Trinity Cathedral (Omaha, Neb.) [RG3237.AM]

NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID

RG3237.AM:  Trinity Cathedral (Omaha, Neb.)

Records:  1857-1973
Omaha, Douglas County, Neb.:  Episcopal Church
Size:  60 volumes on 12 reels of microfilm

BACKGROUND NOTE

The first services of the Trinity congregation were held on July 13, 1856, under the leadership of Bishop Jackson Kemper. Parish organization was completed in the fall of 1856 but plans to build a church were interrupted by the financial panic of 1857. Therefore, the congregation met in various homes in Omaha for the next two years.

In 1859 Mr. Jesse Lowe, first mayor of Omaha, donated a ten-year lease on two lots located at 9th and Farnam streets and a brick church seating 200 persons was built. Trinity Parish was formally incorporated in 1862 and in 1867, land at 18th and Capitol was purchased for the erection of a frame church costing $15,000. This building was destroyed by fire in 1869 so a fund to raise money to erect a more permanent and substantial structure was begun. By 1881, the cornerstone was ready to be laid and appropriate ceremonies were conducted. Construction was completed by Nov. 15, 1883 and a large number of dignitaries were in Omaha for the consecration.

One of Nebraska’s pioneer churches, Trinity Cathedral continues to be an active member of Omaha’s religious community. Among the more prominent figures associated with its history have been Bishop Robert H. Clarkson and George Allen Beecher. A cathedral church, Trinity is the headquarters for the Episcopal Diocese of Nebraska.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

This collection consists of records of the Trinity Cathedral of Omaha, Nebraska, 1857-1973, on twelve reels of microfilm, and is arranged in 13 series: 1) General Correspondence, 1868-1916; 2) Legal Documents, 1862-1914; 3) Fiscal Records, 1867-1877; 4) Parish Registers, 1857-1973; 5) Vestry Minutes, 1862-1959, 1962-1972; 6) Church Service Records, 1897-1966; 7) Parish Aid Records, 1896-1944; 8) Women’s Auxiliary Records, 1915-1970; 9) Men’s Club Records, 1908-1922; 10) Ledgers, 1872-1904; 11) Printed matter, 1859-1971; 12) Gardner Memorial Parish House Association records, 1909-1917; and 13) Miscellany.

The collection relates to the history, administration, and activities of the Trinity Cathedral of Omaha, Nebraska, 1857-1973. The bulk of the collection consists of parish registers, and vestry minutes, which are generally complete throughout the period. The records of various church organizations, including the Women’s Auxiliary, the Trinity Service League, the Brotherhood of St. Andrew, and the Trinity Guild, are included.

The correspondence in Series 1, which is limited in volume and scope, does contain numerous letters to and from persons active in the early history of Trinity Cathedral. Many of the letters relate to the selection of Rectors, church construction, and generally to early church affairs. Documents in Series 2 relate to the physical property and legal status of the church and its organizations. Most of this early material was assembled by Henry W. Yates Sr. who wrote a history of Trinity Cathedral published in 1915.

Correspondents include: Augur, Christopher Colon, 1872; Clarkson, Robert Harper, 1869, 1872, 1876, 1877, 1878.

The collection was loaned for microfilming in August of 1973.

INVENTORY

Series 1 – General Correspondence, 1868-1916
Reel 1
Folder

1. General correspondence, 1868-1916

Series 2 – Legal Documents, 1862-1914

1. Legal documents, 1862-1914 (Includes deeds, bequests, and agreements)

Series 3 – Fiscal Records, 1867-1877

1. Brownell Hall
2. Misc. receipts and invoices for materials and supplies; treasurer’s reports, 1873, 1877

Series 4 – Parish Registers, 1857-1973
Volume

1. 1857, Apr. – 1876, Oct.
2. 1876, Oct. – 1883, Mar.
3. 1883, Apr. – 1886, Feb.
4. 1886, Mar. – 1903, Dec.
5. 1904, Jan. – 1927, Dec.
6. 1927, May – 1958, Dec. (Baptisms, confirmations, deaths)

Reel 2
Volume

7. 1959, Feb. – 1963, Nov. (Baptisms, confirmations, marriages)
8. 1922, Feb. – 1941, Jan. (Marriages)
9. 1941, Feb. – 1952, Dec. (Marriages)
10. 1953, Feb. 14 – 1959, Jan. 3 (Marriages)

Reel 2A  (Volumes 11-14 were filmed at an earlier date than the rest of the records.)
Volume

