EPISCOPAL CHURCH. DIOCESE OF
MINNESOTA:
An Inventory of the Bishop Stephen E. Keeler files
| | |
|
|
| Creator: | Creator:Episcopal Church. Diocese of
Minnesota. |
| Title: | Bishop Stephen E. Keeler files. |
| Date: | Dates:1878-1958. |
| Abstract: | Personal papers and diocesan records created
by Stephen E. Keeler during his service as bishop coadjutor and bishop of the
Diocese of Minnesota. |
| Quantity: | 10.5 cu. ft. (11 boxes). |
| Location: | See Detailed Description section for shelf
locations. |
Return to the Table of Contents
The papers of Stephen Edwards Keeler comprise personal and
semi-official correspondence, scrapbook/diaries, and subject files documenting
his activities and interests as bishop coadjutor (1931-1943) and bishop
(1943-1956) of the Diocese of Minnesota and, to a lesser extent, his
administration of the diocese and the affairs of individual parishes. They
include letters, memorabilia, clippings, pamphlets, programs, post cards,
photographs, minutes, reports, financial records, and Keeler's official
diocesan scrapbook/diaries. Some letters and memorabilia document early
diocesan history, as well as Keeler's life and career before he came to
Minnesota.
There is an extensive file on the Anglican Congress that was held in
Minneapolis in 1954, and considerable material on Keeler's supervision of the
American Episcopal Church in Europe (1953-1956). Other papers concern such
matters as Episcopal doctrine, the Anglican Church, Anglo-Catholicism, and
Protestant unity; the Wellesly Conference for Church Work, of which Keeler was
director in 1933-1948; missionary work among Indians and overseas; the
Missionary District of Honolulu, of which Keeler was bishop in charge in
1942-1943; and Seabury Divinity School.
Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Table of Contents
| | |
|
|
| A set of data sheets (P1035 - Box A) contains additional details on
the contents of some of the files. They include a selected list of
correspondents for each folder of Keeler's correspondence. |
| 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. |
Return to the Table of Contents
| | |
|
|
| 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: |
| | Bishops--Appointment, call, and election. |
| | Church management--Minnesota. |
| | Installation (Clergy). |
| Persons: |
| | Keeler, Stephen E. |
| Organizations: |
| | Anglican Congress (1954 : Minneapolis, Minn.). |
| | Convocation of American Episcopal Churches in Europe.
|
| | Episcopal Church--Clergy. |
| | Episcopal Church--Doctrines. |
| | Episcopal Church--Minnesota--History. |
| | Seabury Divinity School. |
| Types of Documents: |
| | Diaries. |
| Occupations: |
| | Bishops--Minnesota. |
Return to the Table of Contents
| | |
|
|
| Preferred Citation: |
| | [Indicate the cited item and/or series
here]. Episcopal Church. Diocese of Minnesota. Bishop Stephen E. Keeler
Files. Minnesota Historical Society. |
| | See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional
examples. |
| Accession Information: |
| | Accession number: See accession file 1773B |
| Processing Information: |
| | Processed by: Lydia Lucas, ca. 1981 |
| | PALS ID number: 09-00320314 |
Return to the Table of Contents
Note to Researchers: To request materials, please note both the
location and box numbers shown below.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Correspondence, 1923-1958
|
| Keeler's correspondence has been retained as he kept it: organized
into groups of three or four years each, with the papers in each group being
arranged alphabetically by the correspondent's surname. The container list that
follows this description gives the inclusive dates of each group. |
| The correspondence is especially voluminous during the 1950s,
particularly 1953-1955, with Bishop Keeler's replies being included with most
