The Archival Spirit, June 2007   Spring Issue

Newsletter of the Archivists of Religious Collections Section, Society of American Archivists

• From the Chair
• Knights Present St. Joan of Arc Exhibit
• "A Difference in Our Lives": Sr. Genevieve Shea
• Section Candidates Nominated for 2007 Ballot
• News from the Maryknoll Mission Archives in New York
• The Diaries of William and Anne Taylor
• Marquette University Adds to Its Online Guides to Native Catholic Records
• Baptist History Celebration - 2007
• St. Peter’s Church in Philadelphia Begins Organizing Archives
• Anglican History Celebrated in Southwestern Pennsylvania
• Archivists of Religious Institutions Meeting
• ARCS Officers and Editor's Note




From the Chair By Loretta Greene May 31, 2007 Whoever thinks archivists of religious collections are stodgy had better think again. It only takes one look at this issue of Archival Spirit to see that is filled with interesting and lively examples of our daily work. This issue speaks more than words. We believe in our mission, are well-prepared and active professionally, and are creative, organized archivists. Our collections are filled with passion, intrigue, humor, honor, and overcoming adversity. If you will forgive this analogy, being chair of the section is akin to standing in the pulpit – not from the preaching point of view but from the perspective of looking over the congregation – you, the section members. As chair, I am able to look out and see in a new way the activities, interest, outreach and creativity of ARCS members. You have supported each other in times of need, responded to calls for help, and provided input to questions. I must tell you that I am proud of all of you. As my term as Chair draws to a close I know that it is the best thing that I could have done for my personal participation in the section. When I am sitting among the members again, my perspective won’t be the same. Diane Wells, Nominating Committee Chair and past section chair, has brought together a vibrant slate of candidates for this year’s election. Thank you and best wishes to all the candidates. The Section will be in capable hands as we grow in activities and seek to serve its members. One of the candidates wonders why she waited so long to get involved: she won’t be disappointed. I understand that holding office is not for everyone, but there are other activities in which you can participate. Please be sure to identify yourself to a Steering Committee member at the annual meeting or any time of the year. As you know, the annual meeting will be in Chicago, August 30 through September 1. Malachy McCarthy will graciously host a reception at the Claretian Missionaries Archives on Wednesday evening, August 29 so plan your travel to attend this well-received annual gathering. The reception provides an excellent venue to renew and make new acquaintances, which make the SAA conference more enriching. Full information about section activities at the annual meeting will be published in an upcoming special edition of Archival Spirit. You will receive notice when it is published. I look forward to seeing everyone in August. Please let me know if you have any questions before then, Loretta.greene@providence.org.           Knights Present St. Joan of Arc Exhibit, May 1–September 3, 2007 By Susan H. Brosnan The Knights of Columbus Museum will present an exhibit celebrating the cultural legacy of the French medieval heroine Joan of Arc (c. 1412-1431) from May through Labor Day 2007. Joan’s extraordinary life has inspired many, and her image has been appropriated for a variety of causes during the centuries since her death. An illiterate peasant, Joan had an unlikely path to fame. Late in France’s Hundred Years’ War, she had a vision in which God instructed her to reclaim her homeland from the increasing domination of England. With some effort, she persuaded Charles VII, the uncrowned heir to the French throne, that she should lead his troops in battle. Joan's incredible successes eventually included escorting Charles to Reims for his coronation, which ended a dispute over succession to the throne. But within months, the king’s enemies captured her, put her on trial, and burned her at the stake in a public execution at age 19. Joan was exonerated in a second, posthumous trial 25 years later. Pope Benedict XV declared her a saint in 1920. First presented at Washington’s Corcoran Gallery in November 2006, the exhibit focuses on the historical figure as well as the manner in which Joan of Arc has been portrayed through time: a bold warrior, a pious maiden, a fashionable courtier, a loyal subject, a condemned prisoner. Items in the exhibit will be on loan from throughout Europe and the United States. For more information, go to: http://www.kofc.org/un/about/museum/detail.cfm?id=291303# or contact Susan H. Brosnan, Archivist, Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, Knights of Columbus Museum, 1 State Street, New Haven, CT 06511-6702, 203 865-0400 ext. 224. For rights and reproduction please contact the Museum staff. Copyright © Knights of Columbus. All rights reserved.               "A Difference in Our Lives": Sr. Genevieve Shea, SLW Sr. Genevieve Shea, SLW will celebrate 70 years of religious life in June. Recently, she retired at 87 from an impressive 16 year career as archivist for the Sisters of the Living Word (SLW). Shea’s accomplishments include creating and maintaining a searchable database to accompany a collection of over 2,000 records and artifacts, writing a brief history of the SLW, and working with an oral history task force that recorded, transcribed, and printed the words of over 70 sisters. In 1998, she built the website slw.org. She was editor for ACWR (Archivists for Congregations of Women Religious) News, and a member of SAA-ARCs. In her early career, she was librarian at Mallinckrodt College, Wilmette, IL (1968-1972) and briefly at the Eastside Vicariate School, Detroit, MI. In her own words:                 There is a deep joy in knowing that these records tell a unique phase of the history of the Catholic Church and of religious life in America. My work says I believe in the future and in those who will follow me as Sisters of the Living Word. I believe they will want to know why we did what we did and how it made a difference in our lives and in the lives of those we touched. As I process the records and prepare ways to make the search easier for inquirers, I feel a deep admiration for my sisters and their wholehearted devotion to the mission of the Sisters of the Living Word. My hope is that long after my work is done others will carry on that spirit of reflecting Jesus, the Living Word. —Genevieve Shea. Congratulations and greetings can be sent to Genevieve Shea, 800 N. Fernandez Avenue-A2, Arlington Heights, IL 60004-5336.         ARCS Nominating Committee Issues Slate of Candidates: Voting to Occur at 2007 Annual Business Meeting Report prepared by Diane Wells, Committee Chair Nominated for Vice Chair/Chair Elect Alan J. Lefever, Director Texas Baptist Historical Collection 4144 North Central Expressway, Suite 110 Dallas, Texas 75204 I was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in San Antonio, Texas. I am the son of an Air Force Master Sergeant and working mother. I felt the call to the ministry as a teenager and entered Baylor University with a major in Religion and a minor in History with the intent to become a Baptist Pastor. Little beknownst to me it is at this time my career in archives began. While a student at Baylor, I worked in the Texas Collection at the university. Upon graduation, I enrolled at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Amazingly, or Providentially, there was an opening in the archives of the seminary which I soon filled. From there my course was set. After graduating with my Master’s and while working on my PhD, I was named Archivist/Special Collection Librarian at Southwestern. I also served as Director of the Texas Baptist Historical Collection which was housed at Southwestern as well as an adjunct professor of church history. In 1998 the Baptist General Convention of Texas, which owns the Texas Baptist Historical Collection, decided to remove the TBHC from Southwestern to its headquarters in Dallas and asked me to continue to direct it. I presently still serve as director. I, like many in this profession, began as an “accidental” archivist. Although it was not the road I first intended to travel, it has been a most enjoyable journey. Continuing to preach on the weekends and serving as an adjunct professor at Truett Seminary I am actively involved in many facets of ministry. I am a member of ARCS because I believe our mission, our constituents and our struggles (funding, etc…) are unique for our collections and it is important for us to network and communicate with one another to strengthen and support each other in this challenging yet vital role as the chroniclers and keepers of the religious history of our faith groups. Nominated for Secretary Elizabeth B. Scott Archivist Saint Michael's College Colchester, VT 05439 Elizabeth Scott is the Archivist at Saint Michael’s College and for the Society of Saint Edmund, the religious order that founded the college. Prior to this she worked as the Archivist/Special Collections librarian at South Dakota State University, and on the United States Newspaper Project in Oregon. She holds an MSLS from the University of Kentucky and a MAR from Yale Divinity School. Although she has been a section member for a number of years, she just started to become involved and finds herself wondering why she waited so long. As a relatively small section, it is a great way to participate in SAA. The section brings visibility to religious archives and archivists and she hopes to continue this work if elected. Nominated for Representative-at-Large Audrey P. Newcomer, M.S., M.P.A., CA Director of Archives Archdiocese of St. Louis