Guide to the Records of the Church of the Ascension, Cranston


University of Rhode Island Library, Special Collections and Archives Unit
15 Lippitt Road
Kingston, RI 02881-2011
E-mail: archives@etal.uri.edu
Website: http://www.uri.edu/library/special_collections/

Published in 2007

Collection Overview

Title: Records of the Church of the Ascension, Cranston, R.I.
Date range: 1885-1990
Creator: Church of the Ascension (Cranston, RI)
Extent: 24 boxes
(12.5 linear feet)
Abstract: The Records of the Church of the Ascension consist of materials from 1885-1990, documenting the history of the church from its founding to the end of the twentieth century. The collection, which is divided into five series, consists of adminstrative records, vestry minutes, annual reports, church registers, scrapbooks, and memorabilia.
Language of materials: English
Repository: University of Rhode Island Library, Special Collections and Archives Unit
Collection number: Mss. Gr. 216

Scope & content

These records document the religious, administrative, and social activities of the Church of the Ascension, and include annual reports, minutes of meetings of parish organizations, blueprints, brochures, programs for parish anniversaries and celebrations, the constitution of the parish, newsletters, copies of pastoral letters, correspondence, photographs and photograph albums, Sunday Bulletins, registers, scrapbooks, financial records, and memorabilia.

Access Points

Subject Organizations Subject Organizations Subject Topics Geographical Names Subject Topics

Arrangement

After processing, the records were organized into five series as follows:

  • 1. Subject File
  • 2. The Vestry
  • 3. Registers
  • 4. Scrapbooks
  • 5. Memorabilia

Historical Information

The records contained herein document the history and the administrative, religious, and financial activities of the Church of the Ascension from its founding in 1885. Administrative records, with the exception of the vestry, are scattered for the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries but comprehensive from the 1920's forward. Records documenting religious activities, i.e., Parish Registers and Registers of Church Services, apparently are lost for the first twenty-five years of the church's existence. The records in this collection are the inactive records of the parish.

Access & Use

Access to the collection: Open for research.
Use of the materials: Terms governing use and reproduction: Photocopying and scanning of materials is a fee based service available in the repository and is allowed at the discretion of the Archivist when in compliance to the Unit's policy on copyright and publication.
Preferred citation: Records of the Church of the Ascension, Cranston, Mss. Gr. 96, University of Rhode Island Special Collections
Contact information: University of Rhode Island Library, Special Collections and Archives Unit
15 Lippitt Road
Kingston, RI 02881-2011
E-mail: archives@etal.uri.edu
Website: http://www.uri.edu/library/special_collections/

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION  
Acquisition: The records of the Church of the Ascension in Cranston, Rhode Island were deposited in the Special Collections Department of the University of Rhode Island Library in 1988 and 1990 by the church's rector, the Rev. Gardiner Shattuck.
Custodial history: Prior to their transfer the records had been housed in the offices of the church at Pontiac Avenue in Cranston.
Accruals: No further materials are expected for this collection.
Processing information: This collection was processed in 1988 and 1990 by Beth Ullucci.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID  
Author: Finding aid prepared by Kevin J. Logan and Beth Ullucci.
Encoding: Finding aid encoded by Kate Freedman on 2007 June 4, updated by Hailie D. Posey on 2009 August 17
Descriptive rules: Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Related material: Also transferred at the same time were the records of the Holy Nativity mission in the Thornton section of Cranston and St. Bartholomew's Church in Cranston. The two churches had closed in 1966 and 1970 respectively and their parishioners and records were transferred to the Church of the Ascension.
Separated material: The records of Holy Nativity and St. Bartholomew's are housed in Manuscript Group 41, Records of the Episcopal Diocese, Series 11, Diocesan Parishes, which contains the records of disincorporated churches of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island.

Inventory

Series 1. Subject Files, 1887-1990
8 boxes
(4 linear feet)

The records contained in this series document the administrative activities of the Church of the Ascension. Topics include the Acolyte Guild
, the Altar Guild
, the construction and renovation of the church, parish anniversaries and celebrations, the consecration of the church, the dedication service for the church, the Episcopal Charities Fund, Episcopal Church Women, the Men's Club
, the Parish Corporation
, the Parish Guild
, the Women's Auxiliary, and the financial status of the parish.

