Title: Christ Episcopal Church (Green Bay, Wis.) Records
Inclusive Dates: 1829-1973

Creator:

• Christ Episcopal Church (Green Bay, Wis.)

Call Number: Green Bay Micro 12; Micro 610; Micro 627; Micro 656

Quantity: 9 reels of microfilm (35 mm)

Repository:

Housed at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Archives and Area Research Center; owned by the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

UW-Green Bay Cofrin Library / Green Bay Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Records of the Christ Episcopal Church congregation and related institutions, including correspondence, minutes and reports, constitutions, financial, construction, and real estate records, and registers, 1829-1961, including lists of rectors, communicants, baptisms, confirmations, marriages, and burials. Historical materials concern the parish, its related institutions, and Green Bay. Also present are records of the Sunday School and church women's organizations, guilds, and the Young People's Society; and records of Episcopal church missions at Fort Howard (Kemper), Duvall (St. Mary's), and Montpelier (St. Anne's); and of St. James' Parish in Green Bay. Included is correspondence, reports, and financial records, 1869-1915, of the Cadle Home and Hospital in Green Bay; programs and clippings of the Oneida Indian Mission School, Oneida, Wisconsin; and materials pertaining to the founding of the Wisconsin University at Green Bay, an Indian Episcopal boarding school.

Note:

There is a restriction on access to a portion of this collection; for details see the Restriction/Administrative Information portion of this finding aid.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-micr0610

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Christ Episcopal Church was organized on September 16, 1829 at the home of Louis Rouse, north of “Shantytown” (now part of Green Bay). The organizational meeting followed several years of Episcopal services in the vicinity of Green Bay which began in 1822 when Eleazer Williams, a lay reader and catechist, came to Duck Creek from New York with the Oneida Indians. In 1825 the Department of Missions of the Protestant Episcopal Church sent the Rev. Norman Nash to establish a boarding school for Indian children living in the vicinity of Green Bay. Albert G. Ellis, a lay reader, accompanied him. On April 10, 1826, Nash called a meeting of the inhabitants of Green Bay to organize a parish. Several meetings were held, but little was accomplished because Nash returned to the East and no other clergymen were available. In 1829 the Department of Missions sent the Rev. Richard Fish Cadle and his sister Sarah Cadle to Green Bay to revive the Indian school. While serving as superintendent of the school, Cadle began to conduct regular services in the village.

At the September 16, 1829 meeting, the parishioners adopted a constitution and chose Daniel Whitney and A.G. Ellis as wardens, and James D. Doty, Robert Irwin, Jr., Alexander Irwin, Henry S. Baird, John Arndt, William Dickinson, Samuel W. Beal, and John Lawe as vestrymen. Christ Church Parish was incorporated under the Michigan Territorial Laws on October 21, 1829 and Cadle was elected its first rector.

Daniel Whitney platted Navarino (now part of Green Bay) in 1830 and the inhabitants of Shantytown moved to the new town where Cadle held services in the yellow schoolhouse on Cherry Street. In 1831 the small group of Episcopalians began planning and raising money for construction of a church edifice. The Rt. Rev. Jackson Kemper, bishop of the Northwest, laid the cornerstone of the church on August 9, 1838. The church was enlarged to about twice its original size in 1860.

Christ Church lost some of its members in 1872 when residents of the southern section of Green Bay, who desired a separate parish, organized St. James Parish. This venture was unsuccessful and the parishioners returned to Christ Church about 10 years later. The church edifice was destroyed by fire on July 3, 1898. On September 12, 1898, Bishop Charles Chapman Grafton laid the cornerstone of the present building, which was completed in 1899.

The clergy of Christ Church served several nearby missions including the Kemper Mission at Fort Howard; St. Paul's Mission at Duck Creek; Lower Duck Creek Unorganized Mission; the Parish School, organized in 1856; Wisconsin University at Green Bay (commonly called Indian Mission School); Cadle Home and Hospital; and the Oneida Indian Mission School founded in 1823. (Some records of the Oneida School, the Wisconsin University at Green Bay, Kemper Mission, and the Cadle Home and Hospital are included in the collection.)

Wisconsin University at Green Bay, incorporated on December 13, 1837, was an Indian boarding school established by the Rev. Cadle and his sister in the unoccupied barracks at Camp Smith. The school was opposed by the French Roman Catholics who made up the majority of the population of Green Bay, and by the Indian pupils who reacted against the harsh discipline. The trustees intended to establish a college on the mission property, but the plans never materialized and only a few Menominee children remained at the mission. Aid was withdrawn and the school was closed in 1842.

