Evangelical Protestant Church (Albany, N.Y.)
Records, 1850-2010

SC23221

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Historical Note:

The Evangelical Protestant Church in Albany, New York, was established in 1850 to serve the community of German settlers and immigrants who, at the time, resided largely in the city's south end. For many years it was called the German Evangelical Protestant Church, which clearly identified it with the ethnic origins of its founders and members. The ethnic distinction in its name appears to have been phased out in the early-twentieth century.

During its first year, worship services were held mostly in the home of Peter Kunz, at the corner of Bassett and Green streets in Albany. By December 1850 fifty families had affiliated with the congregation, so there was a need for a permanent meetinghouse. In 1851 they purchased a vacant lot at the corner of Clinton and Alexander streets for $600.00, and erected a 36-feet x 50-feet wood frame building. On August 31, 1851, the church building was completed and dedicated.

Educational instruction was a significant part of the church's mission from almost the beginning. It operated a parochial school on the ground floor of the church building from 1851 to 1901, with instruction entirely in German. A Sunday church school was organized in 1865 to provide further instruction in Christian doctrine.

The church became affiliated with the Evangelical Synod of North America in 1876, which organization eventually became the Evangelical and Reformed Churches. This organization merged with the Congregationalists in 1959 to form the United Church of Christ.

On Sunday June 5, 1881, Pentecost Sunday, a fire started in an adjoining building that set fire to the church building itself. The church was not completely destroyed, but it was beyond repair. Eight days after the fire, June 13, 1881, the church membership voted to build anew at the same location. The cornerstone was laid September 11, 1881, and construction of the new meetinghouse was completed by May 14, 1882, when a dedication ceremony was held. Total cost of the construction was $23,566 according the documentation found in church records. Finances were procured from gifts and offerings, fundraising fairs and bazaars, and mortgages taken up by a number of church members.  This structure has served as the meetinghouse for the congregation ever since it opened.

The church building has undergone extensive renovations both inside and outside a number of times during more than a century of use. The most significant was the erection of the Sunday school building in 1926, which cost more to build than the original church building. Other major building projects were re-roofing and rebuilding the steeple, circa 1939-1940. The sanctuary and altar were extensively renovated in 1950.

The large bell in the belfry, which weighs 3,276 pounds, was installed January 2, 1888, at a cost $806.00. It was paid for largely through gifts and subscriptions of its members. Two more bells were purchased in 1906 from Meneely and Company; they were paid for largely from a $1000 bequest to the church by a member who had passed away the previous year.

Originally all services and instruction was conducted in German, but by the mid-1920s, English had become the predominant language. The first English worship service was held on October 1, 1899, but the first English Communion service was not held until November 3, 1913. The last confirmation class examination in German was held in 1917. As late as 1940, the church held a German service as well as an English service every Sunday morning.

For many years, the pews in the sanctuary were leased to members of the congregation; an annual rent payment was collected. Pew rent was the primary means by which the church could assure itself of a steady annual income. This method of procuring funds was discontinued in 1918, replaced by a system in which individual members pledged to give a certain amount each year.

The first church parsonage was situated at 82 Clinton Street on land adjacent to the church. It was a wood-frame building that was purchased from Casper Langhor in 1887. In 1892 a new parsonage was erected at 125 Clinton Street. It was sold in August 1948, when the church acquired a home located at 10 Partridge Road in Delmar for use as the church parsonage.

In 1854 the church acquired land located off Krumkill Road in Hurstville, at the time a hamlet in Bethlehem but now a part of Albany. Additional acreage was added to the original plot over the years. These grounds have been maintained largely by a hired superintendent who was a member of the congregation.

In addition to worship services and Sunday school, opportunities for fellowship were also available in a number of church-sponsored clubs and societies. Among them was the Churchmen's Brotherhood, which was organized as the Men's Club in March 1905, and the Women's Guild which evolved from the young women's society that was organized in 1881 and later became the literary society. These organizations frequently sponsored bazaars, suppers, and other activities that were open to the public. An annual sauerkraut supper held in October was popular; about 1940 the price of a ticket to the supper was 50 cents for adults, and about a thousand dinners were served over two evenings.

