WILLIAM J. SEDDINGER (b. 1803 - d. 1884).

William J. Seddinger was born in 1803, in Pennsylvania. Both of his parents were also born in Pennsylvania. He started to appear in the city directories as a cordwainer between the years 1825 to 1836. He lived at the time on Queen (Richmond) above Marlborough. A cordwainer is what we would consider today a shoemaker, or bootmaker. By 1844 through to 1848, he was listed as a "carter," and living at Bedford and Crown, or what today would be Wildey and Crease. Through the 1850's he was listed at his old profession of cordwainer and now he lived on Ross Street, in Kensington. Ross was between Richmond and Wildey, near Columbia. Eventually Seddinger gave up the cordwaining business and went into the grocery business. In 1864 he appears as a grocer at 1020 Ross Street and this is what he would do for the next 20 years.

Seddinger married Catharine Sutton on October 12th, 1824 at First Presbyterian Church of Kensington. Ms. Sutton was born on November 1st, 1803 and had been baptized at First Reformed Church on January 15th, 1804. She became a member of First Presbyterian Church about four months previous to Seddinger joining. Catharine Sutton was the granddaughter of Daniel Deal and was most likely related to two of the founders of First Presbyterian Church of Kensington, those being Jacob Deal and Peter Deal, Jr. Together it is known that the Seddingers had at least six children as the following six children were all baptized at First Presbyterian Church of Kensington:

1. WILLIAM SUTTON SEDDINGER b. 10 MCH 1826
2. ANN SUTTON SEDDINGER b. 10 OCT 1827
3. CHARLES D. (DEAL?) SEDDINGER b. 11 SEPT 1829
4. WILLIAM SEDDINGER b. 7 FEB 1833
5. HOWE KEITH SEDDINGER b. 12 OCT 1834
6. MARY ANN HEWSON SEDDINGER b. 17 DEC 1836

In 1880, the Federal Census shows William J. Seddinger enumerated with his son Howe Keith and his daughter Ann and her family. His wife Catharine had previously died. His daughter Ann had married Wilson S. Britton, an engineer, whose family had an engineering business around the corner on the 400 block of Richmond Street. At this point William Seddinger was retired and is listed as a "gentleman," which was customary to mean in those days that you were retired with perhaps some wealth. Weather Ann Seddinger's husband, Wilson S. Britton, was related to stainglass honoree Stella Britton Fisher, has not been determined at this time. By 1884 William J. Seddinger died at the age of 81 years old.

In 1853, there was a John Seddinger, who served as assistant Superintendent of Paving for the Board of Commissioners of Kensington, back when Kensington was a self-governing district. Weather he was related to William J. Seddinger still needs to be researched, but in all likelihood they might have been, since the name was not that common in the city directories for the Kensington area.

William J. Seddinger became associated with First Presbyterian Church of Kensington on September 23rd, 1822, during the years when the church "was blessed with many new members." He was baptized at the church six days later. Seddinger would eventually go on to become an elder of the church and serve on the board of trustees. After John Rice, the father of the Sabbath School and one of the founders of the church, retired, Seddinger became the superintendent of the Sunday School. The Sunday School continued to grow under Seddinger's supervision and at one point had two or three mission or branch schools connected with it.

Seddinger was instrumental in the founding of the mission that would become Beacon United Presbyterian Church. During a meeting of the Sabbath School Association on May 30, 1870, a decision was made to start a mission at Cumberland & Cedar Streets. At the first meeting in July of 1870, William Seddinger and John Urwiler were elected superintendents. Also associated with them was Frederick P. Buck, another stainglass honoree. Eventually a lot was purchased from the Norris family's old Sepviva Estate and the George Chandler Mission was erected. This mission evolved into the Beacon Church. The window in his honor was most likely dedicated for the overwhelming service that he gave to the church.