This week in Christian history: John Eliot baptized, trailblazing black bishop dies

John Cuthbertson arrives in America – Aug. 5, 1751

This week marks the anniversary of when John Cuthbertson, a minister known for his detailed genealogies and work to build up the Reformed Church, arrived in North America from his native Scotland.

Cuthbertson was a key figure in American Presbyterianism, having helped found the first Reformed Presbytery in America and traveling around 70,000 miles to perform baptisms and weddings on the frontier.

“For forty years, Cuthbertson labored in the wilderness regions of western Pennsylvania, as well as in Connecticut, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, and Virginia,” noted the Christian History Institute.

“The details that Cuthbertson reported in his diary are a treasure trove for genealogists. He recorded over five thousand family names and noted hundreds of marriages. He also logged eighteen hundred baptisms which he performed during his ministry.”