NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID
RG3047.AM: First Presbyterian Church (Hastings, Neb.)
Records: 1873-1975
Hastings, Adams County, Neb.: Presbyterian church
Size: 4 reels of microfilm
BACKGROUND NOTE
The First Presbyterian Church of Hastings, Nebraska, was organized in August of 1873. The first pastor (and organizer) of the church was the Rev. James A. Griffes, who had originally settled in Beatrice and preached to scattered groups in the Hastings area before he organized a church at Hastings. In September of 1873 the congregation was admitted into the Presbytery of Nebraska City. Services were first held in the Selleck School House, south of Hastings, and it was not until 1878 that the congregation dedicated its own building. The history of the church is also linked with that of Hastings College: Rev. Griffes was one of the organizers of the school, and in 1874 was elected to serve on the Board of Trustees.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
This collection consists of four reels of microfilm containing 22 volumes and several miscellaneous loose items of the records of the First Presbyterian Church of Hastings, Nebraska. The records are arranged in six series: 1) Registers, 1873-1975; 2) Session minutes, 1873-1975; 3) Minutes of annual congregational meetings, 1892-1970; 4) Minutes of meetings of the Board of Deacons, 1916-1975; 5) Chronological roll, 1913-1921; and 6) Minutes of the Board of Trustees, 1972-1974. The records were received on loan for microfilming by the Nebraska State Historical Society in November of 1966. Blank pages are not filmed. Additional material was received June 25, 1975.
NOTE: Because the records were received and filmed at different times, some materials in the same series will be found on different reels of film. Consult the Description, below, for reel locations of particular records.
DESCRIPTION
Series 1 – Registers, 1873-1975
Reel 1
Volume
-
- 1873-c1897 Includes alphabetical listings of members, register of baptisms (1891-1897), register of deaths (1891-1897), registers of pastors and church officers (1873-1897), register of marriages (1891-1897), and reserved roll (1891-1895).
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- 1873-1912 Includes registers of pastors and church officers (through 1912), registers of communicants (1873-1908), register of baptism (1908-1912).
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- 1874-1975
Reel 4
Volume
-
- 1874-1975 (cont.)
Note: Volume 3 is filmed on both reel 1 and reel 4. It includes register of members (to 1975), register of baptisms (1912-1975), register of marriages (1918-1975).
Series 2 – Session Minutes, 1873-1975
Reel 1
Volume
-
- 1873-1888 Includes history of the founding of the church, synopses of annual reports, minutes of congregational meeting (Aug. 1885 – see p. 178), church register (after pg. 193, page numbers start again at 1) including registers of church officers (to 1890), register of communicants (through 1890), register of baptisms (through 1888), register of deaths (1876-1879), and articles of incorporation.
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- 1888-1898 Includes church register (after p. 192, page numbering starts again at 1) with registers of church officers (1888-1900), registers of communicants (1873-1898), register of baptisms (1889-1895), register of marriages (1891-1892), register of deaths (1891-1893, and annual reports.
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- 1898-1914 Includes annual reports.
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- 1914-1922, pp. 1-89
Reel 2
Volume
-
- 1914-1922, pp. 90-173
Note: Volume 4 is filmed on both reel 1 and reel 2. It includes a 1915 copy of “Standing Rules of the Presbytery of Hastings” and annual reports.
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- 1923-1928 Includes annual reports.
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- 1928-1938 Includes annual reports.
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- 1938-1956 Includes list of church records “in Clarke Buchanan Vault.”
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- 1957-1966
Reel 4
Volume
-
- 1966-1975
Series 3 – Minutes of Annual Congregational Meetings, 1892-1970
Reel 3
Volume
-
- 1892-1896 Includes letter of resignation of Rev. Harry Omar Scott, 1896.
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- 1898-1942
-
- 1943-1954
-
- 1961-1963
-
- 1964-1970, pg. 31 ff. to 1965
Reel 4
Volume
-
- 1964-1970, pp. 1-31
Series 4 – Minutes of Meetings of the Board of Deacons, 1916-1975
Reel 3
Volume
-
- 1916-1958 One volume only, with insertions.
Reel 4
Volume
-
- 1958-1975
Series 5 – Chronological Roll
Reel 3
Volume
-
- Single volume. Entries appear to be for dates between 1874 to about 1920-1921, and are arranged in alphabetical order in back of book; individuals are given numbers which appear to correspond with order in which their names appears in the front of the book.
Series 6 – Minutes of the Board of Trustees, 1972-1974
Reel 4
Volume
-
- 1972-1974
ADDED ENTRIES:
Adams County (Neb.) — Churches
First Presbyterian Church (Hastings, Neb.)
Hastings (Neb.) — Churches
Presbyterian Church in Nebraska
DDS/ct 06-26-1975
dco/kfk 04-03-2003