Guide to the First Baptist Church Of Marion Records,
1804-1904.

Collection Number: 6063

Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections
Cornell University Library

Contact Information:
Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections
2B Carl A. Kroch Library
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
(607) 255-3530
Fax: (607) 255-9524
rareref@cornell.edu
http://rmc.library.cornell.edu
Compiled by:
S.L.
Date completed:
July 1979
EAD encoding:
Andrea Hektor, Aug. 2004

© 2003 Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY

Title:
First Baptist Church of Marion records, 1804-1904.
Collection Number:
6063
Creator:
First Baptist Church of Marion (Marion, N.Y.)
Quantity:
1 reel microfilm.
Forms of Material:
Microfilm.
Repository:
Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library
Abstract:
Two volumes of quarterly church covenant and special meeting minutes (1804-1846, 1848-1893); one volume of trustee's minutes (1824-1893) which also contains treasurer's reports (1896-1904) and membership records; and meeting minutes and membership and dues lists for the church's Female Benevolent Society. Church discipline, revivals, anti-masonry, anti-slaveryand missionary activity figure prominently as subjects.
Language:
Collection material in English

ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY

The First Baptist Church of Marion was organized as the First Baptist Church of Williamson on February 24, 1804 by Elder Seba Norton of Sodus, New York with nineteen original members. During the next twenty-five years services were held regularly at the Mason schoolhouse. In 1829 the Society built the first church building; in Williamson, a wooden structure with galleries on three sides. In 1850 the church was converted into a store and a new building, costing $4000, was erected and dedicated on November 25, 1850. In 1867 an addition and extensive repairs were made. See The History of Wayne County and the accessions folder for a list of pastors and additional details.
COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

This collection contains three volumes of church records: two volumes of quarterly church covenant and special meeting minutes (1804-1846, 1848-1893); one volume of trustees' minutes (1824-1893), also containing treasurer's reports (1896-1904) and membership records; and "The Secretary's Book of the Female Benevolent Society" of the church (consisting of meeting minutes and membership and dues lists). Church discipline and doctrine, revivals and Anti-Masonry figure prominently as subjects of the covenant meetings; the slavery question and missionary activity were also discussed.
SUBJECTS

Names:
First Baptist Church of Marion (Marion, N.Y.)
First Baptist Church of Williamson (Williamson, N.Y.)

Subjects:
Church records and registers--New York (State)--Marion.
Baptists--New York (State)--Marion.
Baptists--New York (State)--Williamson.
Baptist church buildings--New York (State)--Marion.
Freemasonry--Religious aspects--Baptists.
Church discipline--New York (State)--Marion.
Revivals--New York (State)--Marion.

Places:
Wayne County (N.Y.)--Religious life and customs.
Marion (N.Y.)--Religious life and customs.
Williamson (N.Y.)--Religious life and customs.

Form and Genre Terms:
Minutes.
INFORMATION FOR USERS

Restrictions on use:
Not to be published or otherwise released in such form that any individual mentioned in the records can be identified.
Cite As:
First Baptist Church of Marion records, #6063. Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library.
CONTAINER LIST

