Treasure Chest Thursday -- 1951 Baptism Record of Randall J. Seaver

After my mother died in early 2002, we emptied her house and sold it, and I took home the "family history stuff" that nobody else wanted.  It included collections from her grandparents, parents, and her own family life.  Being "busy," I put all of the stuff in available space in my genealogy cave - the closet, file cabinets, corners, etc.  In the last three months, I've been looking through all of the "hiding places" and have found a number of records about myself and my family.

One of the treasures that I found in the file cabinets in my genealogy cave was my baptismal certificate dated 24 March 1951 (Easter) in St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church in San Diego: 

The transcription of the folded card is (handwriting in italics):

In the Name of The Father, and of The Son,

and of The Holy Ghost. Amen

We do Certify:

That according to the ordinance of

Christ Himself, we did administer to

Randall Jeffrey Seaver

The Sacrament of

Holy Baptism

thereby making him a member of Christ, the Child of

God, and an inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven; on the

24th day of March, being Easter Even

the Year of Our Lord, One Thousand Nine Hundred and

Fifty-One; the said administration being in

Chapel of St. Dunstan, San Diego

diocese of Los Angeles

(Signed)        Rev. J. Ogden Hoffman Jr., vicar

Parents         {  Frederick W. Seaver
                      { Betty V. Seaver

Godparents  { Lyle L. Carringer
or                  { Dorothy T. Chamberlain
Witnesses     { Marshall B. Chamberlain
                     { Emily R. Taylor

Date of Birth:   October 23, 1943
Place of Birth:  National City, California

I was 7 years old at the time of this ceremony and have just vague memories of it taking place.  My brother, Stanley, was baptized at the same time.  I think that this was a "sprinkle" baptism and not an "immersion" baptism.

St. Dunstan's, which was on College Avenue in San Diego, was the home church of my grand-aunt Emily (Richmond) Taylor (my father's maternal aunt) and her daughter, my first cousin once removed Dorothy (Taylor) Chamberlain and her husband, Marshall B. Chamberlain, all of whom were godparents or witnesses.  My maternal grandfather, Lyle L. Carringer, was also a godparent or witness.

I did not know the actual date of this baptism until I found this record in the papers and stuff saved by my parents all through my early life.  

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