US-RUn-msg98 Register to the Records of St. Stephen's Church, Providence Finding aid prepared by Kevin J. Logan and Beth Ullucci. University of Rhode Island Library, Special Collections and Archives Unit 1991
University Library, Special Collections and Archives 15 Lippitt Road Kingston, RI 02881-2011Tel: 401-874-4632E-mail: archives@etal.uri.eduWebsite: http://www.uri.edu/library/special_collections/
 Finding aid encoded by Russell M. Franks on 2007 July 29, updated by Hailie D. Posey on 2009 September 2 English Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) Overview of the Collection St. Stephen's Church (Providence, R.I.) Records of St. Stephen's Church, Providence 1833-1988 33 box(es) (24 linear feet) The records described here document the administrative, fiscal and religious activities of St. Stephen's Church. Though the Church was chartered in 1839, the large majority of the records are from the twentieth century. The financial records of the parish are the most comprehensive, while administrative and religious activities are less completely documented. Special Collections and University Archives
15 Lippitt Road Kingston, RI 02881-2011 Tel: 401-874-4632 email: archives@etal.uri.edu
 Mss. Gr. 98 The records are in English.

Open for research.

Terms governing use and reproduction: Photocopying and scanning of materials is a fee based service available in the repository and is allowed at the discretion of the Archivist when in compliance to the Unit's policy on copyright and publication.

Preferred Citation

Records of St. Stephen's Church, Providence, Mss. Gr. 98, University of Rhode Island Special Collections.

 Scope and Content Note

The records of St. Stephen's Church documents the administrative activities of the parish and includes minutes of the parish's annual meetings, minutes of vestry and Parish Corporation meetings, a parish guest book, correspondence, bound copies of the Sunday Bulletin of the parish entitled The Kalendar, a typed chronology of significant events in parish history and a published history of the parish entitled St. Stephen's Church in Providence, 1839-1964.

Additional materials are bound volumes in which are recorded the details of religious services as well as listings of communicants, marriages, baptisms, confirmations, and burials held in the parish. The information recorded includes the date, the type of service, the place of service, the number of people in attendance, the name of the officiating priest and celebrant.

The bulk of the records detail the financial activities of the parish and includes balance sheets, check registers, cash receipts and disbursement ledgers, general ledgers, payroll ledgers, pledges and offering ledgers, treasurer's reports and treasurers' monthly statements. Further financial records include pew rental ledgers, and deeds to pews both in bound volumes and in loose pages.

The final grouping of documents consists of bound volumes of the parish's monthly newsletter entitled St. Stephen.

 Arrangement

After processing, the records were organized into five series as follows:

1. Subject Files, 1833-1988 2. Registers of Church Services, 1837-1983 3. Pew Records, 1840-1915 4. Financial Records, 1864-1984 5. St. Stephen,1885-1960

Open for research.

 Acquisitions Information

The records of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Providence were deposited in the Special Collections Department of the University Library in 1989 by the priest-in-charge, the Rev. S. W. Martin.

 Custodial History

Housed in the parish office prior to their transfer, the records are in generally good physical condition. In 2003 the parish deposited an additional 2 linear feet of records consisting of 8 bound registers of communicants, marriages, baptisms, confirmations, and burials in Special Collections. These were added to Series II. The records contained in this collection represent the inactive records of the parish. The most recent active records are still housed in the parish offices.

 Processing Information

The records were processed in 1991.

Terms governing use and reproduction: Photocopying and scanning of materials is a fee based service available in the repository and is allowed at the discretion of the Archivist when in compliance to the Unit's policy on copyright and publication.

See Mss. Gr. 41, Records of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island, 1715-1990, and Mss. Gr. 41.1, Records of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island, 1810-2003, for additional related materials regarding St. Stephen's Church.

There are no known separate materials.

 Names St. Stephen's Church (Providence, R.I.) Subjects St. Stephen's Church (Providence, R.I.) -- Records and correspondence St. Stephen's Church (Providence, R.I.) -- History -- Sources St. Stephen's Church (Providence, R.I.) --- Registers Episcopal Church -- Rhode Island -- History -- Sources Providence (R.I.) -- Church history|vSources RIAMCO Browsing Terms Religion Inventory Series 1 Subject Files 1833-1988 4 box(es) (3 linear feet) church bulletins histories letters (correspondence) minutes manuscripts visitors' books

The records in this series document the administrative and religious activities of St. Stephen's Church in Providence, Rhode Island. Topics include the annual meetings of the parish, the Parish Corporation, the vestry, fundraising, the history of the parish, renovation of the Parish House, the Ladies Sewing Circle, and the Women's League.

Types of records represented include minutes of meetings of the vestry, and the Parish Corporation, bound volumes of the minutes of parish annual meetings; the parish guest book; typed "historic notes" of the parish; contracts and plans for renovation of the Parish House; bound volumes of The Kalendar, the Sunday Bulletin of the parish; correspondence; and a history of the parish published on the occasion of its one hundred twenty-fifth anniversary and entitled St. Stephen's Church in Providence, 1839-1964.

Arrangement

The records in this series are arranged alphabetically by subject or type of record and chronologically within folders.

