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.