letters. Correspondence for the 1930s and 1940s is less extensive, and fewer
replies are present. Most of the letters are from other clergymen and bishops,
parishioners, and former parishioners, including many from his former parishes
in Ohio, Illinois, and Massachusetts. |
| Much of the correspondence consists of greetings and friendly
letters; family letters; requests for services and assistance; invitations to
visit and preach; and expressions of appreciation for letters, sermons, favors,
and other services. There is considerable correspondence on the Diocese of
Minnesota's administration, organization, finances, schools, clergy, and church
services; parish work and conditions in individual parishes and missions;
diocesan conventions and conferences; Keeler's pastoral activities, travels,
and engagements; affairs of other Episcopal dioceses; Episcopal doctrine and
Anglo-Catholicism; Protestant unity; the Wellesly Conference for Church Work,
of which Keeler was director in 1933-1948; the Episcopal Church's missionary
work among Indians and overseas; and Keeler's work in training lay persons to
assist in clerical tasks. |
| Letters for the 1930s also mention Keeler's service as rector of
St. Chrysostem's Church in Chicago (1929-1931); his election as bishop
coadjutor of Minnesota (1931); his work as acting bishop of North Dakota
(1937); the Oxford Group (1935-1937); and the centennial of the Diocese of
Minnesota (Oct. 1935). Letters from J. V. Blake discuss economic conditions and
the tire and rubber industry in Akron, Ohio. |
| Several letters during the 1940s discuss Keeler's elevation to
diocesan bishop (1944); consideration of a suffragan bishop for Minnesota
(1946-1952); administrative affairs of the national church; the General
Convention of 1946; and the merger of the Diocese of Minnesota and the Diocese
of Duluth. Others mention the Diocese of Hawaii, of which Keeler was Bishop in
Charge (1943); military chaplains (1940-1945 and 1953-1955); St. Barnabas
Hospital (1940-1942); and the consecration of St. Mark's Cathedral (1941). Most
letters from Keeler's friends in Ohio, Chicago, and Massachusetts cease after
the early 1940s. |
| Many of the letters from 1953 to 1956 pertain to Keeler's
supervision of the American Episcopal Church in Europe, to the Anglican
Congress of 1954, and to the General Convention of 1955. There is also
information on the English Speaking Union, the Anglican Society,
Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, excavations of Glastonbury Abbey in
Somerset, England, a processional cross for the Diocese of Minnesota, Keeler's
25th anniversary, and his death. The files include the correspondence of his
secretary, Elmira Montague, following his death. |
| Some of Keeler's principal correspondents are listed below. The
dates given are those of the inclusive year groups in which letters from these
people can be found, and may not correspond exactly to the actual dates of the
letters. |
| |
|
| | |
|
| | | |
|
| | | | |
|
| Location | Box |
| 144.F.6.7B | 1 |
1923, 1928-1930.
|
| |
1923, 1928-1930.
|
| |
1931-1934, A-Z. 7 folders
|
| |
Keeler's consecration, 1931.
|
| |
1935-1937, A-Z. 9 folders
|
| |
1938-1939, A-Z. 5 folders
|
| |
1940-1942, A-R. 3 folders
|
| Location | Box |
| 144.F.6.8F | 2 |
1940-1942, S-Y. 1 folder
|
| |
1943-1945, A-Z. 6 folders
|
| |
1946-1949, A-Z. 6 folders
|
| |
Hospital greetings, April-May 1950. 2 folders
|
| |
1950-1952, A-Y. 6 folders
|
| |
1953-1955, A-Do. 6 folders
|
| Location | Box |
| 144.F.6.9B | 3 |
1953-1955, Dr-Z. 21 folders
|
| |
Keeler's illness, 1955. 2 folders
|
| |
1956-1957, A-Hi. 4 folders
|
| Location | Box |
| 144.F.6.10F | 4 |
1956-1957, Ho-Z. 5 folders
|
| |
Keeler's 25th anniversary, 1956.
|
| |
Keeler's death, 1956-1957.
