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Collection Overview
Title: Felicity United Methodist Church (New Orleans, La.) records, 1846-2006
ID: LACUMC/02/
Primary Creator: Felicity United Methodist Church (New Orleans, La.)
Extent: 6.5 Linear Feet
Arrangement:
Arranged in seven series:
1. Membership records, 1849-2006
2. Administrative records, 1846-2003
3. Financial records, circa 1869-2006
4. Committee records, 1849-1931
5. Historical records, 1888-2004
6. Legal records, 1849-2002
7. Guest Registers 1942-1994
Date Acquired: 00/00/1969. More info below under Accruals.
Subjects: Chalmette Methodist Episcopal Church South (Chalmette, La.), Felicity United Methodist Church (New Orleans, La.), Methodist Church (U.S.)--Louisiana Conference (South Central Jurisdiction), Methodist Episcopal Church, South--Louisiana Conference., United Methodist Church (U.S.)--Louisiana Conference.
Forms of Material: Church bulletins., Church records and registers--Louisiana--Orleans Parish., Financial records., Photographs.
Languages: English
Scope and Contents of the Materials
This collection documents the activities of Felicity United Methodist Church (New Orleans, La.) as well as some of its predecessor congregations. It includes membership records, administrative records, financial records, committee records, historical records, legal records, and guest registers.
Membership records consist of church register books as well as member lists. The church registers (1861-1954) include names of pastors, members, baptisms, and marriages. The earliest membership record book (1849-1852) includes a church history, list of members, statistics, and obituaries for the following predecessor congregations: Lafayette Charge, Andrew Chapel Charge, and Elijah Steele Chapel Charge.
Administrative records consist of meeting minutes of the following groups: Members and Friends of the Elijah Steele Charge (1846-1850), Board of Trustees (1848-1918), Board of Stewards (1853-1898), and Official Board (1955-2003). Also included are the congregation’s church conference records (1875-1884), quarterly conference records (1887-1942), and charge conference reports (1975, 1989). Some early record books contain minutes of multiple administrative groups within the church. The quarterly conference record book (1935-1937) also contains reports from Chalmette Methodist Episcopal Church South (Chalmette, La.).
Financial records primarily consist of assessment books (circa 1869-1910) and general fiscal records (1882-2006). The assessment books document donations from members, collections for specific funds, and expenditures.
Committee records document the activities of groups within the church, such as: Epworth League (1908-1919), Sunday School (1893-1909), Temperance Society (1877), and the Woman’s Missionary Society (1917-1931). The Building Committee (1849-1852) oversaw funds for the McGehee Church, Moreau Street Church, and the Elijah Steele/Lafayette/Andrew Chapel Charge.
Historical records include bulletins (1948-2002), church histories (1950-1996), photographs (1950-1992), and printed items (1888-2004).
Legal records include insurance policies (1998-2002) and property records (1849-1970).
Guest registers (1942-1994) document visitors to the church.
Biographical Note
Felicity United Methodist Church (New Orleans, La.) traces its history to the merger of multiple predecessor congregations in 1848. At that time, the Louisiana Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South united the following charges: Lafayette Charge (Saint Mary Street Church built circa 1830 at the corner of Saint Mary and Fulton Streets), Andrew Chapel Charge (Andrew Chapel founded 1835 at the corner of Dryades and Felicity Streets), and Elijah Steele Chapel Charge (also known as the “Flatboat Church” founded early 1840s on Magazine Street between Robin and Race Streets).
In 1849, this unified group built a chapel at the rear of their property located at the intersection of Felicity and Chestnut Streets. After purchasing adjoining lots, the congregation built a new brick church building in 1850. Early records appear to interchangeably identify the congregation using two names -- Elijah Steele Church as well as Felicity Church.
In 1887, a fire destroyed much of the church; it was rebuilt in 1888. In 1906, members from the Dryades Street Methodist Episcopal Church (formerly the First German Mission) merged with Felicity. Felicity was damaged by hurricanes in October 1915, September 1965, and August 2005. In 2007, Felicity United Methodist Church was discontinued and abandoned.
