Oregon Historical
Society, Davies Family Research Library
Research Library
Mss
1018
Congregational Church
Collection
1848-1986
1880-1920
1.5 cubic feet (4 document
cases, 1 reel microfilm)
Ranging in date from 1848 to 1986, the
Congregational Church Collection is an artificial collection of records from
Congregational churches and related associations in Oregon. The bulk of the
collection consists of printed material from various churches, notably the
First Congregational Church of Portland and Oregon City's Atkinson Memorial
Church. The collection also includes microfilmed records from the First
Congregational Church of The Dalles. A limited amount of correspondence,
financial records, meeting minutes, and assorted church records forms the
remainder of the collection.
Materials entirely in English.
History of the Congregational Church In Oregon:
Sponsored by the American Board for Foreign Missions, Congregational
missionaries arrived in what would become the Oregon Territory during the
1830s. The denomination quickly formed many new churches in the region;
Reverend J.S. Griffin established the first Congregational Church near
Hillsboro in 1842, and by 1852, churches were established in Oregon City,
Milwaukie, Portland, and Salem. In addition to ministering to settlers, the
church proved important in the development of the educational system in Oregon;
Dr. George Atkinson, the long-time minister of the First Congregational Church
in Oregon City, helped establish the public school system and Tualatin Academy
(later Pacific University). Oregon's Congregational churches had a combined
denomination of over 1,000 by 1880 and grew steadily during the 20th century.
The Congregational Church merged with the Evangelical and Reformed Churches to
form the United Church of Christ in 1957.
The records of the Congregational Church Collection were gathered by
the Oregon Historical Society from various sources. Ranging in date from 1848
until 1986, the collection consists of the print output, correspondence,
meeting minutes, and financial records of individual churches and
Congregational associations and conferences in Oregon. Additionally, the
collection contains one reel of microfilmed records from the First
Congregational Church in The Dalles that features early meeting minutes, church
histories, church programs, correspondence, and other church records. A final
series of assorted church records includes the marriage record book of pastor
P.S. Knight, church certifications, and handwritten notes.
Printed material produced by individual churches from 1880 until 1920
constitutes the bulk of the collection and includes pamphlets, annual reports,
booklets, church programs, sermons, and member directories, among other
materials. The First Congregational Church of Portland and the First
Congregational Church of Oregon City (later Atkinson Memorial Church) created
the majority of this portion of the collection. Other noteworthy items are
handwritten meeting minutes of early meetings of Congregational associations
and churches and correspondence penned by Dr. George Atkinson, known as "the
father of Oregon public schools," regarding Plymouth Congregational Church.
Folders containing the records of various Oregon Congregational
churches and affiliated associations are arranged alphabetically within six
series:
- Series A: Printed materials, 1854-1986
- Series B: Correspondence, 1856-1945
- Series C: Meeting minutes, 1848-1921
- Series D: Financial records, 1879-1901
- Series E: Microfilm, 1867-1961
- Series F: Assorted materials, 1850-1914
The collection is open to the public.
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
before any publication use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to
all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may
require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
The Congregational Church Collection, Mss 1018, Oregon Historical
Society Research Library
The collection was assembled by the Oregon Historical Society from a
variety of sources.
The majority of First Congregational Church of Portland materials are designated Coll 597, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
The collection is indexed under the following headings in the online
catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or
places should search the catalog using these headings:
Atkinson, G.H. (George
Henry), 1819-1889
Himes, George H.,
1844-1940
Joslyn, Erastus
S.
Knight, Plutarch
Stewart
Tenney, William Alfred,
1827-1914
Atkinson Memorial Church
(Oregon City, Or.)
Congregational Missionary
Society of Portland and Vicinity (Or.)
First Congregational
Church (Corvallis, Or.)
First Congregational
Church (Oregon City, Or.)
First
Congregational Church of Portland (Or.)
First Congregational
Church (Salem, Or.)
First Congregational
Church (The Dalles, Or.)
