Fort Street Presbyterian Church records, 1849-1962
03189

Summary Information

Repository
Detroit Public Library. Burton Historical Collection.
Creator
Fort Street Presbyterian Church (Detroit, Mich.).
Title
Fort Street Presbyterian Church records
ID
03189
Date [inclusive]
1849-1962
Extent
69.0 Linear feet (61 boxes, 127 volumes, 2 extra large manuscripts)
Location note
Level B, B10n
Language
English
Language of Materials
In English.

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Biographical/Historical note

Founded 1849.

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Scope and Contents note

Contains some early records of the First Protestant Society and the Presbytery of Detroit.

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Arrangement

Organized into 14 Series: I. Boxes I-VIII. II. LMS. III. Financial records. IV. Board of Trustees. V. Session records. VI. Bible school. VII. Women's Association. VIII. Mother's Circle. IX. Youth Group. X. Organizations. XI. Church Camp. XII. Glass Slides. XIII. Pictures. XIV. Blueprints. Series;

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Administrative Information

Publication Information

Detroit Public Library. Burton Historical Collection. June, 1964

Revision Description

  Nov. 30, 2009

Restrictions on Access

This collection is open for research use.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

03189

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Fort Street Presbyterian Church records, 1849-1962 (OCLC record)

[http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/22637698]

Controlled Access Headings

Corporate Name(s)

  • First Protestant Society.
  • Presbytery of Detroit.

Genre(s)

  • Blueprints (reprographic copies)
  • Church records
  • Typescripts

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About this Collection

In a city which as, until recently, been careless of preserving it's past, Fort Street Presbyterian Church stands as a monument to the small group that formed it as the Second Presbyterian Church and to the succeeding congregations that carried on to the present day. The stately homes that once surrounded their edifice have given way to a more commercial aspect, but the city in which many members took a leading part is now growing appreciative of its historic institutions. In the year 1849 the pioneer period in Michigan was drawing to a close. Outlying counties were filling up fast, and the more adventurous were leaving for the gold and fields of California. But those with a nose for business were finding plenty of action at this hub of the Great Lakes. The next several decades which saw the growth of the church, saw also the growth of the fortunes of many of its members. Among them were James P. Joy whose name is linked with railroads; Eber Brock Ward, "Detroit's first millionaire" whose fleet of boats brought iron ore from the upper peninsula to be smelted in Detroit's first iron foundry. Sylvester Larned, Shubael Conat, Frederick H. Buhl and Zachariah Chandler were just a few of the members whose names figured prominently in the city's progress. Among the first organizers of the church were Samuel Zug, remembered best as the owner of Zug Island, and Detroit's Postmaster, Thomas Rowland and his wife Catherine Mason Rowland, sister to Michigan's first governor. Perhpas because of these links with the past and the close involvement of its members with the life of the ity, the Fort Street congregation has kept an awareness of its unique contribution, and has preserved many of the records of its activity and growth. A very small but noteworthy group of these mementos are six little notebooks covered in brown leather, containing records of the First Protestant Society, 1842-1845, 1953. They record the receipts for pew assessments, each trustee being responsible for collecting for a certain number of pews. The First Protestant Society in Detroit was the forerunner of the First Presbyterian Church. The Second Presbyterian Church as a splinter group from which the present Fort Street Presbyterian Church was formed. From these first small notebooks to the bulky volumes of later years, the growth of the institution can be traced through the increase of complexity and it's finances.

But more than the business side (which in Presbyterian churches is the work of the trustees) was involved in growth. The work of the Session (composed of Elders, Deacons and the Minister) increased with the addition of new members. Minute books covering the years 1849 to 1901 attest to their activities. Church manuals succeeded by Yearbooks and later by Directories are valuable additions to the records of he church. It is to be hoped that others will turn up to fill the gaps.

