Finding aid for the First Congregational Church Records

History of the First Congregational Church

The First Congregational Church was organized as a Presbyterian church on December 18, 1834, and incorporated on February 23, 1835. In 1838, forty-four of its members withdrew to form their own Congregational church. The members of this Congregational church were unable to support it and returned to the original Presbyterian church in 1844. Two years later, however, the congregation voted itself out of the Presbyterian church and joined the Congregational denomination.

The first services were held in a brick school house on Vermont Street in Brooklyn, Ohio (annexed to Cleveland in 1894). In 1835, a temporary structure was erected on the southeast corner of Detroit and State Streets. In 1851, during the pastorate of Reverend James A. Thome, a brick structure was erected on the Detroit Street lot. Reverend Henry M. Tenney accepted the position of pastor in 1880. Tenney was an organizer of the Anti-Saloon League and an instructor of English at the Case Institute of Technology from 1888-1889. In 1885, while he was pastor, a new building was erected on Franklin and West 47th Streets.

In 1910, Dr. H. N. Dascomb began his pastorate at First Congregational and it was during his ministry that a parsonage was purchased on West 47th Street. During World War I, Dr. Dascomb resigned and joined the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA). His ministry was followed by that of Dr. William Kedzie in 1918, who served the church for then years, and left only a short time before the stock market crash of 1929. He was replaced by Dr. Earl H. Thayer who served the church through the Great Depression. Like other churches during the Depression, First Congregational provided relief for the needy and social and welfare work in the community.

In 1943, a new parsonage was erected on Clinton Avenue and in May of that year Reverend Earl Ware foster accepted the position of church pastor. In 1944, First Congregational discussed a merger with Highland Congregational Church, but by 1946 the idea had been abandoned. In 1954, financial difficulties forced the church to disband. All assets, including the church's records, were turned over to the Congregational Union of Cleveland. Marriages, however, continued to be held at the church until 1962.

Scope and Content

The First Congregational Church Records, 1837-1963, consist of church registers, minutes, baptismal records, correspondence, memoranda, financial materials, directories, histories, and scrapbooks.

This collection will be useful to researchers studying the history of religion and the Congregational Church in Cleveland, Ohio, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Although the directories in the collection date back to 1837 and the marriage records continue to 1962, the main body of these records were created between 1900-1954. Within these years, most of the records relate to membership, baptisms, and marriages, and will be useful to genealogists. The scrapbooks in the collection relate to aspects of church life outside of Sunday worship services and business meetings. The collection also provides insight into the social and financial problems that led the church to disband in 1954.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Access

None.

All photographs have been removed to the WRHS photograph and print collection.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 3855 First Congregational Church Records, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Acquisition Information

Gift of the Western Reserve Association in 1979.

Processing Information

Processed by Anita Delaries in 1981.

Detailed Description of The Collection