Guide to the First Methodist Episcopal Church Of Trumansburg Records,
1831-1934.

Collection Number: 6066

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:
P.W.
Date completed:
Aug. 1979
EAD encoding:
Andrea Hektor, Aug. 2004

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

DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY

Title:
First Methodist Episcopal Church of Trumansburg records, 1831-1934
Collection Number:
6066
Creator:
First Methodist Episcopal Church of Trumansburg (Trumansburg, N.Y.)
Quantity:
1 reel microfilm.
Forms of Material:
Microfilm.
Repository:
Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library
Abstract:
Two church registers (1841-1851, 1854-1866); two volumes Sabbath School Meeting Minutes (1846-1870, 1860-1904); one volume of Quarterly Conference Meeting minutes (1862-1881) for Trumansburg and one volume for the Ulysses Circuit (1831-1845) and one volume fo church meeting minutes (1860-1904) which also contain accounts for constructing a building.
Language:
Collection material in English

ORGANIZATIONAL HISTORY

The First Methodist Episcopal Church of Trumansburg was made a distinct charge on January 4, 1831. A log church was built and dedicated in 1832, was sold in 1856, and a brick church was built and dedicated in 1857. A Sabbath School was organized in 1845 and held as many as 75-80 scholars at a time. A Bible class was added to the regular Sunday classes in 1850, and soom after, a Sabbath School Missionary Society was organized. The Trumansburg Methodist Episcopal Church was part of the Ulysses circuit and its pastors and class leaders attended the circuit quarterly conference meetings. The Ulysses circuit embraced charges, classes, and societies at Trumansburg, Mecklenburg, Enfield, Covert, Jacksonville and McIntyre's Settlement. In 1833 the circuit was divided into East and West sections, or Ulysses and Enfield circuits. In 1838 delegates from the Ulysses circuit were chosen to go to a quarterly conference meeting of the Ovid circuit to suggest annexing it, but the outcome of this is unclear.
COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

In this collection, the records of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Trumansburg cover the years 1831-1904. Items 1 and 2 are registers (1841-51, 1854-1866), item 3 is a Sabbath School meeting minute book (1846-1870); item 4 is a quarterly conference record book, item 5 the Sabbath School teacher's meeting minute book (1860-1904); item 6 is the church's official members' meeting minutes (1841-1843), item 7 is the quarterly conference meeting minutes of the Ulysses circuit (1831-1845); item 1 has no page numbers, item 2 has pagination throughout, item 3 has pagination through page 273 and items 4, 5, 6 and 7 have no page numbers. Although item 6 is labeled as official members' meeting minutes, at least half of this document contains accounts of the costs and amounts of supplies necessary for the construction of barns, houses, and other buildings.
SUBJECTS

Names:
First Methodist Episcopal Church of Trumansburg (Trumansburg, N.Y.)
Methodist Episcopal ChurchUlysses Circuit (N.Y.)

Subjects:
Methodist Episcopal Church--New York (State)--Trumansburg.
Church records and registers--New York (State)--Trumansburg.
Sunday schools--New York (State)--Trumansburg.
Methodist church buildings.

Places:
Tompkins County (N.Y.)--Religious life and customs.
Trumansburg (N.Y.)--Religious life and customs.

Form and Genre Terms:
Minutes.
INFORMATION FOR USERS

Cite As:
First Methodist Episcopal Church of Trumansburg records, #6066. Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library.
CONTAINER LIST