 1 1 1969, 1971-1972 Annual Meetings, Minutes of 1 2 1939 Centenary Luncheon Program 1 3 1896 Apr 6, 1940 Nov 14 Corporation and Vestry Meetings, Minutes of. See also: Vestry Meetings, Minutes of 1 4 1954 Fundraising Brochure 1 5 1984-1988 Guest Book 1 6 1932? Historical Notes (Typed mss.) 2 6a 1932-1956 The Kalendar 3 6b 1957-1979 The Kalendar 4 7 1838-1844 Ladies Sewing Circle: Accounts 4 8 1868 Ordination Service 4 9 1955 Parish House Renovations: Contract and Plans 4 10 undated Photograph: St. Stephen's 4 11 1839? Report of the Rector to the Convention 4 12 1964 Saint Stephen's Church in Providence, the History of a New England Tractarian Parish 1839-1964, by Norman Joseph Catir, Jr. 1964. 4 13 1833? Subscriptions for the Erection of St. Steven's 4 14 1967-1974, undated Vestry: Miscellaneous 4 15 1956-1962 Women's League of St. Stephen's: Meetings 4 16 1963-1971 Women's League of St. Stephen's: Meetings Series 2 Registers of Church Services 1837-1983 4 box(es) plus 5 oversized boxes (2 linear feet) baptismal registers burial registers confirmations marriage registers

This series consists of bound volumes in which are recorded the details of religious services as well as listings of communicants, marriages, baptisms, confirmations, and burials held in the parish. The information recorded includes the date, the type of service, the place of service, the number of people in attendance, the name of the officiating priest and celebrant.

 Arrangement

The registers are arranged chronologically.

 5 1 1924 Sep 7-1949 Dec 9 Register of Church Services 5 2 1949 Dec 10-1953 Jul 24 Register of Church Services 5 3 1953 Aug 8-1957 May 23 Register of Church Services 6 4 1957 May 24-1961 Dec 13 Register of Church Services 6 5 1961 Dec 14-1962 Nov 2 Register of Church Services 6 6 1962 Nov 3-1964 Apr 6 Register of Church Services 6 7 1964 Apr 7-1965 Nov 5 Register of Church Services 6 8 1965 Nov 6-1967 Mar 8 Register of Church Services 7 9 1967 Mar 8-1968 Aug 28 Register of Church Services 7 10 1968 Aug 28-1970 Mar 4 Register of Church Services 7 11 1970 Mar 5-1972 Oct 29 Register of Church Services 7 12 1972 Oct 30-1973 Nov 8 Register of Church Services 8 13 1973 Nov 9-1975 Oct 29 Register of Church Services 8 14 1975 Oct 30-1977 Jul 10 Register of Church Services 8 15 1977 Jul 10-1979 Mar 14 Register of Church Services 8 16 1979 Mar 15-1981 Feb 4 Register of Church Services 8 17 1837-1872 Register of Communicants, Marriages, Baptisms, Confirmations, Burials (in oversize 1) 8 18 1874-1893 Register of Communicants, Marriages, Baptisms, Confirmations, Burials (in oversize 1) 8 19 1893-1905 Register of Communicants, Marriages, Baptisms, Confirmations, Burials (in oversize 2) 8 20 1905-1922 Register of Communicants, Marriages, Baptisms, Confirmations, Burials (in oversize 3) 8 21 1922-1931 Register of Communicants, Marriages, Baptisms, Confirmations, Burials (in oversize 4) 8 22 1931-1947 Register of Communicants, Marriages, Baptisms, Confirmations, Burials (in oversize 4) 8 23 1947-1962 Register of Communicants, Marriages, Baptisms, Confirmations, Burials (in oversize 5) 8 24 1962-1983 Register of Communicants, Marriages, Baptisms, Confirmations, Burials (in oversize 5) Series 3 Pew Records 1840-1915 2 box(es) (1 linear feet) deed registers

The records in this series document the rental and transfer of pews in St. Stephen's Church. Included are bound volumes of deeds to pews, unbound copies of deeds, and pew rental and tax ledgers.

Until well into the twentieth century, the Episcopal churches in Rhode Island continued the practice of assigning specific pews in the church to families or individuals who paid a one time fee plus additional rental fees or taxes for the privilege of having a pew assigned to them. The individual or family received a deed to the pew and could will it or assign it to an heir or another parishioner as long as the rental fee or tax payments were current.

 Arrangement

The records in this series are arranged alphabetically by type of record and chronologically within folders.

 9 1 1840-1862 scattered Deed Book 9 2 1862-1915 scattered Deed Book 9 3 1840-1863 scattered Deeds 9 4 1867-1898 scattered Deeds 10 5 1844-1856 Rent Ledger 10 6 1856-1862 Rent Ledger 10 7 1862-1866 Rent Ledger 10 8 1864-1900 Rent and Taxes Ledger. See: Oversize 10 9 1900-1908 Rent and Taxes Ledger. See: Oversize Series 4 Financial records 1864-1984 8 box(es) plus 7 oversized boxes (7 linear feet) annual reports ledgers (account books)

The records contained in this series document the financial activities of St. Stephen's Church. Included are trial balance sheets, check registers, cash receipts and disbursement ledgers, general ledgers, payroll ledgers, pledges and offerings ledgers, and the monthly and annual reports of the treasurer.

