Congregational Education Society. Records, 1816-1956 (bulk 1894-1925)

Introduction

The records were apparently deposited ca. 1965 by the Division of Christian Education of the Board of the Homeland Ministries of the United Church of Christ, formerly the Congregational Board of Homeland Missions (1).

Prior to processing in 1996, the Congregational Education Society records were stored in non-permanent manuscript boxes; much of the correspondence had been refoldered in non-buffered folders and thirty boxes were labeled miscellaneous. This pre-processing occurred prior to 1970 and appears to mirror the record keeping by Congregational Education Society secretaries, the main Congregational Education Society record keepers.

It appears as if the pre-1970 work was to provide a rough inventory of the material and to store some of the material in more stable containers. It appears as if the pre-1970 pre-processing did not disrupt the original order: all of the secretaries had a similar record keeping style, which appears to have been retained. It appears as if the last Congregational Education Secretary kept more subject-oriented files and possibly regrouped some correspondence based on subject (e.g., American Missionary Association property transfers). If letters were grouped by topic, this order was retained during the 1996 processing; this material is located in series III-A-3.

There is evidence that the individual who kept some of the subject oriented files was Rev. Frank M. Sheldon, secretary from 1914-1921. There are subject-oriented notations made on the front and back of some of the documents and the handwriting appears to be Sheldon's. Material found in these folders was maintained in the same order, and refoldered in archival-quality folders to prevent overstuffing; clips and staples were also removed, which had not been done during the previous processing attempt. Approximately thirty percent of the material was still stored in non-archival 19th-century alphabetical letter files; this material was severely damaged and discolored by acid formation and was interleaved with permanent paper during the 1996 processing. Paper used ca. 1914-1918 was extremely brittle and the majority of it was photocopied onto permanent paper during the 1996 processing.

Historical Note

In 1894 the name of the American Education Society was changed to the Congregational Education Society, when the organization absorbed the New West Education Commission. Since the focus of the organization changed, it was decided to process the material as separate record groups.

The central office of the Congregational Education Society was located in the Congregational House, 14 Beacon Street, Boston, Mass.; the Congregational Education Society also maintained a western district office in Chicago, Illinois from 1894-ca. 1913. The Chicago office was originally located at 151 Washington Street and moved to 153 La Salle Street ca. 1905.

The history of the American Education Society, Congregational Education Society, New West Education Commission and Society for the Promotion for Collegiate and Theological Education was very interrelated. The American Education Society was founded in 1815 as a joint venture between the Congregationalists and Presbyterians for the "purpose of aiding indigent young men of talents and hopeful piety in acquiring a learned and competent education for the gospel ministry," developing a more Congregational focus in the late 19th century. By the time the organization changed its name to the Congregational Education Society in 1894, the organization had taken on the work of the organizations it had absorbed, i.e. the Society for the Promotion for Collegiate and Theological Education and New West Education Commission.

The Society for the Promotion of Collegiate and Theological Education at the West was founded in 1843 for the purpose of providing financial support to struggling midwestern and western colleges; like the American Education Society, it was jointly sponsored by the Presbyterians and Congregationalists. In 1874 American Education Society and Society for the Promotion of Collegiate and Theological Education at the West merged as the American Education and College Society; this organization was sponsored and administered exclusively by the Congregationalists, reflecting the "renewed denominationalism" (2) occurring in Protestant denominations of the late 19th century. The American Education and College Society provided financial support for individual colleges, as well as needy individuals.

The New West Education Commission was founded 1879 as a Congregational organization in Chicago, Illinois; its purpose of being was to establish primary and secondary schools in Utah, New Mexico and Arizona. Its purpose was evangelical and primarily to combat the influence of Mormonism and Roman Catholicism in the western United States, primarily in schools. The organization provided financial support to teachers and staff at elementary and secondary academies.

In 1894 the Congregational Education Society united these various denominational organizations, providing financial support for theological students, private elementary and secondary schools in Utah and New Mexico, and pastors at state-supported universities and colleges. Until ca. 1910, the organization had three departments: Student Aid Department, College and Academy Department and Mission School Department.