St. Louis, MO 63119-5738 Audrey P. Newcomer has been the Director of Archives at the Archdiocese of St. Louis since 2001. As a strong proponent of life-long learning, she sees ARCS as an important venue to sharpen archival skills, keep up with changes in our profession and network with colleagues. As a member of the local St. Louis Area Religious Archivists (SLARA) she served as secretary and has begun a two-year term as vice-chairperson. As a member of the Association of Catholic Diocesan Archivists (ACDA), she has served as secretary and will assume the office of presidency of ACDA following the SAA meeting in August 2007. She is a member of the Association of St. Louis Area Archivists (ASLAA) and Midwest Archives Conference (MAC). Mrs. Newcomer holds a Master of Science degree in Library Science, University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign, a Master of Public Administration, University of Nebraska at Omaha and is a certified archivist.         News from the Maryknoll Mission Archives in New York By Ellen Pierce The Maryknoll Mission Archives has completed a one-year grant from the Getty Foundation to make a portion of our images available to the wider research community worldwide. The archive of images, The Internet Mission Photography Archive (IMPA), is a database on a website hosted by the University of Southern California. Our part in this collaboration with other religious archives was to provide images in our collections from China up until 1950. The other collaborators are the Day Missions Library at Yale University, the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, the Norwegian Missionary Society in Stavanger, the Leipzig Mission in Leipzig and the Moravian Church at Herrnhut. Maryknoll is the only Roman Catholic presence on the website. We provided over 3,700 images to the database and took one year to input data using strictly controlled vocabulary and standards. They are of a broad range of subjects and the quality is superb. One can make the image larger and look at details that may not be caught with the naked eye. This database will provide an excellent visual resource for researchers. Maryknoll still retains the copyright for all images. To visit this exciting visual resource, the website is: http://library.usc.edu/uhtbin/catstat.pl/impa For more background information and link to Mission Photography: http://www.usc.edu/libraries/archives/arc/digarchives/mission/         The Diaries of William and Anne Taylor By Robert Lay As previously reported in the Archival Spirit, Taylor University recently acquired a pair of 19th century diaries that belonged to William and Anne Taylor. His diary includes entries written during the heart of the California Gold Rush (1851-1856) when the couple served as missionaries to San Francisco and the surrounding area. Anne's diary covers the years 1866-1867, when the couple traveled together with their three young sons from South Africa to Europe. William's diary tells the story of an enterprising Methodist evangelist who preached the gospel daily to miners in the public square. It includes William’s prayers and sermons, his first-hand descriptions of fires and the public trials of notorious criminals, sketches of the tragic lives of miners, and heart-rending accounts of the challenges of raising a family in a frontier setting. Anne reports briefly on the revival conducted by her husband in British West Africa, on life aboard ship en route from the Cape of Good Hope to London, and on visits to see famous sites and to hear famous persons speak (for example the 19th century preacher, Charles H. Spurgeon). Particularly interesting are the descriptions found in both diaries on the challenges of marriage and family life for world-conscious Christians. A look at these passages offers readers something of a “he said/she said” on a topic rarely discussed among Christian workers of that era. A small glimpse of the husband and wife ‘dialogue’ that passed between Anne and William if offered here.                 Bearing in mind that the two diaries were recorded a decade apart... Anne: “…as yet I have seen but little of the great city (London). We are not traveling for pleasure…and must adjust ourselves to the circumstances surrounding us. My special department at present seems to be to care for the children, so you must make no calculations. We spent yesterday at the Zoological gardens [at] Regents Park, our second visit. Your children may go there a dozen times and still be entertained.” It is hardly surprising, given the time period of the 1860s, that Anne was responsible to care for their sons whenever the family traveled together. William’s willingness to remain at home with the children while his wife went out, however, suggests that the couple may have been far more progressive than their 19th century counterparts: William: This evening as Bro. Owen had charge of the Bethel services, I staid at home with the Children, so that Sister Taylor