There are very few leaders in the Anglican Church in North America who could have written a book as helpful as this. "The Rector and the Vestry" is addresses the needs, challenges, structures, canons, other important issues facing any Anglican Church of any size. Filled with wise counsel, frank discussion, and helpful illustrations, this book should be required reading for all Anglican leaders. Every Rector will want a copy of this book for every member of their Vestry. And every Vestry member will surely want a copy for their Rector.

More than a half-century ago, C. G. Chamberlayne, under the sponsorship of the Virginia State Library, transcribed, edited, and indexed a number of original Virginia parish vestry books, four of which are reprinted here. While the dates of coverage and lengths of the volumes vary, they are nonetheless similar in terms of scope and content. Each volume contains the oldest known records pertaining to that parish, in most cases beginning only a few years following the parish's date of formation. Mr. Chamberlayne begins each vestry book with an Introduction that pieces together the formation of the parish and important milestones in its history from published and original sources. Facsimilies of pages from the original vestry books, maps, and photographs help to put each volume into greater context, moreover. Appended to the vestry books are brief lists of the various parish ministers, with an indication of their earliest date of service as found in the records. The transcriptions themselves, ranging from about 250 to more than 600 pages of text, relate to the following issues growing out of the business affairs of colonial parish vestries; namely, payments to persons for services rendered to the parish, oaths and lists of oath-takers, news of the arrival of ministers, the appointment of church wardens, issues related to indentured servants, lists of tithables, payment of salaries and other obligations, the formation of parish precincts with the names of the families apportioned therein, the warding of children, and so on. In each case, these four scarce collections of colonial church records establish the existence of thousands of Virginia inhabitants, each of whom is easily found in the index or indexes at the back of the book.

More than a half-century ago, C. G. Chamberlayne, under the sponsorship of the Virginia State Library, transcribed, edited, and indexed a number of original Virginia parish vestry books, four of which are reprinted here. While the dates of coverage and lengths of the volumes vary, they are nonetheless similar in terms of scope and content. Each volume contains the oldest known records pertaining to that parish, in most cases beginning only a few years following the parish's date of formation. Mr. Chamberlayne begins each vestry book with an Introduction that pieces together the formation of the parish and important milestones in its history from published and original sources. Facsimilies of pages from the original vestry books, maps, and photographs help to put each volume into greater context, moreover. Appended to the vestry books are brief lists of the various parish ministers, with an indication of their earliest date of service as found in the records. The transcriptions themselves, ranging from about 250 to more than 600 pages of text, relate to the following issues growing out of the business affairs of colonial parish vestries; namely, payments to persons for services rendered to the parish, oaths and lists of oath-takers, news of the arrival of ministers, the appointment of church wardens, issues related to indentured servants, lists of tithables, payment of salaries and other obligations, the formation of parish precincts with the names of the families apportioned therein, the warding of children, and so on. In each case, these four scarce collections of colonial church records establish the existence of thousands of Virginia inhabitants, each of whom is easily found in the index or indexes at the back of the book.

More than a half-century ago, C. G. Chamberlayne, under the sponsorship of the Virginia State Library, transcribed, edited, and indexed a number of original Virginia parish vestry books, four of which are reprinted here. While the dates of coverage and lengths of the volumes vary, they are nonetheless similar in terms of scope and content. Each volume contains the oldest known records pertaining to that parish, in most cases beginning only a few years following the parish's date of formation.

Cumberland Parish was coextensive with Lunenburg County from its inception in 1745, and Mr. Bell's history of the parish and transcription of its oldest vestry book are of the first importance. The vestry book itself is replete with records of birth, baptism, marriage, and death, as well as an abundance of land transactions. To this, Mr. Bell has added extensive genealogical sketches of families who furnished vestrymen to Cumberland Parish.

The Vestry Book of South Farnham Parish contains the processioning records of the parish from 1739 to 1779. This vestry book provides the names of the ministers, vestrymen, and clerks of the vestry. A history of the parish, parish officials, properties, t

Mr. Chamberlayne's transcription of "The Vestry Book and Register of Bristol Parish" contains the earliest extant records of the parish. Among other things, the volume includes the minutes of all vestry meetings from October 30, 1720 to April 18, 1789, except for the period October 28, 1722 through November 11, 1723, and a register of births and baptisms, and a few deaths, spanning the period 1720-1798. The vestry book occupies about 60 percent of the transcription. Since it was concerned primarily with church business, most of the entries pertain to payments for services, tithables, guardianship issues, and so forth. Nevertheless, the frequent lists of accounts payable, witnesses to petitions, and so forth have the decided value of placing many colonists in Bristol Parish at a particular moment in time. The parish register, on the other hand, is an unassailable genealogical treasure. The vast majority of the more than 3,000 entries constitute records of birth and baptism, and they unfailingly indicate the names of the child, names of parents, date of birth, and date of baptism. In all, the parish register bears reference to over 9,000 persons, all of whom may be found in the comprehensive index at the back of the volume.

This book is full of resources for forming the vestry as a learning community. It deals with the “soft” side of leadership that enables the pastor and vestry to journey together along the leadership path. Each chapter can be read and reviewed during a series of vestry meetings, or as part of a vestry retreat, and includes questions for group and individual discussion. Includes resources for vestries, based upon different preferred learning styles, for the formation part of the vestry meeting or retreat.

The Vestry Book of Albemarle Parish is one of the priceless original public records of the Old Dominion that has survived the vicissitudes of time, wars, invasions, fire, and neglect. Now, for the first time, the Vestry Book is widely available to researchers owing to the transcription efforts of Virginia Lee Hutcheson Davis and Andrew Wilburn Hogwood.