THE HISTORIOGRAPHER of

THE NATIONAL EPISCOPAL HISTORIANS AND ARCHIVISTS and

THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH published to promote the preserving

of church records and the writing of parochial and diocesan history

Summer 2010 Vol. XL VIII No.2

Editor: Deborah B. Crall, Trinity Cathedral, 100 West Roosevelt Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003 TheHistoriographer@gmail.com

Writing a Parish History: St. James' Church, New York, New York

St. James' Church, at 7lst Street and Madison Avenue, this year celebrates its 200th anniversary, and the parish has sponsored a new history, St. James' Church in the City of

New York 1810-2010 (published by St. James' Church; pp. 384; hardcover; price $35.00). The present article outlines the process of research and writing the book.

The history project was initiated by the rector, wardens and vestry of St. James', who, together with other members of the parish, gave the project generous assistance and encourage­ment. One of the major activities of recent years under the Rev­erend Brenda Husson, rector of St. James' since 1996, has been the successful imple­mentation of the master plan

isters-have been preserved intact and in good condition. In addition, countless other volumes survive, such as parish yearbooks, scrapbooks, and books of newspaper clippings, all with information about the church and its rectors during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As one comes down to the present, the materials include bound volumes of printed service leaflets, collections of printed sermons, pub-

lished newsletters, correspondence files, architectural

plans, and much else of primary value for research, including a large photograph

collection.

Next in importance for this study have been the archives of the Diocese of New York, kept at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. This is

for renovation of the church ·1 · an immense collection, underbuilding and parish house. A the expert administration of significant result for writing the Wayne Kempton, who was aparish history was that a desig- great help in pointing the way to-nated area, with good - lighting and wards materials relevant to St. James', work space, was set aside for the parish especially: 1) files on individual clergymen archives. Such conditions are excep- who have served in the diocese; 2) files .

l .

kn . . . . St. James' Church, Hamilton Square. Undated

h h .

h. h d

. . l d t1ona . It 1s not un own m v1s1tmg

photo. Courtesy St. James' Church Archives. on c urc es wit m t e tocese, me u -

archives to be shown a pile of half- ing parishes no longer in operation, crushed cardboard boxes at the bottom of a dusty closet. such as the Church of the Redeemer, a 19th-century off-None of this at St. James' Church. So the first advantage for shoot of St. James'; and 3) a complete run of printed jour-research at St. James' was the availability of well-organized nals of diocesan conventions from 1785. The particular and well-stored parish archives. value of the journals is that in early years each rector at the

The second advantage has been that the archival materials are admirably comprehensive. St. James' has stayed in the same neighborhood throughout its history, and fortunately the most important records-vestry minutes and parish reg-

convention presented a parish report that was printed in the journal of proceedings. The reports often contain valuable statistical information about numbers of members or com­municants, Sunday school enrollments, amounts of financial

Continued on page 5

NATIONAL EPISCOPAL HISTORIANS AND ARCHIVISTS

509 Yale Avenue Swarthmore, PA 1908 I

Phone/Fax 610-544-1886 E-mail: nehahqs@aol.com

www.episcopalhistorians.org

The Rev. Christopher M. Agnew President 12433 Richards Ride King George, VA 22485 540-775-6245

Ms. Susan Witt Vice-President 31 Central Avenue Hamburg, NY 14075 716-881-0660

Ms. Elizabeth Allison Secretary 18 First Street Vergennes, VT 05491 802-877-3895

Ms. Sarah Hockings Treasurer 200 Library Place Princeton, NJ 08540 609-921-6284

The Rev. Philip Ayers 3232 NE 12th Avenue Portland, OR 97212 503-281-9610

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The Rev. Bindy Snyder 539 Cherry Road Memphis, TN 38117 901-682-0438

Ms. Mamre Marsh Wilson 302 Moore Street Beaufort, NC 28516 252-728-5442

HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Ms. Susan Ann Johnson, Director of Operations PO Box 1749

Harlingen, TX 78551 Phone: 866-989-5851

Fax: 956-412-8780 E-mail: administration@hsec.us

www.hsec.us

The Rev. Dr. Roberi W. Pritchard President 3737 Seminary Road Alexandria, VA 22304 703-461-1737

The Rt. Rev. Carol Gallagher 1st Vice-President 288 Harrison Avenue Harrison, NY 10528 914-835-4 716

The Rev. Dr. N. Brooks Graebner Secretary St. Matthew's Episcopal Church

PO Box 628 Hillsborough, NC 27278 212-325-7647

Mr. George DeFilippi Treasurer 3417 Barger Drive Falls Church, VA 22044 703-414-5302

Dr. Edward Bond Editor, Anglican and Episcopal History 902 State Street

Natchez, MS 39120 601-445-9366

The Rev. Dr. Alfred Moss Chairman, African American Historical Collection Committee 1500 N. Lancaster Street Arlington, VA 22205 301-405-4317

For information on Book Reviews, contact Dr. Carl Stockton at er.stockton@comcast.net.

2

From the Editor

By all of the accounts that I received, the Tri-History Con­ference in North Carolina this summer was a great success. Many thanks are due to Brooks Graebner, conference coor­dinator, Lynn Hoke, archivist for the Dio­cese of North Carolina and head of local ar­rangements, Bishop Michael Curry for be­ing a gracious host, and all of those on the di­ocesan staff as well as the local volunteers Brooks Graebner and Lynn Hoke.

