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Boston Congregational Ministers' Meeting records, 1868-1951.

 Collection
Identifier: RG1063

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of six volumes and one folder of loose materials dating from 1868 – 1951. There is a gap between 1913 – 1917 with no records from those years. There are smaller time skips from when the Boston Ministers’ Meetings were on a break in the summer or chose to cancel or move their meetings. The volumes are mostly handwritten meeting minutes from the regular meetings held by the Boston Ministers’ Meeting along with the standing rules of the organization and member lists for certain years. The handwriting changes regularly throughout the volumes die to annual elections of a new secretary who was responsible for recording the meeting minutes. There are additional materials inserted into the volumes that relate to the organization or to the topic discussed during a meeting. The additional materials are a mix of handwritten and typed papers that include correspondence, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, advertisements or other papers of interest to the current author. Some of the additional materials have been pasted onto pages of the volumes or attached by paper clip. Other materials have no attachment to the pages and are loosely inserted between two pages. The majority of the additional materials have been left alone in the volumes they were inserted into. The loose materials in the 1898-1908 volume have been removed due to the comparatively large quantity of them and preservation concerns over potential damage from metal attachments or folded creases. The removed loose materials have been placed in a separate folder in the order they were removed from the volume.

Dates

  • 1868 - 1951

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 Boston Ministers’ Meeting began April 6, 1868 with a group of Congregational pastors and acting pastors in Boston and the surrounding areas of Massachusetts. They first met at the Congregational Library Association and regular meetings were held at Pilgrim Hall at 14 Beacon St. in Boston. Their meetings were held weekly on Mondays from September or October until April or May. In the later years, the meeting were held monthly on the first Monday of the month. The organization was meant to facilitate and promote fellowship among Congregational ministers. The meetings consisted of discussions between members, presentations from speakers, prayer and occasionally music. During the 1940s, interest began to decline along with membership and attendance. In October 1951, the Boston Ministers’ Meeting formally ended due to a lack of interest in gathering together from the Congregational ministers in the area. The remaining records and treasury were given to Rev. Myron Fowell in November 1951.

Extent

0.88 Cubic Feet (2 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Boston Ministers’ Meeting was a gathering of Congregational pastors and acting pastors in the Boston, MA area. The meetings were meant to facilitate fellowship among Congregational ministers through discussions, presentations, and prayer, and were held regularly from April 1868 until their formal end in 1951. The collection consists of six volumes of meeting minutes from the Ministers’ Meetings with some inclusion of the meeting’s by-laws, member lists, correspondence, and publications either written or inserted into the related volume.

Arrangement

The volumes have been arranged chronologically by start date.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Materials were deposited to Congregational Library & Archives in 1965. Volume 6 was deposited to Congregational Library & Archvies by Myron Fowell on 24 March 1995; no accession number.

Processing Information

Processed by Madison Bellew, October 2023, using DACS.

Title
Boston Congregational Ministers' Meeting records, 1868-1951.
Author
Madison Bellew
Description rules
3
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Congregational Library & Archives Repository

Contact:
14 Beacon Street
Suite 200
Boston MA 02108
617-523-0470