Summary Information
Free Congregation of Sauk City Records
1852-1974
- Free Congregation of Sauk City (Wis.)
Mss 425; Micro 334
1.2 c.f (3 archives boxes) and 1 reel of microfilm (35mm)
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Records of a German congregation of the Freie Gemeinde movement, which became English-speaking in the 1930s and affiliated with the Unitarian Church in 1955. Includes minutes of membership and executive committee meetings, records of the Ladies Aid, Education, Theater, and Choral societies, lectures, pamphlets, photographs, and miscellaneous records. Part of the collection is in German script.
English and German
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00425 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
The 1840s in Germany were years of severe economic hardship, and of intense political and intellectual ferment. One expression of this intellectual ferment was the free congregation (“Freie Gemeinde”) movement. Deeply affected by rationalism, science, and humanism, the free congregations that emerged protested against established religious dogma, blind faith, and clerical intolerance. The members of these free congregations were guided instead by the principles of reason and tolerance, and by a deep interest in ethical conduct. The hardships and ferment of the 1840's culminated in a revolution in Germany in 1848 that aimed at creating a unified German state around liberal political and economic principles. The failure of this revolution led to a period of repression in Germany, and to a large emigration of educated and politically progressive Germans. Among these emigrants were many members of the free congregations, who soon established free congregations in the United States. The Free Congregation of Milwaukee was founded in 1851, and the Free Congregation of Sauk City came into existence on October 24, 1852. By the end of 1852 there were thirty free congregations in Wisconsin, but only the ones in Milwaukee and Sauk City have survived into the present.
For three decades, the Free Congregation of Sauk City was closely associated with the charismatic figure of Eduard Schroeter (1811-1888). Schroeter, previously a pastor of a free congregation in Germany, had been driven into exile in the aftermath of the events of 1848. Active in the Free Congregation of Milwaukee since 1851, Schroeter was called to Sauk City in June 1853 to tend to the needs of the recently established Free Congregation there. Under Schroeter's leadership, the organization grew from a handful of members to over eighty members by 1876. These members pursued an exceptionally active cultural and intellectual life. The activities of the Free Congregation emphasized music, drama, and philosophy. Its annual festivals included a Spring Festival, a Founding Day, and a celebration in honor of Thomas Paine. As membership grew during Schroeter's leadership, the Free Congregation added a Women's Society (which currently calls itself the Ladies Aid Society), a Theater Group, and a Choral Society.
The years after the turn of the century brought about a gradual transformation of the Free Congregation of Sauk City as its members became increasingly Americanized. This process brought important changes, especially during the last four decades. In 1937 the Free Congregation adopted English as the language for the conduct of its meetings and the keeping of its records. The English name, a loose rendering of “Freie Gemeinde”, was also adopted at that time. Since 1955, the Free Congregation has been affiliated with the Unitarian Church.
Several brief studies provide information on the Free Congregation of Sauk City. The pioneering study is Clara Runge's The Free Congregation of Sauk City: An Outline History from 1852 to 1940. Runge was an elderly member of the Free Congregation, and she wrote this study to commemorate Founding Day in 1940. In 1965, Victor Thiessen's M.A. thesis,”On Spitting Against the Wind” (University of Wisconsin-Madison), used the Free Congregation of Sauk City to demonstrate how a militant minority might gradually become assimilated by the larger community in which it operates. A two-part article by J. J. Schlicher entitled “Eduard Schroeter the Humanist” appeared in The Wisconsin Magazine of History, vol. 28, nos. 2-3 (December 1944 and March 1945). Two brief articles by Berenice Cooper on the Free Congregation movement contain important information on the Free Congregation of Sauk City. The first, “Die Freien Gemeinden in Wisconsin,” has been published in Transactions of the Wisconsin Academy of Science, Arts and Letters, 53 (1964). The second, “The Contribution of “Die Freien Gemeinden” to Science, Arts and Letters in Wisconsin,” was published in Transactions of the Wisconsin Academy of Science, Arts and Letters, 54 (1965).
Scope and Content Note
The records document many of the Free Congregation's activities, from its founding until recent times. They were written by hand and in German until the later 1930s. After this time the records are in English, but still hand-written. Whether in German or English, they are in a variety of styles, some of which are easy to read, while others are virtually illegible due to poor penmanship. In general, they are well-preserved, and where not easily readable, they are decipherable. These records break down into three series: organizational material, the auxiliaries of the Free Congregation, and published materials.
