EPISCOPAL CHURCH. DIOCESE OF
MINNESOTA:
An Inventory of Its Correspondence and Related Records
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| Creator: | Episcopal Church. Diocese of
Minnesota. |
| Title: | Diocesan correspondence and related
records. |
| Date: | 1841-1957. |
| Abstract: | Letters of diocesan officials, clergy,
laymen, and church historians, as well as related printed materials, sermons,
reports, and financial documents. |
| Quantity: | 3.8 cu. ft. (9 boxes). |
| Location: | See Detailed Description section for shelf
locations. |
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These files consist largely of letters of diocesan officials, clergy,
laymen, and church historians George C. Tanner and Francis L. Palmer,
supplemented by a variety of printed materials, sermons, reports, and financial
documents.
They provide information on the founding and organization of the
diocese; missionary work among the Ojibwe and Dakota Indians; diocesan and
parish administration, clergy, and finances; the diocesan schools; church
properties; various diocesan organizations; the merger of the dioceses of
Minnesota and Duluth; church services; and the 1954 Anglican Conference held in
Minneapolis. Many up to about 1940 appear to have been gathered and saved by
Tanner and Palmer.
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| The description below is supplemented by data sheets (P1035 - Box A)
that provide more detailed information about selected subject content and
letter-writers in each folder of papers. |
| See the inventory for the diocesan records of the Episcopal Church
Diocese of Minnesota for information on other diocesan records in the Minnesota
Historical Society manuscript collections. |
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| This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog
of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about
related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these
headings. |
| Topics: |
| | Church management--Minnesota. |
| | Church property--Minnesota. |
| | Church work with Indians--Minnesota. |
| | Dakota Indians--Missions. |
| | Ojibwa Indians--Missions. |
| | Religious institutions--Minnesota--Mergers. |
| Persons: |
| | Breck, James Lloyd, 1818-1876. |
| | Edsall, Samuel Cook, 1860-1917. |
| | Gilbert, M. N. (Mahlon Norris), 1858-1900. |
| | Lightner, William Hurley, 1856-1936. |
| | Manney, Solon W., 1813-1869. |
| | Palmer, Francis Leseure, 1863-1949. |
| | Peake, Ebenezer Steele, 1830-1905. |
| | Tanner, George C. (George Clinton), 1834-1923. |
| | Whipple, Henry Benjamin, 1822-1901. |
| Organizations: |
| | Episcopal Church. Diocese of Minnesota--History. |
| | Anglican Congress (1954 : Minneapolis, Minn.). |
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| Preferred Citation: |
| | [Indicate the cited item and/or series
here]. Episcopal Church. Diocese of Minnesota. Diocesan Correspondence
and Related Records. Minnesota Historical Society. |
| | See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional
examples. |
| Accession Information: |
| | Accession number: See 1773B for accession information. |
| Processing Information: |
| | Processed by: Lydia Lucas and Lara D. Friedman-Shedlov, October
1998 |
| | PALS ID number: 09-00320507 |
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Note to Researchers: To request materials, please note both the
location and box numbers shown below.
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Undated and 1841-1859
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| The years between the founding of Nashotah in Wisconsin in 1841
and the election of Henry B. Whipple as the first Episcopal bishop of Minnesota
are represented primarily by letters and other papers of the chief founders of
the church in Minnesota: James Lloyd Breck, Ezekiel Gilbert Gear, E. Steele
Peake, and Solon W. Manney. |
| Letters from Breck at Nashotah House to I. K. Sass, Charleston,
South Carolina (1846-1850), discuss the organization, character, and philosophy
of the Nashotah Brotherhood; and the finances, divinity students, and
missionary services of Nashotah House. A copy of its charter (1847) is
included. Breck's later letters to Sass and others (1850-1859) discuss the
organization and work of the Associate Mission in Minnesota, and missions to
the Ojibwe, as do the few letters of other churchmen during this period. |
| Papers for 1855-1859 discuss the organization of the diocese, and
include the proceedings of its Primary Convention (1856) and a report on its
official union with the national church (1859). |
| Also included is information on the oversight activities of
Jackson Kemper (1844, 1848-1859); excerpts from the diaries of E. Steele Peake
(1848), Solon W. Manney (1851-1859), and Ezra Jones (1856-1859); constitution
and minutes of the Church Missionary Society for Minnesota (1851); newspaper
copies of Henry B. Whipple's travel letters from New York and Florida
(1853-1854); information on the creation of the Minnesota Church Foundation to
administer diocesan real estate (1854-1860); and diocesan reports and
missionary papers (1858-1859). |
| Location | Box |
| P1035 | 1 |
Undated. 2 folders.