11. 1963-1973, Apr. 1 (Baptisms)
12. 1963-1973, July 28 (Marriages)
13. 1963 (Confirmations)
14. 1963-1973, July 20 (Deaths)

Series 5 – Vestry Minutes, 1862-1950, 1962-1972
Reel 2
Volume

1. 1862, Apr. 21 – 1904, Apr. 4

Reel 3
Volume

2. 1904, Apr. 23 – 1936
3. 1937-1947

Reel 4
Volume

4. 1948-1953
5. 1954
6. 1955
7. 1956

Reel 5
Volume

8. 1957
9. 1957
10. 1958
11. 1959
12. 1962-1964
13. 1965-1968
14. 1969-1970

Reel 6
Volume

15. 1971-1972

Series 6 – Church Service Record Books, 1897-1966
Volume

1. 1897, May 1 – 1902, Apr. 6
2. 1904, Feb. 14 – 1914, Jan.
3. 1914, Jan. – 1922, Jan. 19
4. 1922, Jan. 1 – 1940, Nov. 10
5. 1940, Nov. 13 – 1952, Apr. 21
6. 1952, Apr. 23 – 1955, Nov. 26

Reel 7
Volume

7. 1955, Nov. 26 – 1961, Feb. 22
8. 1961, Mar. 26 – 1966, Aug. 1

Series 7 – Parish Aid Records, 1896-1944
Volume

1. Secretary’s book, 1896-1901, May 31
2. Secretary’s book, 1918-1919
3. Treasurer’s books, 1905-1916
4. Treasurer’s books, 1916-1919
5. Treasurer’s books, 1918-1918
6. Treasurer’s books, 1919
7. Treasurer’s books, 1919
8. Treasurer’s books, 1920
9. Treasurer’s books, 1921
10. Treasurer’s books, 1922
11. Treasurer’s books, 1923-1924
12. Treasurer’s books, 1924-1936
13. Treasurer’s books, 1928-1943
14. Treasurer’s books, 1931-1944

Series 8 – Women’s Auxiliary, 1915-1970
Volume

1. Secretary’s book, 1915-1922
2. Secretary’s book, 1922-1932
3. Secretary’s book, 1922-1925 (Cathedral Branch)

Reel 8
Volume

4. Trinity Service League, 1921-1927
5. Executive Committee Service Ledger, 1934-1943
6. Martha Guild Minutes, 1953-1962
7. St. Mary’s Guild Minutes, 1948-1949
8. St. Mary’s Guild Minutes, 1944-1954
9. St. Mary’s Guild Minutes, memos and membership lists, 1952-1954
10. Trinity Guild Minutes and Treasurer’s report, 1966-1970

Series 9 – Men’s Club Records, 1901-1922
Volume

1. Men’s Club, 1920-1922
2. Brotherhood of St. Andrew, 1908-1914

Series 10 – Ledgers, 1872-1904
Volume

1. Collection Ledger, 1872-1909
2. General Ledger 1892-1898

Series 11 – Printed Matter, 1859-1971
Reel 9
Folder

1. Includes programs, brochures, directories, memorial albums, reports

Volume

1. “The Chimes,” 1922-1923
2. “The Chimes,” 1924-1925
3. “The Chimes,” 1926-1927
4. “The Chimes,” 1927-1928
5. “The Chimes,” 1932-1942
6. “The Chimes,” 1943-1945
7. “The Chimes,” 1945-1947

Reel 10
Volume

8. “The Chimes,” 1947-1949
9. “The Chimes,” 1949-1951
10. “The Chimes,” 1951-1952
11. “The Chimes,” 1953-1955
12. “The Chimes,” 1955-1957
13. “The Chimes,” 1957-1959

Reel 11
Volume

14. “The Chimes,” 1959-1961
15. “The Chimes,” 1961-1963
16. “The Chimes,” 1963-1965
17. “The Chimes,” 1965-1967
18. “The Chimes,” 1967-1969
19. “The Chimes,” 1969-1971

Series 12 – Gardner Memorial Parish House Association Records, 1909-1917
Reel 12
Folder

1. Correspondence and legal documents of the Gardner Memorial Parish House Association, 1909-1917

Series 13 – Miscellany

1. Historical data

Subject headings:

Douglas County (Neb.) — Churches
Episcopal Church in Nebraska
Omaha (Neb.) — Churches
Trinity Cathedral (Omaha, Neb.)

Revised 09-25-2008   TMM