The ORGANIZATIONAL MATERIAL series consists of eight files. The Early History files, 1852-1884, contain a typed English translation of minutes of the founding meeting, a typed copy of the Free Congregation's constitution and bylaws, lists of contributors from 1871 to 1873, and a contract for the construction of the Free Congregation's Meeting Hall, 1884. The Incoming Correspondence file, 1874-1962, is sparse and disappointing. It consists of only a handful of letters and postcards, most of which are trivial. The Minutes of the Meetings of the Free Congregation, 1852-1945, are the most valuable and most complete records in this collection. The minutes are of the meetings of the general membership of the Free Congregation and of its Executive Committee. The minutes for 1852-1882 are also available on microfilm. The Ledger of Income and Expenses, 1917-1923, contains a daily record of the financial transactions of the Free Congregation. The Lectures Delivered to the Free Congregation consist of a number of handwritten lectures that are dated between 1912 and 1922. The Property and Tax Records are sparse; they include property-tax statements for 1944, 1946-1948, a statement concerning the tax-exempt status of the Free Congregation in 1945, an easement form in 1948, and an IRS form for 1974. The Miscellaneous Information about Members, 1940-1953, contains membership lists for 1940 and 1943, genealogical data on the Duerr family, and obituary notices. The Photographs are of several members of the Free Congregation.
The AUXILIARIES OF THE FREE CONGREGATION records are divided into three sub-groups. The Ladies Aid Society segment, 1887-1974, which is the most complete file in this second series, consists of statutes, bylaws, membership lists, minutes, annual reports, and financial records. The Educational Society volume, 1877-1903, contains the minutes of this Society, as well as its constitution and its bylaws. The Choral Society's Minutes run from 1869 to 1871.
The PUBLISHED MATERIALS series is divided into four subgroups. The Annual Reports of Executive Committees of Various Organizations contain the annual report of the Executive Committee of the Free Religious Associations for 1868, and a nearly complete collection of the annual reports of the Confederation of Free Congregations, and the Free Thinker Associations from 1899/1900-1924. The Free Congregation and Free Thinkers Pamphlets consist of a selection of instructive and/or polemical pamphlets on topics that were of concern to the Free Congregation during the generation that ended with the First World War. The Journal, Newspaper, and Printed Material include a reprint of J. J. Schlicher's two-part article “Eduard Schroeter the Humanist,” an anti-Hitler petition, and newspaper clippings on the Free Congregation.
Strong features of the collection are the complete sets of minutes for the Free Congregation, for its Ladies Aid Society, and for its Educational Society. On the other hand, it is disappointing that one finds after over a century of activity, no more than a handful of letters and postcards, most of which concern trivia, and no records defining the legal basis of the organization and its operations. Other areas that remain relatively undocumented concern the relationships, or changing relationships, that existed between the Free Congregation and the larger Sauk City community; the relationships, or changing relationships, between the Free Congregation and other private organizations such as churches and schools; and the attitudes and activities of the Free Congregation during the American Civil War and during the two World Wars.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by Ralph Marquardt, Sauk City, Wisconsin, December 6, 1976. The microfilm was produced in 1955 when records were loaned by Mr. Marquardt. Accession Number: M76-504
Processed by Alan Kovan (Intern) and Joanne Hohler, July 22, 1978.
Contents List
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Mss 425
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Series: Organizational Material
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Box
1
Folder
1
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Early History of the Free Congregation, 1852-1884
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Box
1
Folder
2
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Incoming Correspondence, 1874-1962 (very sparse)
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Box
1
Folder
3-6
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Minutes of the Meetings of the Free Congregation, including Meetings of the Executive Committee, 1852-1945
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Micro 334
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Microfilmed minutes, 1852-1882
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Mss 425
Box
1
Folder
7
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Ledger of Income and Expenses, 1914-1923
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Box
2
Folder
1
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Lectures Delivered to the Free Congregation, 1912-1922
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Box
2
Folder
2
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Property and Tax Records and Related Matters, 1944-1948, 1974
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Box
2
Folder
3
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Miscellaneous Information about Members, 1943-1953
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Box
2
Folder
4
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Photographs
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Series: Auxiliaries of the Free Congregation
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Ladies Aid Society
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Box
2
Folder
5
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Statutes, Bylaws, and Membership Lists
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Box
2
Folder
6-9
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Minutes of Meetings, 1887-1961
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Box
3
Folder
1
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Annual Reports, 1903, 1921, 1925, 1930, 1932, 1938-1942, 1954, and a List of Early Members
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Box
3
Folder
2
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Ledger of Income and Expenses, 1931-1974
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Box
3
Folder
3
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Minutes of the Theater Group, 1897-1907
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Box
3
Folder
4
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Educational Society's Minutes, Constitution, and Bylaws, 1877-1903
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Box
3
Folder
5
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Choral Society's Minutes, 1869-1871
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Series: Published Materials
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Box
3
Folder
6
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Annual Reports of Executive Committees of Various Organizations, 1868, 1899/1900-1924
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Box
3
Folder
7
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Free Congregation and Free Thinkers Pamphlets
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Box
3
Folder
8
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Journal, Newspaper, and Printed Materials
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Box
3
Folder
9
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Miscellaneous Pamphlets
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