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Caledonia County Sunday School records

 Collection
Identifier: stja.002

Scope and Content Note

Includes correspondence, reports, speeches, petitions, and lists created by Rev. John H. Worcester in the course of his involvement with the Caledonia County Sunday School. Annual reports to the Massachusetts Sunday School Society contain statistics and narrative summaries of the Society's activities. Notes for speeches to various audiences and committee records address methods of Sunday School education. Topics of note include rote memorization and the formation of juvenile temperance societies. All the materials have been arranged chronologically.

A detailed item-level finding aid is available in print format, through the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum Archives.

Dates

  • 1835-1847

Language of Materials

English

Access:

Collection is open for research.

Publication Rights:

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum Archives.

Background Note

This Society was formally organized in 1840, apparently by the Caledonia Association. The history presented below is transcribed from the first report of the Society to the Massachusetts Sunday School Society, March 1, 1841, by the Rev. John H. Worcester, pastor of the North Congregational Church from 1839 to 1846 (Folder 2). The Caledonia County Sunday School Society maintained a close connection with the Massachusetts Sunday School Society. More active than the Vermont Society, Massachusetts published annual reports of its affiliates. This was one of the reasons given for the connection in a draft of a letter to the Vermont Chronicle (Folder 4). The date the Society disbanded is unknown.

"The constitution of the Cal. Co. Conf. of chhs [churches] was adopted in convention Oct. 1834 and its first annjual meeting held June 1835. From the first the cause of S.S.s has held a prominent place in the attention of this conf.

"According to the 8th Article of the Constitution the Semiannual meeting in Oct. of each year is to be devoted to the promotion of the various public charities of the day and conf is to act as a Soc. aux. [Social auxiliary?] to the various religious Soc's to whose funds the churches may choose to contribute.

"Among then [sic] public charities of the day the cause of S. S. instruction held a prominent place in the attention of the conf. at their Semiannual meeting though it is believed that conf. never acted as an auxiliary to any S.S. Soc. either by reports or by pecuniary aid, nor did the duties of the Sec. for S.S.'s extend beyond the preparation of a report and the introduction of the subject by some suitable remarks at the Semiannual meeting.

"At the meeting of conf. in Oct. 1839 an agent was appointed to present the cause of S.S. instruction in the several chhs. in the county by exchanges, and a cmee [committee] was also appointed to mature [?] and report at the next Annual meeting a plan for a more efficient organization in behalf [of] this great object.

"Accordingly at the annual meeting in June 1840 this cmee reported a plan which was adopted by conf. and is as follows.

* 1st. That this conf. become a S.S. Soc. Aux. to the Mass. [Massachusetts] S.S. Soc.

* 2 That the S.S. Anniversay be held in connection with the meeting of the conference in June.

* 3. That it be the duty of the S.S. Sec. to make report annually to the Mass. S.S.S. and to this conf. and also to act as general agent for Conference in promoting the cause of SS. instruction in this county.

* 4. That there be a standing S.S. Com. of 3 of whom the S.S. Sec. shall be one.

"Such then is the present organization of this Conference for the promotion of the cause of S.S. instruction -- And as an auxiliary of the Mass. S.S. Soc. The present is our first anniversary."

Extent

1 linear ft. (1 box)

Abstract

Includes correspondence, reports, speeches, petitions, and lists created by Rev. John H. Worcester in the course of his involvement with the Caledonia County Sunday School.

Physical Location

For current information on the location of these materials, please contact the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum Archives.

Related Material

The St. Johnsbury Athenaeum also house the records of the Caledonia Association of Congregational Ministers (A2001.25), with whom the Caledonia County Sunday School Society appears to have been affiliated.

Title
Inventory of the Caledonia County Sunday School records, 1835-1847, n.d. stja.002
Status
Unverified Full Draft
Author
Processor: Les Moore (1988) , Selene Colburn, and Suzanne Gallagher.
Date
© 2002
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the The St. Johnsbury Athenaeum Archives Repository

Contact:
1171 Main St.
St. Johnsbury Vermont 05819
(802) 748.8291