The parishioners of Christ Church established the Cadle Home and Hospital on the school property in 1872 as a parochial venture for education and care of orphan children and for relief and care for sick, needy or homeless persons. The institution, which accommodated 20 to 30 persons supervised by a matron, carried out its work until the buildings fell into disrepair. The last building was torn down in 1917.

Kemper Mission was established in Fort Howard some time before 1870 and a church building was erected on leased land in honor of the Rt. Rev. Jackson Kemper. No services were held from 1873 to 1875 and when Kemper Mission came under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Fond du Lac in 1875, it was listed as a weak and doubtful station. Mrs. Emmeline Whitney, a parishioner of Christ Episcopal Church, donated land to the Diocese for the mission in 1876 and the original edifice was moved to the new site. The mission was served by the rector of Christ Church from 1877 until 1881 when services were discontinued because of lack of funds.

Two Kewaunee County missions, St. Mary's at Duvall and St. Anne's at Montpelier were part of the Diocese of Fond du Lac but were not served by the clergy of Christ Episcopal Church. The Rev. Rene Vilatte, a lapsed Roman Catholic ordained priest, organized St. Mary's Mission in 1885 among the Belgians in Kewaunee County. In 1906 St. Mary's Mission was admitted to the Diocese of Fond du Lac as an organized mission with services performed by the Vicar at Blessed Sacrament Mission, Green Bay. St. Anne's Mission joined the Angelican Communion in 1913 when the Bohemian congregation of St. Anna's Roman Catholic Congregation applied to the Bishop Reginald Weller, Bishop of Fond du Lac, for admission to the Diocese. Episcopal priests served the mission from 1913 until 1923 when it was closed and the property sold.

Because of changes in Episcopal diocesan boundaries, Christ Episcopal Church has been a member of several dioceses. Jurisdiction over Green Bay was not clearly established until 1832 when the Diocese of Michigan Territory was formed. From 1836 to 1847 the church was under the jurisdiction of Jackson Kemper, who had visited Green Bay in 1834 and in the following year, had been consecrated missionary bishop in the Northwest, an area covering Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, and Minnesota as well as Wisconsin. Under Kemper's guidance a separate Diocese of Wisconsin was created in 1847. Kemper remained as bishop, and in 1866 selected William Armitage to be his assistant bishop. Five years after Kemper's death in 1870, the Diocese of Wisconsin was subdivided and Christ Church became a part of the Diocese of Fond du Lac. Internal government of the church was carried out by a vestry, two wardens, and a treasurer elected by the congregation, with the rector as ex-officio president of the vestry.

The records of Christ Episcopal Church were loaned for microfilming in three separate groups. In 1976, an initial portion was filmed and assigned call number Micro 610. These files date 1939-1956 and have been designated the Original Collection. In February 1977, the portion designated the “1977 Additions, Part 1” were loaned for filming; this microfilm was assigned call number Micro 627. These files date 1829-1961. Finally, the “1977 Additions, Part 2” were loaned for filming in November 1977 and assigned call number Micro 656; these files date 1843, 1849, and 1865-1973. The user copy of the microfilm housed at the Green Bay Area Research Center has all three portions available under the single call number, Green Bay Micro 12.

Original Collection

The ORIGINAL COLLECTION of Christ Episcopal Church Records is arranged in three subseries: Historical Materials, Records of Christ Church, and Records of Related Institutions. The Records of Christ Church, which make up the bulk of this portion, are divided into four groups: Correspondence, Minutes and Resolutions, Reports, and Other Records.

The Historical Materials consist of an early history of Green Bay, several versions of the early history of Christ Church, and histories of related parishes, missions, and schools; a photograph of the Rev. Richard Fish Cadle, and photographs of the buildings of Christ Church and other diocesan institutions; and memorabilia, 1829-1956, including a copy of the Acts of Incorporation (1829), papers said to be from the cornerstone of the first church, programs, bulletins, and clippings.

