Introduction Unitarian Church of Montpelier (Church of the Messiah) Records, 1835; 1864-1995 MSA 60-63, MSB 71, Doc 297-299 and 624-628, Sizes B and C The records in this collection cover the first 131 (1864-1995) years of the activities of the Church of the Messiah, renamed the Unitarian Church of Montpelier (UCM) in 1980. The collection also includes an 1835 record book of the First Universalist Church of Montpelier, Vermont. The records were originally organized and donated by Church Historian and former VHS Curator Jean Cate, to the Vermont Historical Society in May 1992 (ms. acc. no. 92.3). Leslie Rowell, an archivist hired by UCM under grants from the Vermont Quebec Universalist Unitarian Convention, delivered significant additions in September 2010, with assistance from Church Historian, Peter Thoms. Leslie reprocessed the collection during the period 2010-2018. The records are stored in four archival flip-top boxes, eight record storage boxes, one flat storage box, and in three oversized folders (one Size B and two Size C); they occupy 10 linear feet of shelf space. Institutional History and Biographical Note The Church of the Messiah was organized as an independent liberal religious body in Montpelier, in December 1864. Its members claimed Universalist and Unitarian ties but chose a name with no denominational affiliation. The Independent Meeting House Society was then incorporated for the purpose of building and maintaining the church building, which was erected at the corner of Main and School Streets in 1865. Thomas W. Silloway of Boston, a Universalist minister and architect, who had significant responsibility for designing Vermont s third Statehouse, 1857-1859, designed the church in 1865. Rev. Charles Allen served as the church's first minister. Rev. Edward Everett Hale, a prominent Unitarian minister and writer in Boston, gave the sermon at the March 1, 1865, installation. Rev. William Stanley Nichols (pastor 1920-1933), wrote in his remembrance, Following Footsteps, the original copy of which is included in this collection, that fifty-two Unitarian churches were established in New England during the period 1825-1865, significantly more than in succeeding years. Rev. Nichols wrote of Rev. Allen: I knew him quite well. He made it his custom to know the students in the Harvard Divinity School, of which he was a most devoted alumnus. When I went to Montpelier, Vermont, to become the settled minister, there in the church to greet me was a portrait of Mr. Allen. Rev. Allen was followed in 1869 by Rev. J. Edward Wright. From The Unitarian Register, Volume 93 (1914): Rev. Wright s grandfather, Rev. Chester Wright, was the
Unitarian Church of Montpelier Records Page 2 first minister in Montpelier in 1808. J. Edward was born and raised in Montpelier. At age 15 he began attending Boston Latin School and graduated from Harvard College in the class of 1861. He served in the 44 th Regiment of the Massachusetts Volunteers in North Carolina 1862. He graduated from Andover Theological Seminary in 1865. After three years of experience in Maine and Illinois as a minister, in 1869, Rev. Wright accepted the invitation of the recently organized Church of the Messiah in Montpelier to become its pastor. Rev. Wright served for 40 years. The collection contains sermons, speeches, and correspondence of J. Edward Wright, including with Rev. Allen, and Rev. Wright s offers to resign, which he submitted every five years to the congregation; they were declined until 1909. Another long-serving and significant minister was Rev. Gerald FitzPatrick (1938-1968; Emeritus, 1968-1986). Rev. FitzPatrick, born in Canada, was a graduate of Harvard Divinity