Subject/Index Terms
Administrative Information
Repository:
Centenary College of Louisiana | Archives and Special Collections
Accruals:
No further accruals expected.
Access Restrictions:
The collection is open for research use.
Use Restrictions:
Physical rights are retained by the Centenary College of Louisiana Archives and Special Collections. Copyright is retained in accordance with U.S. copyright laws.
Physical Access Note:
There are no physical access limitations.
Technical Access Note:
There are no technical access limitations.
Acquisition Source:
Administrative Assistant to the Provost, Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church
Acquisition Method:
This collection consists of four accessions. The first transfer of material occurred circa 1969 by the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church Commission on Archives and History. In 1978, a photocopy of Membership records, 1849-1852 (accession 78-77) was added from Tulane University Library Special Collections. In 1982, the Quarterly Conference record book, 1935-1937 (accession 82-41) was transferred from Rayne Memorial United Methodist Church (New Orleans, La.). In 2013, accession 2013-022 was transferred by the Administrative Assistant to the Provost of the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Appraisal Information:
All materials in this collection are appraised as retain permanently.
Related Materials:
Note: Box 2, Folder 8 -- Members and Friends of the Elijah Steele Charge minute book, 1846-1850 is a photocopy. For original manuscript volume, see -- Lafayette, Andrews, and Elijah Steel Charge records, Manuscripts Collection B-352, Louisiana Research Collection, Tulane University.
Related Publications:
Mary Jane Peace's research paper "The Establishment of the Elijah Steele Chapel or the Felicity Street Church, 1846-1864" appears in the following collection -- Folder: Felicity Methodist Church (New Orleans, La.). Methodist Church Louisiana Conference - Church Histories collection, Coll. 4. Centenary College of Louisiana Archives and Special Collections, Shreveport, Louisiana.
Preferred Citation:
Felicity United Methodist Church (New Orleans, La.) records. Centenary College of Louisiana Archives and Special Collections, Shreveport, Louisiana.
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Series:
[
Series 1: Membership records, 1849-2006],
[
Series 2: Administrative records, 1846-2003],
[
Series 3: Financial Records, circa 1869-2006],
[
Series 4: Committee Records, 1849-1931],
[
Series 5: Historical Records, 1888-2004],
[
Series 6: Legal records, 1849-2002],
[
Series 7: Guest registers, 1942-1994],
[All]
- Series 1: Membership records, 1849-2006
- Sub-Series 1: Church registers
- Box 1
- Folder 1: Church Register, 1861-1863
- Title page: "Register of members and probationers in the Elijah Steele Chapel Station."
- Folder 2: Church Register, 1860-1878
- Title page: "Register of baptisms and marriages in the Elijah Steele Church."
- Folder 3: Church Register, 1866-1879
- Folder 4: Church Register, 1879-1895
- Located in Oversize Box 1. Contains members (1879-1895), marriages (1885-1895), baptisms (1879-1895), and deaths (1880-1888).
- Folder 5: Church Register, 1894-1903
- Predominate date 1894-1903; other entries copied from earlier and later records. Contains pastors (1851-1966), members (1851-1904), baptisms (1894-1903), and marriages (1894-1903).
- Folder 6: Church Register, 1905-1919
- Located in Oversize Box 1.
- Folder 7: Church Register, 1921-1937
- Located in Oversize Box 1.
- Folder 8: Roll of Members, 1939-1954
- Located in Oversize Box 1.
- Sub-Series 2: Other membership records
- Box 2
- Folder 1: Membership records, 1849-1852
- Contains a brief history, alphabetical list of members, general remarks, statistics, and obituaries for Lafayette Charge, Andrew Chapel Charge, and Elijah Steele Chapel Charge.
- Folder 2: Membership lists, 1862-1920
- Folder 3: Membership lists, 1949, 1972
- Folder 4: Membership records, circa 1990
- Folder 5: Membership lists, 2006
- Folder 6: Baptism and death certificates, 1892, 1995
- Folder 7: Roll books, 1985-1987
- Series 2: Administrative records, 1846-2003
- Sub-Series 1: Members and Friends
- Box 2
- Folder 8: Members and Friends of the Elijah Steele Charge minute book, 1846-1850
- Minutes of meetings of the members and friends of the Magazine Street Charge (name changed to Elijah Steele Charge, 1847), 1846-1848. Journals of the Elijah Steele Charge, 1848-1850.
