Congregational Church of Batavia Records, 1835-2017 | Northern Illinois University
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Administrative/Biographical History
On August 8, 1835, Reverend N.C. Clark and Reverend Ralph Gridley organized the Church of the Big and Little Woods with fourteen members in Thompson Paxton's home southeast of Batavia: This group affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. During the first five years of the Church's existence, members worshiped in their homes or in the schoolhouse without a permanent minister. In 1840, fifty-three persons of all denominations subscribed over $400 for a church building. Because of the large number of nonmember donors, the membership created a Congregational Society to include all subscribers regardless of denomination. Society members enjoyed representation on the church board of trustees. The Batavia townspeople dedicated the new building on January 29, 1841. By late 1842, Reverend Lucian Farnum became the first permanent pastor. The church served various needs of the community by permitting other denominations to worship on the premises and providing the building for use as the first district school. In 1843, the church members voted to change their affiliation from Presbyterian to Congregational, renaming their church the Congregational Church and Society of Batavia.
By 1856, growth of population and industry in Batavia increased the congregation's size and resources. The membership voted to construct a second church building in 1855 and raised $8,000 in subscriptions. Builders substituted native Fox Valley limestone as the primary construction material in place of the standard wood frame. At the final cost of $13,401 the membership dedicated the new church on September 1, 1856. A violent storm blew off the
church steeple in 1877 and it was not replaced until 1974. The congregation added a new Christian Education unit to the building in 1966.
During its 146 year history, the Congregational Church of Batavia responded to the needs of its members through worship services, baptisms, and marriages. Dedicated to Christian Education, the church's Sunday School and Pilgrim Fellowship provided religious instruction to children aged three to seventeen. In addition, church organizations such as the Women's Fellowship and Ladies Aid Society sponsored many charitable functions and enlightened members on various topics ranging from missionary work to spiritual fulfillment. Today, the Congregational Church of Batavia continues to hold a respected place in the Batavia community.
Subjects (links to similar collections) Administrative InformationReverend Arthur Christofersen deposited the records of the Congregational Church of Batavia in the Northern Illinois Regional History Center on January 27, 1981.
The Regional History Center holds other Illinois church history collections including Unitarian Fellowship, DeKalb (RC 13); First Congregational Church, DeKalb (RC 17); First Methodist Church, DeKalb (RC 24); St. Paul's Episcopal Church, DeKalb (RC 55); First Lutheran Church, Rockford (RC 83); Salem Lutheran Church, Sandwich (RC 84); Trinity Lutheran Church, Mt. Morris (RC 104); and Wheatland-Salem United Methodist Church (RC 119).
See RC 311 of the Big Woods Congregational Church, a branch of the Batavia Church, for additional information.
Recording an important aspect of Batavia history, the records of the Congregational Church document the establishment and history of one of the oldest churches in Kane County. Church/Congregational Society minutes (1835-1966) comprise the major series of the collection detailing church business concerns such as acceptance of members, committee appointments, church repairs, and reports from the church treasurer and various church organizations. Trustee meeting minutes (1933-1990) supplement the church minutes with financial reports, stewardship plans, and committee reports. Although the collection lacks a comprehensive series of financial records, several church and trustee treasurer's account books record expenditures and donations of church members.
Building records comprise a small series in the collection; only materials documenting the construction of an education facility in 1966 are available. Architectural correspondence, construction proposals, and stewardship promotional materials reveal building alterations made during 1965 and 1966. Numerous oversize architectural drawings detailing construction plans for the project are also contained in the collection.
A fourth series in the collection comprises church organization records. Minutes and committee reports from groups such as the Ladies Aid Society, Women's Fellowship, and Delta Alphas outline the service and social orientation of these organizations. Church bulletins (1942-1974) supply further information on church group functions as well as listing the orders and themes of Sunday services.
In addition to church records, the collection includes records of several prominent church members. Personal materials and diaries of Amelia Brown, church clerk from 1881-1929, record the activities and thoughts of a respected church servant. J.G. Brown's correspondence and Civil War military records (1845-1869) provide insight into the lifestyle of a young man during the uncertain years of the mid-nineteenth century. These materials also include over forty portraits of various church members. Letters of transfer and dismissal (1835-1920) from various churches across the nation reflect the congregation's constant growth throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
A series of addenda were added at a later date which expands on the content of the previously donated records to 2016.
The DVD in Addendum 4 has been copied to V:\ARCHIVES\RCElectronicArchives\RC 082 Batavia Congregational Church. Access is available to researchers in the Center’s reading room.