Addendum 2

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.