Cranston, Rhode Island. Knightsville-Franklin Congregational Church records; 1807, 1863-2008
Organizational History
The Knightsville Meetinghouse was constructed in 1807 for the Benevolent Baptist Society in Cranston, Rhode Island. This society and other churches used the building, which also served as the town meeting center, intermittently until 1864, when the Knightsville Mission Sabbath School was organized. Soon after inception, the Sunday School grew considerably in size, where by the members desired to organize a church as well.
In 1878, in lieu of organizing a separate church, members of the Sunday School organized as a branch of the Union Congregational Church of Providence, Rhode Island, until the Union-Plymouth merger in 1928. Following this merger, the Knightsville Congregational Church was organized and incorporated as a separate church. In this time, the church developed a strong membership base, with active auxiliary groups and an active Sunday School. In 1967, the Franklin Congregational Church merged with Knightsville Congregational Church. Franklin Congregation Church was founded in 1873 with nine members. By the 1960s, Franklin Congregational Church saw declining membership and was sharing a minister with Knightsville Congregational Church.
By the 1990s, the Knightsville-Franklin Congregational Church was dealing with declining membership, with roughly twenty regular attendees at services. In 2006, the members voted to leave the United Church of Christ and join the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches. By the beginning of 2009, it was clear to the community that the Knightsville-Franklin Congregational Church lacked the funding and membership to continue activity, and ceased operation in October, 2009.
Ministers
| Franklin Congregational Church | Knightsville Congregational Church | ||
| James P. Root | 1876-1879 | ||
| Jeremiah Taylor | 1883-1887 | ||
| Hiram E. Johnson | 1887-1892 | ||
| Richard H. Wickett | 1892-1911 | ||
| C. Fremont Roper | 1911-1921 | ||
| Henry H. Guernsey | 1921-1929 | Wilfred E. Stone | 1928-1957 |
| Orville O. Lozier | 1929-1944 | ||
| Walter Main Stone | 1944-1949 | ||
| Thomas K. Thompson | 1950-1951 | ||
| Lawrence W. Fairchild | 1951-1953 | ||
| Lloyd Marble | 1954-1956 | ||
| Oscar W. Arell | 1956-1962 | Deene Clark | 1957-1958 |
| Donald W. Biggs (Student pastor) | 1956-1962 | John Wright | 1958-1962 |
| Paul E. Duhamel | 1964-1967 | Paul E. Duhamel | 1962-1967 |
| Knightsville-Franklin Congregational Church | |||
| Paul E. Duhamel | 1967 | ||
| J. R. Beasley | 1969-1973 | ||
| W. E. Renfree | 1976 | ||
| Marsha L. Goldstein | 1979-1984 | ||
| Lois A. Bryant | 1985-2009 | ||
Scope of Collection
The Knightsville-Franklin Congregational Church records document the history and life of the church, including church governance, financial data, ministers' records, membership data, auxiliary organizations, published material, historical information, and audiovisual material. Materials within the collection include minutes and reports, ledgers and registers, directories, correspondence, church publications, and photographs.
Arrangement
The Knightsville-Franklin Congregational Church records are arranged in eight series. The records are arranged chronologically, unless otherwise noted.
| Series I | Governance | ||
| Series II | Financial | ||
| Series III | Ministers | ||
| Series IV | Membership | ||
| Series V | Auxiliary Organizations | ||
| Series VI | Published Material | ||
| Series VII | Historical | ||
| Series VIII | Audiovisual | ||
| Series IX | Dissolution |
Related Material
Cranston, R.I.: Knightsville Congregational Church. 17.11.1 C85.3 KNICC
Access Terms
Knightsville Congregational Church (Cranston, R.I.)
Franklin Congregational Church (Cranston, R.I.)
Knightsville-Franklin Congregational Church (Cranston, R.I.)