Hassalo Street
Congregational Church (Portland, Or.)
Oregon Association of the
Congregational and Presbyterian Brethren (Or.)
Oregon Home Missionary
Society (Or.)
Pacific Coast Congress of
Congregational Churches
Pacific
University
Plymouth Congregational
Church (Portland, Or.)
Portland Local Association
of Congregational Churches and Ministers (Portland, Or.)
Tualatin
Academy
Willamette Association of
Congregational Ministers and Churches (Or.)
Corvallis
(Or.)--History
Dalles
(Or.)--History
Eugene
(Or.)--History
Forest Grove
(Or.)--History
Lake Oswego
(Or.)--History
Oregon City
(Or.)--History
Portland
(Or.)--History
Salem
(Or.)--History
Church
history--Oregon
Congregational
Church--Oregon
Congregational
Church--Oregon--Portland
Congregational
Church--Oregon--Salem
Congregational
churches--Oregon--Biography
Congregational
churches--Education--Oregon
Congregationalists--Oregon
City and Town Life
Colleges and Universities
Missionaries
Pioneers
Religion
Annual reports
Booklets
Business cards
Church
bulletins
Clippings
Constitutions
Financial
records
Invitations
Letters
(correspondence)
Leaflets
Microfilm
Newsletters
Pamphlets
Proceedings
Programs
Resolutions
Sermons
Speeches
Series A
Printed materials
1854-1986
1/1
Atkinson Memorial Church (First
Congregational Church, Oregon City)
1884-1930
undated
Church bulletins, clippings, pamphlet with building plans,
pastoral record for Reverend George Rockwood, programs, souvenir booklet, and
speech
1/2
Congregational Association of
Oregon--programs
1889-1908
1/3
Congregational Club of
Oregon--invitation
1895
1/4
Congregational Conference of
Oregon--proceedings, programs, and a report
1910-1900
1/5
Congregational Council--souvenir
booklet
1898
1/6
East Willamette Association of
Congregational Churches--programs
1898-1912
1/7
First Congregational Church,
Albany--church bulletin and programs
1901-1910
1/8
First Congregational Church,
Corvallis
1886-1889
Annual report, absence letter for members, business card,
catalog with member list and clippings, church notice, invitations, letter of
dismissal, list of church members, and programs
1/9
First Congregational Church,
Eugene--event program
1911
1/10
First Congregational Church,
Forest Grove--newsletter and programs
1898-1934
1/11
First Congregational Church,
[Lake] Oswego--constitution and bylaws
1890
1
First Congregational Church,
Portland
1854-1983
undated
1/12
Program and ticket
1850-1879
1/13
Assorted printed
materials
1880-1889
Annual report and directories, church manual, constitution and
bylaws, proceedings, program, and published sermon
1/14
Assorted printed
materials
1890-1900
Church directory and annual report, calendars, invitation,
manual, newsletter, pamphlets, pastoral letter, and programs
1/15
Assorted printed
materials
1900-1905
Annual report and directories, calendar with directory, church
membership booklet, event calendars, history of church music, invitation,
programs, and bound volume with printed calendars and programs
1/16
Church manual, calendar,
directory, invitation, and programs
1906-1909
2/1
Calendar, directory, programs,
and quarterly reports
1910-1913
2/2
Budget, newsletters, and
programs
1914-1918
2/3
Flyer, manual and directory,
membership roll, pamphlet, and programs
1920-1983
2/4
Event calendars, invitation,
pamphlets, programs, and published sermon
undated
2/5
First Congregational Church,
Salem--church history, programs, and a resolution
1883-1944
2/6
First Congregational Church, The
Dalles--pamphlet with building plans and program [1867?]