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| | | Undated materials include notes and letters regarding diocesan
history and the Tanner family; church leaflets; an anonymous article on the
founding of the American Church in Cuba; photographs and autographs of
Episcopal bishops; and the constitution of the Church Unity Society of the
Diocese of Minnesota. |
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1841-1859. 6 folders.
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1860-1879
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| Letters of Whipple, his clergy (especially Peake and Breck), and
lay persons discuss Indian missions, diocesan clergy, and church services, and
the Dakota Conflict of 1862. Several printed programs and schedules announce
church and cathedral services and the bishop's appointments. |
| Other aspects of diocesan administration are reflected in reports
on a resolution by Eli T. Wilder to reorganize the Minnesota Church Foundation
(1860); certifications of delegates to diocesan conventions (1860-1861); a
report on Bishop Gilbert's proposed "Provincial System" canon, which would have
grouped several adjacent dioceses into provinces (1868); issues of the
"Missionary Paper" published by the Bishop Seabury Mission (1860-1866); and a
letter of Heman G. Wood outlining the relation between the Church of the Good
Shepherd and the Cathedral in Faribault (1874). |
| Additional information on Indian missionary work is found in
Missionary Paper No. 5 of the Associate Mission for Minnesota, entitled "The
Indian Mission at Work" (1860), which describes the Mission's work among
Minnesota Indians; notes of a speech by Madwaganominde[?] at Red Lake (1860);
letters discussing the Ojibwe Indian Bad Boy (1865); Samuel D. Hinman's Santee
Mission journal (Jan. 1869, printed); a pamphlet discussing Bishop Hare's
removal of Hinman from his post at the mission (1879); and an address by H. A.
Stimson (1879). |
| Also filed with these papers are minutes of the Central
Convocation, Diocese of Minnesota (1866-1870); the constitution and bylaws of
the diocesan Board of Missions (1869); printed information on the Reformed
Episcopal Church (1873-1874); addresses of Henry B. Whipple (1873, 1878); a
humorous account of Whipple's journey to attend the first meeting of the Synod
of Rupert's Land (1876); and an account by William C. Pope of church work in
eastern Minnesota (1878). |
| Location | Box |
| P1035 | 1 |
1860-1869. 3 folders.
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| Location | Box |
| P1035 | 2 |
1870-1879. 2 folders.
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1880-1899
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| Approximately half of the papers for the period 1880-1899 consist
of George C. Tanner's correspondence with clergy and lay workers on the history
of the diocese, its parishes, and its ministry. Much is from rectors or former
rectors, describing their services at various Minnesota communities, or
reminiscing on early church work. It is especially voluminous during the years
1888-1894. |
| Other papers include correspondence of Whipple, Mahlon N. Gilbert,
and diocesan clergy, as well as clippings, leaflets, printed notices, and
pastorals; they relate to diocesan and parish affairs, clergy, finances, and
the diocesan schools at Faribault. Also present are sermons and addresses by
Whipple and others. There are several letters from Gilbert and others to
Georgia Mounts [Richardson], 1887-1898. |
| A few letters and articles discuss missionary work among the
Ojibwe and Dakota, including two pamphlets by Joseph A. Gilfillan on the Ojibwe
deacons at White Earth Reservation (1890s and 1891). Two letters and an article
by Thomas E. Dickey (1891-1893) describe his pastoral work in Kalispell,
Montana. A letter from Harvey Officer to Whipple (1893) outlines the history of
the Minnesota Church Foundation and the Church Missionary Society for
Minnesota. |
| Other items include: John O. Barton, "Progress of the Church in
the West" (pamphlet, 1882); annual report of Shattuck School (1885/1886); and
discussion of proposed amendments to canons governing assessments (1890s) and
ministerial reciprocity (1894). |
| Location | Box |
| P1035 | 2 |
1880-1891. 6 folders.