School. While at Harvard, he met his wife, Jifka, a Radcliffe student from Sofia, Bulgaria. He served the Universalist Church in Norfolk, Virginia, 1934-1938, and was installed as minister of the Church of the Messiah on February 19, 1939. Rev. Everett M. Baker, D. D. of Boston, executive vice-president of the American Unitarian Association, preached the sermon on that occasion. Rev. FitzPatrick had a striking physical presence and a strong, prophetic preaching voice. He led the Wright School of Religion and served as an informal social worker with low-income citizens of Washington County. His special gift was to foster a lively and deep sense of community, within the church and in the wider community. He also served as Deputy Sheriff and State Senator. Mrs. FitzPatrick was also a significant force in the Church of the Messiah and the Unitarian Church until she died in 2002. Rev. Marjorie Rebmann (1981-2008) was the first woman called by UCM as its settled minister, and it was the first and only church she served. Raised Catholic in New Bedford, Massachusetts, she attended Andover Newton Theological School. Rev. Rebmann s creative gift to the congregation was her stirring preaching leavened with literature (especially poetry), engaging stories, deep insights, and humor. She was steeped in and brought alive the history and traditions of Unitarian Universalism. She spent a term as a Merrill Fellow at Harvard Divinity School in the late 1980s. Rev. Ken Sawyer, who was her ministerial internship supervisor at First Parish in Wayland, Massachusetts, where he served for 38 years, spoke at Rev. Rebmann s 1981 installation and at the service celebrating 25 years of ministry in 2006. There were eleven called ministers and one interim minister, through 1995, as follows: Ministers of the Church of the Messiah, 1864-1979 Rev. Charles A. Allen, 1864-1869 Rev. J. Edward Wright, 1869-1909; Emeritus, 1909-1914 Rev. Charles Phelps Wellman, 1904-1907 Rev. Wade R. Clark, 1909-1913
Unitarian Church of Montpelier Records Page 3 Rev. Albert H. Spence, Jr., 1913-1915 Rev. Lewis Carson, 1915-1920 Rev. William S. Nichols, 1920-1933 Rev. Dayton T. Yoder, 1933-1938 Rev. Gerald R. FitzPatrick, 1938-1968; Emeritus, 1968-1986 Rev. Joseph Nerad, 1968-1979 Ministers of the Unitarian Church of Montpelier, 1980-2008 Rev. John K. Hammon, Interim, 1980-1981 Rev. Marjorie Rebmann, 1981-2008; Emerita, 2008 The Church of the Messiah adopted an expressly Christian covenant in 1867. The official name of the church was changed, effective June 1980, by vote of members, to the Unitarian Church of Montpelier. This change reflected the broader range of beliefs and practices of members than was indicated by the original name and covenant. Significant changes to the building include: in 1898, moving the organ from the back of the sanctuary to a newly-constructed space behind the chancel, adding a firstfloor kitchen under the new organ space, raising the entire building three feet in 1906, and building the large, two-story addition, reaching toward the North Branch River, 1983 1984. Scope and Content The collection includes early and ongoing governance records (including constitution and bylaws), annual and special meetings and other business, membership, records of the construction of and improvements made to the building, and pastoral activities of ministers, including worship. Also included are records of religious education, financial affairs, church property, and of church organizations, especially women s groups, and church committees. The bulk of collection materials date from the early 1860s through 1995, the latter a cut-off date for materials chosen by UCM in the 