Photo courtesy Sue Rehkopf. who helped to make �-----------�

this conference such a positive experience.

In future issues of The Historiographer, I hope to introduce 'News from Around the Church.' This section will contain items about workshops sponsored by provinces, dioceses or individual parishes, work of archivists and historians at di­ocesan conventions, announcements regarding persons such as honors received or noteworthy accomplishments. Shortly, I will begin contacting the archivist, historian and communi­cations director at each diocese with the hopes of making arrangements to receive such announcements. However, this will be quite time consuming, and I still might miss items. So please, forward information to.me so that we can keep members of the two societies informed of these special events. Thank you for your assistance.

In response to a previous article, I received a very interest­ing email from Arthur Holder, Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs of the Graduate Theological Union, re­garding the church at Valle Crucis, North Carolina, where he served for seven years. He said that, "the story of the Society of the Holy Cross (that was the actual name, not "Brotherhood") was a big part of the historical lore at the Church of the Holy Cross, Valle Crucis. My office was in the Bishop Ives Cabin built in the 1840s by Levi Silliman Ives (bishop of NC) who was the founder of both the church and the order. And while I was there we built a new parish hall and named it after William West Skiles, the saintly dea­con who was the only professed member of the order to remain in Valle Crucis. He was buried at the Church of St. John the Baptist, a lovely little carpenter's Gothic church that he built just across the river from Holy Cross before he died in 1862. That church is still used for summer services and weddings."

For more information about this fascinating history, there is an excellent summary online at http:/ /anglicanhistory.org/ essays/ives. pdf

A shorter version of the history with pictures of the church buildings is at www.highsouth.com/vallecrucis/history.php3

Obituaries

Laurence D. Fish II, 1929-2010

Editor's note: Naturally, Larry wrote his own obituary, and I chose to honor his wishes by printing it. However, follow­ing his own words is an article detailing his contributions to NEHA, and a reminiscence by one of his colleagues.

In sure and certain hope 1 of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, we commend to Almighty God our brother The Rev. Canon Laurence D. Fish II. The Rev. Canon Laurence D. Fish died on 26 July 2010 in Philadelphia, PA. He was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on 2 June 1929, the son of the Rev. Vincent P. and Evelyn (Duncan)

The Rev. Canon Laurence D. Fish. Photo courtesy Archives, Diocese of

New Jersey.

Fish. He attended the schools of Roselle, New Jersey, graduating in 1947 from Abraham Clark High School; he received a B.S. in music education from Trenton State Teachers College (now The College of New Jersey) in 1951; served two years in the United States Army; taught music in the Penns Grove, New Jersey, schools from 1953-1960; received an S.T.M. from the Philadelphia Divinity School, 1963. He was Ordered Deacon on 26 April 1963 and ordained Priest on 2 November 1963, both by the Rt. Rev. Alfred L. Banyard, VII Bishop of New Jersey. He re­ceived an S.T.M. in Pastoral Counseling from the New York Theological School in 1976.

Canon Fish began his ministry at the Church of the Holy Spirit, Bellmawr, where he served from 1963-1968. He was called to start a mission church in the Cranbury-Hightstown area [of New Jersey], where he served as Vicar and then Rector of St. David's Church from its founding in 1968 until his retirement in 2003. He then was Interim at St. John's, Salem, (NJ] and Priest-in-Charge of St. Barnabas, Burlington, (NJ].

In 1988 Bishop G. P. Mellick Belshaw appointed him Ar­chivist and Historian of the Diocese of New Jersey, a post he filled for 22 years. In 2002, Bishop David B. Joslin made him an honorary Canon of Trinity Cathedral.

He married Joanne V. Mazak in 1951 and they had five children: Evelyn, Laurence III, Joanne, John, and Jan. Both his wife and daughter Joanne predeceased him.

The author of numerous papers and articles about the Dio-

3

cese of New Jersey he also authored a how-to booklet, "Writing a Congregational History," which has been pub­lished in English and Spanish.

Rest eternal grant to him, 0 Lord: And let light perpetual shine upon him. May his soul, and the souls of all the departed, Through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

NEHA and The Rev. Canon Laurence D. Fish II

In the brief account of his life, Larry quite humbly neglects to mention the profound influence he had on NEHA. As aperson privileged to work with him on the staff of the Dio­cese of New Jersey, I witnessed first hand his commitment to the preservation of church archives. He was keenly inter­ested in sharing his passion with others, and educating peo­ple on the treatment and use of archival material, as well as the writing of parish histories. He once said to me that he felt he had found his true calling when appointed Registrar and Historiographer of the Diocese of New Jersey.

His enthusiasm for church histories found another outlet with NEHA, where his energy and creativity were put to use in re-shaping the society. Larry served as treasurer from 1993-1996, and became president in 1996. Under his leader­ship, he increased membership and encouraged educational opportunities in dioceses, teaching them how to preserve their history and that of their congregations. In addition, NEHA established a series of professional publications that could be used at the parish level.