might go to meeting, a privilege, I am sorry to say she seldom enjoys these last days, owing 1st to sicknes in the family, & 2nd To the fact that she has no one to take care of the children in her absence, except we call upon some brother, who has but little experience in the business of nursing. Read more: http://www.taylor.edu/academics/supportservices/archives/         Online Guides to Native Catholic Records By Mark Theel Marquette University’s second comprehensive guide to Native American Catholic records is now online. This Guide to Catholic-Related Records in the West about Native Americans (Volume 3) joins the previously revised Guide to Catholic-Related Records in the Midwest about Native Americans (Volume 2). The Western guide culminated a recent two-year NHPRC funded record survey of 14 states and includes 550 entries whereas the Midwest guide, based on an earlier survey of 12 states, has grown from 277 to 308 entries. Also online are partial volumes to records in the East (Volume 1) and records outside the United States (Volume 4) plus several help pages and a master index with over 25,000 links to entries (Volume 5). The entire series, located at www.marquette.edu/library/collections/archives/teaching.html, provides navigational assistance and improved intellectual access to a largely obscure universe of records for genealogists, historians, and scholars. Volumes 1 through 4 feature entries in PDF format that describe targeted holdings held by archival repositories and local churches. Besides the usual holdings note and contact information found in reference guides, many of the entries also provide institutional chronologies to illuminate the provenance and content of holdings. Noted in the guides are more 1,000 Catholic religious communities and institutions and over 100 Native American ethnic groups, which includes some not recognized by the U.S. government.         Baptist History Celebration - 2007 By Laura Botts An unprecedented meeting on Baptist history will be held on August 1-3, 2007 at the historic First Baptist Church of Charleston, South Carolina. Five years in preparation, this meeting will feature an interesting array of topics and speakers in commemoration of the founding of the Philadelphia Baptist Association in 1707. The steering committee, made up of Baptists from over 20 different Baptist groups, would like to invite you to visit the web page below for program information and registration. Seating is limited, so we urge you to register right away. The web page address is: www.baptisthistorycelebration.org.         St. Peter’s Church Begins Organizing Archives by Cynthia Jones Eiseman The first phase of organizing and making accessible 250 years of archival records of St. Peter’s Protestant Episcopal Church in Philadelphia was completed in May 2007. St. Peter’s was founded in 1758 as an outgrowth of Christ Church in Philadelphia, and the building was completed in 1761.Both churches are located within a few blocks of Independence Hall. The two churches together formed a unified body, the United Churches of Christ Church and St. Peter’s, and shared rectors and assistant ministers. In January 1832, St. Peter’s and Christ Church separated, becoming independent bodies, with a separate charter for St. Peter’s and the election of a separate vestry. This marks the official beginning of the St. Peter’s archives. Earlier records, such as sermons and sacramental registers, are intertwined with the records of Christ Church. The intent of this project was to inventory the archival records and artifacts of St. Peter’s and to develop a plan for their further preservation and organization. The archives are housed primarily in the parish house, located across Pine Street from the church. Project leadership was provided by Carol W. Smith, consulting archivist, who brought to the project professional expertise, a knowledge of the archives of Christ Church, and a familiarity with many other Philadelphia institutions’ archives. Inventorying, moving and re-housing (where possible) of documents began in July 2006, by a small but dedicated group of volunteers. Temperature and humidity recordings for the archives space and the parlor on the first floor of the parish house, where some of the parish’s portraits are hung, have been collected. In January 2007, the group turned to the artifacts, checking items against existing inventories, collecting information on those that were not listed and then developing catalog sheets for all. Members of the group also visited the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Christ Church, to inspect rare objects belonging to St. Peter’s Church that are on loan or deposit at those institutions. An exhaustive inventory by location was completed and indexed, and a copy placed in the archives. A final report is being prepared for submission to the vestry of St. Peter’s Church. The report includes recommendations for adopting a mission statement for the archives; establishing