Peter Gray Sears was born in 1866 in Oxford, Mississippi. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Mississippi in 1885, he attended General Theological Seminary and was ordained a deacon in 1887 and a priest in 1890.
In 1889, Sears began serving as the rector of Christ Church in Holly Springs, Mississippi, a position he held for ten years. While there, he reorganized St. Thomas Hall, a military boarding school for boys. He served in different missions in Mississippi until 1905, when he became the rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas. He held the Christ Church rectorship until his resignation in 1926, after which he accepted an appointment as rector emeritus. He then became the first rector of Palmer Memorial Chapel in 1929, remaining there until his retirement in 1936.
Peter Gray Sears died on January 26, 1942.
Published
The papers of Peter Gray Sears document his life and career as a southern priest at the end of the 19th century and his move to the rapidly growing city of Houston, Texas at the beginning of the 20th century. The majority of the collection is correspondence between Sears and his friends and colleagues, including Bishop Hugh Miller Thompson and Bishop George Herbert Kinsolving. There are also letters to and from family members, including his son Claudius Wistar Sears and his wife. Also included are sermons dating from the early 1900s preached in various churches in Mississippi and Texas.
Correspondence, c. 1890s-1939
Sermons, 1899-1930
Personal Records and Collected Items, 1889, 1897, n.d.
Books, Collected, 1893-1927
Artifacts, n.d.
Access to Episcopal Church records is governed by the Archives Public Access Policy. Research requests must be submitted in writing.
The Archives is able to respond to limited requests for reproductions subject to copyright restrictions, internal policy, and the condition of the source documents.