|
Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Organization of the Collection Section
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Scrapbooks, 1872-1956
|
| Two folders of materials (1892, 1900-1951) collected by Wilfred
Crowther, a parishioner of St. John's Episcopal Church, St. Paul, precede
Keeler's scrapbooks. These materials, consisting mainly of newspaper and
magazine clippings, primarily cover diocesan activities in the 1890s and early
1900s, particularly the death of Bishop Gilbert and election of Bishop Edsall
(1900-1901). They also include many clippings and photographs of various
Minneapolis and St. Paul area churches and clergy, and miscellaneous copies of
"The St. John's Evangelist," the church's newsletter. |
| Bishop Keeler's scrapbooks are a semi-personal, semi-official
collection of memorabilia and notes. They include newspaper clippings, letters,
invitations, pamphlets and leaflets, photographs, post cards, and programs for
commemorative celebrations, consecrations, commencements, church services, and
conferences. |
| Keeler's personal scrapbooks (1878, 1905-1930) include a few items
from his high school years at Stamford, Connecticut, and college years at Yale.
Mainly, however, the items pertain to his rectorships at St. Stephen's Church,
Pittsfield, Massachusetts (1915-1923), St. Paul's Church, Akron, Ohio
(1923-1929), and St. Chrysostem's Church, Chicago (1929-1931). |
| His diocesan scrapbooks (1931-1956) contain materials relating
mainly to his activities and interests as bishop of Minnesota; to diocesan
administration; and to individual parishes, churches, clergymen, and schools
within the Diocese of Minnesota. |
| Included in the diocesan scrapbooks are materials pertaining to
Keeler's 1931 consecration as bishop coadjutor of Minnesota; his appointment as
acting bishop of North Dakota (1935); the dedications of Birch Coulee Mission
(1938) and St. Mark's Cathedral, Minneapolis (1941); Keeler's appointment as
bishop in charge of the Missionary District of Honolulu (1942-1943); and his
installation as bishop of Minnesota (1944). Other materials include information
on the Lambeth Conference of 1948; the General Convention of 1949; affairs of
other Episcopal dioceses; the General Convention of 1952; the election of
Hamilton Hyde Kellogg as coadjutor bishop of Minnesota (1952); the American
Church in Europe and Keeler's trips to Europe (1953-1956); and the 1954
Anglican Congress in Minneapolis. There are comments on Episcopal doctrine and
worship, Protestant unity, Anglo-Catholicism, and politics, as well as numerous
sermon notes and inspirational quotations. |
| Portions of Keeler's official diary also form part of the
scrapbooks for 1941-1956. The entries are generally scattered and sometimes
incomplete. They are published in condensed form in issues of the
Minnesota Missionary, along with parts of the
diary not present in these papers. |
| Some personal letters were removed from the diocesan scrapbooks
and filed with Keeler's correspondence. Many loose post cards, programs, and
newspaper clippings not pertaining to the Episcopal Church and not commented on
by Keeler in his diary were removed and discarded. |
| Location | Box |
| 144.F.6.10F | 4 |
Crowther scrapbook, 1892, 1900-1909.
|
| |
Crowther scrapbook, 1910-1951.
|
| |
Personal scrapbook, undated and 1878,
1905-1920.
|
| |
Personal scrapbook, 1921.
|
| |
Personal scrapbook, 1922.
|
| |
Personal scrapbook, 1923-1926.
|
| |
Personal scrapbook, 1927-1930.
|
| |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1931-1932.
|
| |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1933-1935.
|
| Location | Box |
| 144.F.7.1B | 5 |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1936.
|
| |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1937.
|
| |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1938.
|
| |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1939.
|
| |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1940.
|
| |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1941.
|
| |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1942. 2 folders
|
| |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1943.
|
| |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1944.
|
| |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1945. 2 folders
|
| |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1946.
|
| |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1947.
|
| |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1948.
|
| |
Diocesan scrapbook, Lambeth Conference,
1948.
|
| |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1949. 2 folders
|
| |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1950s and undated 1950.
|
| |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1950. 3 folders
|
| Location | Box |
| 144.F.7.2F | 6 |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1951. 6 folders
|
| |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1952. 4 folders
|
| |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1953. 10 folders
|
| |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1954. Folders 1-4.
|
| Location | Box |
| 144.F.7.3B | 7 |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1954. Folder 5.
