New England Congregational Church (Stanton, Neb.) [RG4324.AM]

NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID

RG4324.AM:  New England Congregational Church (Stanton, Neb.)

Records:  1878-1985
Stanton, Stanton County, Neb.:  Congregational church
Size:  2 reels of microfilm

BACKGROUND NOTE

Plans for forming the New England Congregational Church were made at a meeting held on May 26, 1878, in Stanton, Nebraska. The congregation was organized on June 9, 1878, when the group voted to adopt the form of constitution and by-laws of the Congregational Church of Brady, Michigan. The first church building was dedicated on June 17, 1883. A second building suffered extensive fire damage only a week before it was to be dedicated in the spring of 1906. After repairs it served until a third building was erected in 1969.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

This collection of the records of the Stanton, Nebraska, New England Congregational Church is contained on two reels of microfilm and is arranged in five series: 1) Register, 1878-1952; 2) Printed Matter, 1905-1963; 3) Practical Church Record, 1878-1984; (4) Minutes of Church Council, 1955-1985; and 5) Miscellany.

Series 1 consists of one volume which is the church register. It contains minutes of the annual meetings of the congregation from 1878 through 1952, as well as lists of pastors, deacons, members, baptisms, marriages, communicants, and deaths. Series 2 contains six printed items. The first is a program for the dedication of the congregation’s second church building, which was scheduled for March 18, 1906. The ceremony was postponed when the building was damaged by fire. The second item is a program for celebration of the congregation’s seventy-fifth anniversary in 1953. The third item is a supplement to the Stanton Register in honor of the dedication of a new church building in 1969. The latter two items contain information on the history of the church and of its various organizations. Item 4 is a program for Easter Sunday services (1935) held in memory of J.J. Klopp. The fifth item is a newspaper article from the Stanton Register dated October 8, 1953, and commemorating the congregations’ seventy-fifth anniversary. Item 6 is a program for the Church’s Centennial Anniversary Service held June 11, 1978.

Series 3 consists of a single volume, Record Book. This comprehensive volume, covering the period 1878-1984, contains a variety of church documents such as articles of incorporation, constitution and by-laws, minutes of annual congregational meetings and pastors, officers and membership lists. Also included are records of baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and deaths with the congregation. The Minutes of Church Council of Series 4 pertain to meetings of the latter body for the period 1955 to 1985. Series 5, Miscellany, incorporates mostly correspondence related to the 1906 fire which severely damaged the interior of the church edifice.

Initially, the church loaned these records for microfilming in October of 1976. In June of 1985, additional materials were loaned for filming by the New England Congregational Church.

INVENTORY

Series 1 – Register, 1878-1952
Reel 1
Volume

1. 1878-1952

Series 2 – Printed Matter, 1906-1963
Item

1. Program for dedication of a church building, March 18, 1906
2. Program for the observance of the 75th anniversary of the congregation, October 11, 1953
3. Supplement to the Stanton Register for the dedication of a church building, November 27, 1969

Reel 2
Item

4. Easter Sunday Services Program (in memory of Rev. J.J. Klopp) – 1935
5. Stanton Register article commemorating 75th anniversary, October 8, 1953
6. Program – Service of Centennial Anniversary, June 11, 1978

Series 3 – Record Book, 1878-1984
Volume

1. Practical Church Record, 1878-1987

Series 4 – Minutes of Church Council, 1955-1985
Volume

1. 1955-1985

Series 5 – Miscellany
Item

1. Correspondence regarding 1906 church fire
2. Correspondence regarding 1906 church fire
3. Correspondence regarding 1906 church fire
4. Correspondence regarding 1906 church fire
5. Correspondence regarding 1906 church fire
6. Correspondence regarding 1906 church fire
7. Correspondence regarding 1906 church fire
8. Correspondence regarding 1906 church fire
9. Correspondence regarding 1906 church fire
10. Correspondence regarding 1906 church fire
11. Correspondence regarding 1906 church fire
12. Correspondence regarding 1906 church fire
13. Correspondence regarding 1906 church fire
14. Photograph of church after 1906 fire

Subject headings:

Congregational Church in Nebraska
New England Congregational Church (Stanton, Neb.)
Stanton County (Neb.) — Churches
Stanton (Neb.) — Churches

Revised 10-14-2009   TMM