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Illinois Home Missionary Society records, 1872-1911.

 Collection
Identifier: RG4997

Scope and Contents

The Society records series includes multiple items about the Illinois Home Missionary Society. This includes meeting minutes for the executive committee and the board of directors, various constitutions, missionary commission records, financials, scrapbooks, membership roster, and records detailing the merge with the Congregational Conference of Illinois.

Dates

  • 1872-1911

Creator

Restrictions on Access

Access to this collection is unrestricted and open to the public.

Restrictions on Use

Items in this collection are subject to U.S. Copyright Law. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine the copyright status of collection items and to secure any permissions necessary for their reproduction and publication. Requests for permission to publish material must be discussed with the archivist or librarian.

Historical Note

The Illinois Home Missionary Society was founded in 1871 at the annual meeting of the Congregational General Association of Illinois and was incorporated in 1873. The Society existed under the auspices of the American Home Missionary Society and shared its mission to aid the spread of Christianity throughout the states and territories by organizing churches and commissioning ministers for congregations that lacked the financial resources to supply their own. The American Home Missionary Society had been active in Illinois since 1826, and the founding of the Illinois Home Missionary Society was part of a larger push for greater financial and administrative independence for the state-level organizations.

In 1878, the Illinois Home Missionary Society underwent a major administrative reorganization, assuming auxiliary status under the national organization. This change allowed the Society to gain even greater control over its funds and policies and to become completely financially self-sufficient with excess funds passed on to the national organization. As a result of this reorganization, the 1873 corporation was dissolved in 1880 and the Society was reincorporated. Between 1878 and 1911, when it ceased to exist, the Illinois Home Missionary Society issued 1340 commissions.

On the advice of the national council, the Illinois Home Missionary Society turned over its operations to the Congregational Conference of Illinois in May 1911. Its assets and work were subsumed by the Conference, but there was little turnover in personnel, since the board of directors of the new organization retained most of the former members of the old Society's board.

Extent

1.44 Cubic Feet (2 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Illinois Home Missionary Society was founded in 1871 at the annual meeting of the Congregational General Association of Illinois and was incorporated in 1873. The Society first existed under the auspices of the American Home Missionary Society and shared its mission to aid the spread of Christianity throughout the states and territories by organizing churches and commissioning ministers for congregations that lacked the financial resources to supply their own. The Society records series includes multiple items about the Illinois Home Missionary Society. This includes meeting minutes for the executive committee and the board of directors, various constitutions, missionary commission records, financials, scrapbooks, membership roster, and records detailing the merge with the Congregational Conference of Illinois.

Arrangement

This collection has two series, each arranged chronologically.

Series 1: Society records, 1872-1911.

Series 2: Scrapbooks, 1878-1909.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Materials were donated to the Congregational Library & Archives by the Chicago Theological Seminary in 2011; 2011-35.

Related Materials

Additional records related to the Illinois Home Missionary Society can be found in the Congregational Home Missionary Society reports, 1827-1891, RG0773, and the Congregational Home Missionary Society reports, 1892-1916, RG0774, and the American Home Missionary Society papers, 1816-1894, RG4675. RG4675 are microfilm copies of the Amistad Research Center's collection on the American Home Missionary Society records, 1816-1907.

Bibliography

Records of the meetings of the directors of the Illinois Home Missionary Society, in the Illinois Home Missionary Society records, 1872-1911, RG4997. The Congregational Library & Archives, Boston, MA.

Processing Information

Collection was first processed by David Castillo in February 2014. The collection was re-processed by William McCarthy in 2019 using DACS second edition.

Title
Illinois Home Missionary Society records, 1872-1911.
Status
Completed
Author
David Castillo, William McCarthy
Date
07-16-19
Description rules
Dacs2 2013
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Congregational Library & Archives Repository

Contact:
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