|
| |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1955. 4 folders
|
| |
Diocesan scrapbook, 1956. 4 folders
|
| | | Includes Keeler's 1956 datebook. |
Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Organization of the Collection Section
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Subject Files, 1923-1956
|
| Location | Box |
| 144.F.6.10F | 4 |
Notes, Inspiration, undated. 2 folders
|
| |
Sermons:
|
| | |
Sermons, undated and 1923, 1935. 1 folder
|
| | |
Sermon notes, undated. 2 folders
|
| | |
Sermon notes, 1930[?], 1939[?], 1945,
1954[?].
|
| Location | Box |
| 144.F.7.3B | 7 |
Anglican Congress, 1950, 1953-1954. 5 folders
|
| | | Correspondence and minutes regarding arrangements, and lists of
delegates for the Anglican Congress held in Minneapolis in 1954. |
| Location | Box |
| 144.F.7.3B | 7 |
English letters, 1948-1956. 3 folders
|
| | | Letters to Keeler from English clergy and friends regarding his
visits to England, the American Episcopal Church in Europe, the Anglican
Congress of 1954, clerical activities, literature and politics, Glastonbury
Abbey, English parishes, and Lambeth Chapel. |
| |
Girls' Friendly Society, 1952-1956. 1 folder
|
| | | Correspondence and fact sheets on organization, officers, and
activities. |
| |
Glastonbury Abbey, ca. 1953. 1 folder
|
| | | Notes and reports on history and archaeological excavations of
Glastonbury Abbey, Somerset, England. |
| |
Honolulu, 1940 - November 1943. 5 folders
|
| | | Correspondence regarding Keeler's work as bishop in charge of
the Missionary District of Hawaii. Includes information on administration,
finances, clergy, parish activities and conditions, salaries, church services,
race relations, and selection of a new missionary bishop for the district. |
| |
Honolulu: Photographs, undated and 1941-1943.
1 folder
|
| | | Photographs of St. Andrew's Cathedral, Honolulu, its clergy, and
its parishioners. |
| Location | Box |
| 144.F.7.4F | 8 |
Keeler genealogy, undated. 1 folder
|
| | | Bishop Keeler's genealogy of the Keeler and related
families. |
| |
Keeler genealogy: Correspondence, 1937-1956.
1 folder
|
| |
Seabury Divinity School: Miscellany, 1932-1937.
1 folder
|
| | | Includes financial records (1932-1937), and correspondence
regarding the merger of Seabury Divinity School and Western Theological
Seminary. |
| |
Seabury Divinity School: Students, A-Z, 1932-1937.
7 folders
|
| | | Correspondence with students and applicants, mainly
1932-1934. |
| Location | Box |
| 144.F.7.4F | 8 |
Unity Commission, 1945-1956. 4 folders
|
| | | Correspondence, memoranda, reports, resolutions and statements,
and minutes regarding the work of the Unity Commission, established by the
General Convention in 1937 to promote intercommunion and organic unity between
the Episcopal church and the Methodist and Presbyterian churches. Keeler was
elected chairman of the Commission on Approaches to Unity in 1950. |
Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Organization of the Collection Section
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
American Episcopal Church in Europe, 1951-1957
|
| From 1954 to 1956, Keeler was bishop in charge of the Convocation
of American Episcopal Churches in Europe, which consisted of churches,
missions, and church institutions in Europe, particularly centered in Italy,
Geneva, Germany, France, Spain, and Portugal. His files on this work relate to
clergy and services in the European churches; Keeler's supervision of the
European field and his trips to Europe; Convocation and individual church
finances; relationships with other American and local churches; and services to
American residents and soldiers. |
| There is discussion of a proposal to make Rome a pilgrimage
center, and correspondence regarding the Old Catholic Church in Germany and the
Lusitanian Church in Portugal. The folders for Spain contain considerable
material on the persecution of Episcopalians in that country. |
| The various subject folders overlap in content to some extent,
since the Episcopal clergy in Europe frequently exchanged comments on each
others' work. |
| Location | Box |
| 144.F.7.4F | 8 |
Correspondence and related papers, 1953-1956.