2010 donation to the Vermont Historical Society. The collection also contains materials reflecting reassessment of the building in the 1960s-1970s, and a revitalization in the 1980s-1990s, seen in evaluations performed in 1968-1969, grant applications in 1980-1982, and a Preservation Trust of Vermont Architectural Conservation Assessment Report in 1991. Other building-related materials cover the 1984 addition, and ongoing building maintenance. There is correspondence regarding the 1927 flood. Property records include documentation of the origin and repair of the church organ, and of the church steeple. Executive Committee meetings minutes are incomplete for the years 1936-1949, while they are inclusive for the years 1950-1995. Financial records are representative of
Unitarian Church of Montpelier Records Page 4 most years and may be separately listed or found within Executive Committee minutes, along with fiscal year summaries in the Annual Reports. Standing and ad hoc committee reports to the Executive Committee, as well as in Annual Reports, provide further information about church activities. Church newsletters dating from 1910 contain extensive information and are generally complete from the mid-1960 s through 1995. Inventories of issues are provided in folder Doc. 628: 0.5. Other materials in the collection include: Artistic hand-drawn illustration and calligraphy in the 1867 Covenant of Christian Fellowship. Hand-lettered diagrams of pew leases that relate to remaining dollar amount markings still visible on pews at UCM. Portrait photographs and prints of an engraving of J. Edward Wright. Ten interior photographs of the home of Julia and J. Edward Wright on Baldwin Street in Montpelier, five by photographer Kimber Thomas in 1903, and a second group by Shores in 1906. Changes in photographic processing techniques at the time can be seen in what may be matte collodion printing-out paper used in the 1903 set, and gelatin developing-out paper used in the 1906 set. Extensive printed materials, including posters advertising church suppers, theater presentations, women s groups programs, by-laws, sermons, Unitarian and Universalist information, and membership. Newspaper clippings loose and in scrapbooks, especially from the 1920 s through the 1970 s help to provide a view of the church and its people and activities during that period. Photographs and space rental calendars document activities of the church and use of the church building by many community groups. Related Collections at Vermont Historical Society See the VHS card catalog under Montpelier, Vermont, Church of the Messiah, for printed, cataloged items. There may be posters and broadsides from activities at the church in the broadside collection; try the categories Churches and Church Societies. There are photographs of the church in the VHS picture and postcard collections under the headings CH Montpelier and TO Montpelier. There is a collection of architectural drawings created by the firm Black River Design for the construction of an addition at the back of the church in 1981-1983 in Plans A. Available histories of the church include an account by Rev. J. Edward Wright in Abby Maria Hemenway s Gazetteer, vol. IV (1882); Historical Sketch of Church of the Messiah Given at the 51 st Anniversary by Mr. George L. Blanchard (1915), Following Footsteps by Rev. William Stanley Nichols (1930), History of the Church of the Messiah by Dorman B.E. Kent (1933), and This is Our Church by Katherine S. Blakely (1964).