At the NEHA meeting in 1991, Stan Upchurch, archivist for the Diocese of Oklahoma, was commissioned to design a constitution and bylaws for NEHA. These were voted onand approved at the meeting in 1992. However, when NEHA needed to incorporate in Pennsylvania, new bylaws were required. Larry headed a planning committee, working with input from board members and guided by the chancel­lor of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, that produced the bylaws that were approved in 1999. With a few slight changes made since, these are the bylaws under which NE� operatestoday.

Larry had a vision for the organization to become a force not only among diocesan historiographers, but to reach out to the volunteers who worked on both the diocesan and par­ish levels and to offer them training. He dreamt of regional workshops, the first of which were held in Connecticut and Massachusetts in 1998. H� also wanted to offer printed guidelines. His Writing a Congregational History made its debut at the General Convention in Minneapolis in 2003. Archives for Congregations made its debut at the General Convention in Columbus in 2006. Both have guided innu­merable historiographers and archi- Continued on page 4

NEHA and Laurence D. Fish, continued from page 3

vists as they have grappled with their assigned tasks.

Although honored by NEHA in 2003 with the John W. Davis Award, NEHA has recently created the Laurence D. Fish Award in parish history to reflect Larry's profound contributions to the work of preserving the history of parishes. When told of the award shortly before his death, Larry responded with, "Why would they want to do a d . . . d fool thing like that." Despite his quip, Larry was deeply moved by the honor.

A. Margaret Landis, Former Editor, The Historiographer Lynne Wohleber, former NEHA Treasurer

A Reminiscence: Automobile Archive

During Bishop Councell 's funeral homily, he mentioned that when he first saw Larry's car he asked, "Does he have a home?"

Larry's collecting was legendary, and the very full condition of his car, as well as the historical provenance of much of its contents, was a mere extension of that. And I have to admit, I had a similar experience to Bishop Councell.

The Episcopal Clergy of the Burlington Convocation began meeting weekly for breakfast at a local diner about three years ago. Larry, as the priest-in-charge of St. Barnabas in Burlington City, was included. Indeed, he was often the first one there, in spite of living the furthest away, and he often greeted my wife Anne and I as we arrived (we are often second and third since we live close by).

For a number of weeks, I saw this car parked by the front door of the diner. It was loaded to the gunwales with all sorts of stuff, and the weight of its contents caused it to sit rather low to the ground. I thought to myself, 'Gee, it's really nice that the diner is feeding a homeless person' espe­cially given that the diner's owners are not noted for their generosity. It even reached the point in my mind where I was going _to ask if they would accept vouchers from ourlocal Ministerium to provide meals for the poor and home­less we try to serve.

As time progressed I began to have my doubts. One morn­ing I saw a copy of Trenton's daily newspaper The Trento­

nian sitting on the passenger seat of the car in question. I thought that interesting, since I didn't encounter many homeless people who read a daily newspaper. The next Thursday Larry asked if we had read a specific article in The Trentonian. None of us had, since we have our own abysmal daily paper, the Burlington County Times. I thought, 'oh no!' at the time, and resolved to get to the bot-

4

tom of it.

Deborah Crall, Editor, The Historiographer With contributions by

It took a couple of weeks, but I got to the diner before Larry one morning, and waited in my car (this was a better solu­tion, since he left the breakfast earlier than I did, as he had a lOAM Eucharist at St Barnabas). I parked in my usual spot, and kept a look out in my rear view mirror. Lo and behold, at about five minutes to eight, in chugged the 'homeless' person's car. It barely made it over the cut in the curb, and then it parked in the spot in front of the diner. I watched Larry get out of the driver's side. The mystery was solved. However, this did not prove to be the end of the story.

In the late winter this year, he and I were invited to dig through a pile of old books that were part of the collection of the former Archdeacon of Burlington that had ended up in the collection of a former Rector of Trinity 'Old Swedes' Church in Swedesboro. (Dr. Shepherd was also the Seventh Rector of Christ Church Riverton and thus a predecessor of mine. He died in 1941). I volunteered to drive. Larry seemed a little put out, and asked me why. I responded that there were four reasons: one, I knew how to get there easily (my wife is the Interim Vicar there); two, I drive an SUV in case there was a great deal to bring back; and three, my car was newer than his; and four, there would be room for me to sit! Larry looked at me wide-eyed, 'hrummpf-ed' at me, and the following week we took our field-trip to Swedesboro.

I got to breakfast a week later, and, not noticing Larry's car, figured that I had gotten there before him. So I was very surprised to find him sitting at his accustomed location at the head of the table (of course). He smiled at me brightly and said, "Did you see my new car?" "You got a new car?" "You betcha! Want to see it?" So he escorted me out the door and pointed to a gleaming, brand new and almost anti­septically clean GMC Terrain SUV parked in his usual spot. He beamed at me with the pride of new car ownership. I told him it was beautiful, but then I had to ask, "Think you'll have enough room?" "Not likely" he responded, "but at least it will take me little while to fill it up!" We laughed and walked back into the diner.

Writing a History, continued from page I

contributions, and signficant events in the parish. The de­tailed list of the bishop's episcopal acts may include refer­ences important for parish history. It can also be revealing to see how parish delegates voted on important matters de­cided in convention.