Cranston (R.I.) -- Church history
Rhode Island -- Church history
Congregational churches -- Rhode Island -- Cranston
Church records and registers -- Rhode Island
Detailed Description and Container List
Series I: Governance 1930-2005 |
||
| The Governance series includes records relating to the administration of the church. The Annual reports include reports from ministers, clerks, and other church officials. The Meeting records include reports from the annual meetings and the nominating committee, which selected church officers. The monthly standing committee records details church activities and decision making. The governance records also include the church constitution and by-laws and conference membership information. | ||
| Box 1 | ||
| Folder 1 | Annual Reports | 1930-1990 |
| Folder 2 | Annual Reports | 1995-2008 |
| Folder 3 | Meetings | 1876-1991 |
| Folder 4 | Meetings – Annual Meetings | 1933-1989 |
| Folder 5 | Meetings – Standing Committee | 1939-1969 |
| Folder 6 | Meetings – Standing Committee | 1970-1977 |
| Folder 7 | Meetings – Nominating Committee | 1932-1975 |
| Folder 8 | Meetings – Clerks' Reports | 1978-1983 |
| Folder 9 | Constitution and Bylaws | 1967, n.d. |
| Folder 10 | Application to the NACCC | 2005-2007 |
| Folder 11 | Correspondence | 1932-1957 |
| Box 2 | ||
| Folder 1 | Correspondence | 1957-2005 |
| Box 7 | ||
| Record ledger | ||
| Box 9 | ||
| Folder 1 | Governance | 1957-2007 |
| return to series list | ||
Series II: Financial 1863-2008 |
||
| The Financial records include ledgers, treasurers’ reports, bank statements, and tax documents relating to the financial administration of the churches. Included are collection books and documents relating to raising funds for the church. Also of note are the building records, detailing building repairs and maintenance. | ||
| Box 2 | ||
| Folder 2 | Financial | 1863-1907 |
| Folder 3 | Financial | 1916-1939 |
| Folder 4 | Financial | 1940-1949 |
| Folder 5 | Financial | 1950-1959 |
| Folder 6 | Financial | 1960-1989 |
| Folder 7 | Financial | 1998-2003 |
| Folder 8 | Financial | 2004-2006 |
| Folder 9 | Financial | 2006-2009 |
| Box 3 | ||
| Folder 1 | Financial – Tax | 1969-1989 |
| Folder 2 | Building – Repairs | 1953-2006 |
| Folder 3 | Insurance | 1899-1977 |
| Folders 4-6 | Insurance | 1990s-2000s |
| Box 4 | ||
| Folder 1 | Financial – Collections Book | 1887-1902 |
| Folder 2 | Financial – Collections Book | 1889-1902 |
| Folder 3 | Financial – Fundraising and Donations | 1944-2002 |
| Folder 4 | Grants, Applications | 1990-2004 |
| Box 9 | ||
| Folder 2 | Financial | 1963-1965 |
| return to series list | ||
Series III: Ministers 1938-2004 |
||
| This series includes calendars, correspondence, notes, and pamphlets. Of note are the records relating to the search for new ministers, including dossiers of candidates. | ||
| Box 4 | ||
| Folder 5 | Ministers – Stone, Wilfred E. | 1938-1939 |
| Folder 6 | Ministers – Search For and Ordinations | 1958-1973 |
| Folder 7 | Ministers – Calendars | 1999, 2002-2004 |
| return to series list | ||
Series IV: Membership 1928-2007 |
||
| The Membership series includes records about the members of and people associated with the church. The transfers include information about members being received into or leaving the church. The directories, and church registers include lists of members, including dates of membership. The Genealogical records and Remembrance Book includes information on births and deaths within the community. | ||
| Box 4 | ||
| Folder 8 | Membership – Transfers | 1928-1947 |
| Folder 9 | Membership – Transfers | 1947-1976 |
| Folder 10 | Membership – Directories | 1925-1985 [gaps] |
| Folder 11 | Genealogical Records | 1959-1997 |
