Manuscripts Collection
Correspondence, minutes, legal documents, parish histories, financial records, printed materials, and miscellany documenting the administration, finances, and property holdings of the Diocese of Duluth, from its inception in 1895 through its 1944 merger with the Diocese of Minnesota. Most are files of Jay W. Lyder, treasurer of the diocese from 1908 to 1924, and of Charles H. Richter, diocesan chancellor from 1930 to 1948. There are very few papers of the diocese's bishops.
Richter's correspondence is concerned largely with the meetings and work of the board of trustees; Lyder's with the diocese's property holdings and investments. The records as a whole center on diocesan property and finances. There is considerable overlap between the correspondence file and the property file, particularly with regard to the affairs of various parishes.
The files also provide information on candidates for ordination to the ministry; missionary work among the Ojibwe Indians; major revisions made to the diocesan constitution and canons in 1938; parish finances and support; details of the merger with the Diocese of Minnesota, and the subsequent merger of the two property-holding corporations; the diocese's investments in building bonds and other properties; and a legacy left to the diocese by Lucy M. Warner. Also present is Lyder's personal file on the Port Authority of Duluth, of which he was president and secretary (1933-1937).
These records are divided into the following three sections:
The papers of Lyder and Richter are interfiled with other records of the diocese into a single chronological file of Correspondence and Related Materials, which is supplemented by a few subject files. A series of Property Files were probably also kept by Lyder.
A set of data sheets (P1035 - Box A) contains additional details on the content of the files.
See the
Accession numbers: 15,348. See 1773B for additional accession numbers.
Processed by: Cheri Thies and Lydia Lucas, 1980-1981
Catalog ID number: 001734946
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
The correspondence and related materials include letters, printed announcements, notes, resolutions, legal papers, and bulletins, and are concentrated most heavily in the years 1938-1945. Principal correspondents are W. H. Lightner, Heman F. Parschall, J. W. Lyder, Charles H. Richter, Frank A. McElwain, Benjamin T. Kemerer, Stephen E. Keeler, Granville G. Bennett, E. C. Biller, E. R. Coppage, Conrad H. Gesner, and David E. Bronson.
Correspondence regarding meetings and work of the board of trustees begins in 1936, and there are also a few papers relating to the standing committee and the executive council.
Major revisions were made in the diocesan constitution and canons in 1938, and the records for 1937-1938 include correspondence, notes, drafts, and the final report of the Committee on Constitution and Canons. There are also reports, articles, and a letter from Richter regarding canons covering clergy trials, marriage, and divorce.
Other papers include correspondence about Trinity Cathedral, Duluth (1939) and St. John's Church, Lakeside (1941-1942); papers of the diocesan convention of 1940; correspondence regarding the canon governing divorce (1940); and a draft of a canon on financial safeguards (1941).
A series of sheets describing real property held by the diocese.
Notes and drafts for new diocesan constitution and canons.
Committee report, with copies of new constitution and canons; includes index.
Organization of the Diocese of Duluth, Inc. Minutes and resolutions regarding acquisition, sale, and management of diocesan property; investment of diocesan funds; and organization and activities of the Board of Trustees. Correspondence regarding diocesan property; occasional treasurer's reports; a property record, listing source, date, description, and comments; and reports from Hans B. Haroldson regarding diocesan properties.
A personal file of J. W. Lyder, who was president and secretary of the organization during this period. It consists of correspondence, reports, printed items, and newspaper clippings relating to the finances and administration of the Port of Duluth and to the controversy over whether to build a bridge or a tunnel between Duluth and Superior. No explanation was given for its presence among the diocesan records.
Minutes, mainly relating to mission finances and missionaries' salaries.
Photocopy of a record book including the names of delegates, both Indian and white, who attended the annual Indian Convocation held at the Cass Lake Mission from 1924, when the Diocese of Duluth acquired and improved the property, until 1943, when the Duluth Diocese merged with the Diocese of Minnesota.
These consist of treasurer's reports (1919-1945, 1950-1955), monthly reports of receipts and disbursements (complete for 1923-1929, incomplete for 1936-1943), bond investment lists (1930-1939, 1943-1945), journal sheets (1917-1939, 1952-1953), ledger sheets for various special funds and accounts (1917-1953), and check registers (1951-1953).
(See data sheet)
These files, arranged alphabetically by name of community, consist of correspondence and legal papers relating to the title, sale, and purchase of church property; insurance and insurance claims; mortgage, rental, and upkeep on church and rectory buildings; taxation of diocesan property; and parish finances in various communities in the northern part of Minnesota. J. W. Lyder's name appears prominently in the correspondence, and he probably kept these files as diocesan treasurer.
In addition to parish property holdings, there are files for building bonds and other investments held by the diocese in California, Chicago, Kansas City, Detroit, and Minneapolis; maps showing the locations of parishes and missions; a list and report on diocesan property (1929); and papers relating to a legacy left to the diocese by Lucy M. Warner. Four folders of correspondence and tax receipts pertain to oil and grazing land owned by the diocese in Chouteau County, Montana.
The container list that follows gives the names of all parishes represented in the property file, and the dates of the papers pertaining to each parish. The data sheets (Box A) give details on the items included in each parish's file.
Maps showing location of parishes and missions; property list and report (1929).