The diocesan archives include papers relating to the Right Reverend Horace W. B. Donegan, bishop of New York from 1950 to 1972 (suffragan from 1947; coadjutor from 1949), and rector of St. James' from 1933 to 1947. This vast collection provides lit­tle-known details about Donegan's per­sonal history and family background in England, where he was born in 1900. It is suprising that no full-scale biography has yet been written about Bishop Donegan­here is an attractive opportunity for future� research.

new conditions affecting its neighborhood in the course of 200 years.

A closely related theme is St. James' connection with other churches in New York. Trinity Church, for example, gave St. James' important financial support in its early years. St. Michael's, founded on the Upper West Side in 1807, had close relations with St. James', since each of St. James' first three rectors served concurrently as rector of St. Michael's.

In 1850 Grace Church recruited Edwin Harwood, fifth rector of St. James', as head of its mission parish, where he soon established the independent Church of the Incarnation, so named, Harwood quipped, because "by Grace came the Incarnation."

In the early years of St. James' Parish, the 1-. ;,. � ·�\ :, :�,:' ' Upper East Side was a rural summer col-

i � \�t\ ony-a country retreat for people whose• • • �,'.1 " principal residence was downtown, where

11i\ l • ' �1J they were members of parishes such as'�} · Grace Church, or Trinity Church (or one

Another valuable resource for the history of its chapels of ease, such as St. George's of St. James' is the library of General Chapel, or St. John's Chapel). Initially Theological Seminary. However, at the services were held at St. James' in the time the St. James' project was getting summer only. At the same time, the early under way, General began construction of rectors of St. James' were keenly inter-its new library building, which entailed�-------------� ested in mission work in other areas of moving many items into storage where they were no longer available for consultation. These included, for example, a number of printed sermons by early rectors of St. James'.

Other research was carried out at such well-known locales as the New York Public Library, the Columbia University Libraries (including Burke Library of Union Theological Seminary), the New York University Libraries, and the Mu­nicipal Archives (for the certificate of incorporation of St. James'). The archives of the Diocese of Connecticut pro­vided helpful resources on several rectors of St. James' who had also served in that diocese. There, an especially exciting find was an original photographic portrait (by Matthew Brady) of the first rector of St. James', the Reverend Sam­uel Farmar Jarvis (1786-1851 ), later a professor at General, and Historiographer of the Episcopal Church.

Such were the extensive materials available for research on the long history of St. James' Church. In confronting this embarras de richesses one is faced with a new problem­how to organize one's approach to the material. One of the keys to organization lay in perhaps the most salient feature of the parish history-that St. James' has always remained in the same general area of Manhattan. By contrast, many parishes in New York have relocated to new neighborhoods, following parishioners as they moved in reaction to eco­nomic and demographic trends in the city. So the basic pat­tern for the book is the story of how St. James' responded to

5

Manhattan: either for establishing new parishes in outlying areas, such as Manhattanville-where William Richmond, second rector of St. James', organized St. Mary's Church in the 1820s, at 126th Street and Broadway; or for developing educational programs among people who, in the days before the public school system, had few educational opportunities.

For example, Samuel F. Jarvis in 1815 organized a school in the neighborhood of St. James' "for the instruction of blacks"; in his diocesan report for that year he mentions that "upwards of thirty, most of whom are adults, are already enjoying the advantages it affords." This school was located in the Yorkville area, where there was at the time a signifi­cant African American community. In addition, St. James' was active in educational and mission work in Harlem, and in Seneca Village, near the present West 80s, a multi-racial community eventually obliterated by the construction of Central Park from 1857 onward.

As the city grew in the 19th century, much of the Upper East Side--especially the large area between Fourth (later Park) A venue and the East River-became built up as a tenement district, with a 'largely immigrant population (mainly of German and Irish origin), and three railroads running through the area: the Harlem line on Fourth Ave­nue; the Third Avenue Elevated Railroad (demolished m

1954-1955); and the Second Avenue el (demolished in

Continued on page 6

Writing a History, continued from page 5

1942). St. James', with its history of interest in mission work, saw an opportunity for operations near its home par­ish, and in 1871 started a regular East Side mission chapel and Sunday school. The commitment to mission received its greatest development in 1895 when St. James' merged with the Church of the Holy Trinity, and built a magnificent new mission church and settlement house, opened in 1899 in the midst of the tenements, at 88th Street between First and Second Avenues.

In later years the Upper East Side gradually became gentri­fied, and there was less need for intensive mission effort in St. James' home territory. Holy Trinity again became inde­pendent (1951 ), and St. James' began to take an interest in overseas mission activities, especially in Africa. Also, St. James' increased its mission work in adjacent areas of New York, as in the East Bronx, and in Harlem, where the parish had a long history of engagement. At the same time, St. James' continued to be responsive to social problems nearby. For example, the parish since the 1970s has had and continues to have important programs of ministry to the homeless.

From this outline of mission activities, it is apparent that the history of St. James' has been closely bound up with the history of New York. Consequently the parish history, St. James' Church in the City of New York, necessarily in­cludes discussion of the history of the Upper East Side from 1810 to the present. Most chapters of the book include sum­maries of important neighborhood developments in demo­graphics, housing, and public transportation, since these have directly affected the policies of the parish.