The records of an institution such as this show how closely it was bound up with the lives of its members. The heartbreaking fires in 1876 and 1914, which, in both cases, followed soon after the building had been reconditioned and redecorated, seemed only to increase the determination of the parish to survive. The financial problems were always resolved by generous acts by members at both ends of the financial scale. Church anniversaries were duly celebrated with appropriate ceremonies and publications at every twenty-fifth year and many of the years between. Many able pastors contributed to the well being of the church, not the least of those being the ones of recent years who have encouraged the congregation to stand fast as the world shifted about them. While other churches fled to the suburbs, Fort Street Presbyterian Church remained, "a spritual beacon in the heart of Detroit." As Dr. Edward H. Pence foretold in a letter to his flock in 1915, in fifty years the location has grown in value and has now become part of the revitalization of the area. It now stands as a historical remnant of old Detroit the edification of tourists and convention goers and as a church center for those who make their home in downtown apartments.

The vitality of the church is well illustrated by the organizations formed within it. Although early records of the Bible School are missing, there is a complete set of records from 1876-1921. The records of the Women's Association are many, although incomplete, and several other organizations are represented. The church camp in Oxford Township, Oakland County, was acquired in 1920 and is represented by two boxes of memorabilia.

Church publications form an important part of its records as do the many pictures and blueprints preserved with them. Four hundred and seven glass slides and a box of stereoptican are included in the collection.

Miss Sarah Grindley, whose family was for many years active in church affairs, collected old photographs, records, and information into a history which was published at the time of its one hundredth anniversary. She deserves much credit for her labors and her writings are a part of the church archives. Mr. Joseph Grindley, her brother, might properly be called the first Curator of the Fort Street Presbyterian Church Archives. They were kept in wooden cabinets in the church basement. Mr. Grindley died in 1961. A historical committee was formed which included William M. Watson, Chairman, Acrchibald S. Watson, W.E.C. Huthwaite and Dr. Harvey Merker. The Messrs. Watson went over the volumes and made notes which were attached to the volumes. They also assigned numbers to them in chronological order. In June 1964 the records were transferred to the Burton Historical Collection.

It was found necessary to reorganize the Collection into sections of material representing the different groups that ran the business of the church and its organizations. For this reason a strict chronological sequence was not possible. For the sociologist, the historian as well as those interested preeminently in church history, the material listed on the following pages should prove increasingly valuable in the years to come. For the biographer of many of Detroit's leading citizens or for the student of Detroit's history the records of this church serve to round out many of the other material already in the Burton Historical Collection.

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General Note

See finding aid for complete listing.

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Collection Inventory

Boxes and LMS 

Box I 

Papers and Correspondence: 1849-51, 1880-99, 1900-1929, 1931-35, 1962 

Memorials, Citations, etc. 

Contribution Plan 

History 

Plans for Future of church 

Fire Appraisal, 1914 

Specifications for Repairs, Fire of 1914 

Box II Biography 

Pastors and members 

Lists of members and officers 

Portraits 

Box III Activities 

Record Books of Church Dinners, 1946-1949, 2v. 

Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, General Assembly, Detroit, 1891, 1943 

Annual Excursion; 1900, 1901, 1904, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1926, 1928, 1930, 1934 

Songs, Pageants, Poems 

Programs 

Menus 

Boy Scouts 

Athletic Assooiation 

Guest Book, Register of Servicemen Entertained at Fort Street Preshyterian Church, 1943-1944 

Box IV Anniversaries 

Celebration material; 25th, 45th 50th, 75th, 76th, 80th, 85th, 90th, 97th, 99th, 100th, 110th. 

Box V Records of Baptisms 

1892-1953 

Box VI First Protestant Society Records 

Trustee Book No. 1 

General note

Receipts from Pew Assessments, 1842-44. Pews 1-31 (Inscribed) A. Shirley.

Trustee Book No. 2 

General note

Receipts from Pew Assessments, 1842-44. Pews 66-94.

Trustee Book No. 5 

General note

Receipts from Pew Assessments, 1842-44. Pews 126-145, Cash Memorials E. Bingham. Trustee "Society" Collection, 1843-45.

Pew Assessments 1853, 1 v. 

First Protestint Society Contributions to paying oft the Mortgage, 1843. 1 v. 

Articles of faith and Covenant of the First Presbyterian Church in the City of Detroit. / Printed by George L. Whitney. -- 1834. 

General note

Adopted 1826. -- Includes a list of officers and members with notes in pencil, signature on cover, E. Bingham.

Articles of Faith and Covenant. -- 1850. --   2 c.

General note

Detroit. -- Revised.

-- Manual. -- 1872. 