The Records of Christ Church include Correspondence from Bishops Jackson Kemper, 1836-1857; William Armitage, 1869-1870; J. Hobart Brown, 1876-1888; Charles C. Grafton, 1896-1911; and Reginald Weller, 1917; and general correspondence of the congregation and its officers. The correspondence from the bishops of Christ Church concerns diocesan jurisdiction, church visitations by the bishops, suggestions for the selection of rectors, and related matters. One copy of a letter to Bishop Kemper from Bishop Allen McCoskry regarding jurisdiction over Christ Church is included with the correspondence of Bishop Kemper. Correspondence of Bishop Brown pertaining specifically to the Cadle Home is included with the Cadle Home correspondence. Most of the general correspondence pertains to the resignation of rectors and the selection of their successors, finances and the collection of funds, and routine church business. A few notable letters include communications with the dioceses from James D. Doty and Daniety Whitney, a letter petitioning for the congregation's consent for the organization of St. James Parish, September 4, 1871, and a letter from the rector regarding the neglected and dirty condition of the church, 1886.

The Minutes and Resolutions record meetings of the congregation, 1834-1882, and of the wardens and vestry, 1834-1900, acting upon the resignations and appointments of rectors, changes in the constitution, elections of wardens and vestrymen, and financial matters. A copy of the constitution adopted on April 14, 1851, is filed with the minutes and resolutions of the wardens and vestry.

The Reports include annual reports of the rectors, 1848-1884, accounting for money raised at offerings and amounts collected and paid out by the rector; annual reports of the vestry, 1856-1882, pertaining to the general and financial condition of Christ Church; annual reports of the wardens regarding financial matters; annual, some semi-annual and some quarterly reports of the treasurer; and reports of miscellaneous committees. The latter include reports of special committees on missing revenue, on raising money for the rector's salary, and on the building. The report of a committee to “Confer with the Rector in Regard to the Parish School,” 1869, after discussing the operations and conditions of the school, the issue of tuition, and the management of the school by a “lady” for the past two years, recommended that a “competent man” should assume the managerial position.

In the Other Records segment are lists of subscribers, pew holders, and pledgers, 1834-1916, showing amounts pledged and contracts for pews; records of the construction of the first church building, circa 1831-1839, including estimated costs, plans, and itemized bills for labor and materials; deeds and mortgages, 1838-1929. Miscellaneous materials include a survey of the burying ground by A.G. Ellis, 1832; a preemption claim for forty acres of land near Green Bay, 1838; a list of instructions for building a fence around the graveyard; and the constitution and by-laws of the Society of Women of Christ Church, 1868.

The Records of Related Institutions subseries includes programs and clippings pertaining to the Oneida Mission; materials relating to the organization of Wisconsin University at Green Bay, 1836-1838; and correspondence, records, and reports concerning the Cadle Home. In the latter file most of the correspondence, 1872-1888, pertains to the establishment of the Home and to legal action taken against the estate of W.C. Pettibone for the recovery of an unapproved loan of Cadle Home funds; other records and reports, 1869-1886, reveal the number and condition of residents at the Home, and its financial affairs.

A large group of unorganized bills, receipts and cancelled checks, and some personal papers of the Rev. James Samter were not microfilmed with the collection.

The 1977 ADDITIONS, PART 1 is arranged in two subseries: records of the church and records of related institutions. Records of Christ Episcopal Church consist of Minutes and Resolutions of the Congregation, Vestry, and Wardens; Treasurers' Records; and Church Registers. The Records of Related Institutions include additional records from Cadle Home and Hospital and one volume each of records from Kemper Mission, St. James Parish, St. Mary's Mission, and St. Anne's Mission. The original materials are contained in 16 bound volumes.

The Minutes and Resolutions of the Congregation, Vestry, and Wardens, 1829-1930, provide a complete record of the proceedings of the congregation and its ruling bodies. The minutes document the development of the congregation, resignations and appointments of rectors, and decisions on major expenditures. Also included are a handwritten copy of the original Acts of Incorporation, October 21, 1829; the original constitution, adopted on September 16, 1829; and the revised constitution of April 14, 1851. Treasurers' reports from 1901 are included with the minutes. The church register, 1829-1842, originally in the first volume of minutes was microfilmed with the other church registers.

Treasurers' Records consist of an account book, 1894-1902, listing income from envelope collections, and morning and evening offerings; expenditures for such items as salaries, lights, repairs and the diocesan assessment; and records of special funds. The day book, 1894-1904, lists income, expenses, and occasional balances.

The Church Registers, 1829-1961, include a list of rectors and communicants; records of baptisms, confirmations, marriages and burials; and an index to the names in each volume.