Unitarian Church of Montpelier Records Page 5 A silver spoon, ballot box, and other small three-dimensional items are part of the VHS museum collection (ms. acc. no. 2010.78). Related Collections at the Unitarian Church of Montpelier (UCM) The Unitarian Church of Montpelier maintains a collection of paper-based and digital records that are organized in an analogous manner to this collection. A finding aid is available from UCM and the collection is available for research by contacting the Church Historian. This can be arranged by contacting the church office at (802) 223-7861 or ucm.130@gmail.com. A copy of the collection of architectural drawings created by the firm, Black River Design, for the construction of an addition at the back of the church in 1981-1983, is also in the records at UCM. Relating to the ministry of Rev. Gerald R. FitzPatrick, the UCM archives contain two framed pictures of the Wright School of Religion, taken on the front steps of the church in the early 1950s. They also contain the large (3 x 4 ) blue and white cloth banner shown in the pictures. Organization of the Records The records are organized in eleven series: I. Early Records II. Annual Meetings III. Governance IV. Financial Records V. Property Records VI. Pastoral Records VII. Ministers VIII. Women s Groups IX. Church Organizations X. Publications XI. Unitarian/Universalist Publications The early documents in the first three series are, for the most part, loose reports or lists; those in the next four series are bound volumes. This means that some similar materials may be in different series because their format made it impossible to bring them together. Inventory I. Early Records MSA 60:1 First Universalist Church, Record book, 1835
Unitarian Church of Montpelier Records Page 6 2 Independent Meeting House Society, Record book, 1865-1898 Includes: Church of the Messiah dedication sermon, 1866 3,, 1898-1902 4, Papers, 1865-1902 (Organization, meetings, merger with Church of the Messiah) 5, Financial records, 1865-1902 6, Treasurer s book, 1867-1906 7, Pew rentals, 1865-1911 8, Church construction, Invoices, 1865-1867 9,,, Bills for labor 10,,, Bills for furnishings 11,,, Bills for services Size C Church of the Messiah, Covenant of Christian Fellowship, Calligraphy, 1867, Lessees of Pews, 1869, Diagrams of pew leases, no date (7 items) II. Annual Meetings Doc 298:1, Record book, Annual and special meetings, 1864-1887 2,,, 1887-1917 3,,, 1918-1934 4,,, 1935-1956 5,,, 1957-1962 MSA 63:5, Annual meetings, 1878-1916 (incomplete) Doc 624:1, Annual and special meetings reports, 1953, 1963-1967 2, 1968-1971 3, 1972-1975 4, 1976-1979 5 Unitarian Church of Montpelier, Annual and special meetings reports, 1980-1984 6,, 1985-1990 7,, 1990-1995 III. Governance A. Bylaws and Charter Doc 624:8 Amendment of charter, 1942 9 Amendment of Articles of Association, name change: Church of the Messiah to Unitarian Church of Montpelier, 1980 10 Constitution and Bylaws, 1902? (1959 reprint)-1986 11 Parish statistics cumulated for the Central Vermont [Universalist- Unitarian] Association, 1886-1894 (incomplete) 12 Active congregation history report, UUA, 1961-2008 13 Annual reports to the State of Vermont, 1972, 1978 B. Executive Committee meetings MSA 63:6 1936-1949 (incomplete) 7 1950-1959 Doc 624:14 1960-1963 (formerly MSA 63:8)
