Back to TopDescriptive Summary
- Repository
-
Southern Historical Collection
- Creator
-
First Presbyterian Church (Fort Gibson, Okla.).
- Title
- First Presbyterian Church (Fort Gibson, Okla.) Notebooks, 1884-1939
- Call Number
- 5185
- Language of Materials
- Materials in
English
- Extent
-
- Items: 67 items
- Linear Feet: 0.5 feet
Abstract
The First Presbyterian Church of Fort Gibson, Okla., sponsored the Ladies Missionary Society, Ladies Aid Society, and the
Woman's Christian Temperance Union.
The collection contains minute books, a subscription book, an account book, and enclosures from those books, all relating
to women's groups affiliated with the First Presbyterian Church of Fort Gibson, Okla. The groups include the Ladies Missionary
Society, the Ladies Aid Society, and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. The minute books document the regular meetings
of each organization and include information on fundraisers, topical readings, and social events. The subscription book lists
subscriptions to various Presbyterian publications held by the members of the Ladies Missionary Society. The account book
documents income and expenses of Edith H. Walker, long-time member and secretary of the Ladies Missionary Society.
Back to TopAdministrative Information
- Restrictions to Access
- No restrictions.
- Acquisitions Information
- Purchased from Michael Brown Rare Books of Philadelphia, Pa., in November 2004 (Acc. 99931).
- Processing Information
- Processed by: Jesse Brown, December 2004
- Encoded by: Jesse Brown, December 2004
- Preferred Citation
- [Identification of item], in the First Presbyterian Church, Fort Gibson, Okla. Notebooks #5185, Southern Historical Collection,
Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- Copyright Notice
- Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright
law.
Back to TopOnline Catalog Headings
These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.
- First Presbyterian Church (Fort Gibson, Okla.).
- Fort Gibson (Okla.)--History.
- Fort Gibson (Okla.)--Social life and customs.
- Missions--Societies, etc.
- Oklahoma--Religious life and customs.
- Presbyterian Church--Oklahoma.
- Presbyterian Church--Women.
- Presbyterians--Oklahoma.
- Temperance--Societies, etc.
- Woman's Christian Temperance Union.
- Women--Oklahoma--Social life and customs.
- Women--Societies and clubs.
- Women in missionary work.
Back to TopHistorical Note
The First Presbyterian Church of Fort Gibson, Okla., sponsored women's groups in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
The Ladies Missionary Society was founded in 1884 in response to the growth of similar women's missionary societies around
the country. It began as an organization that financially supported both the local church community and foreign missions,
but it later focused more on foreign missions. The Ladies Aid Society, by contrast, was formed to help raise funds for the
improvement of First Presbyterian Church. The church also sponsored a chapter of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, a
national organization founded in 1874 and dedicated to the prohibition of alcoholic beverages.
Back to TopCollection Overview
Minute books, subscription book, account book, and enclosures from those books, all relating to women's groups affiliated with the First Presbyterian Church of Fort Gibson, Okla. The groups represented are the Ladies Missionary Society, the Ladies Aid Society, and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. The minute books document the regular meetings of each organization and include information on fundraisers, topical readings,
and social events. The subscription book lists subscriptions to various Presbyterian publications held by the members of the Ladies Missionary Society. The account book documents income and expenses of Edith H. Walker, long-time member and secretary of the Ladies Missionary Society. All of the books had loose papers inserted between their
pages. These papers are filed within the same series as the books in which they were found.
Back to TopArrangement of Collection
1. Ladies Missionary Society Books
2. Woman's Christian Temperance Union Minute Book
3. Ladies Aid Society Minute Book
4. Edith H. Walker Account Book
Back to TopDetailed Description of the Collection
1. Ladies Missionary Society Books, January 1884-May 1937.
39 items.
Arrangement: by type, then chronological.
Minute books and subscription book pertaining to the Ladies Missionary Society of the First Presbyterian Church, Fort Gibson,
Okla. The minute books provide information on the monthly meetings of the Ladies Missionary Society. Meetings generally began
with Scripture reading, prayers, and hymn singing and then moved on to the reading of various articles on missionary activities
in the United States and around the world. Often, there would be a specific country or population studied at each weekly meeting,
such as China, the Philippines, Native Americans, or Mormons. The Ladies Missionary Society also engaged in various fundraising
activities, such as ice cream socials and quilt sales, which are documented in the minute books. The subscription book lists
the yearly subscriptions of Ladies Missionary Society members to various Presbyterian publications, such as Home Missions Monthly, Woman's Work, and Women and Missions. Enclosures are from various sources. Some cover general missionary topics; others deal with Ladies Missionary Society events.
Some of these papers are dated after the final date of the minute books.
Folder
1
Minute book, January 1884-January 1893
Folder
2
Minute book, January 1901-January 1910
Folder
3
Minute book, January 1910-October 1929
Folder
4
Subscription book, 1919-1926
Folder
5
Enclosures, 20 January 1884-23 May 1937
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2. Woman's Christian Temperance Union Minute Book, 1914-1936.
13 items.
Arrangement: by type.
Minute book of the First Presbyterian Church's chapter of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. The minute book chronicles
the Union's monthly meetings. At the meetings, the members read articles discussing the spread of Prohibition throughout the
United States and related various anecdotes about the consequences of alcohol abuse and the benefits of abstaining from alcohol.
Some discussion is related in earlier entries about pressuring the United States Congress to pass legislation prohibiting
the sale of alcohol. After passage of the Volstead Act and the ratification of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, the
Woman's Christian Temperance Union chapter appears to have met less often and began to discuss topics unrelated to alcohol
prohibition, such as tobacco, narcotics, and indecency in motion pictures. Enclosures include essays, poems, and songs advocating
prohibition. Some of the papers are dated after the final date of the minute book.
Folder
6
Minute book, March 1914-April 1924
Folder
7
Enclosures, 1920-1936
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3. Ladies Aid Society Minute Book, 28 February 1899-26 December 1939.
10 items.
Arrangement: by type.
Minute book dealing with the activities of the Ladies Aid Society of the First Presbyterian Church, Fort Gibson, Okla. The
minute book chronicles periodic meetings of the Society. The meetings generally began with prayer, Scripture readings, and
hymn singing then moved on to business matters. Various church improvements were discussed, such as repairing the church fence,
hiring a janitor to clean the church, and replacing the organ. Fundraising activities, such as socials and "chicken broils," to raise money for these projects were discussed. The enclosures have little apparent connection to Ladies Aid Society business,
but may have been produced by or belonged to members of the organization.
Folder
8
Minute book, 8 February 1906-10 November 1910
Folder
9
Enclosures, 28 February 1899-26 December 1939
Back to Top
4. Edith H. Walker Account Book, December 1905-October 1934.
5 items.
Arrangement: by type.
Account book of Edith H. Walker, a long-time member and secretary of the Ladies Missionary Society of the First Presbyterian
Church in Fort Gibson, Okla. The account book documents income she received from a small farm, including the sale of cotton,
corn, butter, milk, and chickens, as well as various expenses, including dues to the Ladies Missionary Society. The enclosures
include a deposit slip and receipts from a general merchandise store.
Folder
10
Account Book, December 1905-October 1934
Folder
11
Enclosures, 5 May 1928-19 February 1934
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