Records of Related Institutions include a treasurer's account book, 1875-1877, 1904-1915, and a guest book, 1875-1881, from the Cadle Home and Hospital; minutes, statements of receipts and expenses, and a church register, 1872-1888, from Kemper Mission; a complete set of the minutes of the congregation, vestry and wardens of St. James Parish, 1871-1877; and church registers from St. Mary's Mission, 1912-1929, 1942-1943, and St. Anne's Mission, 1913-1914, 1921, 1938-1939.

The 1977 ADDITIONS, PART 2 also is divided into two subseries: Records of the Congregation, Vestry, and Wardens; and Records of Church Organizations.

The Records of the Congregation, Vestry, and Wardens contain the same type of materials as those found in the original accession of the Christ Episcopal Church Records, 1829-1956. They should be used in conjunction with the original accession. The Historical Materials include obituaries for John V. Suydam, 1885, and the Reverend M.V. Averill, 1888; a bulletin from laying the cornerstone of Fannie D. Joannes Memorial Hall, 1924; and one page of an undated historical sketch of the church. The Bishops' Correspondence is from Bishops Armitage, Brown, Grafton, and Weller primarily concerning the resignation and appointments of rectors. The General Correspondence includes rectors' letters of resignation and acceptances of positions, letters of resignation from minor church officials, and occasional communications from the diocese. The Minutes and Resolutions are from 1843 and scattered years between 1887 and 1910. The resolutions concern the hiring and firing of rectors, financial matters, the issuing of corporate bonds, and related matters. Minutes from the 1910 annual meeting and one set of undated minutes are included. The Reports concern a conference with the bishop regarding election of a rector, 1895, recommendations on building a new church, 1898, and an undated report on moving the rectory. The Financial Records include a record of pledges, 1849; an estimate of furniture loss caused by the church fire, 1898; scattered reports of income, expenditures, and cash on hand; and scattered annual financial reports, 1914, 1922-1936. Among the Miscellaneous Records are a declaration of assent and a license to the curacy of the Reverend R.L.M.F. McMurray, 1912, and the will of Lena Ludenbeck, 1928, in which $ 2,500 is bequeathed to the church.

The Records of Church Organizations include Sunday School records, records of Women's Organizations, and records of the Young People's Society, arranged by organization. Minutes from the Board of Education and Sunday School Teachers concern curriculum, teaching assignments, attendance and excuses from attendance, finances, singing, and related matters. The minutes and financial records from the various women's organizations document fundraising programs through dues, gifts, rummage sales, and bridge tournaments, and other activities such as landscaping the church property. The records of the Young People's Society include minutes of meetings where lessons, entertainment, and fundraising were discussed; attendance records; and financial reports.

Access Restrictions

Vital records contained in the Church Registers (Micro 627, Reel 4) in the 1977 Additions-Part 1 will be available to researchers only with the permission of the Bishop of the Diocese of Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.

Acquisition Information

Originals loaned for microfilming by the Christ Episcopal Church via the Reverend James Samter, Green Bay, Wisconsin, 1976-1977. Accession Number: M76-052, M77, 037, M77-458

Processing Information

Processed by Margaret Hedstrom and John Fleckner, 1976-1977.