 Arrangement

The records in this series are arranged alphabetically by type of record and chronologically within folders.

 11 1 1968, 1972-1976 Balance Sheets 11 2 1977-1980 Balance Sheets 11 3 1864 Apr 30-1889 Jan 21 Cash Book (In oversize 6) 11 4 1889 Jan 21-1902 Aug 1 Cash Book (In oversize 6) 11 5 1902 Aug 1-1908 Apr 20 Cash Book (In oversize 6) 11 6 1908 Apr 21-1915 Apr 5 Cash Book 11 7 1967 Cash Receipts and Disbursements 11 8 1968 Cash Receipts and Disbursements 11 9 1972 Cash Receipts and Disbursements 11 10 1973 Cash Receipts and Disbursements 12 11 1974 Cash Receipts and Disbursements 12 12 1975 Cash Receipts and Disbursements 12 13 1976 Cash Receipts and Disbursements 13 14 1977 Cash Receipts and Disbursements 13 15 1978 Jan-1978 June Cash Receipts and Disbursements 13 16 1978 Jul-1978 Dec Cash Disbursements 13 17 1978 Cash Receipts 13 18 1979 Jan-1979 Jun Cash Disbursements 13 19 1979 Jul-1979 Dec Cash Disbursements 13 20 1979 Cash Receipts 14 21 1907 Feb 11-1907 Aug 6 Check Register 14 22 1908 Aug 17-1908 Jan 3 Check Register 14 23 1978 Nov 20, 1979 Jun 22 Check Register 14 24 1979 Jun 22, 1980 Feb 22 Check Register 14 25 1980 Feb 22-1980 Oct 31 Check Register 15 26 1980 Oct 31, 1981 Jun 5 Check Register 15 27 1981 Jun 10-1981 Oct 30 Check Register 15 28 1972-1973 General Ledger 15 29 1974-1976 General Ledger 15 30 1977-1978 General Ledger 15 31 1978-1980 General Ledger 16 32 1957-1962, 1972-1975, 1978 Journal Entries 16 33 1973-1974 Payroll Book 16 34 1975-1976 Payroll Book 16 35 1977-1978 Payroll Book 16 36 1979-1980 Payroll Book 16 37 1981-1982 Payroll Book 16 38 1983-1984 Payroll Book 17 39 1953, 1958 Pledges and Offerings 17 40 1959-1960 Pledges and Offerings 17 41 1961-1963 Pledges and Offerings 17 42 1964-1965 Pledges and Offerings 17 43 1900-1915 Pledges and Offerings Ledger. (In oversize 7) 17 44 1915-1921 Pledges and Offerings Ledger. (In oversize 7) 17 45 1931 Pledges and Offerings Ledger. (In oversize 8) 17 46 1932-1933 Pledges and Offerings Ledger. (In oversize 8) 17 47 1934-1935 Pledges and Offerings Ledger. (In oversize 8) 17 48 1936-1937 Pledges and Offerings Ledger. (In oversize 8) 17 49 1938-1939 Pledges and Offerings Ledger. (In oversize 9) 17 50 1940-1941 Pledges and Offerings Ledger. (In oversize 9) 17 51 1942-1943 Pledges and Offerings Ledger. (In oversize 9) 17 52 1944-1945 Pledges and Offerings Ledger. (In oversize 9) 17 53 1946-1947 Pledges and Offerings Ledger. (In oversize 10) 17 54 1948-1949 Pledges and Offerings Ledger. (In oversize 10) 17 55 1950-1952 Pledges and Offerings Ledger. (In oversize 10) 17 56 1953-1954 Pledges and Offerings Ledger. (In oversize 10) 17 57 1955 Pledges and Offerings Ledger. (In oversize 11) 17 58 1956-1957 Pledges and Offerings Ledger. (In oversize 11) 17 59 1958-1959 Pledges and Offerings Ledger. (In oversize 11) 17 60 1960-1961 Pledges and Offerings Ledger. (In oversize 11) 17 61 1962-1964 Pledges and Offerings Ledger. (In oversize 12) 17 62 1965-1966 Pledges and Offerings Ledger. (In oversize 12) 18 63 1959-1963 Treasurer's Reports: Monthly Statements 18 64 1964-1967 Treasurer's Reports: Monthly Statements 18 65 1968-1969 Treasurer's Reports: Monthly Statements 18 66 1970 Treasurer's Reports: Monthly Statements 18 67 1971 Treasurer's Reports: Monthly Statements 18 68 1972 Treasurer's Reports: Monthly Statements 18 69 1973 Treasurer's Reports: Monthly Statements Series 5 St. Stephen 1885-1960 3 box(es) (3 linear feet) newsletters

This series contains bound volumes of St. Stephen, the parish's monthly newsletter.

 Arrangement

The issues of the newsletter are arranged chronologically.

 19 1885-1910 St. Stephen 20 1911-1940 St. Stephen 21 1940-1960 St. Stephen