Unitarian Church of Montpelier Records Page 7 15 1964-1967 16 1968-1969 17 1970-1973 18 1974-1977 19 1978-1979 20 1980 21 1981 22 1982-1983 23 1984 24 1985 Doc 625:1 1986 2 1987 3 1988 4 1989 5 1990-1991 6 1992 7 1993 8 1994-1995 C. Church Committees Doc 625:9 Committee of 8, Self-Study Questionnaire, 1987 10 Extension and Membership, 1960-1993 11 Finance, 1962-1998 12 Goals, 1976-1982 13 Ministerial Relations, 1978-1993 14 Program, 1979-1980 s 15 Religious Education, 1956, 1973-1979 16, 1980-1990 17 Search Committee, Ministerial View Book, 1980 D. Church Membership 18 Lists and certificates, 1877-1964 (formerly MSA 63:9) 19 Lists and directories, 1935-1992 E. Church History 20 75 th anniversary correspondence, 1939-1941 21 100 th anniversary banquet correspondence, 1964 22 UCM Church Historians reports, including Historical Sketch of Church of the Messiah given at the 51 st Anniversary, (Blanchard), 1915, Following Footsteps (Nichols), c.1930, The Church of the Messiah Unitarian (Kent), 1933, and This is Our Church (Blakely), 1964. (Additional histories at UCM.) IV. Financial Records MSA 61:0.5 Subscription record book (?), ca. 1865 1 Treasurers reports, 1868-79 (incomplete) 1.5 Covenant of Fellowship cards and appeal, 1875-1902 2 Financial records, 1878 3, 1880 4, 1881
Unitarian Church of Montpelier Records Page 8 5, 1882 6, 1883 7, 1884 8, 1885 9, 1886 10, 1887 11, 1888 12, 1889 13, 1890 14, 1891 15, 1892 16, 1893 17, 1894 18, 1895 19, 1896 20, 1897 21, 1898 MSA 62:1, 1901-1902 2, 1903 3, 1904 4, 1905 5, 1906 6, 1907 7, 1908 8 Treasurer s reports, 1900 s (incomplete) 9, 1914-1923 Doc 626:1, 1937-1940 2, 1963, 1979-1981 Doc 297:17 New Parsonage funds, Treasurer s book, 1927-1928 MSA 62:10 Permanent Funds, Reports, 1905 Doc 626:3,, 1964-1993 MSA 62:11 Braman Fund, 1914-1936, 1943-1945 Doc 626:4, 1869, 1977-1985 5 Wyman Fund, 1969-1986 6 Bequests, 1922-1996 7 Vermont Tax Certificates of Exemption, 1976 8 Insurance records, 1936-1940 V. Property Records Doc 626:9 Property deeds, 1856-1927 (formerly MSA 63:10) 10, Church of Messiah, 1865-1925 11, First Avenue house, 1886-1915 12, Loomis House, 148 Main Street, 1856-1917 13 Property mortgage deeds to Church of Messiah, 1900-1945 Doc 297:18 1927 Flood, Scrapbook of correspondence and gifts to church Doc 626:14 Church bell, 1983-1990 15 Church clock, piano, furniture, 1979-1992
Unitarian Church of Montpelier Records Page 9 16 Church organ, 1932-1994 17 Gilman painting, 1988-1989 18 Church building, evaluation and improvements, 1968-1969 19, Renovation and grant applications, 1980-1982 20, Addition, 1983-1984 21, Photographs, 1983-1986 22, Preservation Trust of Vermont Architectural Conservation Assessment Report, 1991 23, Drawings of Church 24, Prints, Postcards, and Photographs 25, Space Rental, Policies and Forms 26, Contracts and Calendars, 1936, 1980-1982 27,, 1985-1987 28,, 1987-1988 29,, 1988-1989 30,, 1989-1990 31,, 1991-1993 VI. Pastoral Records Doc 297:1 Record Book (1867-1909), Members, baptisms, communion, and special services Rev. J. Edward Wright 1.1 Marriages, special services (1870-1886) Rev. J. Edward Wright 2 Marriage Book, Vol. I (1869-1880) Wright [formerly VHS call number MS 929.3 M768u] 2.1, [photocopy and drafts of preliminary pages for proposed publication] 3 Marriages, Vol. II (1880-1888) Wright 4 Marriages, Vol. III (1880-1888) Wright 5 Marriages, Vol. IV (1898-1913) Wright 6 Parish List (1909), organized by street Wright 7 Record Book (1909-1915), Marriages, funerals, communion Rev. Ward Clarke and Rev. Albert Spence 8 Record Book (1920-1934), Marriages, funerals, members to 1970 Rev. William Stanley Nichols Doc 627:1 Ushers book, 1980-1983 2, 1988-1993 3 Guest register, 1976-1986 4 Folder not used 5 Order of services, 1969-1993 6 Special services, 1900-1949 7, 1952-1988 8 Memorial flowers, 1974-1983 VII. Ministers MSA 63:0.5 Rev. Charles A. Allen (Pastor 1864-1869), Ordination and sermons Size C,, 1897
