The records of the Wisconsin Baptist State Convention consist of the official records of annual meetings, minutes of the Board of Directors, records and correspondence of the state central office, state missionary society records, financial records, minutes of meetings of intrastate regional associations, and records of state and local women's organizations, of local churches and of the Free Baptist Church. The records are organized primarily in chronological order in the series Historical Data, Wisconsin Baptist State Convention, Free Baptist Records, and Local Church Records.
The words “State Convention” in the title have the meaning of “State Association,” not “annual assembly.” The term “Yearly Meeting” used in Free Baptist records, also denotes “State Association.” Similarly, “Quarterly Meeting” means “Regional Association.” Nonetheless, the state and regional associations did meet annually and quarterly, respectively, as their titles imply.
The earliest record dates from 1842 and the most recent papers from 1955. Many series are extremely fragmentary and none are complete. Minutes of the meetings of the State Board, for example, run from 1851 to 1913. The account book of the State Treasurer only covers the period from 1897 to 1902. Some of the local church records and Free Baptist records are more complete.
The series HISTORICAL DATA consists of manuscripts and letters dealing with the early years of local, regional and state Baptist establishments. Some of these appear to rely on personal recollection or oral tradition. Included is a manuscript copy of the centennial history of the Baptists written by the Reverend Edgar Killam, then pastor of the Lake Geneva Church. A printed copy of this history is in the SHSW library. Also in this file are typed copies of letters purported to have been written by early Baptist missionaries in Wisconsin; these were compiled by the Reverend Coe Hayne.
The WISCONSIN BAPTIST STATE CONVENTION records' first subseries, the State Convention records, consist of the minutes of meetings of the State Board; Mission Society records; treasurer's records; the files of Dr. Ezra G. Roth, state superintendent; files of the Department of Christian Education; files of the Reverend T. Knudsen, investment treasurer; and other state organization records.
Records of the State Mission Society are concerned chiefly with the raising of funds for the support of domestic and foreign missions. Besides the strictly financial records there are reports from and about the missionaries.
Included in the state treasurer's records are files relating to the disposition of the property of defunct churches. These are followed by (and are virtually indistinguishable from) partial records of the “Roundy Memorial Fund.” Through a bequest, Judson Roundy established a sizeable trust designated as a loan fund for the building, expansion, and repair of Baptist institutions affiliated with the State Convention. A few loan and bequest records also are a part of the treasurer's records.
The Reverend Ezra G. Roth became State Superintendent of the Convention in 1941 and fifteen boxes of the papers are referred to as the “Roth files” since they were largely produced during his tenure. However a
few letters can also be found in these files which concern his predecessors: Dr. Hulburt, Dr. LeGrand, and Reverend Herring. The files are primarily correspondence and are arranged in two sections: a subject file and a local church file. The documents are in reverse chronological order.
The Department of Christian Education files were also generated largely during Dr. Roth's superintendency, but by others employed by the State Convention. Figuring prominently in the records of this department are the Reverend David W. Witte, Eva Basara, and the Reverend Ernest Midkiff, each of whom served as a director or a divisional head. It appears from the papers that these officials served in more than one capacity, either simultaneously or consecutively. The department records include minutes and subject files, the latter being arranged alphabetically then in reverse chronological order. In addition to subjects which parallel the Roth files, they deal with such matters as loan funds, higher education, Negro education, summer camps, youth rallies, and administrative matters.
The investment files of the Reverend T. Knudsen cover only the years 1945 to 1949. Reverend Knudsen had been an official of the Norwegian Baptist organization and served as interim state superintendent following the death of the Reverend J.W. Herring in 1940. His papers are divided into general correspondence and investment correspondence. The investment correspondence is mainly with companies and stock brokers and is useful principally to show the range of investments made by the State Convention. The general correspondence is with a wide range of people but also deals largely (though not exclusively) with matters of finance. Some of the other topics discussed are personal references, missionary visits, pastoral concerns, and social activities.
Miscellaneous items make up the final category of the State Convention records. The “Roll Call” of Wisconsin Baptist Churches lists the various churches and their membership figures from 1842 to 1931. Also included is a survey of all denominations in the state along with population figures which was probably compiled by Dr. D.W. Hulburt in 1910. Finally there are brief records regarding the construction and pledges for “Hulburt Hall,” an assembly building at Green Lake which was erected as a memorial to Dr. D.W. Hulburt.
The other subseries within WISCONSIN BAPTIST STATE CONVENTION are Regional Records, Wisconsin Baptist Ministerial Association, Women's Organizations, and Miscellany. The Women's Organizations subseries includes various records of the State Baptist Women's Missionary Society; secretary's records of the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Central Association; proceedings of the Organization of Wives and Widows of Baptist Ministers of Wisconsin; and records of local church women's groups. Among these records, only those dealing with the “Houseparty” require explanation. The statewide annual “houseparty” seems to have been a combined religious retreat, educational experience and social event. In the main, these particular papers are concerned with the preparation for and functioning of the “houseparties.”
The various items grouped under Miscellany appear to have minimal value except to persons interested in the cost of living during the periods covered. The two account books designated as “Central Office” were so labelled solely through the processor's deduction. Also included are personal accounts of D.W. Hulburt, H.S. Vreeland, and H.W. Bardenweper; assorted records of the Milwaukee Baptist Union; and unidentified dramatizations concerning church affairs.
The most complete series of records in this collection comes from the FREE BAPTIST Church. Established as an autonomous Baptist group in New Berlin in 1840, its numbers grew sufficiently to warrant the establishment of a Yearly Meeting (i.e., state association) in 1845. From then until its union with the regular Baptist Convention in 1913, its Yearly Meeting minutes are virtually complete. Only one set of Free Baptist documents requires explanation. Around 1888, the group decided to provide financial aid to the Reverend Coldren, a missionary in India. The resultant organization as well as the actual monies involved was known as the “Coldren Fund.”
LOCAL CHURCH RECORDS are those of individual local churches (including some Free Baptist churches) and are among the oldest items in the collection. Some are extremely fragile. Many are the books of defunct congregations which were turned over to the State Convention for preservation. Included are the minutes of meetings of various local societies in addition to the proceedings of the regular church meetings. The dates of some of the volumes overlap; but since many lack a clear title page, it is conceivable that they actually represent two different functions, e.g., regular weekly meetings, and official annual meetings along with interim Board actions.
