First Baptist Church of Chicago records

First Baptist Church of Chicago records, 1834-1983

Descriptive Inventory for the Collection at Chicago History Museum, Research Center

By Benn P. Joseph, Brittany Naumann in July 2008.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Title: First Baptist Church of Chicago records, 1834-1983

Main entry: First Baptist Church (Chicago, Ill.)

Inclusive dates: 1834-1983

Size: 13.25 linear feet (29 boxes)

1 oversize folder

Accession number: 2000.0089

Restriction: No restrictions on access.

This descriptive inventory contains:

Description of the collection,

Description of archival series in the collection,

Brief history,

Description of some related materials,

List of online catalog headings,

Provenance statement,

Storage designation,

Container list of box/folder numbers and titles.

Description of the collection:

Membership records; minutes of trustees, church organizations and committees; clerk records and financial records; anniversary programs; scrapbooks; a diary of Mary Marx (1929-1930); and numerous clippings of newspaper articles relating to activities of the ministers and members of the First Baptist Church of Chicago (Ill.). Many clippings describe racial integration within the church, ministers, such as Dr. Jitsuo Morikawa (1943-1956) and Rev. Charles Andrews (1957-1965), and other major topics. Records also relate to Sunday schools and church schools and activities of many organizations, including the Woman’s Society, the "Friday Nighters," the Woman’s American Foreign Mission Society, and the World Council of Churches.

The collection is arranged in 10 archival series:

1. Church leadership

2. Financial materials

3. Membership

4. Clerk records

5. Administration

6. Church school

7. Committees, organizations, and affiliations

8. Anniversaries and dinners

9. Other correspondence and publications

10. Scrapbooks and registers

Description of archival series in the collection:

Series 1 contains correspondence and documents relating to church leadership, mostly pertaining to Dr. Jitsuo Morikawa (1943-1956) and later Rev. Charles Andrews (1957-1965). There is also correspondence to and from assisting ministers. Topics include weddings, missions, other Baptist churches, political issues, and others.

Series 2 contains financial records, mostly 1944-1970. These detail operating costs and describe some building improvements that were done.

Series 3 contains ledgers and lists of attendance numbers, names, and contact information. The membership records are paper records that are organized alphabetically, and contain applications, references, registration forms, and similar materials between 1917 and 1964. Membership information from 1934 can be found in an oversize ledger in Series 10.

Series 4 contains clerk records that are the official records of the church. Included here are names of people who held offices within church boards and committees, as well as results of other meetings and worship services. Earlier records are bound (up to circa 1919). Series 5 includes minutes and reports from various other administrative units within the church, especially the board of trustees and the board of deacons (and deaconesses, later).

Series 6 contains a ledger documenting the church's Sunday school between 1869 and 1879, as well as student lists, supply lists, programs, and the nursery in operation at the church school.

Series 7 contains materials relating to church organizations and committees, as well as affiliated churches, organizations, and conventions. Some First Baptist Church organizations of note are the Woman’s Society, the "Friday Nighters", the Baptist Missionary Training School, the Woman’s American Foreign Mission Society, and others.

Series 8 contains documents and publications relating to the annual anniversary and dinner celebrations held at First Baptist from 1946 until 1983, which was the 150th anniversary of the church's founding.

Series 9 contains some general correspondence, as well as publications by and about First Baptist Church.

Series 10 contains official scrapbooks for the church (First Baptist Church Record), as well as some guest books and registers. The scrapbooks contain newspaper articles regarding the church and national/international events, church programs, and some photographs of church buildings and members. The first scrapbook consists of copies of the church newsletter, Church Life dating from 1908 to 1945. The second scrapbook dates roughly from 1869 to 1959, and contains many clippings pertaining to Dr. Jitsuo Morikawa, as well as an 1888 First Baptist Church Herald article featuring a column on good manners. Of note in scrapbook number 3, which dates roughly from 1875 to 1981, is an 1875 interior view of the church, and clippings on U.S. and international racial issues in the 1960s. A fourth scrapbook, dating 1943-1959, contains clippings on racial issues and sex education.

Of note in Series 10 is the diary of Mary Marx, which covers the years 1929-1930. Marx was credited for integrating the predominantly white church in 1950, when the first African American was accepted as a member. She wrote several articles for the church newsletter on integrating the church and on members of the church, and received a brotherhood award for her service in the church and surrounding community from the National Conference of Christians and Jews in 1960, which can be found in the oversize folder. She also served as the chair of the Board of Christian Social Action during her time as a member of First Baptist. Marx’s diary includes a 1944 calendar with notes on weekly events occurring in her life, ticket stubs and recital programs from music concerts dating from 1929 to 1930, and notes about daily life in Chicago.