Two major themes of the book, then, are neighborhood and mission. The third major theme, closely related to these, is leadership, both lay and clerical. From the beginning, the founders of St. James' strove to have a positive influence upon the surrounding community and city. The success of these leadership efforts has also had national impact, as in the election of three rectors of St. James' as bishops: Done­gan as bishop of New York; John B. Coburn as bishop of Massachusetts; and Hays Hamilton Rockwell as bishop of Missouri. Also, the St. James' Sunday school program achieved national prominence in the 1940s when its text­book series, The St. James Lessons, developed by Marie Louise Constable, was widely adopted for use in Sunday schools throughout the country.

In more recent years St. James' has been a leader in wel­coming women to the ministry, as with the Reverend Carol Anderson, a postulant at St. James', and in 1977 the first woman ordained to the priesthood in the Diocese of New York; she served for several years on the clerical staff at St.

6

James'. Also, in its call to Brenda Husson in 1996, St. James' was the first cardinal parish on the East Coast to institute a woman as rector.

From the preceding account of the process of research for writing the parish history, the main outline of that history is apparent: the original situation of the parish as a summer church; its growth as the city grew around it; and its suc­cessful engagement with public issues both within the im­mediate neighborhood and beyond.

In the course of years, the parish has built three church buildings (or four-depending on how one counts). The first was a quaint frame building, such as one might see in a country parish in Connecticut or upstate New York. This church stood at what is now the southwest corner of 69th Street and Lexington Avenue, near the top of Lenox Hill (as it later became known), looking down across fields and or­chards towards the East River shoreline.

In 1869 when the original church was no longer adequate for the congregation, the parish erected a substantial stone structure designed by James Renwick (architect of Grace Church) at East 72nd Street, near Third Avenue. The new building was intended as a temporary home, until the parish had grown sufficiently to enable it to raise funds for a still larger project, more appropriate for its anticipated long-term growth.

These conditions were soon fulfilled, and in 1884 St. James' built a magnificent new church, designed by Robert H. Robertson, at its present location, 7lst Street and Madison Avenue. By the early 1900s this town-house neighborhood was evolving into an area of large apartment houses, espe­cially between Fifth and Park Avenues. The result for St. James' Church was a significantly increased congregation. In response, the parish engaged Ralph Adams Cram to re­design and in 1924 almost totally rebuild the church, which took on the much-enlarged configuration that it presently enjoys. In 1938, under Dr. Donegan, an adjacent parish house was built. As mentioned above, the entire complex has recently been thoroughly renovated and updated.

The parish history includes two appendixes: a complete listof wardens and vestry members (with dates of service); and a comprehensive list of clergy, past and present, with infor­mation on dates of service at St. James', and later clerical posts. The bibliography lists archival sources as well as published materials. An index presents an analytical over­view of the contents. Forty illustrations of buildings, rectors, documents, and scenes of church activities complete the volume for St. James' 200th anniversary, the motto of which is: "Faithful past, unlimited future."

By Francis J Sypher, Jr. St. James' Church, New York

jjsypher@usa. net

2010 Historical Society Annual Meeting Highlights

The annual membership meeting of the Historical Society of the Episcopal Church was held on 20 June 2010 in Raleigh, North Carolina, on the eve of the Tri-History Conference. In keeping with the Conference focus upon the Millennium Development Goals, the evening featured an address titled "Globalization and Catholicity: The Historiography of a Recent Tri-lateral Dialogue" given by The Rev. Canon J. Robert Wright, Historiographer of the Episcopal Church and Professor of Church History at the General Seminary.

Another highlight of the evening was the presence of special guests The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, our Presid­ing Bishop, and the Rev. Canon Gregory Straub, Executive Director and Secretary of the General Convention, who both came to express appreciation for the Society's contributions to historical research and scholarship on the occasion of its lOOth Anniversary. Also attending was the Rt. Rev. Michael B. Curry, Bishop of North Carolina, whose diocese was hosting and helping to sponsor the Tri-History conference.

Edward Bond, Editor of Anglican and Episcopal History, presented the Nelson Burr Prize for the best article appear­ing in the 2009 issues of the Journal to David A. Valone of Quinnipiac University for "Theology, German Historicism, and Religious Education at Cambridge: the Controversies of Connop Thirwall and Julius Hare, 1822-1834" which ap­peared in the June issue.

This year's meeting also marked a change in leadership for the Society. Dr. Fredrica Harris Thompsett of the Episcopal

Divinity School is stepping down as President to be suc­ceeded by the First Vice President, the Rev. Dr. Robert W. Prichard of Virginia Theological Seminary. At the same time, Dr. J. Michael Utzinger of Hampden-Sydney College is succeeding the Rev. Dr. Brooks Graebner as Secretary.

The following day, the Society board of directors held their annual meeting. The directors were pleased to learn from Treasurer George Defilippi that the financial footing of the Society remains secure and that cost-saving measures adopted last year were having the desired effect. The direc­tors also took the step of authorizing a separate tax-exempt status for the Society in light of lingering questions about the Society's official status within the structures of the Epis­copal Church.

