First Unitarian Society in Newton (West Newton, Mass.). Records,
Overview
The records of the First Unitarian Church of Newton consist of orders of service, financial records, committee and club records, and Sunday School records. There is also material related to the Channing Religious Society of Newton.
Dates
- Creation: 1851-1997
Access
There are no restrictions on access to this collection.
Extent
4 boxesThis collection consists of church directories, orders of service, annual reports, financial records, membership records, and clippings. There are also records related to various clubs and committees of the church such as the Entertainment Club and the Ladies Sewing Circle. The collection also contains records related to the Channing Religious Society of Newton. There are no birth, death, or marriage records.
Biographical / Historical
The First Unitarian Society in Newton was organized in 1848. Rev. William Orne White served as the first minister, though only for a year. The first long-term minister was Rev. Francis Tiffany, who served from 1866 to 1883. He was followed by Rev. Julian Clifford Jaynes who would spend his entire ministry at the society from 1875 to 1922. Other long-term ministers include Dr. Herbert Hitchen (1931-1950), John Ogden Fisher (1950-1961), Rev. Dr. Clarke Dewey Wells (1975-1978), Dr. Gerald Krick (1979-1998), and Rev. James Ishmael Ford (2000-2008). In 1945, during Hitchen's ministry, the Channing Religious Society of Newton closed and its members joined the First Unitarian Society of Newton.
Arrangement
Organized into the following series:
- Series I. General church records
- Series II. Church clubs and committees
Acquisition Information
Gift of the First Unitarian Society in Newton, 2009.
General note
The number after the slash in each entry in the following list indicates the box number, and the number in parentheses is the folder number.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Jessica Suarez, 2011.
- Title
- First Unitarian Society in Newton (West Newton, Mass.). Records, 1851-1997: A Finding Aid.
- Author
- Andover-Harvard Theological Library
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- div00707
Repository Details
Part of the Harvard Divinity School Library, Harvard University Repository
Special Collections at Harvard Divinity School Library preserves and makes accessible primary source materials documenting the history of religion and theology, with particular historical emphasis on American liberal religious traditions. Though the historical strengths of the collections have been in the field of Christianity, other religious traditions are increasingly reflected, in step with Harvard Divinity School's evolving focus on global religious studies. Known as Andover-Harvard Theological Library since 1911, it was renamed the Harvard Divinity School Library in 2021.
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