Unitarian Church of Montpelier Records Page 10 MSA 63:1 Rev. J. Edward Wright (Pastor 1869-1909), Correspondence, 1870-1896 1.5, Biography, genealogy 2, Sermons, speeches 3, Resignations, replies 4, 30th anniversary letters, 1899 4.5, Photographs and engravings Size C,, 1865, 1898 MSB 71, 19 Baldwin Street home, interior photographs, 1903-1906 Doc 627:9 Rev. Wade R. Clark (Pastor 1909-1913), Albert H. Spence, Jr. (Pastor 1913-1915), William S. Nichols (Pastor 1920-1933), Gerald R. Fitzpatrick (Pastor 1938-1968; Emeritus, 1968-1986) 10 Rev. Joseph Nerad (Pastor 1968-1979), John K. Hammon (Interim Pastor 1980-1981) 11 Rev. Marjorie Rebmann (Pastor 1981-2008), Ministerial call, installation, 1981-1988 VIII. Women s Groups Doc 299:1 Ladies Society, Treasurer s book, 1891-1897 2,, 1896-1899 3, Secretary s book, Vol. 2, 1883-1898 4, Record book, Members, meals, recipes, ca. 1895 5,, ca. 1897-1902 6,, Names, addresses, workers, ca. 1898-1903 6.1, Supper poster, 1900 7 Reading Club, Programs, 1898-1914 (incomplete) 8, Treasurer s book, 1905-1925 9, Secretary s book, 1914-1921 10,, 1926-1936 11 Women s Alliance, Secretary s book, 1900-1909 12,, 1905-1915 13,, 1915-1926 14,, 1919-1929 15,, 1926-1933 16,, 1933-1938 17,, 1938-1945 Doc 627:12,, 1990-1993 Doc 299:18, Treasurer s book, 1909-1923 19,, 1923-1929 Doc 627:13, Treasurer s reports, 1983-1994 14, Supper and theater posters, 1908-1936 Doc 299:31, Programs, 1922-1989 (incomplete) Doc 627:15, Programs and Membership books, 1990-1995 16 Folder not used Doc 299:32 The Women s Alliance (history by Mabel Smith, 1937 manuscript) Doc 299:20 Afternoon Alliance, Secretary s book, 1950-1952
Unitarian Church of Montpelier Records Page 11 21,, 1952-1955 22,, 1961-1965 23,, 1966 24, Agendas, 1946-1952 25, Minutes, agendas - 1949-1956 26, Treasurer s book, 1929-1945 27 Evening Alliance, Secretary s book, 1920-1926 28,, 1938-1945 29,, 1945-1958 30,, 1970-1978 Doc 627:17, Treasurer s book, 1960-1988 Doc 299:33 Council of Church Women materials 34 Manual, General Alliance of Unitarian & Other Liberal Christian Women, 1945-1946 35 Unitarian Cook Book (Church of the Messiah, 1888), 1909 edition 36 Miscellaneous IX. Church Organizations Doc 297:9 Layman s League, record book, 1920-1936 10,, 1948-1950 11 Lend-a-Hand Club and Young People s Religious Fraternity, Record book, 1886-1898 12 Young People s Religious Union/Fraternity, Record book, 1898-1927 13 Unity Club, Young People, 1903-1906 13.1, Drama posters, 1877, c.1905 14 Hi-U, Youth Group, Treasurer s book, 1953-1971 15 Sunday School, Treasurer s book, 1912-1923 Size B, Children s Day poster 16, Attendance books, 1948-1959 (23 books) Doc 627:18 Church organizations, Clarke Lecture Series, 1963-1991 19, Holiday Fair, 1954-1994 20, Men s Club, 1948-1981 21, Spiritual Investigations, 1987-1988 22, Strawberry Festival, 1978-1989 23, Teaching Parish, 1986-1987 24, Wright School of Religion, 1948-1981 25 Church activities, photographs, 1951-1979 26,, 1980-1995 Size B: United Nations Peace Vigil poster, no date X. Publications Doc 628:.05 Inventories of Church newsletters, 1910-1994 1 Church of the Messiah, Bulletin, 1910-1928 2, News, 1941 3, Unitarian Church in Montpelier, 1959-1967 4, Montpelier Unitarian, 1967-1969
Unitarian Church of Montpelier Records Page 12 5, Communicator, 1969-1974 6,, 1975-1979 7 Unitarian Church of Montpelier, Communicator, 1980-1983 8,, 1984-1987 9,, 1988-1994 10 Scrapbook of newsclippings (photocopy), 1924-1951 11, 1968-1972 XI. Unitarian/Universalist Publications 12 Vermont Central Association of Universalists and Unitarians, meetings and assemblies, 1916, 1919, 1939 13 Unitarian/Universalist merger, 1953-1961 14, Regional organizations, 1954-1991 15 American Unitarian Association, Catalog of Lantern Slides 16 Unitarian booklets, 1847-1900 s, Rev. W.E. Channing news clippings, 1903 Jean Cate, UCM Historian and Paul Carnahan May 1992 Leslie Rowell and Peter Thoms rev. October 2018 unitaria.doc