Much of the discussion at the board meeting centered on the research grant program. In an effort to strengthen and ex­pand that program, the board agreed to double the amount of funding for 2011 and to extend the announcement of the program into other journals and networks. The other flag­ship programs of the Society-the Journal Anglican and Episcopal History and the African-American Episcopal His­torical Collection-are in good hands and prospering. Espe­cially gratifying is the support shown for the latter by the other sponsoring institution, Virginia Theological Seminary. The meeting closed with warm expressions of gratitude to President Thompsett for her leadership and with the passing of the gavel to her successor, Robert Prichard.

Review of Liturgies at Tri-History Conference in Raleigh, NC-21-23 June 2010

Opening Eucharist: Good Shepherd Episcopal Church,

Raleigh. 21June2010

This was a "full-tilt" Choral Eucharist and had notes of "old church" to it, offset by the fact that the Presider and Preacher was the Rt. Rev. Michael Curry, Bishop of North Carolina, and an African American, and by the Leader of the Prayers, the Rt. Rev. Carol Gallagher, the first Native American woman bishop in the Episcopal Church. There was a full choir, whom the good Bishop commended for having sung the previous Saturday for the Ordination of Deacons and, of course, the previous day on Sunday. Aco­lytes and many clergy were in procession, but no lay per­sons were lectors; neither was there a Deacon present. Yet the facilities and beauty of the worship space and the music were splendid and the parish redolent of Southern hospital­ity, especially at the sumptuous reception that followed. I learned that Good Shepherd, founded in the 1870s, began as a "free church," with no pew rents, and for a time was inte-

7

grated until St. Ambrose Church was founded for African Americans.

The choir sang a Thomas Tallis introit from the rear of the nave, "O come, ye servants of the Lord;" the Offertory an­them was "Like as the hart" by Herbert Howells and a quar­tet sang "Love bade me welcome," from Five Mystical

Songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams, as a Post-communion motet. A tenor in the choir, sang the solo in the Vaughan Williams, while a trio of women sang the wordless Latin hymn "O sacrum convivium" (0 sacred Feast). The organ, a fairly new tracker instrument, was well-played by an organ­ist whose name, sadly, was missing from the program.

Bishop Curry's sermon was powerful and multi-textual. He cited many passages from Isaiah, including the one quoted by Jesus in the synagogue in his home town. Another "text," this one from contemporary history, was from a speech given by the late Robert Kennedy: "I see and say 'why,' I

Continued on page 8

Review of Liturgies, continued from page 7

dream and say 'why not?'" Bishop Michael encouraged his listeners to be "Why Not" people, relating the story of his predecessor, Bishop Thomas Atkinson, who served the dio­cese before, during and after the Civil War. Although op­posed to the war, the bishop saw to it that Confederate forces had chaplains. When the war was over and the Epis­copal Church in the Confederacy rejoined the Episcopal Church, he was the only one to respond to the roll call in the House of Bishops. Bishop Curry also made mention of Bishop Henry Delany, one of the "Suffragans for Colored Work" in the Episcopal Church of the early 201h century. Suffragan bishops then could not vote in the House of Bish­ops and the people of color met separately in their diocesan conventions. Bishop Delany was the father of the Delany Sisters ("Having Our Say"), who had to sit in the rear gal­lery of Christ Church, Raleigh (about four blocks from Good Shepherd) when their father was invited to preach there.

Bishop Carol Gallagher, former Suffragan Bishop of South­ern Virginia, and now Rector of All Saints Church, Harri­son, NY and Assisting Bishop in North Dakota, read the extensive Prayers of Intercession, taken from suggested liturgies on Millennium Development Goals themes.

This writer was surprised that the Altar at Good Shepherd (as at Christ Chl.lrch when we.toured it the next day) was not free-standing. It had been a long while since that was seen! But Good Shepherd is obviously a parish that is very active in many missional ways and possesses excellent fa­cilities for hosting such a conference as Tri-History's, in­cluding the opening worship for this year's conference.

Evening Prayer and Sermon at St. Augustine's College

Chapel -22 June 2010

On this attractive urban campus of one of the church-owned colleges in the U.S., is a stone chapel, built in the I 890s by Henry Delany, then the Chaplain, and many students. This was the setting for Evening Prayer, which took place after a short tour of the library and the Tuttle School (now head­quarters for ROTC), which at one time was a training school for African American women social workers and teachers. The eclectic windows and decorations were intriguing. This writer noticed a painting of Bishop Bravid Washington Har­ris, an American, who became Bishop of Liberia. Many clergy persons and dignitaries were and are graduates of St. Augustine's and the college has played an important role in the ministry in higher education, especially among people of color.

We were greeted by Fr. Maddox, the Chaplain, who noted that we were commemorating Anna Julia Hayward Cooper,

8

educated at St. Augustine's, who went on to take degrees from Oberlin College and the Sorbonne. She is now com­memorated on 28 February in the newly-issued Holy

Women, Holy Men, success9r to Lesser Feasts and Fasts.

Her feast was transferred ("translated" in the service leaflet) to this occasion, in light of the theme of the conference, "From Manteo to the MDGs: Seeking Mission and Justice in the Anglican Tradition 1584-2010."

The Rev. Christopher Agnew, president of the National As­sociation of Historians and Archivists, officiated at the said service. A metrical version of the "Phos Hilaron" ("O gra­cious light") was said as well. Vocal music was powerfully sung by Sonja Bennett, Associate Vice President of St. Augustine's. Two lay women read the Lessons.