Records represented include annual reports of the parish, the parish newsletter entitled the Ascension Messenger, brochures, programs for various parish anniversaries and celebrations, blueprints and bids for the construction and renovation of the church, and minutes of meetings of such parish organizations as the Altar Guild, the Parish Corporation, the Episcopal Church Women, the Men's Club, the Parish Guild, and the Women's Auxiliary.

Arrangement:

The records in this series are arranged alphabetically by subject or type of record and chronologically within folders.

Container Description Date
Box 1, Folder 1 Acolyte Guild
undated
Box 1, Folder 2 Altar, Pencil Sketch of. See: Oversize
 undated
Box 1, Folder 3 Altar Guild: By-Laws and Manual
1954, undated
Box 1, Folder 4 Altar Guild: Minutes of Meetings
1952-1962
Box 1, Folder 5 Altar Guild: Miscellaneous
1978
Box 1, Folder 6 Annual Reports
1966
Box 1, Folder 7 Annual Reports
1969-1973
Box 1, Folder 8 Architect's Drawings: Addition to the Church. See: Oversize
 1967
Box 2, Folder 9 Ascension Messenger (Newsletter)
 1938-1944 Nov
Box 2, Folder 10 Ascension Messenger
1945 Jan-1947
Box 2, Folder 11 Ascension Messenger
1948-1949
Box 2, Folder 12 Ascension Messenger
1950-1954 Jul
Box 2, Folder 13 Ascension Messenger
 1954 Nov-1958 Apr
Box 2, Folder 14 Ascension Messenger
1959-1960
Box 3, Folder 15 Ascension Messenger
1961-1962
Box 3, Folder 16 Ascension Messenger
1963-1966
Box 3, Folder 17 Ascension Messenger: Annual
1953-1957
Box 3, Folder 18 Ascension Messenger: Annual
1963-1965
Box 3, Folder 19 Blueprints of the Church
1955
Box 3, Folder 20 Book of Remembrance: Used at the War Shrine
1943-1945
Box 4, Folder 21 Brochure
1988
Box 4, Folder 22 Budget Committee
1959-1960
Box 4, Folder 23 Calendar
1990
Box 4, Folder 24 Centennial Celebration
1985
Box 4, Folder 25 Children's Catechism
undated
Box 4, Folder 26 Church Dinners and Events, Preparations for
undated
Box 4, Folder 27 Consecration of the Church, Program for
1966
Box 4, Folder 28 Constitution
1982, 1988
Box 4, Folder 29 Construction and Renovation: Bids
1903-1904, 1922, 1955
Box 4, Folder 30 Construction and Renovation: Bids
1956-1958
Box 4, Folder 31 Construction and Renovation: Bids
1962, 1967, 1971
Box 4, Folder 32 Contributors to Church Building Fund: Lists
1887, undated
Box 4, Folder 33 Corporation Meetings: Minutes of. See also: Vestry and Parish Meetings.
1967-1968
Box 5, Folder 34 Dedication Service: Program
1956
Box 5, Folder 35 DeLong, Lensk, and DeLong: Correspondence
1939, 1943-1967, 1955-1956
Box 5, Folder 36 "Eighty Years of Worship": Souvenir Program
 1965
Box 5, Folder 37 Episcopal Charities Fund of Rhode Island
 1959, 1985-1987
Box 5, Folder 38 Episcopal Church Women: Account Book
 1968-1985
Box 5, Folder 39 Minutes of Meetings
1962-1976
Box 5, Folder 40 Miscellaneous
1986
Box 5, Folder 41 Fiftieth Anniversary Book, History of the Church with Documentation
1935
Box 5, Folder 42 Foster Parents Plan, Inc.
1982
Box 5, Folder 43 History of the Church, 1885-1925 (Holograph Mss.)
 1925
Box 6, Folder 44 Hulme, Rev. Kenneth E.
 1966, 1969
Box 6, Folder 45 Index to Parish Ledger
1974
Box 6, Folder 46 Landscaping and Grounds: Drawings and Sketches. See: Oversize
 undated
Box 6, Folder 46a Letters of Transfer
 1950
Box 6, Folder 47 Mason, Edna Warren: Book of Prayer Presentation Copy from Elizabeth Warren)
 1900
Box 6, Folder 48 Memorial Lists. See also: Oversize
undated
Box 6, Folder 49 Men's Club Meeting, Minutes of
1949-1957
Box 6, Folder 50 Newsletter
1975-1979
Box 6, Folder 51 Operation Clean Up: Debt Reduction Fund Drive
1962
Box 6, Folder 52 Parish Guild Meetings, Minutes of
 1913-1919
Box 6, Folder 53 Parochial Group, Proposal for
1948
Box 6, Folder 54 Pastoral Letters
1980-1981, 1984
Box 6, Folder 55 Photograph Album
undated
Box 6, Folder 56 Photographs: Exterior of the Church
 undated
Box 7, Folder 57 Institution of Gardiner H. Shattuck, Jr. as Rector
1986
Box 7, Folder 58 Interior of the Church
1899, 1953, 1985, undated
Box 7, Folder 59 Miscellaneous
undated
Box 7, Folder 60 Profile of the Parish
1984
Box 7, Folder 61 Special Finance Committee, Report of
1922
Box 7, Folder 62 Specifications for Electric, Heating, and Plumbing in the Church
 1954
Box 7, Folder 63 Sunday Bulletins: Christmas
1950-1965
Box 7, Folder 64 Easter
1948-1965
Box 7, Folder 65 Palm Sunday
1946-1964
Box 7, Folder 66 Miscellaneous
1952-1974, scattered
Box 7, Folder 67 Window: Stained Glass Window
 1959, 1965-1967, 1970
Box 7, Folder 68 Women's Auxiliary: Attendance Records
1919-1925
Box 7, Folder 69 Cookbook
 undated
Box 8, Folder 70 Minutes of Meetings
1919 Oct 15-1925 Oct 13
Box 8, Folder 71 Minutes of Meetings
1925 Oct 27-1928 Dec 11
Box 8, Folder 72 Minutes of Meetings
1939 Dec 12-1954 Oct 5
Box 8, Folder 73 Minutes of Meetings
 1954 Oct 26-1970 Mar 10
Box 8, Folder 74 Treasurer's Accounts
1919-1927
Box 8, Folder 75 Wood, Rev. Arthur, Sketch of Plaque Honoring Him See:Oversize
 undated
Box 8, Folder 76 Miscellaneous
 1938, 1939, 1982, 1987, undated