Description
Container
Church Register, 1844-1854
(Note: Earliest date is l84l.)
Register
Records members' names, when received, expelled, deceased, removed, letter, and remarks.
Baptisms, 1842 .
Records names of children baptized, parents' names.
Probationers, n.d
Lists names, vhen received, remarks.
"Number in Society on This Station," n.d
A register. Lists names, and if removed.
List of official members, August 10, 1852
Lists local preachers, stewards, class leaders, delegates to District Consociation, apportioning committee for preacher's salary, trustees.
Official list, 1849
Lists local preachers, local elders, stewards, class leaders.
Official list for 1850 and 1851
Same as above.
Probationers for 1850 and 1851
Lists names, when received.
Probationers for 1849 and 1850
Lists names, when received, received in full, dropped.
Probationers, 1842
Lists names, when received, full connection, dropped.
Probationers, 1843
Same as above.
Probationers, 1844 and 1845
Same as above.
One page with heading: "Benton, Yates County, New York, 1845."
Records number of names in beginning of year, number on probation, members in full connection, received by letter, received in full, received in full (again), and other titles and numbers which are illegible. N.B. Between these pages there is a letter of dismission certifying the membership of Sister Louise House in the Methodist Episcopal Church at Elmira.
Between the next pages is a paper with numerical figures (n.d., no title) on one side and a passage from Luke on the other.
Church Register, 1854-1866
Table of contents, or "Index to this Register," transcribed below:
List of Official Members, page 11, 12, 13
Record of Baptisms, page 1, 2, 3
Record of Marriage, page 54, 55, 56, 57
Alphabetical List, page 173
Record of Classes Severally, page 28l
List of Probationers, page 96, 97
Pages 1-10
Baptisms, 1859-1868 . Records names, dates, officiating minister.
Page 11
List of official members, October 8, 1856 . Lists presiding elder, preacher, stewards, leaders, trustees.
Page 12
Revised list, August l86l . Lists stewards, leaders, preacher in charge, presiding elder.
Page 13
Revised list, September 5, 1863 . Same as above.
Page 14
Revised list, August 21, 1868 . Lists local elder, stewards, leaders, trustees, Sabbath School superintendent.
Pages 53-62
Marriages. Records dates, names of parties, residences, where married, officiating minister, fee.
Pages 89-100
Probationers, 1855-1868 . Records date, name, condition/state in life, residence, class leader, remarks.
a. page 93: revised list, August l86l. Same as above.
b. page 96: revised list, August 30, 1863. Same as above.
Pages 172-249
Alphabetical list of members, [ 1844-1868 ]. Records names, residence, time and mode of joining, class leader, remarks. N.B. At least half of these pages are revised or re-written lists, with dates.
Pages 256- 290
Class List, or "Record of Classes Severally." Lists class number, names, remarks.
a. pages 264-268: revised list, August 1860. Lists class number, names, class leader, meeting time.
b. pages 269-274: revised list, August l86l. Same as above.
c. pages 275-280: revised list, November 1862. Same as above.
d. pages 281-291: revised list, September 1863. Corrected August 1866. Same as above.
Sabbath School Minute Book, 1846-1870
Table of contents, or "index." Transcribed below:
Reports Annual, page (?)
Organization of S.S. 1845, page 10
Organization of S.S. 1846, page (?)
S.S. Account of Books and Primers, page 26
Cash Account Current, page (?)
Page 1
List of books in library, by title.
Page 4
Account of books bought, July 22, 1850 .
Pages 10-23
Meeting minutes, 1846-1847 . Records appointment of teachers, superintendent, librarian and assistant; success or failure of teachers; problems in holding attendance and obedience to rules; absences and lack of male teachers; expulsions and new students. Some of these entries are church meetings when Sabbath School officers are elected or chosen; other are made every Sunday and include lessons of the day and absence of teachers.
Page 24
Accounts for Sabbath School, 1846-? . Records dates, books and their cost, money raised and from whom received, balance forward, balance due.
Page 27
Minutes continued, as above. 1848-1878 . Pagination ends here. Entries of note concern the necessity of employing female teachers to teach the boys due to the lack of male teachers; a committee of women appointed to solicit new teachers; conversions among students and teachers due to a protracted meeting; poor attendance due to many going to see baptisms performed at the Baptist Church; no classes held on Sunday due to a temperance lecture by William Barrigan (?) "who is a stranger here," absence due to bad weather.
November 20, 1849
This is a meeting of the teachers.
February 12, 1850
Teacher's meeting. A Bible class is formed.
More accounts of the Sabbath School and Bible class follow.
They record number of volumes in library, titles and costs; subscriptions; contributions and names.
End of the minute book
3 entries about a Christmas Show (1870) the purchase of a Melodian, and a list of S.S. officers (1875), respectively.
Records of the Quarterly Conference of Trumansburg, March 1862, (1862-1881)