The church has experienced many changes in the South End since 1850, not the least of which has been the demographics of the surrounding neighborhood and subsequent decline in membership. In 1990 it was estimated that the church had gone from 75 per cent of its membership living in the neighborhood to 15 percent.  Also, it was noted that between 1874 and 1950, the church had an average membership of 600. By 1966 the membership was down to 324 with more members being lost than gained. By 2000 the church had transformed from a largely middle-class, German, older congregation to a congregation that was integrated by class, race, culture, and age. Its ministries were oriented towards helping the less affluent, the homeless, substance abusers, and troubled people who lived in the neighborhood surrounding the church.

In its later years the congregation began to struggle financially as there were fewer members who could give enough to adequately fund its ministries as well as the ever increasing cost of maintaining the building and grounds. In late 2010 the church began the process of dissolving and putting the building up for sale.

Scope and Content Note:

The records of the Evangelical Protestant Church provide vital information about its members as well as a comprehensive record of business and financial operations of the church almost from its origins in 1850 to its closure in 2010.  Much of the information is contained in bound volumes which vary in size. Vital information is recorded in a series of registers that cover the period from 1850 to 1991.  The registers generally include births, baptisms, marriages, confirmations, communicants, and deaths.

The general business operations of the church are recorded in the minute books of the church council, the principal governing body of the church. This body assisted the pastor in overseeing the ministries of the church as well as performing the duties as church trustees. Financial reports are included along with a summary of all other business considered at meetings, which were usually held monthly. The bound council minute books cover the period from 1885 to 1950.  Thereafter, council proceedings are found in the files of unbound materials.

Finances of the church are detailed extensively in account books, ledgers, journals, invoices, receipts, and other records covering the period from 1850 to 2010. Income was largely derived from gifts and offerings from its membership. For many years funds were also raised from pew rents and special subscriptions. Major expenditures or disbursements of funds were for maintenance and repair of the church building and parsonage, and for the salaries and benefits for the pastor and the superintendent of the cemetery. Expenses for sundry goods and services such as printing bulletins, office supplies, and instructional materials are also documented in these records.

The history of the church building and grounds are also documented in a series of bonds, mortgages, building contracts, and other legal documents. These and other records indicate that the construction of the new meetinghouse after the 1881 fire was largely financed by loans from church members and funds raised through subscriptions sold a special fair held in 1881. Another fair was held in 1888 to help pay off the mortgage.

Activities of the Sunday church school and clubs and societies of the church are well documented in minute books and account books. Sunday school records include minutes of teachers' meetings (1889-1930), account books (1922-1930), and attendance records (1936-1940). The men's club records include treasurers' books (1905-1949), and minute books (1935-1960). Similarly, women's club records include treasurers' books (1936-1964), and minutes (1960-1966). Records of youth organizations include the minute books of the young women's society, which later became the literary society (1880 to 1915).

Records and correspondence from the late-twentieth and early-twenty-first centuries document the change in the ministry of the church as the surrounding neighborhood changed.  These files also detail problems related to finances that ultimately led the church to begin the process of dissolution in 2010.

The records also include cemetery fund account books and a register of plots at the church-owned cemetery located on land off Krumkill Road. The register book provides vital information about individuals interred there along with plot numbers, which can be located on a cemetery plot included here. The cemetery account books detail the sale of lots as well as general maintenance expenses.

Lastly, the records include a number of commemorative programs, booklets, bulletins, newsletters, and newspapers clippings, etc., that provide a wealth of information about the history of the church; and a series of photographs depicting a number of confirmation classes and portraits of pastors.

Language Note:

A large portion of these records are in German, particularly those that were created prior to the mid-1920s. Translations are unavailable at the present time with the exception of some information provided to help researchers use the registers of births, deaths, marriages, etc. This information is summarized in this guide and on sheets tipped into the original volumes.

Series and Container List:

Series I: Church Registers

Guide to the content of Church Register Books I, II, and III (Boxes 1 and 2)

A. Births and Baptisms (Geboren and Tauf)

Records include name of child, date of birth, date of baptism, names of parents, home address, and father's occupation

B. Marriages (Copulation or Trau)

Records include names of bride and groom, ages and places of birth, groom's occupation, date and place of wedding, and witnesses

C. Death (Todten or Sterbe)

Records include name of deceased, date of death, date of burial, age of the deceased, place and cause of death, and place of burial

D. Confirmations (Confirmanden)

Series II: Business and Financial Record Books

Series III: Records and Correspondence

Series IV: Books and Artifacts

Series V: Photographs