Finding aid for the Archbishop John B. Purcell
Title:
Archbishop John B. Purcell
Repository:
Archdiocese of Cincinnati Archives
Phone: 513-421-3131
http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/ministries-offices/archives-office/
Creator:
Archbishop John B. Purcell
Dates:
1818-1977
Bulk dates:
1833-1883
Quantity:
22 linear feet
Abstract:
 John Baptist Purcell was born at Mallow, County Cork, Ireland, on Feb. 26, 1800. He studied for the priesthood at Mount St. Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., and was ordained in Paris in 1826. In 1829 he was named president of Mount St. Mary. Bishop Purcell was appointed bishop of Cincinnati in 1833 and archbishop in 1850. In 1869 he took part in the First Vatican Council. Archbishop Purcell saw the Catholic population of Cincinnati increase from 7,000 Catholics, 14 priests and three churches to some 500,000 Catholics, 500 churches and 480 priests in the state, which then was divided into the dioceses of Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati. In April 1880, he turned all affairs of the archdiocese over to the hands of his coadjutor, Bishop William H. Elder. He died in Brown County in 1883.
Identification:
RG 1.2
Language:
The records are in English, Latin, French, German and Italian
Sample Image:
Archbishop John B. Purcell Folder List

Biography of Archbishop John B. Purcell

John Baptist Purcell served as Bishop of Cincinnati from 1833 to 1850, and then Archbishop of Cincinnati from 1850 when the diocese was made an archdiocese until his death in 1883. This was a time of tremendous growth for the Church in Ohio. When Purcell came to Cincinnati in 1833, there were only 16 churches and about 7,000 Catholics in the state of Ohio. When he died fifty years later, there were 500 churches and about 500,000 Catholics in the state. The dioceses of Cleveland and Columbus were established during this era. Under Archbishop Purcell, a large number of religious orders came to the Archdiocese and numerous schools and church institutions were established. He was a prominent leader in the American Catholic Church and traveled to Europe 7 times between 1839 and 1870. Abp. Purcell was a prominent supporter of emancipation. Archbishop Purcell attended the Council of the Vatican in 1869-1870, which focused on the question of papal infallability. During discussions Purcell opposed papal infallibility and gained distinction during the debates, but after the doctrine was defined, Purcell proclaimed back at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral, I am here to proclaim my belief in the infallibility of the pope in the words of the Holy Father defining the doctrine." For decades the Archdiocese operated a bank for persons to invest their money, which was managed by Rev. Edward Purcell, brother of the Archbishop. After the financial failure of the bank in 1878, Archbishop Purcell's health failed and a coadjutor, William H. Elder, administered the archdiocese from 1880-1883.

Scope and Content

This record group is composed mainly correspondence sent to Archbishop Purcell by parish priests, religious, and lay persons. There is some correspondence sent to Archbishop Purcell from other bishops and from the Roman Curia. There are about ten linear feet of legal records dealing with the financial failure. A small number of letters and writings written by Archbishop Purcell are also included. During the administration of Archbishop William H. Elder (1883-1903), it was decided that the newly established archives at Notre Dame University would insure the preservation, organization, and availability of the records. Consequently, most of the records relating to Archbishop Purcell were sent there. However, correspondence of a local nature remained in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Archives.

For the folder list of this record group, see link.


Archbishop John B. Purcell Folder List

Statement of Arrangement

Most record series are arranged chronologically. Generally, they are arranged chronologically by year and then alphabetically by correspondent. Irregularly, the associated parish or institution and location of correspondent are given in the spreadsheet. Although most letters are written to Bishop and later Archbishop Purcell, copies of certain letters sent by Archbishop Purcell and other writings are filed under "P" for "Purcell." Some files are of correspondence written to other persons, such as the archdiocesan chancellor, priests, or family members. Correspondence by religious sisters and religious brothers are filed alphabetically by "Sister" and "Brother." Series 01.02-01: Pre-Cincinnati Papers This small series includes some correspondence of Purcell prior to his appointment to Cincinnati, retreat notes, and a copy of his baptismal record. Series 01.02-02: General Files General Files are arranged chronologically by year and then alphabetically. This series is mostly correspondence, but it can include financial accounts, Copies of letters or other writings written by Archbishop Purcell are filed under "P." Sub-Series 01.02-02a: Purcell vs. Gerke Supreme Court of Cincinnati Case No. 29,272. In the spring of 1873, Walker Meredith Yeatman, Hamilton County auditor, and John Gerke, the treasurer, placed the property of all parochial schools in the city on the tax rolls, on the grounds that these could no properly be called free schools, and were not tax exempt under Ohio law. Abp. Purcell argued that state law provided for the exemption of common schools and that parochial schools fell under this category. The three judge panel ruled in Purcell's favor and ordered that the parochial schools be removed from the tax rolls. See also "General Files." Series 01.02-03: Apostolic Delegate Correspondence Correspondence of Abp. Purcell with Apostolic Delegate Cardinal Alexander Barnardo on various issues in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the United States in General. Series 01.02-04: Society of Mary Correspondence Series 01.02-05: Vatican I Paperwork relating to Abp. Purcell's activities in Rome for the First Vatican Council (1869-1870). Included are speeches given by the Archbishop. Series 01.02-06: Purcell Failure Purcell Failure documents the crash of the archdiocesan bank in 1878. Included are claims from persons who lost money in the crash, monies donated by priests and others, finance books of payouts, and announcements and correspondence from Bishop William H. Elder to priests and the public.
Pre-Cincinnati Papers
General Files
Purcell vs. Gerke
Apostolic Delegate Correspondence
Society of Mary Correspondence
Vatican Council
Purcell Failure

Restrictions on Access

This record group is open for research.

Related Material: Related Material

A portion of records of Purcell's tenure as Bishop of Cincinnati are at the University of Notre Dame Archives. A calendared finding aid is available online. http://archives.nd.edu/findaids/ead/xml/aci.xml

The following record groups held by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Archives contain materials relevant to the Archbishop John B. Purcell Records: RG 1.3 Archbishop William H. Elder Records .


Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Bank failures--United States
Catholic Church--United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Catholic Church. Archdiocese of Cincinnati (Ohio)
Church work with immigrants
Elder, William Henry, 1819-1904
Men--Religious life
Purcell, John Baptist, 1800-1883
Slaves--Emancipation--United States
Vatican Council (1st : 1869-1870 : Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano)
Women--Religious life

Preferred Citation

Item Description, date, box number, folder number, Record Group Number, Record Group Name, Archdiocese of Cincinnati Archives.