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Methodist Church collection, 1848-1979

Overview of the Collection

Title
Methodist Church collection
Dates
1848-1979 (inclusive)
Quantity
4 cubic feet, (5 document cases, 2 flat boxes, 2 custom boxes, 28 reels microfilm)
Collection Number
Mss 63
Summary
Artificial collection of materials relating to various Methodist churches in the Pacific Northwest, primarily in Oregon and the Portland area. Includes records of the First Norwegian-Danish Methodist Episcopal Church, Portland (also known as the Hoyt Street Church); the Epworth League; Grace Methodist Episcopal Church of Portland; the Methodist Episcopal Church of Oregon City; and records of regional Methodist conferences held in Oregon City, circa 1853-1885. Most of the materials are minutes of meetings, with some financial records, ephemera, and publications. Also includes microfilm of records not held by the Oregon Historical Society, from various Oregon churches.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public.

Languages
English, Norwegian
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Historical Note

The Methodist Church began missionary work in Oregon as early as 1834. Missions were established throughout the area, most notably by Rev. Jason Lee, 1834-1844, and George Gary, 1844-1847. In 1844 the Methodists built the first Protestant church on the Pacific coast at Oregon City. The first Methodist conference on the Pacific coast was held in Salem in 1849 and called the Oregon and California Mission Conference. In 1853 the Oregon Annual Conference was established. By 1858 there were 19 Methodist organizations in the state, one of the largest religious denominations in the region.

In Portland, the First Norwegian-Danish Methodist Episcopal Church was incorporated in 1883. Its leaders were John C. Peterson, A. Johnson, Ole Williams, John W. Lawrence, and J. P. Rasmussen. The church eventually located to the corner of NW 18th Avenue and Hoyt Street and was often referred to as "The Hoyt Street Methodist Episcopal Church" or "The Hoyt Street Church." The church's youth group was called the Wesley League or, later, the Epworth League.

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Content Description

The collection was created by the Oregon Historical Society from a variety of sources. It contains materials relating to various Methodist churches in the Pacific Northwest, primarily in Oregon and the Portland area. Included are records of the First Norwegian-Danish Methodist Episcopal Church, Portland (also known as the Hoyt Street Church); the Epworth League (primarily associated with the Hoyt Street Church); Grace Methodist Episcopal Church of Portland; the Methodist Episcopal Church of Oregon City; and records of regional Methodist conferences held in Oregon City, circa 1853-1885.

Records include: minutes of board meetings, financial reports, membership lists, Sunday school statistics of Hoyt Street (1934-1956) and Oregon City (1863-1891) churches; minutes of Epworth League (1909-1942), Ladies' Aid Society (1924-1926), Young Peoples' Society (1923-1924), and Wesley League (1933-1942); district conference meeting notes (1886-1897); quarterly conference journal (1871-1885); Rose City Park Church programs (1924-1950); and two bound volumes containing board records and minutes (1900-1951) of First Norwegian-Danish Methodist Episcopal Church. Also included are programs from services at Portland churches, most notably the First Methodist Episcopal Church on Taylor Street. Some of the records are written in Norwegian.

Microfilm includes: minutes, directories, Sunday school records, registers, trustees' reports, conference records and journals of several historic Methodist churches and organizations. Location of Methodist circuits and churches in Oregon include Roseburg, Medford, Ashland, Dalles, Dayton, Milwaukie-Sandy, St. Paul, Brownsville, Corvallis, Monroe, Oregon City, Eugene, Weston, and Portland. Church organizational records include Epworth League, Wesley Foundation, and Women's Missionary Society.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library prior to any use of reproductions. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use of reproductions may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

Preferred Citation

Methodist Church Collection, Mss 63, Oregon Historical Society Research Library

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in the following series:

  • Series A: Regional Church Records, 1853-1946
  • Series B: Records of Individual Churches, 1860-1957
  • Series C: Ephemera, 1895-1950
  • Series D: General Materials, 1848-1979
  • Series E: Microfilmed Records, 1850-1952

Acquisition Information

The collection was assembled by the Oregon Historical Society from a variety of sources, including Shirley Brown, 1988 Sept. 16, Library Accession 19003.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Danes--Oregon--Portland
  • Methodist Church--Oregon
  • Methodist conference--Oregon
  • Methodist women--Oregon
  • Methodists--Oregon
  • Norwegians--Oregon--Portland
  • Wesley foundations

Corporate Names

  • Epworth League (Or.)
  • First Norwegian-Danish Methodist Episcopal Church (Portland, Or.)--Archives
  • First United Methodist Church (Portland, Or.)--Archives
  • Grace M.E. Church (Portland, Or.)--Archives
  • United Methodist Church (U.S.)--Pacific Northwest Conference--Archives

Geographical Names

  • Portland (Or.)--History

Form or Genre Terms

  • Church records
  • Microfilm
  • Minutes
  • Registers

Titles within the Collection

  • Evangeliske toner : salmer og sange

Finding aid prepared by Geoffrey B. Wexler
2004

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