1936
2/7
First Congregational Church,
Walla Walla--program
1986
2/8
Fort Street Church--pastoral
letter
1886
2/9
General Association of
Congregational Churches and Ministers--programs
1896-1907
2/10
Hassalo Street Congregational
Church--annual report, directories, invitation, and program
1893-1910
2/11
Highland Congregational
Church--programs
undated
2/12
Mid-Columbia Association of
Congregational Churches--programs
1888-1904
2/13
Mississippi Avenue Congregational
Church--collection card
undated
2/14
Oregon State Association of
Congregational Churches and Ministers--program
1900
2/15
Pacific Coast Congress of
Congregational Churches--essay, flyer, history, and programs
1888-1911
2/16
Pendleton Congregational
Church--invitation and information card
1889
2/17
Pilgrim Congregational
Church
1909-1937
Cast list, invitation, petition, and programs, undated
2/18
Portland Association of
Congregational Churches--programs
1897-1915
2/19
Portland Association of
Congregational Churches and Ministers--programs
1898-1908
2/20
Riverside Congregational
Church--program
1912
2/21
Sunnyside Congregational
Church--invitation to event and program
1914
1932
2/22
West Willamette Association of
Congregational Churches and Ministers--constitution and programs
1897-1910
2/23
Willamette Association of
Congregational Ministers and Churches--constitution, essay, and
programs
1886-1895
2/24
Willsburg Congregational
Church--invitation to event
undated
2/25
Women's Board of the Pacific,
1893-1909--programs
undated
2/26
Unidentified churches,
1869-1919--clippings, flyer, and programs
undated
2/27
Unidentified church
organizations--church bulletins
1916
Series B
Correspondence
1856-1945
2/28
Congregational Association of
Oregon
1894
2/29
Congregational Conference of
Oregon
1945
2/30
Congregational Home Missionary
Society
undated
2/31
First Congregational Church,
Portland
1856
2/32
Plymouth Congregational
Church
1887
2/33
Portland Association of
Congregational Churches
1899
2/34
Portland Association of
Congregational Churches and Ministers
1897-1898
2/35
Unidentified churches
1887-1901
Series C
Meeting minutes
1848-1921
3/1
Congregational Conference of
Oregon
1921
3/2
Congregational Missionary Society
of Portland and Vicinity--bound volume; includes handwritten history of Oregon
and the Congregational Church
1894
3/3-4
First Congregational Church,
Portland--two bound volumes
1851-1888
3/5
Oregon Association of the
Congregational and Presbyterian Brethren--bound volume
1848-1857
3/6
Oregon Home Missionary
Society
1872
3/7
Pilgrim Congregational
Church
1911
4/1
Portland Local Association of
Congregational Churches and Ministers--bound volume; includes
Constitution
1897-1899
Series D
Financial records
1879-1901
4/2
Congregational Home Missionary
Society--cancelled checks
1893-1894
4/3
First Congregational Church,
Corvallis--train fare receipt
1885
4/4
General Association of
Congregational Churches and Ministers--receipt
1879
4/5
Oregon Home Missionary
Society--receipts
1893-1895
4/6
Portland Association of
Congregational Churches and Ministers--receipt
1901
4/7
Plymouth Congregational
Church--receipts
1894
undated
Series E
Microfilm
1867-1961
1
First Congregational Church, The
Dalles
1867-1961
Pastor list, programs, church histories, baptismal covenant,
biographies of William Tenney and E.S. Joslyn, essays by William Tenney and
E.S. Joslyn, articles of governance, clippings, meeting minutes, leaflets,
annual reports, member and officer lists, and correspondence
Series F
Assorted materials
1850-1914
4/8
First Congregational Church,
Portland--subscription pledge record and bound volume of church
records
1850-1884
4/9
First Congregational Church,
Salem--bound volume with marriage records of P.S. Knight
1865-1914
4/10
Oregon State Association of
Congregational Churches and Ministers--Congregational College
resolutions
undated
4/11
Portland Association of
Congregational Churches and Ministers-- certifications
1897-1899
4/12
Tualatin Academy (Pacific
University)--handwritten notes
undated
4/13
Unidentified churches--library
catalog
undated
4/14
Unidentified church
organizations--certification, resolution, and handwritten notes
1896
undated