There are minutes of the Trumansburg Methodist Episcopal Church Quarterly Conference meetings. They record presiding elders' and members' names; appointment of clerks; estimating committee reports; discussion of duties of stewards in collecting subscriptions (?) and members' paying them; passage and adoption of resolutions; reports from Sabbath school superintendent; reports on preacher's salary by stewards; election of stewards and preachers on Trumansburg charge; appointments to special committees (for example, mission committee and Sabbath school committees); recommendations for changes among committees; election of representatives for District Conference.
Records of the Teachers Meetings of the Trumansburg Methodist Episcopal Church, 1860-1904
These are Sabbath School weekly and annual meeting minutes.
Minutes for a teachers' and officer's meeting, March 26, 1877 .
Records choice of secretary, appointments to committees; discussion of problems with teachers.
A list of Sabbath School Officers, 1860-1894 .
Lists dates and names of superintendent, assistant superintendent, secretary and treaserers. Signed and dated.
Meeting minutes, l860-1904 .
Minutes record election of chairmen and officers, treaserers' reports, appointments to committees, members present at meetings, also teachers and officers; teachers' reports; collection of donations; election of delegates to a Sabbath School convention.
Proceedings of the Members of the Trumansburg Methodist Episcopal Church, 1841-1843
Minutes record preachers, stewards' and trustees' names; names of members present; who in chair; appointments of secretaries; passage and adoption of resolutions; appointments to committees (for example; a committee to meet with non-attending class members, a parsonage committee); actions taken on absent class members and other disciplinary cases; trustees' reports; estimating committee reports; election of representatives to District Conference.
Entries follow which appear to be written accounts of the costs and amounts of supplies necessary for the construction of various buildings, including a "Bill for D. Elmore's barn," and a "house bill," some with dates.
Also, official meeting minutes continued (l entry), November 25, 1845. Records officers present, resolutions passed.
Minutes of the Ulysses Circuit, 1831-1845
These are Quarterly Conference Meeting minutes.
Description of contents by Francis M. Wheeler dated August 1, 1885 , Mecklenburg.
Meeting Minutes, September 24th and 25th, 1831 - May 11, 1845 .
Minutes record place and date of meeting; who presided and conference members present (circuit preachers, local preachers, exhorters, class leaders, stewards); licensing of new preachers and exhorters; appointments to committees (for example: estimating committee, committee to draft a constitution for Tract and Mission Societies, a committee to procure a parsonage); election of stewards; quarterage paid and received (from class and official contributions and public collections; also officers' salaries); passage and adoption of resolutions (for example: 31 December 1831 and January 1, 1832: adoption of a Temperance resolution making the use of "ardent spirits" by church members or probationers cause for disciplinary action by the circuit conference); election of clerks; addition to and subtraction of certain classes from the circuit.
June 23, 1832
"Resolved that (O)badiah Smith be reproved and admonished by Eld. Chase for his over-heated political zeal, particularly for the spirit which has has evinced before the quarterly conference."
January 12, 1833
"Resolved that the Quarterly Conference form themselves into a Tract Society."
July 3, 1833
This conference was held as a camp meeting. Resolved that James Letts' class be invited to give up their separate appointment and join the Trumansburg and Jacksonville Societies. If they should so choose, two stewards are appointed to effect the sale of the class' meeting house. Several licenses to preach and exhort were granted at this meeting.
September 22, 1833
At an "Extra" meeting of the quarterly conference, the Circuit is divided into east and west circuits, and Ulysses no longer includes the Appleton class in the South Circuit. Stewards for the South Circuit appointed. November 1833 (?): The Enfield Circuit (set off from Ulysses) asks to be rejoined to Ulysses or given more classes to make up their new circuit. The Ulysses Circuit's answer is that the division "will result in the dearest interests of the church and the glory of our common Lord." To show their sincerity, they arrange to have Ulysses Circuit ministers exchange with those of Enfield as frequently as possible.
June 21, 1834
A Sabbath School society is formed in the Conference.
September 24 and 25, 1836
A Missionary Society is formed in the Conference.
March 18 and 19, 1837
"Resolved that Brother Parker lay the injunction upon Sister Bradstreet that she must desist from her Practices of healing and if she will not to be dealt with according to Discipline."
August 26 and 27, 1838
Delegates are chosen to go to the Ovid Circuit's next quarterly conference meeting to suggest the annexation of Ulysses and Ovid Circuits.
August 8, 1843
"Alien's class" and "little Flats" are added to Mecklenburg to constitute a station.
End of the document
A statement of agreement concerning the establishment of a farm and construction of buildings on it in Catherine (Schuyler County), and an incomplete recounting of the Jacob's Ladder story.