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Swiftwater United Methodist Church records

Notifications

Held at: Historical Society of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church [Contact Us]235 N. Fourth Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19106

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Historical Society of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Call Number:
22
Repository:
Historical Society of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church
Extent:
1.33 linear feet
Language:
English
Date:
1932-2005 (bulk) and 1891-2005 (inclusive)
Creator:
Swiftwater United Methodist Church (Swiftwater, Pa.)
Abstract:
In 1851, Oliver D. Smith deeded land for a Methodist Episcopal church near East Swiftwater, Monroe County, Pennsylvania. It was known as Paradise Methodist Episcopal Church until 1892, when a new building was constructed and the church's name changed to Swiftwater Methodist Episcopal Church. Swiftwater United Methodist Church was discontinued in 2005. The Swiftwater United Methodist Church records, 1891-2005 (bulk 1932-2005), include a large amount of membership and vital (baptism, marriage, death) records, Quarterly and Charge Conference minutes, and Official and Administrative Board minutes, as well as a smattering of legal and property-related documents, financial records, church histories, photographs, and other materials.

Methodism is a protestant Christian faith based in the teachings of John Wesley (1703-1791), who preached "practical divinity," emphasis on Christian living, and putting faith and love into action. The Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1784 in Baltimore, Maryland with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as its first bishops and held its first general conference in 1792. In May of 1939, the Methodist Episcopal Church; the Methodist Episcopal Church, South; and the Methodist Protestant Church united to form the Methodist Church (U.S.). In 1946 the Church of the United Brethren in Christ (New constitution) and the Evangelical Church united to form the Evangelical United Brethren Church. In 1968 the Methodist Church (U.S.) and the Evangelical United Brethren Church united, forming the United Methodist Church (U.S.).

Paradise Methodist Episcopal Church near East Swiftwater, Monroe County, Pennsylvania was established in 1851. It was located at the intersection of Red Rock Road and a road that ran from East Swiftwater to Henryville, on land donated by Oliver D. Smith. The building was razed and in 1892 a new church building, known as Swiftwater Methodist Episcopal Church, was constructed at Swiftwater Road/Route 314. At various times, the church was included on a circuit with Tannersville, Analomink (Spragueville), Mount Pocono, Brick Church, and Arlington Heights. It functioned as a single point charge from 1965-1971. From 1971 until its discontinuance in 2005, Swiftwater United Methodist Church operated as a two-point charge in association with Keokee Chapel United Methodist Church in Paradise Valley.

Bibliography:

"Swiftwater UMC Celebrates 150th Anniversary Sunday." November 24, 2001. Clipping found in collection.

The Swiftwater United Methodist Church records, 1891-2005 (bulk 1932-2005), include a large amount of membership and vital (baptism, marriage, death) records, Quarterly and Charge Conference minutes, and Official and Administrative Board minutes, as well as a smattering of legal and property-related documents, financial records, church histories, photographs, and other materials. A folder-level inventory for the collection is available.

Some church records at the Historical Society of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church, particularly membership and vital records, are available in digital form through Ancestry.com or on microfilm at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and/or the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania.

The Historical Society of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church is the repository for records of member churches when they close.

Summary descriptive information on this collection was compiled in 2012-2014 as part of a project conducted by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania to make better known and more accessible the largely hidden collections of small, primarily volunteer run repositories in the Philadelphia area. The Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories (HCI-PSAR) was funded by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

This is a preliminary finding aid. No physical processing, rehousing, reorganizing, or folder listing was accomplished during the HCI-PSAR project.

In some cases, more detailed inventories or finding aids may be available on-site at the repository where this collection is held; please contact Historical Society of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church directly for more information.

Organization
Subject
Place

Publisher
Historical Society of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church
Finding Aid Author
Finding aid prepared by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories using data provided by the Historical Society of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church
Sponsor
This preliminary finding aid was created as part of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories. The HCI-PSAR project was made possible by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Access Restrictions

Contact Historical Society of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church for information about accessing this collection.