The Student Aid department provided financial aid for theological students; the scholarships were based on financial need and merit. The College and Academy Department supported colleges in Rollins, Florida; Fargo, North Dakota; Fairmont, Kansas and Salt Lake Training School, Utah. Previous colleges supported included Western Reserve University, Illinois, Wabash, Marietta, Carleton, Doane, Drury, Knox, Beloit, Iowa, Oberlin, Olivet, Washburn, Ripon, Colorado, Yankton, Pacific, Whitman and Pomona. Academies were located in: Kingfisher, Oklahoma; Proctor, Utah; Franklin, Nebraska; Chadron, Nebraska; Weeping Water, Nebraska; Eureka, Kansas; Gordon, Utah; Kidder, Missiouri; Iberia, Missiouri; Rogers, Arkansas; Woodcock, Washington, Puget Sound, Washington; Ward, South Dakota; Weiser, Idaho; Windom, Minnesota; Wilton Collegiate Institute, Iowa; Hull, Iowa; North Wisconsin, Wisconsin; Endeavor, Wisconsin; Benzonia, Michigan; and Southern Collegiate, Illinois.

The Mission School Department supported institutions and mission schools formerly sustained by the New West Education Commission in New Mexico and Utah. The Mission School Department also sought to increase the number of these schools, evangelize, control the influence of Mormonism in public schools and educate Mexicans in New Mexico. Mission schools were located in Bountiful, Coalville, Heber and Lehi, Utah; and San Rafael, Barelas, San Mateo, Atrisco, Cubero, and Cabezon, New Mexico (3).

The acts of 1907 enlarged the powers of the Congregational Education Society; the society was "authorized to promote Christian civilization in any territory or country acquired or hereafter acquired by the United States or coming under its sovereignty and dominion, or subject, as a possession, to the legislative power of Congress, and in foreign countries, by endowing, assisting, or establishing academic, collegiate, or theological institution of learning therein, and by aiding or assisting indigent children and young persons of either sex seeking an education in such institutions" (4).

By the early part of the twentieth century, the Congregational Educational Society was one of seven benevolent societies "recognized by the National Council as agents for carrying out the mission of the denomination" (5); the other six were the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, the American Missionary Association, the Congregational Home Missionary Society, the Congregational Church Building Society, and the Congregational Sunday School and Publishing Society. The Congregational Board of Ministerial Relief was added at a later date.

The work of the Congregational Education Society differed from the missionary boards, in that it did not conduct churches, schools, or missions. The purpose at this point in the organizational history was to help state and local church forces organize and develop educational programs. The Society was organized into departments, each with a special secretary and committee of the Board of Directors. Later on the Congregational Education Society formed a partnership with the Congregational Publishing Society: the Congregational Publishing Society created and published educational texts and other materials and the Congregational Education Society developed and promoted educational policies and programs (6). Both organizations operated under the same Board of Directors.

The Congregational Foundation for Education was established in 1921, in order to develop closer relations between Congregational churches and colleges. As part of the merger of the Home Boards voted by the National Council in 1927, the Foundation for Education was merged with the Congregational Education Society. The former organization was maintained, however, so that the organization could receive any bequests made prior to the merger (7).

The National Council consolidated the home mission agencies in the 1930s; by 1931 "the term Home Board was employed to designate the totality of home mission agencies," with the consolidation completed in 1936 (8). Program functions were carried out by separate divisions, although the organization was organized under one Board of Directors. The Church Extension Boards, the American Missionary Association, Congregational Education Society, Congregational Publishing Society and Congregational Board of Ministerial Relief were "bound together for united planning and action...[and] were to be known as the Board of Home Missions of the Congregational and Christian Churches" (9).

Endnotes

(1) Findlay, James. "The Congregationalists and American Education." History of Education Quarterly. Winter 1977, p. 449.

(2) Ibid., p. 450.

(3) Series VII, folder 51. "Three Societies in One: the Congregational Education Society."

(4) Ibid.

(5) John Von Rohr. The Shaping of American Congregationalism. Pilgrim Press: Cleveland, Ohio, 1992. p. 364.

(6) Series I-B, folder 10. "Report to the National Council, 1925."

(7) Series VII, folder 41. "Pilgrim Colleges."

(8) Von Rohr, p. 428.

(9) Ibid.

Scope and Content Note

There are scant records from the Board of Directors: series I primarily contains printed annual reports. This series also contains a very useful index to votes by the Board of Directors (series I-C). The original card index dividers have been retained: the cards were vacuumed and rehoused in archival-quality card index files. The index is a subject index and includes the names of institutions.

Series II (Financial) contains various records from the office of the treasurer and finance committee. Much of the correspondence files are from J. Converse Gray (1855-1919), pro bono legal counsel for the Congregational Education Society, member of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Finance Committee from 1892 until his death in 1919. He was affiliated with the law firm of Hyde, Dickerson and How and was elected to the Board of Directors following the retirement of his father, Joseph H. Gray (see Appendix B Board of Directors Select Profiles). The treasurer's correspondence files are also intermingled with some finance committee minutes.