a historic collections committee, a records management program, and a vital records program; guidelines for processing the archives; addressing preservation issues; and for adopting a disaster plan. The report, together with additional information now being gathered by the volunteers, will provide information for the preparation of grant applications. It is hoped that grant funding can finance the implementation of the plan. Organizing and making accessible these archives is essential as St. Peter’s begins making plans for its 250th anniversary, to be celebrated between 2008 and 2011. This project was made possible by a $5,000 grant to Historic St. Peter’s Church Preservation Corporation from the Pennsylvania Historic and Museums Commission, Archives and Records Management Program, and gifts from anonymous individuals.   New, acid-free Hollinger boxes hold archival documents   St. Peter's Church on a very cold winter day   Carol W. Smith and Nancy Fago house a delicate document Register of Baptisms, 1868-31 Volunteer Roy Bernat measures Bishop's chair Wine-glass pulpit at St. Peter's Church Register of Baptisms, 1829-31         Anglican History in Southwestern Pennsylvania Planned By Lynne Wohleber The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, in conjunction with its celebration in 2008 of 250 years of the Anglican presence in southwestern Pennsylvania, is working toward the publication of a two-volume history. Publication of the first volume on the history of the diocese will be sometime before November of next year. The second volume on the history of the parishes in the 11-county area is planned for the near future. Author for the diocesan history is Dr. Jeremy Bonner from Durham, England. A graduate of Durham University, England, with a PhD from The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., Dr. Bonner is the author of The Road to Renewal: Victor Joseph Reed and Oklahoma Catholicism, 1905-1971 (Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, forthcoming), and of several scholarly articles on aspects of 20th century American religious history. Since the summer of 2005, he has been working with materials in the diocesan archives as well as conducting oral history interviews with a number of diocesan clergy and lay persons relative to 20th century events. The history will take into consideration not only the development of Anglicanism in southwestern Pennsylvania, but also events nationally and globally that influenced policies and activities in the diocese and parishes during those years. For the year-long celebration, the diocese will draw heavily on the archives for a number of events that are being planned. A series of photographs were used for the Celebrate 250 brochure, which can be viewed at www.celebrate250.org. More photographs and historical documents will be featured in the mini-displays that will travel to parishes throughout the 11-counties over the next year, as well as a major display that is in the planning stages for use in the John Heinz History Center in downtown Pittsburgh. For more information, contact the archivist, Lynne Wohleber, at 412-281-6131 x138, or wohleber@pgh.anglican.org         Archivists of Religious Institutions Meeting By Joseph Coen Archivists of Religious Institutions (ARI) held its Spring 2007 Meeting at the Rockefeller Archives Center in Sleepy Hollow, NY on May 8. Gwynedd Cannan and Dorothea Sartain of Trinity Church Archives in New York City gave a presentation “Seek and Ye Shall Find: Reference and the Religious Archives.” Dr. Darwin Stapleton, Director, gave a brief presentation on the Rockefeller Archives Center, while Mindy Gordon, Roseann Varian and the Center staff did a wonderful job as our hosts for the day. Ellen Pierce, of the Maryknoll Mission Archives, did much of the local arrangements work on ARI’s behalf.         Archivists of Religious Collections Section Officers Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect: Gwynedd Cannan, Trinity Church, New York City Chair: Loretta Zwolak Greene, Sisters of Providence Archives Secretary: Lisa Jacobson, Maryknoll Mission Archives Past Chair/Nominating Committee: Diane Wells, Episcopal Diocese of Olympia (Wash.) Representatives-at-Large: Ellen Pierce, Maryknoll Mission Archives; Judy Huenneke, Mary Baker Eddy Library Newsletter Editor: Wesley W. Wilson, DePauw University Web Coordinator: Mark J. Duffy, The Archives of the Episcopal Church USA     Editor's Notes The Archival Spirit is published three times a year by the Archivists of Religious Collections Section of the Society of American Archivists. Feature pieces as well as announcements of acquisitions and projects are welcome. Send submissions to: Wesley W. Wilson at wwwilson@depauw.edu. For membership information, contact: Society of American Archivists, 527 S. Wells, 5th Floor, Chicago, IL 60607, 312-922-0140, fax 312-347-1452, info@archivists.org


 
 

 

 

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