Boston, Mass. Old South Church records, 1659-2012.
Scope and Contents
This collection includes Church records such as baptismal records, pew proprietor records, membership records, minutes of meetings for church and society, financial and legal, records of various Church committees, ministers, the Prince Library, and published material. The bulk date range begins with the establishment of the church in 1669 and up through the 1940s. After that date the holdings are primarily directories and bulletins. The very earliest records, 1659, are in the legal series and refer to purchasing property. An item of note is that within the earliest baptismal records includes Benjamin Franklin's.
Dates
- 1659-2012
Creator
- Old South Church (Boston, Mass.) (Organization)
Restrictions on Access
The earliest records have restricted physical access due to their fragility. Those records are available for viewing on microfilm, which is noted by "reels" in the container list.
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
Twenty-eight lay members from the First Church in Boston founded the Old South Congregation (originally called the Third Church of Boston) in 1669. These lay members seceded from the First Church, opposing the ministers' ideas that adults must have a born again experience and be baptized again before their own children could be baptized. They instead believed that childhood baptisms assured young adults they were full members and could baptize their children. In 1670, the congregation met in the Cedar Meetinghouse for the first time and soon became known as South Church since it was located in the south end of town. Old was added in 1717 to distinguish it from another church being built, which called itself New South. In 1875, construction on a new church for the Old South congregation finished on the corners of Dartmouth and Boylston Streets. This new site has been Old South's home since.
A trademark feature of the Old South Church is its campanile, or tower, which can be seen from several Boston neighborhoods. The first tower of the church leaned since the construction finished in 1875. In 1931, the congregation of the church finally decided to rebuild the tower and it was demolished. With donations from the congregation and Boston residents alike, they were able to build a new tower that was the same height as the original. The campanile rises 226 feet and houses the church's 2,020-pound bell.
Since its establishment in 1669, the Old South congregation has welcomed many famous personages such as Benjamin Franklin, who was baptized by the congregation in 1706; Phillis Wheatley, America's first black poetess; and Elizabeth Vergoose, who is better known as Mother Goose for her nursery rhymes.
Ministers
- Thomas Thatcher
- 1670-1678
- Samuel Willard
- 1678-1707
- Ebenezer Pemberton
- 1700-1717
- Joseph Sewall
- 1713-1769
- Thomas Prince
- 1718-1758
- Alexander Cumming
- 1761-1763
- Samuel Blair
- 1766-1769
- John Hunt / John Bacon
- 1771-1775
- Joseph Eckley
- 1779-1811
- Joshua Huntington
- 1808-1819
- Benjamin B. Wisner
- 1821-1832
- Samuel H. Stearns
- 1834-1836
- George W. Blagden
- 1836-1872
- Jacob M. Manning
- 1857-1882
- George Angier Gordon
- 1884-1927
- Russell Henry Stafford
- 1927-1945
- Frederick M. Meek
- 1946-1973
- James W. Crawford
- 1974-2002
- Nancy S. Taylor
- 2005-2022
Extent
32.45 Cubic Feet (65 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Twenty-eight lay members from the First Church in Boston founded the Old South Congregation (originally called the Third Church of Boston) in 1669. This collection includes Church records such as baptismal records, pew proprietor records, membership records, minutes of meetings for church and society, financial and legal, records of various Church committees, ministers, the Prince Library, and published material.
Arrangement
This series in arranged into nine series and those are divided into 23 different sub series. Each series and subseries has been arranged chronologically by start date and when possible, by topic.
Series 1: Legal and Building Records, 1659-1928
Series 2: Organizations, 1667-1944
Subseries 1: Records on Various Old South Organizations, 1667-1920
Subseries 2: Ancillary Organizations, 1734-1944
Subseries 3: Society Records and Pew Proprietors, 1816-1930
Subseries 4: Educational Organizations, 1851-1930
Series 3: Church Records, 1669-2012
Subseries 1: Baptism Vital Statistics, 1669-1920
Subseries 2: Admission Vital Statistics, 1669-1980
Subseries 3: Records and Reports, 1669-2012
Subseries 4: Marriage Vital Statistics, 1780-1980
Series 4: Ministers and Deacons, 1670-1973
Subseries 1: Thomas Thatcher, 1670, 1731
Subseries 2: Joseph Eckley, 1790-1811
Subseries 3: Joshua Huntington, circa 1819
Subseries 4: George A. Gordon, 1854-1950
Subseries 5: Jacob M. Manning, 1856-1882
Subseries 6: G. W. Blagdon, 1861
Subseries 7: Allen E. Cross, 1901-1911
Subseries 8: Willis H. Butler, 1912, 1919
Subseries 9: Russell Henry Stafford, 1927-1945
Subseries 10: Frederick M. Meek, 1946-1973
Series 5: Church and Society Committees, 1674-1948
Subseries 1: Church Committee Records, 1674-1948
Subseries 2: Society Records and Pew Proprietors, 1735-1948
Series 6: Prince Library, 1701, 1808-1943
Series 7: Financial Records, 1747-1945
Series 8: Photographs and Clippings, 1810-1939
Series 9: Publications, 1826-1997
Subseries 1: Published Church Material, 1826-1997
Subseries 2: Published Histories, 1877-1929
Subseries 3: Audio-Visual Material, 1959-1960
Technical Requirements
A microfilm reader is required in order to access microfilmed materials. One microfilm reader is available to the public upon request.
Acquisition Information
The Congregational Library and Archives first began receiving material from Old South Church in 1976. From that point on, material would be sent over at various times. Larger accessions were done in 1982, 1989, 1997, 2013, and 2022.
Accruals
Since the original deposit in 1976, Old South Church has brought more material in 1982, 2013, and 2022. More accruals are expected.
Bibliography
- http://www.oldsouth.org/about/history
- Winslow, O. E. And plead for the rights of all; Old South Church Boston, 1669-1969. Boston: Nimrod Press, 34
Processing Information
Collection was originally processed in 1987 by Thomas Kellerman and first reprocessed by Sandra Sudak in 1992. In 2013, Jessica Steytler reprocessed the collection with the help of Abigail Cramer and Veronica Denison. Billy McCarthy made additional changes to the finding aid in 2018 and 2023.
- Butler, Willis H. (Willis Howard), 1864-1943
- Church archives.
- Church records and registers.
- Church records and registers.
- Crawford, James W.
- Eckley, Joseph, 1750-1811
- Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790
- Gordon, George A. (George Angier), 1853-1929
- Hull, John, 1624-1683
- Manning, Jacob M. (Jacob Merrill) (1824-1882)
- Meek, Frederick M.
- Norton, Mary
- Old South Church (Boston, Mass.)
- Prince, Thomas, 1687-1758
- Sermons, American -- Early works to 1800.
- Sermons, American.
- Sermons, American.
- Stafford, Russell H. (Russell Henry), 1890-1971
- Thatcher, Thomas
- Third Church (Boston, Mass.)
Creator
- Old South Church (Boston, Mass.) (Organization)
- Third Church (Boston, Mass.) (Organization)
- Title
- Boston, Mass. Old South Church Records, 1659-2012.
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Thomas Kellerman, Sandra Sudak, Jessica Steytler, Abigail Cramer, Veronica Denison, William McCarthy
- Date
- 2018-03-26
- Description rules
- Dacs2 2013
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
- Edition statement
- This version of the finding aid was created in 2023 after changes to the physical arrangement of the collection.
Repository Details
Part of the Congregational Library & Archives Repository