GB Micro 12/Micro 610	Series: Original Collection
	Subseries: Historical Materials
Reel   1 Frame   1	Histories
Reel   1 Frame   69	Photographs
Reel   1 Frame   99	Memorabilia, 1829-1956
	Subseries: Records of Christ Episcopal Church	⇧
	Correspondence
Reel   1 Frame   205	Bishop Jackson Kemper, 1836-1857
Reel   1 Frame   232	Bishop William Armitage, 1869-1870
Reel   1 Frame   237	Bishop J. Hobart Brown, 1876-1888
Reel   1 Frame   266	Bishop Charles A. Grafton, 1896, 1898, 1908, 1911
Reel   1 Frame   279	Bishop Reginald Weller, 1917
Reel   1 Frame   281	General Correspondence, 1830-1894, 1908
	Minutes and Resolutions
Reel   1 Frame   513	Minutes and Resolutions of the Congregation, 1835-1882
Reel   1 Frame   551	Minutes and Resolutions of the Wardens and Vestry, 1834-1900
	Reports
Reel   1 Frame   614	Rectors, 1848-1884
Reel   1 Frame   661	Vestry, 1856-1882
Reel   1 Frame   720	Wardens, 1857-1878
Reel   1 Frame   749	Treasurers, 1836-1884, 1901-1907, 1922
Reel   2 Frame   0	Miscellaneous Committees, 1834-1881
	Other Records
Reel   2 Frame   36	Lists of Subscribers, Pewholders, and Pledgers, 1834-1916
Reel   2 Frame   181	Records of Church Building Construction, circa1831-1839
Reel   2 Frame   201	Deeds and Mortgages, 1838-1929
Reel   2 Frame   312	Miscellaneous Materials, 1832-1868
	Subseries: Records of Related Institutions	⇧
Reel   2 Frame   327	Oneida Indian Mission School
Reel   2 Frame   368	Wisconsin University at Green Bay, 1836-1838
	Cadle Home and Hospital
Reel   2 Frame   406	Correspondence, 1872-1888
Reel   2 Frame   559	Records and Reports, 1869-1886, 1911-1913
GB Micro 12/Micro 627	Series: 1977 Additions, Part 1	⇧
	Subseries: Records of Christ Episcopal Church
	Minutes and Resolutions of the Congregation, Vestry, and Wardens
Reel   3	1829-1882
Reel   3	1882-1914
Reel   3	1914-1930
	Treasurers' Records
Reel   3	Account Book, 1894-1902
Reel   3	Day Book, 1894-1904
	Church Registers Access Restrictions: Vital records contained in the Church Registers, 1829-1961 are closed to research except by permission of the Bishop of the Diocese of Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin.
Reel   4	1829-1842
Reel   4	1853-1900
Reel   4	1900-1923
Reel   4	1923-1934
Reel   4	1921-1955
Reel   4	1956-1961
	Subseries: Records of Related Institutions	⇧
	Cadle Home
Reel   5	Treasurer's Account Book, 1875-1877, 1904-1915
Reel   5	Guest Book, 1875-1881
Reel   5	Kemper Mission
Reel   5	Minutes, Financial Records and Register, 1872-1880
	St. James Parish
Reel   5	Minutes of the Congregation, Vestry, and Wardens, 1871-1877
	St. Mary's Mission
Reel   5	Church Register, 1912-1929, 1942-1943
	St. Anne's Mission
Reel   5	Church Register, 1913-1914, 1921, 1938-1939
GB Micro 12/Micro 656	Series: 1977 Additions, Part 2	⇧
	Subseries: Records of the Congregation, Vestry, and Wardens
Reel   6 Frame   1	Historical Materials, 1885, 1888, 1924, undated
Reel   6 Frame   9	Bishops' Correspondence, 1871, 1888, 1895-1899
Reel   6 Frame   64	General Correspondence, 1870-1928
Reel   6 Frame   196	Minutes and Resolutions, 1843, 1887-1910
Reel   6 Frame   224	Reports, 1849, 1870, 1885-1927, 1936
Reel   6 Frame   233	Financial Records, 1849, 1870, 1885-1927, 1936
Reel   6 Frame   280	Miscellaneous Records, 1901, 1912, 1928
	Subseries: Records of Church Organizations	⇧
	Sunday School Records
Reel   6 Frame   317	Board of Education Minutes, 1952-1956
Reel   6 Frame   385	Sunday School Teachers' Minutes, 1936-1941
	Attendance Records
Reel   6 Frame   412	1865-1868, 1878, 1881-1885
Reel   6 Frame   446	1953-1965
Reel   6 Frame   735	Enrollment Records, 1952-1965
	Records of Women's Organizations
Reel   6 Frame   750	Women of Christ Church, Executive Board Minutes, 1965-1967
	Women's Society of Christ Church Records
Reel   7 Frame   1	Minutes, 1902-1973
Reel   7 Frame   684	Financial Records, 1907-1934, 1941-1945, 1952-1973
Reel   8 Frame   160	Ledger, 1955-1973
	Women's Auxiliary Records
Reel   8 Frame   213	Minutes, 1921-1933, 1949-1965
Reel   8 Frame   688	Financial Records, 1906-1934
	Guild Records
Reel   9 Frame   62	Altar Guild, 1935-1944
Reel   9 Frame   197	Christ Church Guild, 1896-1897, 1902-1922
Reel   9 Frame   248	St. Agnes' Guild, 1918-1922
Reel   9 Frame   343	St. Alicia's Guild, 1959-1962
	St. Elizabeth's Guild
Reel   9 Frame   371	Minutes, 1934-1952
Reel   9 Frame   508	Account Book, 1928-1952
Reel   9 Frame   567	Young People's Society of Christ Church, Records, 1936-1941