Collection Inventory

Membership Records, 1996, 1998.
Box 1 Folder 1
Membership Certificate Stubs, 1953-1959.
Box 1 Folder 2
Baptism Records, 1948-1953.
Box 1 Folder 3
Baptism Records, 1953-1968.
Box 1 Folder 4
Marriage Licenses, 1952-1970.
Box 1 Folder 5
Membership Letters, 1955-1970.
Box 1 Folder 6
Annual Report to Conference, 1950-1952, 1967, 1971-1995.
Box 1 Folder 7
Quarterly Conference Minutes, 1938-1953.
Box 1 Folder 8
Quarterly Conference Minutes, 1953-1958.
Box 1 Folder 9
Quarterly Conference Reports, 1963-1964.
Box 1 Folder 10
Quarterly Conference Records, 1966.
Box 1 Folder 11
Charge Conference, 1967-1971.
Box 1 Folder 12
Charge Conference, 1971-1981.
Box 1 Folder 13
Charge Conference, 2003-2005.
Box 1 Folder 14
Official Board Minutes, 1966.
Box 1 Folder 15
Official Board Minutes, 1967.
Box 1 Folder 16
Official Board / Administrative Board Minutes, 1968.
Box 1 Folder 17
Administrative Board Minutes, 1969.
Box 1 Folder 18
Administrative Board Minutes, 1970.
Box 2 Folder 1
Administrative Board Minutes, 1971.
Box 2 Folder 2
Administrative Board Minutes, 1973-1976.
Box 2 Folder 3
Administrative Board Minutes, 1977.
Box 2 Folder 4
Administrative Board Minutes, 1978.
Box 2 Folder 5
Administrative Board Minutes, 1979 (with charge conference for Keokee and Paradise Valley).
Box 2 Folder 6
Administrative Board Minutes, 1980.
Box 2 Folder 7
Administrative Board Minutes, 1981 (with charge conference for Keokee and Paradise Valley).
Box 2 Folder 8
Administrative Board Minutes, 1982 (with charge conference for Keokee and Paradise Valley).
Box 2 Folder 9
Administrative Board Minutes, 1983.
Box 2 Folder 10
Administrative Board Minutes, 1984.
Box 2 Folder 11
Administrative Board Minutes, 1985-1987.
Box 2 Folder 12
Administrative Board Minutes, 1988-1989.
Box 2 Folder 13
Administrative Board Minutes, 1990.
Box 2 Folder 14
Administrative Board Minutes, 1996.
Box 2 Folder 15
Administrative Board Minutes, 1997.
Box 2 Folder 16
Administrative Board, 1998-1999.
Box 2 Folder 17
Trustee Minutes, 1967.
Box 3 Folder 1
Trustee Minutes, 1982-1989.
Box 3 Folder 2
Annual Report of Trustees, 1986-1995.
Box 3 Folder 3
Deeds, 1891, 1892, 1909, 1996.
Box 3 Folder 4
Quit Claim, 1978.
Box 3 Folder 5
Affidavit and Option Agreement, 1965, 1966.
Box 3 Folder 6
Parsonage, 1966-1996.
Box 3 Folder 7
Hamblin Estate and Will Agreement, 1992-1994.
Box 3 Folder 8
Bequests, 1983, 1991, 1992.
Box 3 Folder 9
Action vs. LoRubbio et. al., 1983-1984.
Box 3 Folder 10
Church Trust, 1984.
Box 3 Folder 11
Blueprint: Survey of Property, 1977.
Box 3 Folder 12
Annual Budget, 1999.
Box 3 Folder 13
Annual Financial Reports, 2001-2003.
Box 3 Folder 14
Annual audits, 1972-1975.
Box 3 Folder 15
Papers relating to discontinuance, 2005.
Box 3 Folder 16
History of the Church, 1985.
Box 3 Folder 17
Fiftieth Anniversary, 1942.
Box 3 Folder 18
Seventy-fifth Anniversary, 1967.
Box 3 Folder 19
One hundred fiftieth Anniversary, 2001.
Box 3 Folder 20
Keokee Chapel, 1984.
Box 3 Folder 21
Selected Worship Bulletins, 1967-1970, 1973.
Box 3 Folder 22
Clippings. 1892, 1979.
Box 3 Folder 23
Membership Directory, 1950, 1967.
Box 3 Folder 24
Photographs, c. 1980.
Box 3 Folder 25
Membership and Church Record (Baptisms, 1960-1965; Preparatory Membership, 1953-1957; Full Membership, 1932-1966; Marriages, 1960-1965; Deaths, 1960-1962; Annual Summary, 1960-1962).
Box 3 Folder 26
Membership and Church Record (Baptisms, 1967-1996; Preparatory Membership, 1962-1988; Full Membership, 1966-1997; Marriages, 1968-1994; Deaths, 1967-1992).
Box 3 Folder 27

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