3 folders
|
| |
Applications, 1953-1956.
|
| |
Florence, 1953-1956.
|
| |
Geneva, 1953-1956. 2 folders
|
| |
Germany, 1953-1956. 6 folders
|
| Location | Box |
| 144.F.7.5B | 9 |
The Hague, 1953-1955.
|
| |
Nice, France, 1954-1956.
|
| |
Paris, 1953-1956. 2 folders
|
| |
Portugal, 1953-1956.
|
| |
Rome, 1953-1956.
|
| |
Spain, 1951-1957. 3 folders
|
Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Organization of the Collection Section
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Anglican Congress, 1952-1954, 1959
|
| The Diocese of Minnesota hosted this international Episcopal
Church congress, held in Minneapolis during August 3-14, 1954. Attended by
delegates and church officials from around the world, the congress required a
great amount of local advance preparation. These files cover the work of the
Minnesota Anglican Congress Committee and its subcommittees, which handled
local arrangements. |
| The papers, organized as subject files, consist mainly of
delegates' correspondence with the Minnesota committee's chairman, Valentine
Wurtele, and vice-chairman, John W. Gregg. There is also substantial
correspondence with Bishop Keeler as honorary chairman and Bishop Kellogg as
vice-chairman. It concerns such things as reservations, arrival dates,
accommodations (particularly for non-white delegates), financial aid, meals,
and attendance by wives. The correspondence also includes exchanges with the
National Congress Committee, based in New York; informational queries from
non-delegates; an invitation to U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower; and
letters dealing with publicity and press coverage and the use of various
Minneapolis facilities for meetings, such as the Hennepin Avenue Methodist
Church, the Minikahda Club, and the Women's Club of Minneapolis. |
| Also included are files on each of the subcommittees, which
contain correspondence, minutes, budgets, form letters, itineraries, and
membership lists. The subcommittees are for auditorium meetings, cathedral,
executive, exhibitors, finance, first aid, general, hospitality, housing,
meeting places, music, program and editorial, public relations, religious
services, sponsoring, supplies, and transportation. Especially voluminous are
the files of the finance committee, which dealt with quotas to be paid by each
Minnesota parish to help finance the congress; the religious services
committee, which contains correspondence with photographs and resumes of
delegates who wished to speak at a Minnesota parish during their stay in the
state and state parishes that requested a speaker; and the transportation
committee, which was in charge of local transportation for all delegates,
speakers, and church officials. |
| The delegate reservations files and religious services committee
delegate correspondence files are arranged alphabetically by surname. All other
files are arranged chronologically. |
| Location | Box |
| 144.F.7.5B | 9 |
Background data, 1954.
|
| |
Auditorium Meetings Committee, 1953-1954.
|
| |
B, 1954. 1 item.
|
| |
Bishops' wives, 1954.
|
| |
Canadian Delegates Allotment Fund, 1954.
|
| |
Cathedral Committee, 1953.
|
| |
Central Committee on Arrangements, New York,
1952-1954.
|
| |
Clergy, Minnesota: List, 1953.
|
| |
Congratulatory letters, 1954.
|
| Location | Box |
| 144.F.7.5B | 9 |
Correspondence: General, 1952-1954.
|
| |
Delegate correspondence; Richard Elting III,
1954.
|
| |
Delegates: American, 1953-1954.
|
| |
Delegates: Arrival, 1954.
|
| |
Delegates: Correspondence, 1953-1954.
|
| |
Delegates: Official list, undated.
|
| |
Delegates: Overseas, 1954.
|
| |
Diocesan dinner, Hotel Nicollet, 1954.
|
| |
E, 1954.
|
| |
Eisenhower: Invitation, 1953-1954.
|
| |
Entertainment: Overseas delegates replies,
1954.
