The Congregational Union of Cleveland Churches was originally known as the Cleveland Congregational Conference. It was organized in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1853 and became a member of the Ohio Conference of Congregational Churches the next year. The Conference's aim was the promotion, expansion, and control of the denominational rights of the Congregational churches located in Cleveland. By overseeing the organization of new churches and the mergers of existing churches, and by providing financial assistance, the Conference hoped to make each Congregational church an influential force in its community.
With the growth of Cleveland's population due to European immigration following the American Civil War, the work of the Cleveland Congregational Conference became more urgent. In 1892, the Conference formed the City Missionary Society, which was to be a separate entity, and hired a superintendent to organize churches in immigrant neighborhoods. In 1911, however, the Ohio Conference forced a reorganization of the Cleveland Congregational Conference and the City Missionary Society. The state Conference transferred the jurisdiction over all dependent Cleveland Congregational churches and all funds for their support to the City Missionary Society. Left without funding, the Cleveland Conference negotiated with the City Missionary Society, and in 1922 they became one organization, the Congregational Union of Cleveland.
In 1957, the Congregational Christian Church and the Evangelical and Reformed Church merged to form the United Church of Christ. The merger was on a national level, and individual churches, associations, and conferences were not part of the merger unless they voted to join the United Church of Christ. In 1963 a merger on the local level occurred when the Congregational Union of Cleveland, along with other Congregational associations, which included the Medina, Grand River, and Plymouth Rock Associations, merged with the Northeast Ohio Synod of the Evangelical and Reformed Church to form the Western Reserve Association of the United Church of Christ. The Congregational Union of Cleveland ceased to exist as a separate entity and its work, as well as its records, were turned over to the Western Reserve Association of the United Church of Christ.
The Congregational Union of Cleveland Churches Photographs, ca. 1890-1960, consist of views of the member churches, officers, and activities of the Congregational Union of Cleveland Churches, of Cleveland and northeastern Ohio. The collection includes 163 black and white photographs that measure 8 x 10 inches and smaller. It also includes 37 black and white negatives.
This collection will be useful to researchers studying the history of religion and congregational churches in Cleveland, Ohio, in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century.
The collection is arranged in four series. Each series is arranged alphabetically by subject and then chronologically.
The researcher should also consult MS 3850 Medina Association of Congregational Christian Churches and Ministers; MS 3854 Highland United Church of Christ Records; MS 3855 First Congregational Church Records; MS 3856 Collinwood United Church of Christ Records; and MS 3857 Congregational Union of Cleveland Churches Records.
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[Container ___, Folder ___ ] PG 249 Congregational Union of Cleveland Churches Photographs, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
These photographs were removed from MS MS 3850 Medina Association of Congregational Christian Churches and Ministers; MS 3854 Highland United Church of Christ Records; MS 3855 First Congregational Church Records; MS 3856 Collinwood United Church of Christ Records; and MS 3857 Congregational Union of Cleveland Churches Records. Gift of the Western Reserve Association of the United Church of Christ in 1979.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.