Fonds PC/409 - Newcastle Pastoral Charge fonds

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Newcastle Pastoral Charge fonds

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Fonds

Reference code

UCC PC/409

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Physical description

2.7 metres of textual records
2 photographs
5 microfilms

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Administrative history

Newcastle Pastoral Charge is comprised of two churches in the Miramichi City area, Northumberland County, New Brunswick: Maple Glen and Newcastle (St. James and St. John). The present St. James and St. John United Church had its origins in the individual churches of the Presbyterian and Methodist denominations, both of which have long roots in the Miramichi.

In 1925, the United Church of Canada was formed from the union of the Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational Churches. The congregations of St. John Methodist Church and St. James Presbyterian Church assented (the latter albeit reluctantly, with many members refusing to join the new church) to participate in this union. In 1929, those communicants, pewholders and adherents of St. James Church who had not agreed to Church Union appealed to the Supreme Court of New Brunswick, objecting to the method of voting on union and attempting to retain the church building. The Court ruled against these "non-concurrents" and it was only at this time that the two congregations became one, the St. James and St. John United church. The former Presbyterian Church became the home of this congregation. A Casavant Freres organ was given to the church in 1919 by Lord Beaverbrook in memory of his father, the Rev. William Aitken, and the bells in the steeple were also given by Beaverbrook in 1945.

Maple Glen has been part of the Newcastle Pastoral Charge since 1925.

The church is surrounded by St. James Cemetery and has been declared a national historic site as it is the burial place of the Honourable Peter Mitchell, Father of Confederation. A fire in 1961 destroyed the hall and caused water damage to registers of marriage, baptism and burials. A new building was opened May 1963.

Custodial history

Information about the custody of these records prior to acquisition is incomplete.

Scope and content

Fonds consists of baptism/marriage/burial records; membership rolls, minutes, correspondence, financial records, annual reports, photographs, newspaper clippings, and published and unpublished histories from St. James and St. John United Church and its Methodist and Presbyterian antecedents. Fonds is composed of the following sous-fonds:
Newcastle Pastoral Charge records
St. James Presbyterian Church records
St. James United Church records
St. John Methodist Church records
St. John United Church records

Physical condition

Immediate source of acquisition

The textual records were received from the Pastoral Charge in February 1997 with the exception of the Men's Union minute book which was purchased from Schooner Books, Ltd., Halifax in December 2002 (accession 02-075). Microfilms were received from the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick in 1988 and 1990.

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Microform Physical Description Note: Five microfilms are 35 mm, negative; two reels are 16 mm, negative.

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Associated materials

Microfilms at Provincial Archives of New Brunswick are F45 to F48, F13363, and F13364.

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Further accruals are expected.

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