PRIMARY SOURCE Non Profit Organization American Baptist Historical Society U.S. Postage 3001 Drive PAID GA 30341 Athens, GA Permit No. 11

Volume 18, No. 4 Fall, 2020 Historical Society Transitions: New Members on Farewell to Two Staff Members ABHS Board of Managers At the end of December we will bid farewell to Felipe Candelaria is pastor two valued members of the ABHS team. of Iglesia Bautista de Quebrada in For almost nine years, Jan Winfield has been Puerto Rico. He has been on the ABHS’s voice on the phone, responder to emails, Board of General Ministries, the and poster on social media. Jan has prepared and ABC Biennial Planning sent countless church anniversary certificates and Committee, the Hispanic Caucus, member letters, coordinated arrangements for and the Puerto Rico Region Board of Managers meetings and ABHS Biennial Board. Meeting activities, and produced dozens of news- Beverly Fink has been active with ABHS for letters and fundraising mailings. If you’ve re- many years. “Because of my long involvement ceived it from ABHS, Jan has probably touched it! and interest in American During her tenure Jan developed an apprecia- , I appreciate and value tion of Baptist history and a particular love of the work of the Historical Association records. Among staff, Jan most Join the Transcription Project! Society, “ she said recently. “I frequently responds to research-by-mail requests, searching the archives to answer questions from In the archives there are numerous congregational record count it a privilege to be on the people who are not in a position to do on-site books dating from the late-17th- to early-20th-centuries. Board of Managers as it gives me research. Because they are handwritten, they are not searchable a first-hand view of what is Jan had earned a Masters of Religious Studies electronically, so finding information can be a laborious task. Our Vision happening behind the scenes. The more I see, the from Pacific School of Religion before her 18-year This is where you come in: We invite you to help us more respect I have for those who have preceded The American Baptist career with the General Board of Global Ministries transcribe these records using the crowd-sourcing platform me in all areas of our faith.“ Bev is currently the of the United Methodist church. Her knowledge Zooniverse. You’ll see images of the pages and type in your Historical Society, coordinator of the Advanced Placement program and experience of the wider Christian church has transcription. This work will result in a version of the at High School, Manhattan, KS. as a premier religious often benefitted ABHS. In addition to her records that can be searched for names or keywords, helping Janice Fletcher resides in Rhode Island, and is a administrative skills, Jan’s unfailingly positive genealogists and other researchers in their work. historical society, member of First Baptist Church of East attitude is a real blessing. We wish Jan a very The only requirements for participating in this project are Greenwich. Her experience on the Board of advances Baptist identity, satisfying retirement! a computer (it will not work on phones) and the ability to General Ministries and ABC World Relief In her time at ABHS, Jill Sweetapple has read cursive handwriting. Come transcribe online: bit.ly/ promotes historical literacy, Committee as well as Rhode Island ABHS_transcription_project. and thereby inspires spiritual regional committees gives her a perspective on Baptist history. “I Support the American Baptist Historical Society as and social transformation. have never been directly involved you shop this holiday season: with an Historical Committee, but have a strong background and If you shop on Amazon, please use Smile.Amazon.com to interest in history. After retiring designate the American Baptist Historical Society to receive a small donation each time you shop. (Continued on page 6) Jill Sweetapple, left, (Continued on page 2) and Jan Winfield, right Church Anniversaries Join the Historical Society and October—December Become a Time Traveler We celebrate the faithful ministry of American 125 years First Baptist Church of Attleboro, MA; Baptist Congregations and their pastors! The American Baptist Historical Society membership Rev. Cheryl Harris, pastor following churches mark anniversaries this circles are named for some of our significant quarter: 100 years Baptist forebears. 275 years Lynhurst Baptist Church of Indianapolis, IN; First Baptist Church of Hightstown, NJ; Rev. Benjamin Wakefield, pastor Membership Circles Annual Yes! I/We want to join the Rev. Bruce J. Wood, pastor Queen Missionary Baptist Church, Marks, MS; Rev. Bernard Handy, pastor (Memberships are for the Gift of American Baptist Historical Society. 