First Baptist Church (Cohoes, N.Y.)
Records, ca. 1839-1977

SC23338

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Historical Note:

After several years of holding informal meetings in their homes, the Baptists of the small community of Cohoes, New York, determined it was time to form their own church. The First Baptist Church Society was formed in Cohoes on May 5, 1839, with 24 members. The first pastor was Rev. John Duncan, who had come from the Stillwater [N.Y.] Church. The first church building was completed in 1840 and served for ten years, until its location was needed for building a mill.  In 1850, a perpetual lease was secured for the lot at 147 Mohawk Street and a new church erected. By 1872 there was need of more space to hold the growing congregation. The church building was enlarged and a spire added. Over the next two decades the church grew rapidly, so that by the late 1890s another renovation was needed to provide even more space.  he cornerstone was laid on August 30, 1899 and the "new" church was dedicated on May 15, 1900.

By the time of the church's 75th Anniversary in 1914, church membership was approximately 550, and there had been 22 pastors. There was a Sunday School, a ladies' aid society, a men's Bible study group, known as "The Baraca," a Philathea class, and the B.Y.P.U. (Baptist Young People's Union).

In 1922, when the church building was found to be in an unsafe condition, all services and meetings had to be temporarily relocated. The rebuilding of 1922-1923 cost nearly $45,000. Some of the funds were raised by subscription, but a sizable mortgage was also incurred. Church membership declined significantly between 1928 (543 members) and 1944 (321 members).

In 1939 the church celebrated its 100th Anniversary with a week-long series of events, including special services, meetings, a pageant and a Friday evening banquet.  Several hundred current and former church members, as well as members of the wider community, attended.

Through the 1950s and 1960s additional repairs and improvements to the building were made and payments on the mortgage continued. However, by the early 1970s costs were beginning to outstrip income, membership was falling, and there was talk of merging with another church. On June 20, 1976, members were called to the annual meeting to discuss discontinuing Sunday worship services as of September 1, 1976. Twenty-four members attended and the motion to close the church passed. Over the next few months arrangements were made to sell the church building and other property and to help members unite with other churches. The Baptist Temple of Cohoes, Inc. purchased the church building for $11,000 on December 31, 1976. The First Baptist Church of Cohoes officially closed on January 5, 1977. 

Scope and Content Note:

The records of the First Baptist Church of Cohoes, N.Y., provide a fairly complete history of the church from its founding in 1839 to its closure in 1977. Much of the information is contained in bound volumes which vary in size. These provide comprehensive minutes of the regular, special and annual meetings of the church trustees, as well as of the church council, advisory board, Sunday school and the ladies aid society. Meeting minutes document the general business operations of the church, selection of church officials, financial reports of the treasurer and issues surrounding the changes to the physical church building at various points in its history.

Church history is documented in several items in the collection.  The Church Record Book of 1864-1879 contains a short handwritten history (Box 2, Folder 3), while printed histories are included in a newspaper article from 1883 (Box 12, Folder 8), the 1904 Manual of the First Baptist Church of Cohoes, N. Y. (Box 13, Folder 7), The First Baptist Church Cohoes, New York, History and Directory, 1914 (Box 13, Folder 9) and The First Baptist Church of Cohoes, New York: A Brief History, 1939 (Box 14, Folder 16).

Several of the bound church record books contain alphabetical lists of church members, sometimes including the date they joined the church and the date they left or died. Member lists are also in the History and Directory of 1914, mentioned above; the directory of 1918 (Box 13, Folder 10) and the list of active members of 1947 (Box 13, Folder 13).

Quite a few church members left bequests and endowments to the church between 1929 and 1972. Details of these by individual name can be found in Box 14. 

No early financial records are included, but from 1895 to 1977 church finances are documented in several account books and cash books, as well as unbound reports and records from the last few years of the church's existence (Box 13). Documents relating to the dissolution of the church in 1976-1977 contain the financial records of that process (Box 14, Folders 25 and 26).

The centennial celebration in 1939 was a high point in the church's history and there is significant material documenting the event, including over 30 letters in reply to the invitation to attend.

Photographs include interior and exterior views of the church in different eras; several events including the centennial celebration; and portraits of some pastors and members from the 1800s.

Lastly, the records include some material related to other Baptist organizations, notably the annual meeting programs from the Hudson River Baptist Association North, from 1917 to 1946, of which First Baptist Church of Cohoes was a member organization.

Container List:

Part I: Bound Volumes

Part II: Photographs, Records and Correspondence