In her sermon, Bishop Carol Gallagher wove into Anna Cooper's story her own story. Gallagher is the daughter of a white father, a Presbyterian minister, and a Cherokee mother. As Bishop Carol remarked, "I am descended from a matrilineal and matriarchal line. Read: Bossy!" She ap­pended, "Strong women!"

The warm service (in more ways than one!) concluded and participants made their way to the Student Union to a ban­quet.

For this white Episcopalian, it was a joy to participate in worship in this historic place and to share in the stories of struggles and heartaches of our African American brother and sister Episcopalians. I was very glad to be there.

The Rev. Phillip Ayers NEHA Board member

Portland, Oregon

The Rt. Rev. Michael Curry (left) and the Rt. Rev. Carol Galla­gher (right) at the conference banquet held at St. Augustine's

College. Photo courtesy Sue Rehkop£

2010 Annual Meeting of the National Episcopal Historians and Archivists

The annual meeting of the National Episcopal Historians and Archivists (NEHA) was called to order by the Rev. Christopher Agnew, President, on Tuesday, 22 June 2010, in Shepherd's Hall at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Raleigh, NC. The Rev. J. Robert Wright opened the lunch­eon meeting with prayer.

Announcing the resignation of Barbara Turner as Secretary, the President expressed his appreciation for her work as Board Secretary and appointed Elizabeth Allison as Secre­tary pro tempore.

The motion was made and seconded to accept the Minutes of the Annual Meeting of 26 June 2009. It carried.

Treasurer's report was given by Sarah Hackings, who dis­tributed copies of financial reports for 2009 and for January through May 2010. Receipts exceeded expenditures by

$1,535 in fiscal 2009 and the Racine Conference netted $1,000 which has been set aside as seed money for subse­quent conferences. A balanced budget for 2011 was adopted by the Board at its 21 June 2010, meeting. Form 990EZ for 2009 was filed with the IRS. The President declared the financial reports accepted subject to audit.

Susan Witt rep01ied for the Com­mittee charged with examining the King-Talbot Fund. She reviewed the history of the Fund and distrib­uted copies of the Review Com­mittee's report concerning the Fund's administration, as approved by the Board at its 21 June meeting and printed herewith.

The King-Talbot Fund was established in 1989 to perpetu­ate the remembrance of the good works and devotion to

Susan Witt giving her report on the King-Talbot Fund. Photo courtesy Sue

Rehkopf.

Christ and His Church of the �-------�

Reverend David King and William Talbot, late mem­bers of NEHA and historians of the Episcopal Church.

Contributions to the Fund may be made by any person or organization at any time. Deposits to the Fund may be used for the furtherance of projects and aims of NEHA as they are determined to be from time to time by the Executive Committee.

Administration of the Fund is vested exclusively in the Executive Committee of NEHA. Practical manage­ment may, at the discretion of the Executive Commit­tee, be delegated to the President and the Treasurer of NEHA.

The principal of the Fund shall be invested to its best

9

advantage and to the convenience in its practical man­agement by the Treasurer of NEHA.

Disbursement payments from the Fund are not to ex­ceed the amount of interest earned during the preceding four quarters. No amount greater than that of the previ­ous year's interest earned will be disbursed in the fol­lowing year. When interest is not disbursed, it is rein­vested in the Fund.

The suggestion to change the word "disbursed" to "allocate" in the final sentence of paragraph 5 will be considered by the Board at its Fall Meeting.

The current amount of the Fund is$ 13,212.75; 2009 inter­est was $696.

Susan Witt, reporting for the Nominating Committee, pre­sented the following slate for election to 3-year terms on the Board: The Rev. Christopher Agnew, Susan Rehkopf, and Sarah Hockings. The three candidates are currently mem­bers of the Board. The motion was made and seconded to instruct the Secretary pro tempore to cast one ballot for the slate. It carried, the ballot was cast as instructed and the slate was declared elected.

The following John W. Davis Awards were announced.

In 2008, Kit Caffey was awarded the John W. Davis Award for hosting the Mo­bile NEHA Conference in 2006 and for having the distinction of being the only one among us who has cre­ated diocesan archives from the beginning (Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast). In addition, she has served in many capacities on the di­ocesan, the parochial and the national levels. It was an

Kit Caffey with her certificate for the John W. Davis Award for

2008. Photo courtesy Sue Rehkopf.

honor to have her present so �----------�

this award could finally be presented.

In 2009, Lynne Wohleber was the intended recipient for her contributions to NEHA as Treasurer and her work in keep­ing the archives of the Diocese of Pittsburgh intact pending the final decision concerning which group representing that Diocese will receive them. Since she could not be present, the A ward will be presented at a later date.

The 2010 John W. Davis Award was presented to Margaret Landis for her many years as Editor of The Historiogra­

pher, Compiler of the Historic Churches Engagement Cal­endar and the Episcocats calendar.

Continued on page 10

NEHA Annual Meeting, continued from page 9

Margaret Landis receiving the 2010 John W. Davis Award from NEHA President Chris Agnew. Photo courtesy Sue Rehkopf.

An award, to be called The Laurence Fish Award, for the best parish history is being developed by a committee com­posed of the Rev. Phillip Ayres, Margaret Landis, Michael Strock, Susan Witt, and the Rev. Richard Wrede. While the criteria remain to be finalized, it is anticipated that there will be a first prize of$500 and two meritorious awards.