200 years calendar year) Please Print First Baptist Church of New Albany, IN; 75 years New Era Church of Indianapolis, IN; $1-50 Dr. James G. Ivey, pastor Ann Hasseltine Judson Circle Name Second Baptist Church of Bowdoinham, ME; Rev. Clarence C. Moore, pastor subscription (digital or print) to Primary Source Rev. John P. Ross, pastor 50 years Email $51-125 175 years Mid-American Baptist Churches of Iowa and Henry Lyman Morehouse Circle Address Underwood Memorial Baptist Church of ; Rev. Jacquline L. Saxton, Executive subscription (digital or print) to Primary Source Minister Wauwatosa, WI; Rev. Jason Mack, pastor participation in “Time Travelers,” reciprocal museum/ Solomon Temple Missionary Baptist Church, archives program http://timetravelers.mohistory.org/ 150 years Denver, CO; Rev. Dr. John LaMar Tellis, Jr., First Baptist Church of Council Grove, KS; pastor Louise “Lulu” Cecilia Fleming Circle $126-250 Telephone Rev. Christopher L. C. Carlson, pastor If your church is celebrating a significant benefits listed above, plus Baptist Church, South Haven, MI; Jerry Koller, Birthdate anniversary, request a certificate from ABHS. 1 hour of “Research-by-mail” discounted by 50% pastor Under what name(s) would you like your listing as donor in annual report donation to be acknowledged? (Continued from page 1) $251-500 Jitsuo Morikawa Circle “moved us forward by eons” (as former ABHS benefits listed above, plus president and volunteer Garth Brokaw put it) in her expert processing of both backlogged and Baptist history publication -- potluck! Membership $ new collections. Shortly after her arrival, Jill pair of tickets to Biennial breakfast American Baptist Quarterly subscription: staffed the ABHS booth at the ABC Biennial Samuel DeWitt Proctor Circle $501-1000 $50/annually $ Mission Summit in Portland, OR, beginning her Add $75/year for postage to Canada, Primary Source familiarity with the American Baptist community. benefits listed above, plus $100/year to other non-US countries is published quarterly by the Over the course of 3-½ years, she has processed subscription to American Baptist Quarterly discounted by 50% Gift to Endowment $ American Baptist Historical Society dozens of collections, organizing, indexing, and Priscilla E. Eppinger, Executive Director Helen Barrett Montgomery Circle $1001-5000 Total enclosed $ Jill Sweetapple, Head of Archives & Special Collections cataloging thousands of folders of materials. Jill Jenny L. Manasco, Digital Collections Specialist delved in to the ArchivesSpace cataloging soft- benefits listed above, plus Make checks payable to ABHS and send to: Jan Winfield, Office Manager ware and, in tandem with digital archivist Jenny Kay Eland, Financial and Subscription Secretary private archives tour (subject to staff availability) ABHS, 1015 9th Ave., King of Prussia, PA, 19406. Manasco, added hundreds of catalog records to Denise Hanusek, Rare Book Cataloguer To use a credit card go to our Website: www.ABHSarchives.org our online catalog. Materials archived at ABHS Samuel Colgate Donors $5001 & above website: www.ABHSarchives.org. For Research appointments, donations to collections, are far more accessible because of Jill’s work. and select “Give Now.” reference desk, general questions: (678) 547-6680 or The M.S. in Library and Information Studies benefits listed above, plus [email protected] 2 hours free consultation with staff archivist For ABHS memberships or American Baptist Quarterly and 8 years experience as a professional archivist subscriptions: (610) 768-2269 or [email protected] that Jill came with, as well as her “can-do” Living Heritage Society inclusion in ABHS is a 501(c)(3) organization; your Postal Address: 3001 Mercer University Drive attitude, have served her well. We deeply estate plan membership is tax-deductible to the full extent of Atlanta, GA 30341 appreciate Jill’s work with ABHS and wish her Location and shipping address for non-USPS carriers: inclusion on a special plaque in ABHS Reading Room the law. well in her future endeavors. 2930 Flowers Road South, Suite 150 ABQ subscriptions are not tax-deductible. Atlanta, GA 30341

2 7 (Continued from page 1) After practicing psychology in from a teaching career I took over the Office , James Napolitan (M.A., ABHS copies of Philadelphia Confession of Manager/Secretary position at my local Ph.D. University of Illinois, Chicago) church. ABHS information and the American became a commodities trader at the Faith and Rauschenbusch’s and Baptist Quarterly passed over my desk on a Chicago Mercantile Exchange. “My regular basis and made for very interesting mother had attended the Baptist reading. This led me to realize how important it is Missionary Training School in the Social Crisis exhibited in Geneva Chicago,” James says. “I was interested in what to preserve historical information. By working From Gabriel de Montmollin, Head of the International Museum of the information they had on the college and lo and with ABHS I am hoping to be able to contribute to Reformation: We are very proud to be able to present two behold, they had whole boxes of archives! I that purpose.” emblematic works of your Society in our exhibition “Calvin in found materials written by my mother as the class Josué Gómez-Menéndez is the America” in the International Museum of the Reformation. secretary. Since none of this was digitized I CFO of the Baptist Academy in The Philadelphia Confession of Faith (1743) is an important part of quickly appreciated the importance of archival Puerto Rico, and a member of the our exhibition on the Protestant identity of the United States. access if one wanted to do real research.” Baptist Church in Rio Piedras. He We explain to the public that the development of