Main content
Philadelphia Branch of the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal 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
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.).
The Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1869 in Boston, Massachusetts in response to a recognized need for women missionaries who could minister to women in foreign countries. Several branches of the organization were established throughout the United States. The Philadelphia Branch of the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in 1870 with Mrs. J. T. Gracey as its first president. For the first four years, it was known as the "Central Branch."
In 1973, the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church merged with other women's missionary groups to establish United Methodist Women, the women's mission organization of the United Methodist Church.
Bibliography:
Philadelphia Branch of the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Historical Chronology (Time Line, 1870-1930). Document viewed in collection.
The United Methodist Church General Commission on Archives and History. "Site of the Founding of the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church." 2014. Accessed August 29, 2014. http://www.gcah.org/research/travelers-guide/site-of-the-founding-of-the-womans-foreign-missionary-society-of-the-method.
United Methodist Women. "History and Legacy." 2014. Accessed August 29, 2014. http://www.unitedmethodistwomen.org/about/history.
The bulk of this collection is printed annual reports, 1873-1940. Also included in the collection are minutes, 1870-1932; a life member list, 1870-1909; various issues of "The Message" newsletter; appropriations records, 1930s; constitution and by-laws; quarterly and annual meeting programs; ephemera; and other documents.
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
- Methodist Episcopal Church. Woman's Foreign Missionary Society. Philadelphia Branch
- United Methodist Church (U.S.)
Subject
Place
- Publisher
- Historical Society of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church
- Finding Aid Author
- Finding aid prepared by Celia Caust-Ellenbogen and Sarah Leu through the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories
- 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.