| Folder 12 | Vital Statistics – Notes | 1985-2009 |
| Box 5 | ||
| Folder 1 | Membership – Record, Knightsville | 1928-1976 |
| Box 7 | ||
| In Remembrance book | ||
| The Pilgrim Church Register ledger | ||
| Church Register and Record ledger | ||
| Box 9 | ||
| Folder 3 | Guest Register | 1958-2007 |
| Box 10 | ||
| Membership index cards | ||
| return to series list | ||
Series V: Auxiliary Organizations 1914-1999 |
||
| The Auxiliary Organizations series includes records from volunteer organizations and the Sunday School. The auxiliaries include the Wide Awakes, a women's club, the Fellowship Club, a service club, and other social and service oriented groups. Sunday School records include reports of activities, and booklets containing class records. Additional records include documents relating to the planning of and reports on church events. | ||
| Box 5 | ||
| Folder 2 | Auxiliary | 1926-1936 |
| Folder 3 | Auxiliary | 1937-1999 |
| Folder 4 | Auxiliary – Wide Awakes | 1933-1967 |
| Folder 5 | Auxiliary – Fellowship Club | 1968 |
| Folder 6 | Events | 1923-1972 |
| Folder 7 | Sunday School | 1914-1967 |
| Box 11 | ||
| Sunday School booklets | 1921-1963 | |
| return to series list | ||
Series VI: Published Material 1875-2007 |
||
| The Published Material includes pamphlets and newsletters published by the church, and orders of worship, used at services. Included are pamphlets by Wilfred E. Stone, including published parables. | ||
| Box 5 | ||
| Folder 8 | Pamphlets | 1875-1967 |
| Folder 9 | Order of Worship | 1921-1973 |
| Box 6 | ||
| Folder 1 | Order of Worship | 1873-2009 |
| Box 9 | ||
| Folder 4 | Newsletters | 1952-1976 |
| return to series list | ||
Series VII: Historical 1807, 1925-2007 |
||
| The Historical records include newspaper clippings and other notes about the history of the Knightsville-Franklin Congregational Church. Of particular note are the materials related to the 200th Anniversary of the Knightsville Meetinghouse in 2007, including attendee lists and newspaper reports, and a lottery ticket from 1807, used to fund the construction of the meetinghouse. | ||
| Box 6 | ||
| Folder 2 | Historical Notes | 1807, 1928-2001 |
| Folder 3 | 200th Anniversary | 2007 |
| Box 9 | ||
| Folder 5 | Certificates and Awards | 1925-2003 |
| Folder 6 | 200th Anniversary | 2007 |
| return to series list | ||
Series VIII: Audiovisual 1891-2008 (gaps) |
||
| The Audiovisual material includes photographs and two videocassettes. The photographs document church activities, functions, and trips. Also included are various portraits of church members, many unidentified, and photographs of the Knightsville Meetinghouse. Many of the photographs were removed from albums. Arrangement: Material arranged by media type. Photos removed from albums are arranged by album. Technical Access: Videocassettes recorded on VHS. The Congregational Library does not own a VHS player. |
||
| Box 6 | ||
| Photograph Album | 2008-2009 | |
| Videocassette – R.I. Conference "Doing Together More Than We Can Do Alone" | 1994 | |
| Videocassette – Knightsville-Franklin Congregational Church | ||
| Folders 4-9 | Photographs | |
| Box 8 | ||
| Folders 1-18 | Photographs | |
| return to series list | ||
Series IX: Dissolution 2009 |
||
| The Dissolution material contains records pertaining to the dissolution of the church, the sale of their building, and the disposition of the sale proceeds. | ||
| Box 9 | ||
| Folder 7 | Legal Documents | |
| Box 12 | ||
| Folder 1 | Building renovations | |
| Folder 2 | Institutions receiving proceeds from building sale | 2010 |
| Folder 3 | Meeting minutes | 2008-2010 |
| Folder 4 | Building sale | 2010 |
| return to series list | ||
