bMS 657

Essex Conference Ministers Association. Records, 1866-1955.

Summary Information:

  • Call Number: bMS 657
  • Title: Essex Conference Ministers Association. Records, 1866-1955.
  • Repository: Harvard Divinity School Library, Harvard Divinity School, 45 Francis Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138-1911
  • Quantity: 1 box (one cubic foot) 

Administrative Information:

  • Acquisition Information: Gift of the First Church in Salem, 2007.
  • Processing Information: This collection was processed by Jessica Suarez in 2007.
  • Access: There are no restrictions on access to this collection.

Historical Note:

The Essex Conference Ministers Association was established in Salem, Massachusetts, on December 11, 1866, as a ministerial organization for Unitarian and other liberal clergymen serving in Essex County, Massachusetts. Its purpose was to foster closer collaboration among the ministers in the churches in that area. Originally called the Essex County Conference of Liberal Christian Churches, it was a local chapter of the National Unitarian Conference. In 1955, the conference changed its name to the Essex Liberal Religious Conference, and it included Unitarian, Universalist, and Federated churches. The conference disbanded when the Unitarian and Universalist denominations merged to form the Unitarian Universalist Association in 1961.

Scope and Content:

The collection includes financial records; conference minutes and programs; by-laws; records; meeting minutes; and records of secretary-treasurer Rev. Bradford E. Gale. There is also an historical sketch with information on the conference up until 1900.

Container List:

  • bMS 657/1 (1) Account books, 1892-1921.
  • bMS 657/1 (2) Bank books, 1940-1941.
  • bMS 657/1 (3) Bills and expenditures, 1883.
  • bMS 657/1 (4) Conference minutes, 1949-1950.
  • bMS 657/1 (5) Conference programs, 1909-1936 (with gaps).
  • bMS 657/1 (6) Conference programs, 1937-1955.
  • bMS 657/1 (7) Financial records, 1941-1945.
  • bMS 657/1 (8) Financial records, 1946-1949.
  • bMS 657/1 (9) Financial records, 1949-1951.
  • bMS 657/1 (10) Financial records, 1951-1952.
  • bMS 657/1 (11) "Essex Conference of Unitarian Churches Historical Sketch." By Samuel Barrett Stewart, 1900.
  • bMS 657/1 (12) By-laws, 1938.
  • bMS 657/1 (13) Records, 1907-1950 (with gaps).
  • bMS 657/1 (14) Records, 1931-1936.
  • bMS 657/1 (15) Records, 1938-1948.
  • bMS 657/1 (16) Secretary-Treasurer (Rev. Bradford E. Gale). Correspondence, newspaper clippings, and programs, 1934-1945.
  • bMS 657/1 (17) Missionary Commission. Correspondence, 1926-1941.
  • bMS 657/1 (18) Meeting minutes and notes, 1926-1942.
  • bMS 657/1 (19) Meeting minutes, 1942-1947.
  • bMS 657/1 (20) Meeting minutes and records, 1866-1875.
  • bMS 657/1 (21) Meeting minutes and records, 1875-1888.
  • bMS 657/1 (22) Meeting minutes and records, 1888-1902.
  • bMS 657/1 (23) Meeting minutes and records, 1902-1921.

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