Susan Rehkopf distributed copies of the revised By-Laws as approved by the Board at its 20 April 2010 meeting and circulated to the membership prior to this meeting. The need for one editorial correction was noted in Article V, Section 3, Paragraph 3 (new section): the word Historiographer as the name of a publication should be either underlined or italicized. The motion was made and seconded to accept the revised By-Laws as presented. It carried.

The need for and responsibilities of Provincial Coordinators were explained by Susan Witt. The idea is to have a desig­nated person in each of the Provinces whose general respon­sibilities will be to promote membership in NEHA, promote conference participation, organize regional workshops, act

as liaisons for information, encourage networking, and com­municating with the Editor of The Historiographer.

The next NEHA conference is scheduled for 14-17 June 2011, in Portland, Oregon., Co-chairs Phillip Ayres and Richard Van Orman distributed copies of the program bro­chure entitled "Eden End of the Oregon Trail." In 2012, the conference will be in Buffalo, New York, the second week of August, and the next Tri-History Conference will be in San Antonio, Texas in 2013.

Susan Witt announced that Carl Stockton had agreed to be­come Book Review Editor for The Historiographer and copies of books or suggestions for books to be reviewed should be sent to him.

Following the annual meeting, the Board met briefly to re­elect Sarah Hockings as Treasurer and to elect Elizabeth Allison as Secretary. The next meeting of the Board will be in Swarthmore, PA, on 22 October.

Richard Van Orman (standing, right) outlining plans for the 2011 NEHA meeting in Portland, Oregon. Pictured sitting in front

from left to right: Phillip Ayers, co-host of 2011 meeting, Robert Wright, Historiographer for the Episcopal Church, and Sarah Hackings, treasurer ofNEHA. Photo courtesy Sue Rehkopf.

A Sampling of Workshop and Paper Summaries from the Tri-History Conference

Partnership across the Centuries

"That They All May Be One ?"

The Rev. Dr. Heather Warner

This perspective on ecumenism and mission was introduced in 1910 in Edinborough when missionary societies explored a group identity as each individual society struggled to support its objective. There was a competitive nature as one society pressed the claim to be "more Christian" than any other.

In 1938, the International Missionary Council met in Madras, India to consider Christian Realism Theology to contrast the growing global racism and nationalism and encourage interdenominational cooperation.

After World War II, the Council continued efforts for the missionary obligation of the Church with a focus on the Trinity, accepting diversity and acknowledging unity in Christ is the most profound bond.

Continued on page 1 1

10

Workshop and Paper Sum maries, continued from page J O

"Beaded P rayerbooks-Episcopal Partnership with Na­

tive Peoples"

The Rt. Rev. Carol Gallagher

Manteo of Roanoke represented a connection of the Native Americans to England during colonial times. This concept has been transformed by societal and cinematic influences to the popular fiction of the Pocahontas story.

As westward expansion accelerated, native tribes were "re­located" from ancestral land which was prized by the new settlers. Peoples from the Eastern seaboard were moved to new establishments in the Mid-West and Great Plains . Church leaders, Bishops Barclay and Hobart, endeavored to provide missionary facilities, clergy, and spiritual guidance to the Native Peoples. The federal government was not so concerned; after 1865, the Native Americans were made wards of the state, receiving limited education and suste­nance, while their traditional culture was being suppressed. After 1900, more missions were established despite the lack of native clergy.

By 1960, Native American protests had developed, notably at Wounded Knee; patience for civil rights was ebbing. The Church worked to assuage the tensions and with the leader­ship of tribal elders, the Jamestown Covenant of re.concilia­tion was achieved in 1997.

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Workshop on Oral History

Susan Johnson and The Rev. Dr. Matilda Dunn

This was a genuine workshop with practical how-to infor­mation. Make sure equipment (audio and/or video) is func­tioning for the interview-but have a Plan B.

Prepare a list of subjects to cover and plan questions chronologically. Respect the interviewee's right to remain silent. Sessions should last from 45 to 90 minutes . Tran­scribe audio to paper. Have a release form available to be signed for the interview.

W riting Parish History

Michael Strock

When writing or up-dating a parish history, examine costs involved and determine who will subsidize the project­parish or individual. Access to parish records is essential and Diocesan Journals are helpful.

To generate interest in and cooperation for the project, print bookmarks with notable events and dates. Send invitations to Diocesan and parish workshop sessions. Formats for his­tories vary greatly; a variety were available for perusal.

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Susan Witt

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The National Episcopal Historians and Archivists c/o Trinity Cathedral I 00 West Roosevelt Street Phoenix, AZ 85003

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

• Annual Meeting of the National Episcopal Historians and Archivists, pages 9-1 0

• Historical Society of the Episcopal Church Annual Meeting Highlights, page 7

• In Memoriam: Laurence D. Fish, pages 3-4

• Review of Liturgies at Tri-History Conference, pages 7-8

• Sampling of Workshop and Paper Summaries, page 1 0-1 1

• Writing a Parish History: St. James ' Church, New York, NY, pages 1, 5-6

Check it out!

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has been redesigned.

www.hsec.us

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