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Manchester University Archives and Brethren Historical Collection

 

Full listing > Accession BC2011/19
Accession #BC2011/19
TopicBethel Church of the Brethren, Milford, Indiana,
KeywordsSunday School, Northern Indiana,
TitleBethel Church and Sunday School Attendance Records
SubtitleMilford, Indiana: Northern Indiana District of the Church of the Brethren
LocationCOB Bethel Boxes located beside COB Filing Cabinets IS
CitationBethel Church and Sunday School Attendance Records, BC2011/19, Archives and Brethren Historical Collection, Funderburg Library, Manchester University, North Manchester, Indiana.
AccessResearchers are responsible for determining copyright status of archived materials where this is relevant to their intended use of the materials.
ProvenanceUnknown, in Archivies prior to April 2006
Scope and Content

Sunday School / Adult Education: Friendship Class Minutes:

  • 18 February 1951 - 1954
  • 1957 - 1959
  • 1960 - 1962
  • 1963 - 1964
  • 1985 - 1997

Bethel Ladies Aid Society, Milford, Indiana, 1935 - 1937 record book.

Bethel Sunday School Records 1946, 1947, 1948,  1948-1949, 1949-1950, 1951-1952.

Bethel Sunday School Records 1966 - 1967 (two books).

Many other Sunday School records are included in this box, unfortunately, the records are not identified with the name of "Bethel,"  see Archivist's note. 

Three filing cabinets filled with materials identified as belonging to Bethel Church of the Brethren, now in a Large Box, Accessssion # 2001/9, Box A:

Christian Workers Meetings 1917-1922.

One leather-like binder with embossed cover.

Photograph of the Choir at Bethel taken long before December 1942. members are Bertha Neff Wehrly Gilbert, Chloe Neff, May Vhoris, Clara Price, Alice Fuller, Esther Haab, Nettie Deeter, Marie Miller (Mrs. Jess Miller), Helen Miller (Mrs. John Miller), Ella Stockberger, Alma Reuter and Clara Cory.

Photocopy of sketch of church building with copy of Bertha Wehrley Gilbert's notes. The church was located at the intersection of 250 East and 1150, north of the Guy Fisher farm, on the corner of the woods.

Photograph of Bethel Church, Milford, Indiana, and her membership, circa 1905-1906. The church has a date marker on the wall of 1905.

Undated architectural plan of building renovation.

Journal: Sunday School Classes with names of students and teachers 1944-1945.

Ledger: Sunday School Class Reports with names of students and teachers, 1940 - 1942.

Journal: Sunday School Classes with names of students and teachers 1937-1940.

Journal: Sunday School Records with names of students and teachers 1935-1937.

Journal: Sunday School Records with names of students and teachers 1933-1935.

Journal: Sunday School Records with names of students and teachers 1931-1933.

Ledger: Sunday School Records with names of students and teachers 1929-1931.

Ledger: Sunday School Records with names of students and teachers 1928 and 1929.

Ledger: Sunday School Records with names of students and teachers 1926-1927.

Coverless ledger with Sunday School reports July 1920-27 December 1925.

Sunday School reports with names of students and teachers 1916-1920.

Coverless ledger with Sunday School reports for 16 May 1909 - 11 June 1911.  Reference to Ida Fields (see later, Ida Neff, or Ida Fields Neff) that would support the idea that this is MC alumna, Ida Fields Neff, of which we have a collection. Later reference is made to Noble Neff, which would be Ida's husband, an MC alumnus.

Bethel Choir Minutes 1932-1945, Bertha Wehrly choir director.

Original Minutes of Council Meetings 1884-1901 and bound photocopy.

Congregational Business Meeting Minutes and Member List 1915 - 1942 with certificate of membership of Rilla Puterbaugh of Elkhart City, COB.

Congregational Business Meeting Notes and Minutes 1986 - 1995.

Bethel Official Board Minutes 1963 - 1977.

Spiral bound Worship Committee notebook 1986 - 1989.

Deacon's Secretary's Book 1961 - 1969.

Church guestbook beginning with the dedication of the education wing 15 September 1989 - 1980/

Clerk's Minutes of Council Meetings 1943 - 1960.

Clerk's Minutes of Council Meetings 1960 - 1985.

Large Box Accessssion # 2001/9, Box B:

Bethel Church of the Brethren, Milford, Indiana 1977 Congregational Organization and Polity booklet.

Bank acount book, 1938 - 1948.

Architectural plans 1967 - marked "approved."

Bank Account Book.

Report of the building of the church starting with fall of 1961.

Documents, titles and letters concerning constrution; masonry, insurance, etc.

Building Financial Report.

Specifications for General Constrution of Addition and Alteration to Bethel Church of the Brethren, Milford, Indiana, Howard Pletcher, Designer and Gerald Brubaker, Architect.

Agreements between Pastor and Congregation 1958 - 1976 (a few missing).

Quarterly Council Minutes of Bethel Church 20 October 1962 and other minutes from 1961 - 1962.

Deacons Minutes 1969 - 1978.

Sunday School Secretary's Record Books for 1995 - 1996 and 1996 - 1997.

Stacks of Sunday School Record booklets, Adult and Primary, mostly complete? (needs organization):  1952 -1995.

 A plethora of cancelled checks  spanning many years and including but not limited to 1921, 1974, 1990.

Large Box Accessssion # 2001/9, Box C:

Dur to time constraints Box C has not been thoroughly documented.  Some of the materials are listed below:

Church membership records.

Vignettes of church members and their families dated June 1961.

Letters of membership transfers.

Membership record card catalogue.

Annual Reports.

Church Library 1986 - 1992.

"Golden Rule" Sunday School Class records, 1950's - 1980's.

Bethel Aid Society financial records.

Bethel Church financial records, bank reports and red, green financial books.

Bethel directories and calenders.

Treasurer's Reports in books: 1911 - 1924, 1932-1945 and 1945-1975 - of historical significance.

See Also: Northern Indiana Church of the Brethren Filing Cabinets: Bethel.

Date of Accession30 March 2011
Bio History Note

The Bethel Ladies Aid Society Roll Call for 1935 listed:

Agnes Neff, Chloe Neff, Esther Haab, Grace Noss, Marie Gilbert, Mary Urley, Martha Zimmerman, Bertha Wehrly, Clara Cory, Clara Price, Lula Cooper, Vera Cooper, Lydia Kirdoffner.

This Bethel Church of the Brethren is located in Millford, Indiana (Northern Indiana District) and should not be confused with the Bethel Church of the Brethren near Ladoga, Indiana in the South Central District of the Church of the Brethren.

Archivist Note

Because these records were interwoven with Bethel materials, the Archivist is assuming these Sunday School records belong with the Bethel congregation's files.  However, a researcher would have to be more thorough and go through and match names of those we know are Bethel members against those that are listed on the Sunday School lists.  One might start with the "Friendship" Class, whose minutes we do have...then verify that against names of those individuals in the class attendance records.

Three filing cabinets filled with materials identified as belonging to Bethel Church of the Brethren, Accessssion # 2001/9, were discovered by Archivist J. Wine.  A paper record could not be found and J. Wine boxed these items, included them with BC2011/19 and placed them with the other Bethel Boxes North of the COB Filing Cabinet.

For further research: Are Ida Neff and Noble Neff  Manchester College Alumni? See Ledger 1940-1952 for their names. A reference to Ida Fields in Sunday School report for 16 May 1909 - 11 June 1911 would support this being our MC student, Ida Fields Neff, of which we have a photograph collection.

Description prepared 30 March 2011 by Jeanine M. Wine and updated 29 September 2011 by Jeanine M. Wine.

 


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