Robinsonville United Presbyterian Church (Brown County, Wis.) Records, 1861-1972

Biography/History

The Robinsonville United Presbyterian Church was organized February 18, 1861, by twenty-one Belgians who settled in the Town of Green Bay in Brown County. Originally named the French Presbyterian Church, the congregation used the French language exclusively in its services. However, in 1913 pastor Ernest Tremblay introduced English to the services to make them more appealing to the congregation's younger members. The transition from French to English was a gradual one, but by 1918 all hymns and services were in English.

An earlier change to the congregation came in the spring of 1895, when the Winnebago Presbytery merged the congregation with the St. Sauveur and Wequiock churches in an attempt to provide better services for their parishioners. Robinsonville initially furnished the manse and ten acres of land, and all three congregations jointly contributed to the pastor's salary and helped defray the costs of maintaining the manse and property. Eventually St. Sauveur again became an independent congregation, but the Wequiock and Robinsonville churches remain united today with the same pastor officiating at both churches.