Eilers' Sunday School Teacher's Class and Guide Book. -- 1883. -- 

General note

Signed, Henry H. Swan, First Presbyterian

BOX VII Death Records 

Miscellaneous Death records and obituary notices 

Box VIII Annual Resorts 

1914 

1918-1928 

1930-1949 

Manuals (includes roll of membership) 

1856 

1867 

1872 

1881 (2 parts, List of Congregation and Handbook) 

1883 

1835 

1887 

Yearbooks (includes same information as handbooks) 

1891 

1893 

1894 

1896 

Directories 

n.d. 

1900 

1901 

1902 

1905 

1909 

1910 

1912 

1914 

1916 

1923 

1926 

LMS 

General note

(Filed in large MS drawers)

Chart Showing benevolent offerings and average attendance, 1885-1935 

Diagram of Church Showing Few Holders 

Roll of men in service 

Boy's camp honor roll, 1933 

Signs (2) 

Mounted Pale of Detroit Free Press, Nov. 19, 1905 

-- Golden Jubilee 

Mounted page of "Detroit Times", Feb. 24, 1924. 75th Anniversary. 

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Financial Records 

A1 Acccount Books 

General note

Income from funds and organizations, outgo for maintenance and salaries.

Mar 1924 - Dec. 1927 

Mar 1930 - Dec. 1932 

Mar 1935 - Dec. 1937 

Mar 1938 - Dec 1940 

J8 Cash receipts and disbursements 

1939-1954 (unbound) 

L4 Ledgers 

1920-1924 

1927-1929 

1932-1 935 

1935-1952 

James Joy Fund before 1951 

Session fund before 1951. --   1 v.

R2 Record Books (Weekly Collections from pledged contributions) 

Mar 1890-1907 

Mar 1904-1910 

Mar 1907-Feb 1908 

Mar 1911-Feb 1915 

Mar 1915-Feb 1916 

Mar 1916-Feb 1917 

Mar 1917-Feb 1918 

Mar 1918-Feb 1919 

Mar 1919-Feb 1920 

Mar 1920-Feb 1921 

Mar 1921-Feb 1922 

Mar 1922-Feb 1923 

Mar 1923-Feb 1924 

Mar 1924-Feb 1925 

Mar 1925-Feb 1926 

Mar 1926-Feb 1927 

Mar 1927-Feb 1928 

Mar 1928-Feb 1929 

Mar 1929-Feb 1930 

Mar 1930-1931 

Mar 1931-Feb 1932 

Mar 1932-Feb 1933 

Mar 1933-Feb 1934 

Mar 11934-Feb 1935 

Mar 1935-Feb 1936 

Mar 1936-Feb 1937 

Mar 1937-Feb 1938 

Mar 1938-Feb 1939 

Mar 1939-Feb 1940 

Apr 1940-Mar 1941 

Apr 1941-Mar 1942 

Apr 1942-Mar 1943 

Apr 1943-Mar 1944 

Mar 1944-Feb 1945 

Apr 1945-Mar 1946 

Apr 1946-Mar 1947 

1914-1918 

1947 

1948 

1949 

1950 

1948-050 Numerically and Alphabetically arranged 

1937-38 Unbound 

1938-39 Unbound 

1939-40 Unbound 

1940-41 Unbound 

1941-42 Unbound 

Pastors record of members. -- 1937-1938. --   v.1 & 2.

A3 

Register of members n.d. 1v. 

Register of members divided into postal zones, 1v. 

SB 

Scrapbooks 1910-1923 

Miscellaneous newspaper clippings 

-- v.1, 1915-1940 

-- v.2 

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Board of Trustees 

Box 1 

Legal papers 

Deeds 

Articles of Association 

Annual repots, 1926-1945 

Fund report, 1947, 1950-1952 

Eleanor B. Buhl estate 

James Joy bequest 

Box 2 

Bills and receipts, 1870-1900 

Pew assignments, 1911 

Payroll record sheets, 1953 

Pledges, 1892, 1910-15 

Box 3 

Receipt books, 1946-1948 

Check book, 1953-1954 

Box 4 

Daybooks, receipts and expenditures, 1868-1890 

-- 1907-1913 

Building Committee 

Daybook of Building Fund, 1905-1914 

-- 1914-1920 

Subscription record, 1905-1908 

Minutes of Building Committee, 1876-1877 

M6 

Minute books, 1949-1875 

-- 1876-1911 

-- 1913-1915 

-- 1914-1920 

1880-1884 Meeting of Official Boards 

Salary records (for pastor, singers, organist, organ blower). --   1 v.