Brief History:

First Baptist Church of Chicago was founded on October 12, 1833, by Rev. Allen B. Freeman, and built its first structure in 1836 at Washington and LaSalle streets. The church went through several structures before building at Wabash and Hubbard Court in 1866, a structure that was destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The church then moved two more times before settling, in 1919, at its long-term 20th century location at 935 East 50th Street.

Dr. Jitsuo Morikawa, one of the more widely known leaders of First Baptist Church, became pastor in 1943. Dr. Morikawa had recently been released from a U.S. detention camp for people of Japanese ancestry, where he and his wife had spent approximately 18 months during the beginning of World War II. First Baptist was predominantly white when Dr. Morikawa began as pastor, but quickly experienced an influx of Japanese Americans seeking membership. Additionally, the church received its first African American member in 1950, largely due to the efforts of Mary Marx, an active member of the congregation.

Description of some related materials:

Related materials at Chicago History Museum, Research Center, include the First Baptist Church of Chicago photograph collection (2000.0089) and several publications and newsletters cataloged by title.

List of online catalog headings:

The following headings were placed in the online catalog.

Main entry: First Baptist Church (Chicago, Ill.).

Subjects:

Andrews, Charles

Marx, Mary

Morikawa, Jitsuo

Baptists--Illinois--Chicago.

African Americans--Illinois--Chicago.

Japanese American clergy--Illinois--Chicago--20th century.

Japanese Americans--Illinois--Chicago.

Women--Illinois--Chicago--Diaries. (box 27, 1929-1930)

Chicago (Ill.)--Church history.

Kenwood (Chicago, Ill.)

Added entries:

Andrews, Charles

Morikawa, Jitsuo.

Marx, Mary

United States--Illinois--Cook County--Chicago.

Form/genre:

Account books.

Church records.

Correspondence.

Diaries.

Guest registers.

Ledgers.

Membership lists.

Photographs. (in scrapbooks)

Scrapbooks.

Provenance statement:

This collection was a gift to Chicago Historical Society by the First Baptist Church of Chicago in 2000 (Accession number: 2000.0089).

Storage designation:

Collections: First Baptist Church of Chicago records.

Oversize collections: First Baptist Church of Chicago.

This descriptive inventory by:

Benn P. Joseph

Brittany Naumann

July, 2008.

Container list of box and folder numbers and titles:

Series 1: Church Leadership

Box 1

Folders:

1 Steiger and Morikawa: visitation

2 Morikawa: visual aids

3 Andrews and Morikawa: weddings

4 Morikawa: historical

5 Morikawa: World Mission Crusade

6 Toyohiko Kagawa

7 Morikawa: Dr. Morikawa’s pastorate, 1943-56

8 Andrews: Reverend Andrew’s pastorate, 1957-1965

9 Morikawa: sponsors

10 Morikawa: staff

11 Morikawa: special programs

12 Andrews and Morikawa: South Chicago Neighborhood House (8458 Mackinaw Ave)

13 Morikawa: state government

14 Morikawa: schools, colleges and universities

15 Steiger: youth work

Box 2

Folders:

1 Morikawa: schools and colleges

2 Morikawa and Nisei Publications

3 Morikawa: other churches

4 Morikawa: other churches

5 Morikawa: Northern Baptist Seminary

6 Morikawa: other Baptist churches

7 Morikawa: ordination

8 Morikawa: papers concerning Japanese issues

9 Morikawa: Y.M.C.A.

10 Morikawa: Youth Fellowship

Box 3

Folders:

1 Morikawa: World Council of Churches

2 Morikawa: World Council of Churches

3 Morikawa: Woman’s Society

4 Morikawa and Andrews: Westside Christian Parish (1548-50 W. Roosevelt Road)

5 Morikawa: Reniker/weekday activities

6 Steiger and Morikawa: personal

7 Morikawa: service men and Mrs. L. Lincoln

8 Morikawa: home and foreign mission, 1948-1959

9 Andrews and Morikawa: personal

10 Andrews and Morikawa: other Baptist churches

Box 4

Folders:

1 Morikawa: Northern Baptist Assembly

2 Andrews: South Chicago Neighborhood House (correspondence to pastors)

3 Andrews: Youth Committee (letters and papers on youth activities)

4 Andrews: Women’s Coordinating Committee and Women’s Society

5 Andrews: Vacation Church School

6 Andrews: speaking engagements

7 Andrews: special gifts

8 Andrews: social workers

9 Andrews: skeptics (skeptics club)

10 Andrews: South East Chicago Commission

11 Morikawa: displaced persons

12 Morikawa: Worldwide Commission (charity programs/letters)

13 Morikawa: Year of Baptist Advance

14 Morikawa: YMCA center

15 Assisting Ministers

Series 2: Financial Materials

Box 5

Folders:

1 Account records, 1944

2 Account records, 1950-51

3 Account records, 1952

4 Treasurer reports, 1959-1964

5 Treasurer reports, 1963-1970

6 Financial statements, 1970 and undated

7 Parsonage operations and improvements

Series 3: Membership

Box 6

Folders:

1 Membership ledger, 1834-1884

2 Membership ledger, 1886-1891

3 Membership list, 1887

4 Membership ledger, 1896

Box 7

Folders:

1 Attendance book, 1896-1899

2 Member directory, 1898

3 Births, marriages, new members, and deaths, 1954-1969

4 Membership lists, 1919-1918 and 1949-68

5 Membership records, A

Box 8

Folders:

1 Membership records, B

2 Membership records, C

3 Membership records, D

4 Membership records, E-F

5 Membership records, G

6 Membership records, H-J

Box 9

Folders:

1 Membership records, K-L

2 Membership records, M

3 Membership records, N-S

4 Membership records, S

5 Membership records, T

Box 10

Folders:

1 Membership records, V-Z

Series 4: Clerk Records

Box 10 (continued)

Folders:

2 Clerk's ledger, 1871-1880

3 Clerk's ledger, 1891-1902

Box 11

Folders:

1 Clerk's ledger, 1918-1919

2 Church clerk record of minutes, 1919-1928

3 Clerk records 1919-1948

4 Clerk records: constitution

5 Proposed constitution: preliminary draft

Box 12

Folders:

1 Clerk records: received and dismissed letters

2 Clerk records 1946 and prior

3 Clerk records 1946 and prior

4 Clerk records 1946 and prior

5 Clerk records 1946 and prior

6 Clerk records 1946 and prior

7 Clerk records 1946 and prior

8 Clerk records 1946 and prior

9 Clerk records 1946 and prior

10 Clerk records 1946 and prior

11 Clerk records 1949-1951

12 Clerk records 1950-1954

Series 5: Administration

Box 13

Folders:

1 Minutes, Board of Deacons, 1899-1902

2 Minutes, Board of Trustees, 1906-1912

3 Minutes, Trustees/Deacons joint meetings, 1908-1916

Box 14

Folders:

1 Various minutes, 1908-1918

2 Annual Reports, 1925-1932 (annotated)

3 Board of Deacons minutes, 1926-1948

4 Various minutes (annotated), 1941-1954

5 Board of Trustees minutes, 1949-1955

6 Reports of Boards and Committees 1953-1954

7 Board of Trustees minutes, 1955-1957

Box 15

Folders:

1 Committee reports, 1956

2 Board of Trustees reports, 1957

3 Board of Trustees and Treasurer’s report, 1958-1959

4 Board of Trustees and Executive Meeting’s reports, 1958-1961

5 Board of Trustees, 1959-1961

6 Records- for “trustees” and organ selection committee records

7 Board of Trustees, 1964-1966

8 Board of Trustees, 1964-1967

9 Report Sheets, 1964

Box 16

Folders:

1 Board of Trustees and Board of Deacons and Deaconesses, 1958, 1964-65, 1973, 1980

2 Officers' council, 1965

3 Board of Trustees, 1966

4 Boards and Officers, 1966-1967

5 Board of Trustees, 1968

6 Board of Trustees, 1969

7 Board of Trustees, 1970

8 Board of Trustees, 1971

9 Board of Trustees, 1971 and 1972

10 Board of Trustees, 1972

11 Quarterly business meetings, 1975

12 Deacon’s reports, 1976

12 Deacon’s minutes, 1977

14 Trustees misc.

15 Board of Christian Education

16 Board of Christian Social Action

17 Congregation meeting

18 Church business meetings

19 Church officers

Box 17

Folders:

1 Nominating Committee

2 Officer’s Council

3 Usher Board

4 Weekly schedule sheets and Board of Education meetings

5 Various church reports

6 Various church reports

7 Various church reports

8 Various church reports

Series 6: Church school, 1869-1971

Box 18

Folders:

1 Sunday school, 1869-1879

2 Church school nursery, 1940s-1950s

3 Church school: bills and orders, 1950s

4 Church school: minutes of meetings, 1952-1955, student lists, 1969

5 Church school programs, 1970s

Series 7: Committees, Organizations, and Affiliations

Box 18 (continued)

6 Record book: Woman’s Society of the First Baptist Church of Chicago, 1944-1955

7 Guest book: Friday Nighters, 1945-1946

Box 19

Folders:

1 Philathea class dinner and meeting, 1953-59

2 Youth reports

3 Youth work (BYF)

4 Ushers and usherettes, 1946

5 Social Action Committee

6 Christian Social Action Committee, 1957-1965

7 Music Committee

8 American Baptist Convention, 1960s

9 Young Adults (letters concerning a young adults group)

10 State missions, 1900-1904

11 Veterans

12 Voluntary organizations

13 First Baptist Church: Springfield, Massachusetts

Box 20

Folders:

1 Retired teachers business

2 Community learning center

3 Immanuel Baptist Church

4 Fund of Renewal campaign, 1974-1975

5 Northern Baptist Convention

6 Mary Marx and memorial fund

7 Memorial fund gifts

8 Music Committee

9 Baptist Missionary Training School

10 Space reservations

11 Returned servicemen

12 Sexton

Box 21

Folders:

1 Sunday of Sacrifice and World Mission Crusade I, 1946-1947

2 Sunday of Sacrifice and World Mission Crusade II, 1946-1947

3 Advance 1944-1948 Y.P. fellowship

4 Advance 1949 Y.P. fellowship

5 Summer and recreational camp information

6 Prayer meeting material

7 Women’s Society Circles and Dorcas group

8 How to make an effective presentation: "They went forth two by two"

9 Beaudry memorial, 1961

10 Orientation materials for members and organizational charts, 1968-70

11 Pipe organ file, 1960s

12 Pipe organ file, 1960s (cont.)

Box 22

Folders:

1 Women’s Society and Women’s Missionary Society

2 Woman’s American Foreign Mission Society

3 Church Federation of Chicago, 1951-1960

4 Administration and outreach, 1950s

5 Calling task force: deacons

6 Deacon-Deaconess

7 Young mothers

8 Youth impact

9 Pulpit and Staff Committee, 1974-1975, 1978

10 Public relations

11 Scheduling, 1973-1974

12 Yearbook, Directory, Progress Report, Prayer Meeting Calendar, 1976

13 American Baptist Convention

14 Chicago Baptist Institute

15 Chicago Baptist Association, 1967-1972

16 Chicago Baptist Association, 1975-1976, 1980

Box 23

Folders:

1 Choir

2 Ladies Benevolent Society, 1907-1937

3 Men’s League, 1902

4 Catherine Mabie Circle

5 Church constitution and contracts

6 Real estate

7 Funerals

8 American Friends Service

Series 8: Anniversaries and dinners

Box 24

Folders:

1 Annual Meeting: May 8, 1946

2 113th Anniversary: October 13, 1946 Homecoming, October 16, 1946 dinner

3 Annual Meeting: May 14, 1947

4 114th Anniversary: October 15, 1947

5 Annual Meeting: May 12, 1948

6 115th Anniversary: October 13, 1948

7 Annual Meeting: May 11, 1949

8 116th Anniversary: 1949

9 Annual Meeting: May 10, 1950

10 117th Anniversary: 1950

11 118th Anniversary: 1951

12 Annual Meeting: 1951

13 119th Anniversary: 1952

14 Annual Meeting: 1952

15 120th Anniversary: 1953

16 Annual Meeting: 1953

Box 25

Folders:

1 121st Anniversary 1954

2 Annual Dinner 1954

3 122nd Anniversary 1955

4 125th Anniversary

5 125th Anniversary 1958

6 Anniversary 1961

7 Anniversary 1962

8 Anniversary 1963

9 148th-150th Anniversary 1981-1983

10 Annual dinner/ meeting, various programs

11 Anniversary programs and correspondence

Series 9: Other Correspondence and publications

Box 26

Folders:

1 Charles Andrews installation service, 1957

2 Correspondence, 1957-1962 and 1971

3 Correspondence with church members, 1960s

4 Correspondence: new community 1972

5 Correspondence 1976

6 Correspondence 1977

7 Correspondence, 1978-1980 (various)

8 C.E. Clarion, 1928-1929

9 Church programs and publications, 1950s

10 Publications 1970

11 Ralph Reynolds-Publications, 1971-1972

12 Crusader-mailing list

Box 27

Folders:

1 Miscellaneous news clippings

2 Calling Program Information

3 Thesis: “Kagawa, his concept of Christian ethics”

4 Articles & Prayers

Series 10: Scrapbooks and Registers

Box 27 (continued)

Folders:

5 Diary of Mary Marx, 1929-1930

Box 28

Volumes:

1 Membership Register 1934

2 Guestbook Philathea Rally Parties 1926-1947

3 Guestbook Young People’s Fellowship of the First Baptist Church of Chicago 1940s

4 The Book of Remembrance 1960's

5 Guest Register 1952-1962

Box 29

Volumes:

1 First Baptist Church Record No. 1, 1908-1945 (scrapbook)

2 First Baptist Church Record No. 2 (scrapbook)

3 First Baptist Church Record No. 3 (scrapbook)

4 1959 newsclipping scrapbook

Oversize:

1 Mary Marx Certificate, The National Conference of Christians and Jews, 1960

2 Catherine Mabie Circle poster