Series II-A-2 (Budget Reports) appears to be information compiled for the annual report. Series II-A-3 (Auditor's Report) contains the annual report completed by an outside auditor, along with any correspondence between the auditor and the Congregational Education Society. Series II-A-4 (Real and Personal Property Assessment) contains forms filed with the Massachusetts state tax commissioner and contains an itemization of Congregational Education Society's real and personal property for the years 1897-1924, with gaps between the years 1907-1913. This subseries unfortunately does not itemize the real property held, but provides a flat figure. It does list the amount of mortgages and investments; statement of expenses is simply a page from the annual report.

Series II-C-3 (Asst. Treasurer's Incoming Correspondence) contains fairly extensive correspondence from the desk of Mary A. Clarke. It appears as if Miss Clarke handled an extensive amount of the correspondence; her correspondence is also intermingled with Series III-C-2. The only reason Series II-C-3 is separated is that it was located in a separate box, in complete disarray. The material was grouped by correspondent and then chronologically, since the original order had been destroyed. There is extensive correspondence from secretary Rev. Edward S. Tead and Rev. Charles O. Day while they were on field trips, as well as correspondence from other Congregational Education Society officers.

Series II-D (Central Trust of Illinois) contains the account records for the Congregational Foundation for Education account with the Central Trust Company of Illinois from 1922-1927. The records were retained, since they document transactions, including contributions from individual churches. Series II-D-2 (Central Trust of Illinois Correspondence) contains the correspondence files between the Congregational Foundation for Education president, Commission on Missions treasurer and Arthur T. Leonard and Miss A. T. Kringle of the Central Trust Company of Illinois.

The bulk of the Congregational Education Society records consists of correspondence from the office of the secretary (series II). The bulk of the organizational activities -- information from the field, observations by the field secretaries, and synthesis of information was primarily documented by correspondence, although there are occasional report drafts within these files. The correspondence is primarily from the corresponding/general secretary and the field secretaries (see Appendix A for a list of the officers and Board of Directors and their terms of office). As noted in the introduction, there was some consistency in the way the correspondence was organized: incoming and outgoing correspondence was maintained separately. Each incoming letter was alphabetically arranged by the first letter of the surname. As an alphabetical letter file was filled, a new one was started: a file generally contained A-Z. If all the space in a file was not used by the end of the year, the file was kept open, creating an overlap from one year to the following year. File labels reflect the labeling on the front of the letter files (e.g., if the file was 1896-1899 and the correspondence was actually 1896-1897, the original labeling was used, so that the user can approximate the correspondence that was originally filed in the same boxes).

Series III-A-1 (Secretary's Outgoing Correspondence) from 1894-1924 is contained in letter books and is arranged chronologically. A name index in the front of each volume directs the user to the appropriate page. The name index usually lists personal names, although institutional names are sometimes listed. By determining the names affiliated with an institution, researchers may access the files for institutionally-related correspondence. The bulk of the correspondence is from John A. Hamilton, William E. Barton, Charles O. Day, Edward S. Tead and Frank M. Sheldon.

Series III-A-2 (Incoming Correspondence) is for the most part organized by the first letter of the last name. Since the corresponding secretary appeared to be the primary record keeper for the Congregational Education Society, the correspondence often has relevant correspondence from the CES president, legal counsel or treasurer clipped to it. Correspondence and notes were retained and clipped together in their original order. The bulk of the correspondence is to John A. Hamilton, William E. Barton, Charles O. Day, Edward S. Tead and Frank M. Sheldon.

Series III-A-3 (Secretary's Incoming and Outgoing Correspondence) deviates slightly from the pattern noted above. During the office of Rev. Frank Sheldon from 1914-1921, the files appeared to be organized topically; some of the previous secretaries also had some files organized by topic. Much of this correspondence clarifies mortgage issues and the property transfer from institutions to the Congregational Education Society. See the container list for specific topics. If the correspondence pertained to a specific institution, it was grouped into Series IV, alphabetically by the name of the institution.

Series III-A-4 (Teaching Applications) contains applications sent by individuals interested in teaching at Congregational Education Society schools. These application files were maintained by the general corresponding secretary, usually by year and then alphabetically by last name. When this material was refoldered, all correspondence and completed applications were grouped together and filed alphabetically by the last letter of the surname, provided an application form was completed. If there are only a few letters from an individual and no application form, the correspondence is arranged alphabetically by the first letter of the surname. This series provides credentials, birth information, as well as an interesting background of teachers employed by the Congregational Education Society, many of whom were women.

