Title: First Congregational United Church of Christ (Lake Geneva, Wis.) Records
Inclusive Dates: 1839-1982

Creator:

• First Congregational United Church of Christ (Lake Geneva, Wis.)

Call Number: Whitewater Micro 12; Micro 952

Quantity: 9 reels of microfilm (35mm)

Repository:

Housed at the University Archives & Area Research Center, Harold Andersen Library, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater; 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-Whitewater Library / Whitewater Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

Abstract:

Records of a congregation founded in 1839 as the Presbyterian Church of Geneva. Included are minutes, lists of pastors and church officers, records of the administration of the sacraments of baptism, marriage, and burial, membership records, Sunday school records, printed materials, and miscellany.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-micr0952

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The congregation was founded in 1839 as the Presbyterian Church of Geneva. A new constitution in 1883 officially changed the church structure and its name to First Congregational Church of Lake Geneva. With the national unification of the Congregational Church and the Evangelical and Reformed Church in 1961, the name was altered to include “United Church of Christ.”

The collection consists of General Record Books, Trustee Records, Treasurers' Records, Printed Materials, Sunday School Records, and Miscellany. The General Record Books,1839-1982, usually contain minutes of church and session or council meetings; lists of pastors and church officers; records of administration of the sacraments of baptism, marriage, and burial; and membership records. Only the volumes after 1914 have the sacrament records listed in separate sections; earlier volumes record their administration chronologically among the minutes.

The Trustee Records, 1853-1902 and 1948-1957, document the trustees' responsibility for handling the church's property and finances. The records consist primarily of minutes and treasurers' reports. Closely related are the Treasurers' Records, 1859-1951, a series of eleven volumes of financial records kept in various formats by the various individuals who served in the office of treasurer.

Printed Materials, 1881-1981, include manuals which usually contain a historical sketch; lists of pastors, officers, and members; the church constitution; and the confession of faith. Also present are other booklets listing officers and members; annual reports, 1954-1981; anniversary bulletins, booklets, and clippings; bulletins from dedication and other services; and a newsletter called The Chimes, 1961, 1965, 1967-1980. Copies of these same materials are sometimes also pasted in the General Record Books.

Sunday School Records, 1871-1931, consist of attendance records noting teachers' and students' names, statistical summaries of attendance, and occasional indications of program topics or financial notes.

Miscellany includes a 1929 membership list, a volume of Memorial Committee minutes and financial reports, 1954-1971, and a group of individual manuscripts and fragmentary materials filed topically.

Acquisition Information

Loaned for copying by the Church, 1982. Accession Number: M82-437

Processing Information

Processed by Michael Fox and Karen Baumann, April 1983.