Series 2. Vestry, 1885-1988
2 boxes
(1 linear foot)

The vestry is a group of individuals elected by the members of the parish to manage the daily operation of the parish. The vestry is responsible for the administrative and financial operations of the parish, including the election of a rector, the hiring of employees, the management of real and personal property owned by the parish, and the management of the finances of the parish.

The records in this series document the activities of the vestry of the Church of the Ascension
and include the by-laws of the vestry and the minutes of the meetings of the vestry. Also included are the minutes of the annual meeting of the Parish Corporation
through 1971 and copies of monthly treasurer's reports beginning in 1972. The minutes are in bound volumes from 1885 to 1958 and in loose sheets from 1959 forward.

Arrangement:

The records in this series are arranged alphabetically by type of record and chronologically within folders.

Container Description Date
Box 9, Folder 1 By-Laws
1984, 1988
Box 9, Folder 2 Vestry and Annual Corporation Meetings: Minutes of. (Also contains Parish "Certificate of Organization" glued to front end paper (dated June 11, 1885)
 1885 May 27-1904 Apr 13
Box 9, Folder 3 Minutes of
 1909 Jun 8-1931 Jan 31
Box 9, Folder 4 Minutes of
 1931 Jan 26-1951 Jan 9
Box 9, Folder 5 Minutes of
 1951 Jan 22-1958 Jun 3
Box 9, Folder 6 Minutes of
 1958 Sep 9-1965 Jun 8
Box 9, Folder 7 Minutes of
1965 Jul 6-1969 Jan 27
Box 10, Folder 8 Minutes of
1970 Jan-1970 Dec
Box 10, Folder 9 Minutes of
1971
Box 10, Folder 10 Minutes of (Monthly Treasurer's Reports)
1972
Box 10, Folder 11 Minutes of (Monthly Treasurer's Reports)
1973
Box 10, Folder 12 Minutes of (Monthly Treasurer's Reports)
1974-1975
Box 10, Folder 13 Minutes of (Monthly Treasurer's Reports)
1976
Box 10, Folder 14 Minutes of (Monthly Treasurer's Reports)
1977

Series 3. Registers, 1910-1990
2 boxes
(1 linear foot)

The Registers Series contains bound Registers of Church Services for the years 1933 to 1990 and Parish Registers of Baptisms, Burials, Confirmations, and Marriages for the years 1910 to 1950.