Series III-B-1 (Eastern Field Secretary) contains correspondence from Rev. Frank L. Ferguson, except for one folder from Rev. J. L. Maile.

Series III-C (Western Field Secretary Outgoing Correspondence) contains correspondence from Rev. Theodore Clifton, except for one folder from Rev. Theodore Y. Gardner.

Series IV (Institutions) contains correspondence grouped by institutional name. These files appeared to have been kept by Rev. Frank Sheldon, although it is possible that some were kept by the Institutions Committee. Since the exact provenance is unclear and since the material reflects a coherent and useful series, it was maintained and organized alphabetically by the name of the institution. Correspondence was sometimes grouped around a state name (e.g. New Mexico or Utah); users should check the institutional name, town/city name and state name for material relating to Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, since material was maintained under each system, depending on the nature and specificity of the correspondence.

Series V (Special Committees and Departments) contains records from Congregational Education Society committees and departments; in some cases these departments became separate committees with separate boards under the National Council. The material is marginal and is maintained in the original order. This series also contains newsletters from the Department of Social Relations.

Series VI (Historical Material) contains miscellaneous drafts and printed material relating to the Congregational Education Society acts of incorporation, bylaws, charter, and constitution.

Series VII (Lantern Slides) contains 50 lantern slides ca. 1890-1905. Many of the midwestern academies are represented. There are also a number of images from the Oberlin College Slavic Department, which trained theological students to work with Eastern European immigrant communities.

Series VIII (Printed Material) contains educational and promotional material published by the Congregational Education Society, Congregational Publishing Society and National Council. This series is a good source for historical information on the Congregational Education Society.

Series IX (Oversize) contains photostatic copies 1816 act to incorporate the American Society for the Education of Pious Youth for the Gospel Ministry; 1820 act to change the name to the American Education Society; 1872 act to incorporate the Society for the Promotion of Collegiate and Theological Education; 1894 act to change the name to the Congregational Education Society; and the 1907 act to enlarge the powers of the Congregational Education Society. Note that these documents remain with the Congregational Education Society, since they were requested in 1956 from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as part of the Congregational Education Society records.

Series Description

Container List

Due to its length, the box and folder list is on a separate page.

Appendix A -- List of Officers and Board of Directors

The following list is compiled from the annual reports 1896-1921, the period of the bulk of the records. Note that the exact title for the corresponding/general secretary varied somewhat over the years, as did the name of the various departments and committees. The titles and department names given below reflect the titles and names provided by the annual reports.

Note that the officers and board members changed dramatically for the year 1916-1917; many of the members did not continue their terms and a woman, Mrs. Hastings H. Hart, was elected to the board of directors for the first time. For the first time, members of the board of directors were from states outside Massachusetts. See the annual reports for 1916 for a geographic distribution of the board of directors.

Appendix B -- Board of Directors Select Profiles

Many of the officers were involved with the Congregational Educational Organization were involved with the organization for a number of years and their records form the core of the collection. Following are some short profiles of these members. This list of profiles is a small representation of the resources contained within the annual reports and only represents a small portion of the necrology notices contained within the annual reports.

J. Converse Gray (1855-1919) served as the pro bono legal counsel for the Congregational Education Society. Affiliated for a few years with the law firm of Hyde, Dickerson and How, Gray was elected to the Board of Directors in 1892, following the retirement of his father, Joseph H. Gray from the position. J. Converse Gray was a member of the board of directors and Chairman of the Finance Committee from 1892 until his death in 1919 (Series I-A, 1919, p. 7).

Rev. Clarence F. Swift, D.D. (1861-1919) became a member of the Congregational Sunday School and Publishing Society in 1907; he was a board member until CSSPS and the CES came under one management in 1915. In 1915 he was elected president of both societies and held this office until his death in 1919. A graduate of Union Theological Seminary and a 1866 graduate of Union Seminary in 1886, Swift held pastorates in Smyrna and saratoga Springs, N.Y.; Plymouth Church, Lansing, Mich.; Park Avenue Church, Minn.; Central Church, Fall River, Mass. He was pastor of Plymouth Church, Denver, Colo. at the time of his death. (Series I-A, 1919, p. 7).

Edward S. Tead (1852-1919) a graduate of Amherst College in 1875 and graduate of Andover Theological Seminary in 1878, Tead held pastorates in Warren Church, Westbrook, Me., and Prospect Hill Church, Somerville, Mass. Tead became secretary in 1901; during his office, CES absorbed the New West Education Commission. The CES work in Utah and New Mexico was a particular interest of Tead's (Series I-A, 1919, p. 7).