 Lancaster Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19151

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

James T. Townsend (1915-2000), formerly a state welfare supervisor and veteran of the United States Navy, was organist and choirmaster at the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for more than fifty years.

"J. T." Townsend was one of six children born in Philadelphia, PA to funeral director Fletcher H. Townsend. He began taking music lessons as a child and played in the band and orchestra while attending Germantown High School. During World War II, Townsend served in the United States Navy. Afterwards, he attended the Philadelphia Music Academy and began working as a caseworker for the Pennsylvania Department of Welfare. Townsend retired in 1976, having achieved the position of Supervisor of the Girard District of the welfare department.

Townsend joined St. Thomas' church choir in his mid-teens and was directing it by 19 years of age. He started a boys' choir that was well-known among out-of-town churches, who often invited the choir to sing. He was organ master and choirmaster for 57 years and served as president of the church's Music Committee. His contributions were recognized in a scholarship that was named in his honor in 1974. "The [James T. Townsend Vocal Scholarship Award] is awarded annually to an African American student under age 25 who is pursuing studies and training in voice at an accredited college or university, or with a master teacher affiliated with an accredited school of music. Applicants must be in good academic standing. The winner of the vocal auditions, held at the Church in May of each year, is awarded two thousand dollars."

Townsend was active in the Pomona-Cherokee Civic Council, the Germantown Old-Timers, the Pro-Arts Society, the Episcopal Church Club, the Pennsylvania Retired State Employees, and Tuscan Morning Star Lodge 48, Free and Accepted Masons.

Townsend met his wife, Dorothy E. Young, at St. Thomas. They married in 1948 and had one daughter together. Townsend passed away in 2000, ten years after Dorothy.

Bibliography:

Obituary for James T. Townsend. August 11, 2000. Accessed July 3, 2014. http://articles.philly.com/2000-08-11/news/25592928_1_biscuits-choir-loft-computer

Quoted text from: African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas. "The Music Committee." Accessed July 3, 2014. http://www.aecst.org/music_comm.htm.

The bulk of this collection is applications for the James T. Townsend Vocal Scholarship Award, given annually by the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas Music Committee to an African American student under age 25 who is pursuing studies and training in voice at an accredited college or university, or with a master teacher affiliated with an accredited school of music. Additionally, the collection includes church and vestry records, such as financial reports, annual reports, and grant applications; clippings, correspondence, and research on the history of St. Thomas and the people associated with it; and photographs. Of special interest are illustrations of church vestments and a rectory drawn in 1941 by Dorothy Young (James Townsend's future wife). The collection also includes a pew rope.

Summary descriptive information on this collection was compiled in 2012-2014 as part of a project conducted by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania to make better known and more accessible the largely hidden collections of small, primarily volunteer run repositories in the Philadelphia area. The Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories (HCI-PSAR) was funded by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

This is a preliminary finding aid. No physical processing, rehousing, reorganizing, or folder listing was accomplished during the HCI-PSAR project.

In some cases, more detailed inventories or finding aids may be available on-site at the repository where this collection is held; please contact African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas directly for more information.

Publisher
African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas
Finding Aid Author
Finding aid prepared by Celia Caust-Ellenbogen and Sarah Leu through the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories
Sponsor
This preliminary finding aid was created as part of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories. The HCI-PSAR project was made possible by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Access Restrictions

The Township scholarship applications may be restricted due to privacy concerns. Contact African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas for information about accessing this collection.

Collection Inventory

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