1967-1968 

H3 Pew register books 

1862-1894 

1895-1908 

1909-1939 

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Session Records 

Box: Benevolence Funds 

Records books, 1870-1878 

-- 1879-1890 

-- 1904-1910 Record of Contributions 

Folder: Annual Reports of Benevolences 

1877 

1879 

1880 

1881 

1882 

Folder 

Annual Reports of the Board of Deacons, 1936-1940 

Certificates of Dismission, 1900-1920 

M6 Minute books 

1849-1874 

1974-1891 

1891-1920 

1897-1901 (rough notes) 

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Bible (sunday) School 

Box: Registers 

1893 

1894 

1895 

1895 

1899 

1900 

1901 

1902 

Box: Record Books 

1876-1878 

1878-1879 

1880-1881 

1881-1887 

1888-1889 

1890-1891 

1892-1893 

1893-1895 

1895-1897 

1898-1902 

1910-1914 

1919-1921 

n.d. Girls and Boys 

n.d. Boys 

Box: Class Records for 1956, by grade 

Box: Bible School Teachers Organization. Minutes, 1914-1916 

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Women's Association 

General note

Began as a Ladies Benevolent Society, then Women's Missionary Society. In 1901 combined with the Women's Foreign Mission Society to form the Women's Association.

Box 1 Correspondence, inutes, Records, Reports 

Ladies Benevolent Society, Minutes, 1871-74 

Ladies Home Missionary Society, Reports 1880-1891 

-- 1893-1905 

-- 1893-1905 Records 

Young Ladies Missionary Society, Records, 1872-1899 

Box 2 

Annual reports, Women's Home Missionary Society; 1900-1908 

-- 1900-1908 

Minute Books, 1909-1917 

-- 1917-1921 

-- 1930-1940 

Yearbooks, 1909-1916 

-- 1920-1927 

-- 1931-1940 

-- 1942-1945 

-- 1948-1949 

Box 3 Account Books 

1908-1913 

1911-1914 

1915-1917 

1917-1920 

1921-1924 

1925-1929 

1929-1931 

1918-1948 

Box 4 Mission Materials 

Westminster Guild, Scotten Chapter 

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Mother's Circle 

General note

Organized 1911 to aid in Church House activities.

Folder 

Minutes, n.d. 

Thank you notes 

Minute books, 1911-1918 

-- 1922 

-- 1922-1931 

-- 1932-1936 

Notebook 

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Youth Group 

Box 1 

Accounts, 1932-1935 

-- 1941-1950 

Senior High Photographs, June 1957-1958 

Box 2 

Westminster League 

General note

Established 1891 until 1922.

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Bhea Mission Band 

General note

Organized Feb. 7, 1874. Named for Mrs. S.J. Bhea, Mission to Porsia.

Box 1 

Treasurer's Book, 1874-1881 

Attendance Book, 1892 

Minute Book, 1888-1897 

Minutes and records of attendance, 1904-1909 

-- 1909-1913 

Folder 1 

Papers and records, including annual reports, membership roll, history of the Bhea Mission Band, correspondence 

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Organizations 

Box 1 

Mens association - Minutes, 1908-1913 

-- Daybook, 1908-1912 

-- Constitution, Officers, Committees, 1917-1918 

Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor - Constitution and By-laws 

Defenders of the Fort - Minutes, 1908-1910. 1 v. 

-- Constitution, Menues, Programs. 1 Folder. 

Miscellaneous Publications 

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Church Camp. --   2 Boxes, 1 Volume.

General note

Established June 1920 in Oxford Township, Oakland County.

Information Leaflets, 1922-29 

-- 1931 

-- 1933 

-- 1937 

--1938 

-- 1939 

-- 1940 

-- 1943-51 

-- 1953-55 

-- 1960-61 

Correspondence 

Pictures and Songs 

Camp Expenses 

Camp Bills 

Rating Sheets 

Financial Record Book 

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