The Registers of Church Services include the date, time, type of service, number of attendees, and the name of the celebrant for each service held in the parish. The volumes are arranged by the date of the service.

The Parish Registers are divided into sections by the type of service performed, i.e., baptisms, burials, confirmations, and marriages. The amount and type of information recorded varies with the type of service. For baptisms it includes the date of the service, the name and date of the person baptized, the name of his/her parents and the name of the officiating clergyman. The marriage records include the date of the ceremony, the names, ages, and residence(s) of the betrothed, the names of their parents, and the name of the presiding clergyman. Confirmation records include the dates and names of those confirmed and the name of the bishop performing the ceremony. The burial records include the name of the deceased, the date of death, the cause of death, the age at death, the date of the funeral, and the name of the presiding clergyman. Each section of the Parish Register is arranged by the date of the service.

Arrangement:

The registers are arranged alphabetically by type of register and chronologically by inclusive dates of each register.

Container Description Date
Box 11, Folder 1 Church Services
1933 Apr 23-1938 Dec 31
Box 11, Folder 2 Church Services
1939-1951
Box 11, Folder 3 Church Services
1952 Jan 1-1959 Mar 20
Box 11, Folder 4 Church Services
 1959 Mar 21-1962 Dec 31
Box 12, Folder 5 Church Services
1963-1967
Box 12, Folder 6 Church Services
1968-1975
Box 12, Folder 7 Church Services
 1976 Jan 1-1983 Mar 30
Box 12, Folder 8 Church Services
1983 Mar 13
Box 12, Folder 9 Parish Register (Book 1): Baptisms, Apr 4, 1990. Burials, Communicants, Confirmations, Marriages. See: Oversize
1910-1933
Box 12, Folder 10 Parish Register (Book 2): Baptisms, Burials, Communicants. Confirmations, Marriages. See: Oversize
 1920-1950

Series 4. Scrapbooks, 1935-1967
11 boxes
(5.5 linear feet)

This series includes scrapbooks which contain photographs, programs, newspaper clippings, brochures, and other ephemera related to the history and development of the Church of the Ascension
. The scrapbooks were apparently compiled by a variety of parish employees over the years.

Arrangement:

The scrapbooks are arranged chronologically, but there is no topical order within the scrapbooks.

Container Description Date
Box 13 , Folder 1 Scrapbooks
 1935 May 28- 1938 Apr 19
Box 13, Folder 2 Scrapbooks
 1938 Apr 24-1940 Jan 22
Box 14 , Folder 3 Scrapbooks
 1940 Jan 1- 1943 Jan 15
Box 15 , Folder 4 Scrapbooks
 1943 Jan 21- 1946 Jun 2
Box 16 , Folder 5 Scrapbooks
 1946 Jun 12- 1947 Dec 28
Box , Folder 6 Scrapbooks
 1948 Jan 15-1949 Dec 25
Box 17 , Folder 7 Scrapbooks
 1950-1952
Box 18 , Folder 8 Scrapbooks
 1953 Jan 4- 1955 Jan 9
Box 19, Folder 9 Scrapbooks
 1955 Jan 2-1957 Dec 29
Box 20 , Folder 10 Scrapbooks
 1958 Jan 5-1960 Dec 24
Box 21 , Folder 11 Scrapbooks
 1961
Box , Folder 12 Scrapbooks
 1962
Box 22 , Folder 13 Scrapbooks
 1963
Box , Folder 14 Scrapbooks
 1964-1965
Box 23 , Folder 15 Scrapbooks
 1966
Box 23, Folder 16 Scrapbooks
 1967
Box 23, Folder 17 Basketball Scrapbook (removed from three ring binder)
undated
Box , Folder

Series 5. Memorabilia (1940-1980)
1 boxes
(1 linear foot)

The Memorabilia Series contains articles and artifacts relating to the Church of the Ascension. Included are church calendars, plaques, trophies, youth basketball uniforms, centennial tee shirts, engravings, printers' blocks for illustrations on church publications, and a paper weight.

Arrangement:

There is no particular arrangement within this series.

Container Description Date
Box 24, Folder 1 Memorabilia
 1940-1980