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| Location | Box |
| P1035 | 3 |
1892-1899. 6 folders.
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1900-1920
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| Occasional letters to Tanner regarding the history of the Diocese
of Minnesota and its parishes, missions, and clergy continue during 1900-1908.
In 1908-1910 there is considerable correspondence, especially between Tanner
and William Cox Pope, concerning publication of and subscriptions to Tanner's
History of the Diocese of Minnesota. |
| Other correspondence, particularly among Charles Rollitt, Samuel
Cook Edsall, James D. Morrison, Charles L. Slattery, Charles E. Haupt, and
Alfred E. Pinkham, discuss diocesan administration and finances, clergy, church
services, church properties, the sale of church buildings in St. Paul, the
church pension fund (1917-1918), and the administration and programs of the
diocesan schools, especially Seabury Divinity School. Many of the letters
during 1906-1908 were written to Charles Rollitt of Red Wing. Programs,
leaflets, clippings, biographical data, and obituaries of diocesan clergy and
lay supporters are also present. |
| Considerable correspondence among Edsall, Morrison, C. C. Camp,
and Bishop Cameron Mann relates to applicants for admission to Seabury Divinity
School and for ordination to the diaconate or the priesthood. Correspondence
between Edsall and Susan Salisbury (1907-1917) discusses the Dakota mission and
her lace-making project at Birch Coulee. A proposal to commission a portrait of
Ezekiel G. Gear is discussed in 1905-1906 and 1909-1910[?]. Other letters
concern the Third Annual Conference of the Sixth Missionary Department (which
included the dioceses of Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas City, Nebraska,
Colorado, and Montana), held in Minneapolis/St. Paul in 1906. |
| Other papers include documents relating to the consecration of
Edsall as bishop coadjutor (1901) and Frank A. McElwain as Minnesota's first
suffragan bishop (1912); letters to Georgia Mounts [Richardson]; diocesan
treasurer's reports (1904, 1919, 1920); histories of the Church Deaconess Home,
St. Paul, and the Church Club of Minnesota (1907); a report of the Dean of
Mankato to the diocesan Board of Missions (1910); a financial report of St.
Mary's Hall, Faribault (1916); parish statistics (1918-1920); and a copy of the
1920 edition of the diocesan constitution and canons. |
| Location | Box |
| P1035 | 3 |
1900-1905. 4 folders.
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| Location | Box |
| P1035 | 4 |
1906-1920. 9 folders.
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1920-1942
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| The papers for the period 1920-1942 consist largely of diocesan
historian Francis L. Palmer's correspondence, or of materials collected by him.
They include letters of Frank A. McElwain, Charles E. Haupt, Stephen E. Keeler,
and other members of the diocesan standing committee, regarding diocesan
administration, clergy, candidates for orders, and sale and management of
church property; letters and financial records relating to fund-raising
campaigns (1930-1936); and Palmer's correspondence on diocesan history. |
| Other letters discuss aid for Breck School (1920, 1921); the
Reverend David Buel Knickerbacker and Octavius Longworth families (1925-1929);
the Twin City Clericus, an organization of all Minneapolis/St. Paul Episcopal
clergymen (1928-1932); and the Aged and Infirm Clergy Fund (1930-1932). |
| Also present are reminiscences of Augusta E. B. Kerr (1933), Mary
Heywood Folwell (1937), and Charles E. Haupt (1938); and printed circular
letters written by Haupt for the Minnesota clergy (1939-1941). |
| Location | Box |
| P1035 | 4 |
1920-1924.