	Series: General Record Books
Reel   1 Item   1	1839-1861 Note: Labeled “Presbyterian Church Record, 1839-1866, Book 1”
Reel   1 Item   2	1861-1882 Note: Labeled “Records of Presbyterian Church, 1861-1882, Book 1A”
Reel   2 Item   2	1883-1897 Note: Labeled “Records of Congregational Church, 1883-1897, Book 6”
Reel   3 Item   1	1897-1913 Note: Labeled “General Records,1897-1913, Book 11”
Reel   3 Item   2	1914-1923 Note: Labeled “General Records, 1914-1923, Book 12”
Reel   3 Item   5	1924-1948 Note: Labeled “General Records, 1924-1948, Book 15”
Reel   4 Item   4	1948-1968 Note: Labeled “General Records, 1948-1968, Book 20”
Reel   5 Item   4	, 1968-1982: Sacramental Records Note: Labeled “Church Records, 1968-82, Book 24”
Reel   5 Item   1	, 1969-1974: Minutes Note: Labeled “Book 22”
	Series: Trustee Records	⇧
	Minutes and Treasurers' Reports
Reel   1 Item   3	1853-1883 Note: Labeled “Trustee Records, 1853-1883, Book 1B”
Reel   2 Item   1	1884-1902 Note: Labeled “Annual Meeting and Treasurer's Reports, 1884-1902, Book 5”
Reel   5 Item   2	1948-1954 Note: Labeled “Trustees' Minutes, 1948- 1954, Book 23”
Reel   5 Item   3	1954-1957 Note: Labeled “Treasurer's Reports, 1954-1962, Book 20A”
Reel   1 Item   6	Minutes only, 1879 - 1880 Note: Not duplicated in earlier materials; Labeled; “Trustees, 1879-1880, Book 4”
	Series: Treasurers' Records	⇧
Reel   1 Item   4	1859-1867 Note: Labeled “Book 2”
Reel   1 Item   5	1868-1876 Note: Labeled “1868-1872, Book 3”
Reel   1 Item   7	1881-1925 Note: Labeled “Trustee Records, 1881-1914, 1887-1925, Book 4A”
Reel   2 Item   3	1890-1919 Note: Labeled “Book 7”
Reel   2 Item   4	1893-1909 Note: Labeled “Book 8”
Reel   2 Item   6	1910-1925 Note: Labeled “Church Receipts, 1910-1925, Book 10”
Reel   3 Item   3	1915-1919, 1930-1932 Note: Labeled “Business Records, 1915, 1919, 1930, Book 13”
Reel   3 Item   4	1921-1925 Note: Labeled “Envelope Account Book, 1921-1925, Book 14”
Reel   3 Item   6	1925-1936 Note: Labeled “Book 16”
Reel   4 Item   1	1926 Note: Labeled “Book 17”
Reel   4 Item   3	1948-1951 Note: Labeled “Book 19”
	Series: Printed Materials	⇧
	Anniversary bulletins, booklets, and clippings
Reel   8 Item   5-7	1909, 1929, 1949
Reel   9 Item   1	1974
Reel   8 Item   1	Annual reports, 1954-1981
	Bulletins
Reel   9 Item   19-23	Special dedication services, 1898-1961
Reel   9 Item   4	Occasional bulletins of scattered dates
Reel   7	The Chimes newsletters, 1961, 1965, 1967-1980
Reel   9 Item   14	Constitution, 1953
Reel   9 Item   4	Lists of officers and members, 1884, 1891, 1892
	Manuals
Reel   9 Item   10-13	1881, 1890, 1903, 1909
Reel   2 Item   5	Duplicate copy, 1909
	Series: Sunday School Records	⇧
Reel   6 Item   1	1871
Reel   6 Item   2	1872
Reel   6 Item   3	1874
Reel   6 Item   4	1875
Reel   6 Item   5	1876
Reel   6 Item   6	1878
Reel   6 Item   7	1879
Reel   6 Item   8	1880
Reel   6 Item   9	1881
Reel   6 Item   10	1881
Reel   6 Item   11	1882
Reel   6 Item   12	1883
Reel   6 Item   13	1883-1884
Reel   6 Item   14	1884
Reel   6 Item   15	1885
Reel   6 Item   16	1886
Reel   6 Item   17	1887
Reel   6 Item   18	1889
Reel   6 Item   19	1890
Reel   6 Item   20	1891
Reel   6 Item   21	1892-1893
Reel   6 Item   22	1893-1894
Reel   6 Item   23	1895-1896
Reel   6 Item   24	1896
Reel   6 Item   25	1896-1897
Reel   6 Item   26	1914-1931, “Cradle Roll Birthday Calendar and Enrollment Book”
Reel   6 Item   27	1909-1920, “Primary Department Birthday Calendar and Enrollment Book”
	Series: Miscellany	⇧
Reel   4 Item   2	Membership list, 1929 Note: Labeled “Book 18”
Reel   4 Item   2	Memorial Committee minutes and financial reports, 1954-1971 Note: Labeled “Book 21”
	Subject files
Reel   8 Item   2	Stained glass windows, 1897-1909
Reel   8 Item   3	Caned chairs, 1965
Reel   8 Item   4	Organ history from 1898
Reel   9 Item   2	Pew assignments, 1883-1884
Reel   9 Item   3	List of members, 1839-1882
Reel   9 Item   5	History and membership, 1858-1895
Reel   9 Item   6	Early church history: report of state convention, late 1800s-early 1900s
Reel   9 Item   7	Church history, 1889-1909
Reel   9 Item   8	Church history, 1909-1914
Reel   9 Item   9	List of parents, children, and teachers, late 1920s
Reel   9 Item   15	Introduction of Rev. Denney, 1914
Reel   9 Item   16	Rev. Denney's resignation, 1922, and Minutes of annual report, , 1923
Reel   9 Item   17	Congregational Brotherhood, 1912?
Reel   9 Item   18	Missionary problems, October 1909
Reel   9 Item   24	Speech of Rev. Jos. Wilburn, 1908
Reel   9 Item   25	Proposition of Young Men's League to form Co. of Loyal Guards, early 1900s or late 1800s
Reel   9 Item   26	Ecclesiastical Society minutes, scattered dates in 1902-1904
Reel   9 Item   26	Information on endowment by Mrs. Fisk, 1902
Reel   9 Item   26	List of , 1897 building subscriptions
Reel   9 Item   26	Articles of incorporation, 1905
Reel   9 Item   27	Report of Beloit Convention of Congregational Churches at Evansville, May 13-14, 1907
Reel   9 Item   28	Sunday School additions, 1954
Reel   9 Item   29	Ordination of James Kennedy, June 3, 1979
Reel   9 Item   30	Clock tower and Pendleton Clock in Fellowship Room, 1950s and 1972