Fonds MC256 - Kirk McColl United Church (St. Stephen) fonds : [1794-1988]

Title proper

Kirk McColl United Church (St. Stephen) fonds : [1794-1988]

General material designation

  • Textual record

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  • Source of title proper: Title is based on the contents of the fonds.

Level of description

Fonds

Reference code

CA PANB MC256

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Physical description

60 cm of textual records and 15 reels of microfilm

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Name of creator

(Active since ca. 1785)

Administrative history

Kirk-McColl United Church in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, was created by the union of McColl Methodist Church and the Kirk (Presbyterian Church). The Methodist part of the church can trace its origins back to 1785 when Duncan McColl and his wife arrived in St. Stephen. McColl came from a Scottish Episcopal background while his wife had been a member of the Methodist Society in New York. In St. Stephen, the McColls invited people to their home for prayer and Bible study. By 1790, the growing group was so large that a meeting house was built. Duncan was ordained a Methodist minister in 1795. He served the area's circuit until 1829 and died the following year. New, larger churches were built in 1816 and 1870 by which time the congregation was well over a thousand. In 1925 the congregation joined the United Church of Canada as the McColl United Church

It is generally believed that John Cassills, the principal of the grammar school at St. Andrews in 1818, was the first Presbyterian cleric to minister to St. Stephen. A Presbyterian church was organized there in 1834 and around 1853 the Kirk was completed. A resident minister was in place by 1854. In 1925, most of these Presbyterians joined the newly formed United Church of Canada, but a few remained separate and established a new Presbyterian church. The two United Church congregations remained separate until 1944 when they merged to become the Kirk-McColl United Church. They worshipped in the former McColl church until it was destroyed by fire in 1980. A new church was dedicated in 1982.

Custodial history

Information about the custody of these records prior to acquisition is incomplete. Most of the records belonged to the two founding churches, but some records came originally from parishioners.

Scope and content

The fonds consists of the records of Kirk-McColl United Church and both the founding churches. It includes registers of baptisms, marriages and burials, membership rolls and communicants' registers. There are minutes and financial records of the governing bodies of both churches. There are records of various church youth groups including the Young People's Society and C.G.I.T. (Canadian Girls in Training) and of women's groups including detailed records of a needle craft group, 1949-1989, United Church Women, Women's Missionary Society and Utopia Guild. There are photo directories and photographs of the church and some correspondence, especially about the rebuilding of the church in 1981. There is also a group of historical records which includes personal papers of Duncan McColl.

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

The bulk of this fonds was acquired from the Kirk McColl Church in 1969, further material from parishioners homes was filmed in 1991

Arrangement

Some of the records were filmed in random order as part of Project Preservation in 1981. Many of the records were refilmed in 1991 in more accessible order. It is necessary to consult the detailed finding aid at the Provincial Archives to locate specific records.

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

Location of originals

Availability of other formats

Restrictions on access

No restrictions on material. Limited access as the material is currently with conservation.

Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

Finding aids

Detailed finding aid with microfilm numbers is available.

Associated materials

MC995 contains additional records of the Kirk McColl church on microfilm: A history of the church,1834-1934 (F758); Young People's Society, 1883-1896, (F758); cemetery inscriptions (F758); administrative records, 1944-1975, (F757); United Church Women, 1962-1974, (F944 & F758); and Women's Auxiliary, 1927-1975, (F757 & F758). Additional administrative records, 1913-1959, are on F29-F31 inclusive and additional vital statistics, 1794-1964, are on F28.

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