- Sub-Series 2: Board of Trustees
- Box 2
- Folder 9: Board of Trustees minute book, 1848-1918
- Minutes of meetings of the Corporation (also referred to as Board of Trustees) of the Elijah Steele Church (also referred to as Felicity Church).
- Folder 10: Board of Trustees minute book - loose items, 1862-1898
- Correspondence, reports, bills.
- Folder 11: Board of Trustees minute book - loose items, 1903-1915
- Correspondence, reports, bills.
- Folder 12: Board of Trustees minute book - loose items, 1916-1917
- Correspondence, reports, bills.
- Folder 13: Board of Trustees minute book - loose items, undated
- Correspondence, reports, bills.
- Sub-Series 3: Board of Stewards
- Box 2
- Folder 14: Board of Stewards minute book, 1853-1873
- Located in Oversize Box 2.
- Folder 15: Board of Stewards minute book, 1873-1888
- Located in Oversize Box 3.
- Folder 16: Board of Stewards minutes, 1884
- Folder 17: Board of Stewards minute book, 1888-1898
- Located in Oversize Box 2.
- Sub-Series 4: Official Board
- Box 3
- Folder 1: Board meeting minutes, 1955-1956
- Folder 2: Board meeting minutes, 1957
- Folder 3: Board meeting minutes, 1958
- Folder 4: Board meeting minutes, 1959
- Folder 5: Board meeting minutes, 1960
- Folder 6: Board meeting minutes, 1961
- Folder 7: Board meeting minutes, 1962
- Folder 8: Board meeting minutes, 1963
- Folder 9: Board meeting minutes, 1964
- Folder 10: Board meeting minutes, 1965
- Folder 11: Board meeting minutes, 1966
- Folder 12: Board meeting minutes, 1967
- Folder 13: Board meeting minutes, 1968
- Folder 14: Board meeting minutes, 1969
- Folder 15: Board meeting minutes, 1970
- Folder 16: Board meeting minutes, 1971
- Folder 17: Board meeting minutes, 1972
- Folder 18: Board meeting minutes, 1973
- Folder 19: Board meeting minutes, 1974
- Folder 20: Board meeting minutes, 1975
- Folder 21: Board meeting minutes, 1976
- Folder 22: Board meeting minutes, 1977
- Folder 23: Board meeting minutes, 1978
- Folder 24: Board meeting minutes, 1979
- Folder 25: Board meeting minutes, 1990
- Folder 26: Board meeting minutes, 1991
- Folder 27: Board meeting minutes, 2003
- Sub-Series 5: Conference Records
- Box 4
- Folder 1: Church Conference record book, 1875-1884
- Folder 2: Quarterly Conference record book, 1887-1890
- Folder 3: Quarterly Conference record book, 1891-1894
- Folder 4: Quarterly Conference record book, 1895-1898
- Folder 5: Quarterly Conference record book, 1899-1902
- Folder 6: Quarterly Conference record book, 1935-1937
- Contains records two congregations: Felicity Methodist Episcopal Church South (New Orleans, La.) and Chalmette Methodist Episcopal Church South (Chalmette, La.).
- Folder 7: Quarterly Conference record book, 1937-1942
- Contains minutes of the Board of Stewards meetings and the Official Board and reports of the treasurer.
- Folder 8: Charge Conference report, 1975
- Folder 9: Charge Conference report, 1989
- Series 3: Financial Records, circa 1869-2006
- Box 5
- Folder 1: Assessments, circa 1869
- Folder 2: Assessments, 1870
- Folder 3: Assessments, 1871-1872
- Located in Oversize Box 4.
- Folder 4: Assessments, 1873
- Located in Oversize Box 4.
- Folder 5: Assessments, 1877-1878
- Located in Oversize Box 4.