Description
Container
Church Book, (1804-1846)
Contains minutes of monthly covenant quarterly church and sporadic special meetings which dealt with church membership, discipline, pastorship, and finance. Located prior to the minutes in this volume is: a catalogue of members (February 1838); a treasurer's account of money collected for the Baptist Missionary Society of Marion listing names and amounts (n.d.); the church's. Platform and Confession of Faith; and a record of deaths (I8l4-l8, 1835-38). Minutes commence on January 9, 1804. Items of note, with the exception of disciplinary cases and revivals which are too numerous to note, follow:
January 9, 1804
Doctrinal questions are discussed, male and female members are listed 97 P. with note as to whether they died or were dismissed, and a list of members dismissed from the Baptist Church in Palmyra to form this church.
March 11, 1808
Delegates sent to the formation of a church in Sodus.
March 9, 18l6
Policy on adultery and remarriage of the innocent party.
August 9/1817
Member expelled for joining a pedobaptist church.
October 18, 1815
(out of order) an ordination is planned.
April 12, 1818
Bro. expelled for pedobaptist beliefs.
Sept. -Dec; 1830
Revival.
January 27, 1821
Doctrinal disagreement over the Trinity
July 14, 1821
Bro. expelled for anti-trinitarian beliefs.
November 16, 3J822
Sr. recalls her baptisms into the Arian Church (Christian Society .
August 7, 1824
The church begins plans to build a church.
September 1826
The church votes to call itself "Baptist Church at Marion"
December 23, 1826
Bro. expelled for bigamy.
1826
Long controversy over the theft of a shawl.
Feb. -Apr. 1828
Nov and almost every winter until the Civil War occur large numbers of baptisms.
August 1828
Anti-Hasonry resolution and another resolution to build a meeting house.
April 1829
Bro. dismissed for being a Mason.
August 1829
Voted to petition the Commissioner of Highways to lay a road to the meetinghouse.
September 1829
First communion in the new meetinghouse.
November 21, 1829
Voted to adopt the resolution passed by the Whitesborough Conference in relation to Freemasonry.
August 1834
Voted to leave the Ontario Baptist Association to join the Wayne Baptist Association.
March 26, 1836
A letter is sent to Elder Weaver approving his course in managing protracted meetings.
March 11, 1837
Former member of the Walworth Free Will Baptists joins the church.
July 27, 1837
A resolution on home and foreign missions is passed in response to a letter from the American and Foreign Bible Society.
August 1838
Council called to try a former minister. Discussion continues from January - August.
August 1, 1840
Membership of 188 is reported.
January 1, 1842
Brother is expelled for his "infidel" principles.
August 1843
Anti-Slavery resolution. The church has 332 members.
March 7, 1843
Minutes end.
Monthly Covenant Meeting Minutes, 1848-1888
Contains minutes of monthly covenant, quarterly church and occasional special meetings which deal with church membership, discipline, pastorship and finance. At the front of the volume before the meeting minutes is a membership list (5 p.) indicating how members came into and left the church. Revivals, which occurred almost every winter during February - April are not indicated. Items of note follow: (Note: April 1846 - May 1848 is missing.)
June 6, 1848
Anti-Odd-Fellow resolution.
July 1850
Bro. excluded for denying the immortality of the soul.
September 13, 1856
Voted to buy the Marion Collegiate Institute for $5,000.
February 7 1857
Trustees elected normall reported in Item 1.
December 1861
Elder George Balcona labors with the church.
May 1, 1864
A Dutch Reformed pastor, M.V., is baptised with members of his congregation, and licensed to preach.
September 3, 1864
A council is called to consider organizing M.V.
September 1865
The church adopts the "American Baptist Publication Society Covenant . "
October 6, 1866
Eleven members including M.V. , are set off as "The Holland Branch of the Baptist Church in Marion."
February 29, 1868
For the first time women are appointed to serve in the church.
June 5, 1869
M.V. suspended for violation of the 7th commandment. A sister also expelled for the same reason.
September 11, 1869
M.V. defrocked and expelled.
August 6, 1870
Plans to take a collection for Rochester University.
August 4, 1877
Rules of order adopted.
end of volume
Several lists of members indicating date of baptism or letter, date restored, dismissed, excluded, dropped or died, one for 1880.
end of volume
An agreement between the church and Alonzo G. Potter to have Potter donate an organ to the church in memory of his parents, former deacons of the church.
end of volume
A list of members and amounts of money.
end of volume
Minutes of a meeting held on January l6, 1888.
end of volume
More names and amounts.
Trustee's Records, (1824-1893) and Annual Meeting Minutebook
Part 1: November 8, 1824 - December 8, 1850.
Part 2: December 8, 1828 - December 8, 1893.
Part 2 is a copy of part 1 from 1828-1850 with additional records. Meetings were more frequent during the construction of meeting houses.
Part 3: End of vol. "Treasurer's report of the church, 1896-1904."
The Secretary's Book of the Female Benevolent Society of Marion Baptiste Church Wayene Co. N.Y. 1857, (1857-1876) .
Contains meeting minutes beginning with the 7th Annual meeting. They include date and location of meeting, names of members and dues paid, the Constitution of the Society and items purchased.