Bangor, Maine. All Souls Congregational Church. Records, 1811-1995 [microform]
Records, 1811-1995 [MICROFILM]
RG 4374
7 microfilm reels, positive, 35 mm
No access restrictions. Microfilmed on behalf of All Souls Congregational Church (Bangor, Me.) by the Congregational Library August 1997.
Processed May 1997 by archive staff.
Copyright: requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with the archivist or librarian.
Introduction
Dec. 16, 1947 All Souls Congregational Church voted to deposit the "clerical records" of the Central Congregational Church, First Church and their respective societies at the Bangor Public Library. Their records were to be made available to the clerk of All Souls Church upon written request. Unless recalled by vote of the Board of Trustees of All Souls Church, these records were to remain at the Bangor Public Library.
The All Souls Congregational Church records were accessioned on an item level sometime during the 1960s; the records that arrived at the Bangor Public Library in 1947 also appeared to have been accessioned in the 1960s. The majority of the record books were assigned an individual shelf number and accession number; this information was recorded on a Bangor Public Library bookplate glued to the inside front cover. The accession date, accession number and donor are listed in the container list, to assist access to the physical records in the Bangor Public Library. If the accession information is not listed in the container list, the records do not note this information. The majority of the records are not stored in archival containers and have metal clips and staples.
Historical Note
Bangor was originally settled in 1769 by Jacob Buswell; the area was known as Sunbury. In 1791 the town was named Bangor and in 1834 was incorporated as a city. The town grew considerably between 1800 and 1830, when the population increased from 277 to 2868.
All Souls Congregational Church was formed by the union of four different churches: the First Congregational Church, gathered in 1811; Central Congregational Church, gathered in 1847; East Bangor Congregational Church, gathered in 1878; and All Souls Congregational Church, gathered in 1912. The First Congregational Church and Central Congregational Church merged in 1912 to form All Souls Congregational Church. East Bangor Congregational Church existed as a Schedule 1 church from 1961-1981. The original First Congregational Church building was constructed in 1822; in 1830 the building was destroyed by fire and in 1831 the congregation decided to rebuild the church. Note that Series III-B-1 contains the membership record of the Central Congregational Church and Rockland Congregational Church. Rockland Congregational Church existed as the Second East Church of Thomaston until 1848 and of East Thomaston until 1850. The church was listed as a Schedule II church from 1961-1978; the church affiliated with the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches from 1976 onward.
In 1847 the Central Congregational Church was organized, in response to the increased population of Bangor. In 1900 the Central Church built a Sunday School parish house and in 1903 the congregation built a Gothic-style church building.
The April 30, 1911 fire destroyed the main part of Bangor, including 100 business blocks, 285 dwellings and 7 churches. Among the church buildings destroyed were the First Congregational Church and Central Congregational Church. After the fire the two churches decided to merge to form the All Souls Congregational Church; the formal merger date was March 6, 1912. May 20, 1912 the ground was broken for a new building; the building was completed November 16, 1913.
The First Church parsonage stood on Broadway and escaped damage in 1911; it was used as a parsonage until 1943.
Scope and Content Note
Each series represents a church, since each church existed separately prior to the mergers. All of the series labeled Historical Material contain anniversary celebration material, typically printed church histories. If multiple copies existed, the donor and accession information was listed in the container list and the copy in the best condition was microfilmed.
Note that Series I-E-1 contains part of the ministerial record for Rev. Charles Albert Moore (1869-1953), the last minister of Central Congregational Church and All Souls minister from 1911-1935. Series III-B-1 contains Rockland Congregational and Central Congregational membership records. Series III-F-1 Orders of Worship lists the names of the deacons, church clerk, treasurer, auditor, church committee, Sunday school superintendent, president and treasurer of the corporation, board of trustees, building committee members, men's league members, woman's association members, junior auxiliary members, Y.P.S.C.E. members, and ushers. The materials microfilmed in Series III-G are from an envelope labeled "miscellaneous papers." The material microfilmed are legal documents e.g., articles of incorporation. See the container list for more precise content descriptions. Note that the microfilm item number is listed in parentheses in the container list.
Description
| Series I. First Congregational Church | ||
| A. Church Records, 1811-1950 | ||
| B. Society Records, ca. 1863 | ||
| C. Sunday School Records, 1819-1832 | ||
| D. Historical Material | ||
| E. Ministerial Records, 1893-1943 | ||
| F. Printed Material | ||
| Series II. Central Congregational Church | ||
| A. Church Records, 1847-1912 | ||
| B. Society Records, 1847-1911 | ||
| C. Historical Material | ||
| D. Printed Material | ||
| Series III. All Souls Congregational Church | ||
| A. Annual Reports, 1953, 1962-1967, 1971-1995 | ||
| B. Church/Clerk's Records, 1895-1978 | ||
| C. Church/Standing Committee Records | ||
| 1. Building Committee, ca. 1952 | ||
| D. Ancillary Organizations | ||
| 1. Young Persons Society of Christian Endeavors (Y.P.S.C.E.) Records, 1911-1928 | ||
| 2. Junior Guild Records, 1943-1954 | ||
| E. Historical Material | ||
| 1. 25th Anniversary Celebration | ||
| 2. 50th Anniversary Celebration | ||
| 3. 70th Anniversary Celebration | ||
| F. Printed Material | ||
| 1. Order of Worship, 1912-1933 | ||
| G. Miscellaneous | ||
| Series IV. East Bangor Congregational Church | ||
| A. Historical Material | ||
Container List