- Folder 6: Assessments, 1883-1886
- Located in Oversize Box 4.
- Folder 7: Assessments, 1887-1891
- Located in Oversize Box 4.
- Folder 8: Assessments, 1891-1894
- Located in Oversize Box 5.
- Folder 9: Assessments, 1895-1897
- Located in Oversize Box 5.
- Folder 10: Assessments, 1901-1905
- Located in Oversize Box 5.
- Folder 11: Assessments, 1906-1910
- Located in Oversize Box 5.
- Folder 12: Board of Stewards cash book, 1900
- Folder 13: Financial record book, 1882-1888
- Folder 14: Financial record book, 1893
- Folder 15: Financial records, 1963-1964
- Folder 16: Financial records, 1969-1973
- Folder 17: Financial records, 1973-1980
- Folder 18: Financial reports, 1977-1978
- Folder 19: Financial records, 1986
- Folder 20: Financial records, 1987
- Folder 21: Financial records, 1988
- Folder 22: Financial records, 1989
- Folder 23: Financial records, 1990
- Folder 24: Financial records, 1991
- Folder 25: Financial records, 1992
- Folder 26: Financial records, 1993
- Folder 27: Financial records, 1994
- Folder 28: Financial records, 2006
- Folder 29: Receipts, 1891-1950
- Folder 30: Treasurer’s Reports, 1924-1925
- Series 4: Committee Records, 1849-1931
- Box 6
- Folder 1: Building Committee minute book, 1849-1852
- Folder 2: Epworth League minutes and roll book, 1908-1919
- Folder 3: Nominations and Personnel Committee report, 1981
- Folder 4: Sunday School minute book, 1893-1894
- Folder 5: Sunday School record book, 1894-1895
- Folder 6: Sunday School record book, 1906-1909
- Folder 7: Temperance Society roll book, 1877
- Folder 8: Woman’s Missionary Society minutes, 1917-1919
- Folder 9: Woman’s Missionary Society minutes, 1919-1925
- Folder 10: Woman’s Missionary Society minutes, 1926-1931
- Folder 11: Woman’s Missionary Society treasurer’s book, 1919-1929
- Series 5: Historical Records, 1888-2004
- Box 6
- Folder 12: Bulletins, 1948-2002, undated
- Folder 13: Church Histories, 1950-1996
- Folder 14: Church History notes, undated
- Folder 15: Church Organ, 1975-1985
- Folder 16: Clippings, 1941-1995
- Folder 17: Coliseum Square Association, 2003
- Folder 18: Correspondence, 1925-1970, undated
- Folder 19: Our Book of Golden Memories, circa 1950-1953
- Folder 20: Photographs, 1950
- Folder 21: Photographs, 1992, undated
- Folder 22: Photographs, undated
- Folder 23: Photographs, undated
- Folder 24: Photographs, undated
- Folder 25: Plaques, 1991-1997
- Folder 26: Printed Items, 1888-2004, undated
- Series 6: Legal records, 1849-2002
- Box 6
- Folder 27: Insurance Policies, 1998
- Folder 28: Insurance Policies, 1999
- Folder 29: Insurance Policies, 2000
- Folder 30: Insurance Policies, 2002
- Folder 31: Property records, 1849-1970
- Series 7: Guest registers, 1942-1994
- Box 7
- Folder 1: Guest Register, 1942-1946
- Folder 2: Guest Register, 1949-1957
- Folder 3: Guest Register, 1949-1960
- Folder 4: Guest Register, 1983-1991
- Folder 5: Guest Register, 1985-1994
- Folder 6: Guest Register, undated
Browse by Series:
[
Series 1: Membership records, 1849-2006],
[
Series 2: Administrative records, 1846-2003],
[
Series 3: Financial Records, circa 1869-2006],
[
Series 4: Committee Records, 1849-1931],
[
Series 5: Historical Records, 1888-2004],
[
Series 6: Legal records, 1849-2002],
[
Series 7: Guest registers, 1942-1994],
[All]
Louisiana Annual Conference... 