|
| |
Executive Committee of Host Diocese of Minnesota,
1953-1954.
|
| |
Exhibitors Committee, 1953-1954.
|
| |
F, 1954.
|
| |
Finance Committee, 1953-1954, 1959.
|
| |
Finance Committee: Acknowledgments,
1953-1954.
|
| |
First Aid Committee, 1954.
|
| |
G, 1954.
|
| |
General Committee, Minnesota Diocese,
1952-1953.
|
| |
Gray, Rt. Rev. Walter H., 1953-1954.
|
| |
(Bishop) Gray's dinner, 1954.
|
| |
Gregg, John W., 1953-1954.
|
| |
H, 1954.
|
| |
Hennepin Avenue Methodist Church, Minneapolis,
1954.
|
| |
Hospitality Committee, 1953-1954.
|
| |
Housing Committee, 1953-1954.
|
| |
Invitations, overseas bishops, 1953.
|
| |
Japanese-American tea, 1954.
|
| |
Kellogg, Hamilton Hyde, 1953-1954.
|
| |
L, 1954.
|
| |
Meeting Places Committee, 1953-1954.
|
| |
Minikahda Club, 1954.
|
| |
Minnesota Anglican Congress Committee: Members,
undated.
|
| |
The Minnesota Missionary,
1954.
|
| Location | Box |
| 144.F.7.6F | 10 |
Missionary District Delegates' Fund, Overseas, 1954.
|
| |
Music Committee, 1953-1954.
|
| |
N, 1954.
|
| |
National Committee: Office space, 1954.
|
| |
Page Boys, 1954.
|
| |
Pan-Anglican, 1953-1954.
|
| |
Photographers, 1954.
|
| |
Post Office, 1954.
|
| Location | Box |
| 144.F.7.6F | 10 |
Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., 1953.
|
| |
Press releases, 1953-1954.
|
| |
Press room, St. Mark's Cathedral, 1953.
|
| |
Program and Editorial Committee, 1954.
|
| |
Program plans, 1953-1954.
|
| |
Public Relations Committee, 1953-1954.
|
| |
Railroad information: Delegates, 1953.
|
| |
Red Owl Auditorium, 1954.
|
| |
Religious Services Committee:
|
| | |
General correspondence, 1953-1954.
|
| | |
Lists, 1954.
|
| | |
Delegate correspondence, 1954. 5 folders
|
| |
Reservations:
|
| | |
Curtis Hotel, Minneapolis, 1953-1954.
|
| | |
Hotel Nicollet, Minneapolis, A-Z, 1954. 3 folders
|
| | |
Private homes, A-Z, 1954. 3 folders
|
| | |
University of Minnesota, A-J, 1954.
|
| Location | Box |
| 144.F.7.7B | [11] | |
University of Minnesota, K-Z, 1954. 2 folders
|
| | |
Miscellaneous hotels, 1954.
|
| | |
Reservations completed: Not entered, 1954.
|
| | |
Reservations for officials, 1954.
|
| |
S, 1954.
|
| |
St. Mark's quota letters, 1953-1954.
|
| |
St. Paul's Church, Minneapolis: Luncheons,
1954.
|
| |
"Scattered Dinners," 1954.
|
| |
Sightseeing tour, Twin Cities, 1954.
|
| |
Speakers, 1954.
|
| |
Sponsoring Committee, 1952-1954.
|
| |
Supplies Committee, 1953-1954.
|
| |
Transportation Committee, 1953-1954.
|
| |
University of Minnesota: Delegate Meals,
1954.
|
| |
Visitors correspondence, 1954. 2 folders
|
| |
Volunteers, 1954.
|
| |
W, 1954.
|
| |
Wardens, vestrymen, and women's organizations,
Minnesota, 1954.
|
| |
Woman's Auxiliary luncheon, 1954.
|
| |
The Woman's Club, Minneapolis, 1954.
|
| |
Wurtele, Valentine, 1953-1954.
|
| |
XYZ, 1954.
|
Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Organization of the Collection Section
|