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| Location | Box |
| P1035 | 4A |
Francis L. Palmer correspondence, 1927-1933.
2 folders.
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| | | Concerns primarily education and examination of candidates for
ordination. |
| Location | Box |
| P1035 | 5 |
1925-1942. 5 folders.
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1943
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| Papers for 1943 consist almost entirely of letters, reports, and
notes regarding the proposed merger of the dioceses of Minnesota and
Duluth. |
| Location | Box |
| P1035 | 5 |
1943. 3 folders.
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1944-1957
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| The files for the period 1944-1957 are primarily those of Bishop
Stephen E. Keeler and other diocesan officials, particularly Charles H.
Richter, Earl R. Coppage, David E. Bronson, Jule M. Hannaford, Lloyd R.
Gillmett, John H. Myers, and F. Rodney Paine. They center on the diocese's
business management and clergy, including finances, clergy prospects, church
buildings and properties, church services, the work of the Bishop's Committee
on Laymen's Work ("Men of Minnesota," 1943-1946, 1950-1951), the work of the
Standing Committee in evaluating candidates for the ministry and diaconate,
diocesan schools, and fund-raising efforts (1952). |
| During 1947-1948 the diocesan Committee on Rules of Order
discusses procedures for conducting diocesan conventions, while the Committee
on Legislation is concerned with church canons and state laws governing the
sale and mortgage of church property and with the structure and duties of the
Bishop and Council and the Standing Committee. Letters in 1948-1949 and
1951-1952 discuss the election of the bishop coadjutor for the diocese, and the
consecration of Hamilton H. Kellogg to that position in 1952. |
| Records for 1950-1954 are heavily concerned with plans for the
Pan-Anglican Conference held in Minneapolis in August 1954. |
| Location | Box |
| P1035 | 5 |
1944-1947. 3 folders.
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| | | Included among the papers for this period are: A patient record
for the Church Home of Minnesota (Nov. 1944), reports of the Chippewa Indian
Ministry (1945, 1946), and a few items relating to the ministry of Daisuke
Kitagawa among the Japanese-Americans in Minnesota (1946-1947). |
| Location | Box |
| P1035 | 6 |
1947-1952. 10 folders.
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| | | Included among the papers for this period are: Articles and
lectures by Luther W. Youngdahl (1950), Charles D. Kean (1950), and George S.
Siudy (1952, 1953) on church work; reports of the national church's Department
of Christian Social Relations (1949-1951); the 1950/1951 report of the
Minnesota Governor's Interracial Commission; and reports for the 57th General
Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and a report of its Joint
Commission on Approaches to Unity (1952). |
| Location | Box |
| P1035 | 7 |
1952-1957. 8 folders.
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| | | Included among the papers for this period are: CSR (Dept. of
Christian Social Relations) Foreground Studies on "People and the Church in
Urbanized Society" (#1, 1953) and on the ministry to the American Indians, by
Daisuke Kitagawa (#2, 1953); reports on college work in the Episcopal Church
(1954); a list of personal papers and effects transferred from Bishop Whipple's
Faribault home to the Diocese of Minnesota (1954); information on the Indian
ministry in the Twin Cities and in Ojibwe parishes (1955); minutes of the
Church Planning Department (1956); and correspondence regarding a memorial to
Bishop Keeler (1956-1957). |
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Additional Correspondence
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| Location | Box |
| P1035 | 47 |
W. H. Lightner letterpress books, 1896-1915. Volumes 48
and 49. 2 volumes.
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| | | Lightner's letters as diocesan secretary (chancellor) regarding
diocesan property and finances, board of trustees, diocesan organization, and
church canons. Includes indexes. |
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