the churches of We are grateful for the commitment of these brings experience in the fields of the Reformation was very different there than in Europe. They new members of the Board of Managers. accounting, fundraising, and were able to grow without finding the religious and political investments. As past president of resistance of the Old World, hence this dynamism and great the Board of General Ministries of ABCUSA, Ways to Support ABHS diversity. Confessions of faith are like identity cards that allow Josué has a broad knowledge of American Baptist Many people would like to support the work of us to measure the differences and convergences with other work. the Historical Society, but don’t have traditions. Moreover, this edition is particularly interesting Dennis Johnson is a retired church discretionary money available. There are ways because it was printed by Benjamin Franklin himself. It is a pastor, having served churches in to support ABHS outside of your current funds. Philadelphia Confession of Faith, far right, on loan beautiful testimony that underlines the extraordinary personality from ABHS Chicago and West . A self- 1. If you make your philanthropic gifts via a of one of the Fathers of American Independence. proclaimed bridge-builder, his donor-advised fund, add the American As for the first edition of Walter Rauschenbusch's book Christianity and activities now focus on ways to do Baptist Historical Society to the organizations the Social Crisis, its exhibition allows the European visitor to understand that in the community and within designated to receive a gift from your DAF. that the United States and its churches have been strongly involved in the Baptist family. Dennis says, “I 2. Legacy giving is another way of supporting social justice. It is often thought on this side of the Atlantic that the USA believe that we do not outgrow the past; we grow ABHS with future giving. Let us know that is the land of freedom and money. With his book, Rauschenbusch testifies out of the past, which is why the preservation of you have included ABHS in your will, and to a very different reality defined by poverty, which, like elsewhere, our Baptist family documents is so vital. My we’ll add you to the Living Heritage Society. alienates millions of people. His book is next to the Gospel of Wealth by special interest in the ABHS archives is Walter 3. Donations of stock are always welcome. Have Andrew Carnegie, also in its first edition, where the question of poverty Christianity and the Social Crisis, right, on loan from ABHS Rauschenbusch, who has been for me a model of your broker contact us for transfer tries to solve itself with instruments more philanthropic than political. Baptist spirituality for Baptists today.” instructions. These two important books of the early 20th Research Snapshot—During most of 2020 public health restrictions have prevented century remain of researchers from visiting ABHS —and requests for Research-by-Mail have increased. The variety of obvious relevance. requests that come in mirrors the variety of collections in the archives. We would like to thank The greatest number of requests are for Missionary Correspondence. A researcher in Japan contacted you again for your us for information for an article they are writing about Harry Baxter Benninghoff and his service in presence in our museum Burma. A doctoral student in China requested correspondence of Adele Fielde for their dissertation. and hope that other ABHS also holds personal papers from pastors, seminary presidents, ABC executives, and others. collaborations are now One request related to the “Death of ” theology of the mid-1960s; the correspondence files of possible between our Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School President Gene Bartlett held a thick stack of letters regarding two institutions. this controversy, including both complaints and affirmations. Bartlett’s practice of filing his reply along with the letters received made researching this question much easier. Some of the easiest research requests to fulfill are requests for a copy of a magazine article, pamphlet, The exhibit will run through or newspaper article. People writing a church history or searching for genealogical information often April, 2021, at which time the items on loan will be returned request obituaries of prominent Baptists from the Watchman-Examiner. Obituaries are often found in to ABHS. the state Annuals or Association minutes as well. One section of the “Calvin in America” exhibit at the Musée International de la Réforme, Geneva 6 3 Baptists have long been involved in political life. From the Archives From the commitment to include religious liberty in the U.S. Constitution to local issues, pastors have offered their views on the issues and people on the Baptists and Political Life ballot. The items on this page show addresses before legislators and political groups as well as newspaper clippings.

Flyer for the Whig Party from 1848. Charles Morton collection, RG 1343 From John Roach Straton, RG 1075, Box 31, Folder 11, “Politics 1920”

Share this page with your church. When you use information from “From the Archives” remember to give credit to the American Baptist Historical Society. 4 5