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3. Provenance 5. Inventory 6. Subjects |
General Six Principle Baptist Archives Religious body, Rhode Island Records, 1680-1955. Bulk 1743-1917. Size: 2.5 lin. ft. (32 volumes and 7 boxes) Catalog number: MSS 145 Processed by: Angie Chute, June 1993; expanded, July 1999 USE MICROFILM BX6480 F75 F52 (part: Foster and Johnston)©Rhode Island Historical Society Manuscripts Division |
Historical note:
The Six Principle Baptist Churches were founded on the six principles of the doctrine of Christ (Heb. vi.1,2); repentance, faith, baptism, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgement. The First Baptist Church in Providence (founded in 1638) was the first American church to adopt Six Principle doctrine, in 1652. The Second Baptist Church in Newport was formed along the same principles in 1656. Another early Six Principle church was in Swansea, founded in 1680.
In 1771, the First Baptist Church in Providence adopted Calvinist theology when James Manning, President of Brown University became pastor. Some Six Principle adherents broke off and formed their own church in Johnston at this time. By the late 1700's, the various Six Principle churches had between three and four hundred members. A division occurred in this church in 1819 between those who wished to continue strict adherence to the principles upon which it was founded and more liberal elements.
Churches were founded in many Rhode Island cities and towns. The churches began meeting annually as early as 1729, but was not actually incorporated by the Rhode Island General Assembly until 1895. Yearly meetings were held and well attended by members of the various Six Principle Baptist churches. Some of these churches exist today, but some have disbanded. For example, the Scituate Church sold its land to the city of Providence to make way for the Scituate Reservoir and then disbanded. As of 1980, three churches attended the annual conference: Coventry (Maple Root) Church, First Richmond (Wood River) Church, and North Kingstown (Stony Lane) Church.
Scope and content:
The Six Principle Baptist Church collection consists of volumes of records, Sunday School reports, Treasurer's reports, membership records, vital statistics, correspondence, legal papers and annual reports. The material dates from 1680 to 1945 and is arranged into series based on individual churches and by the annual meeting of all churches. Series include:
Series I: Anthony (Knotty Oak)
Series II: Cranston
Series III: East Greenwich
Series IV: Johnston
Series V: Richmond
Series VI: Scituate Union (Kent)
Series VII: South Kingstown (Waite's Corner)
Series VIII: South Scituate
Series IX: Swansea
Series X: Warwick (Lippitt & Phenix; Bethel)
Series XI: West Greenwich (Noose Neck)
Series XII: Wyoming (Wood River)
Series XIII: Executive Committee; Annual Conferences
Series XIV: Coventry (Maple Root)
Provenance:
The bulk of the Six Principle Baptist Church Collection (27 volumes) were given on "permanent loan" by the General Six Principle Baptist Church Conference on December 30, 1959. Oddly enough, six of this listed volumes were already here. The five South Scituate volumes had previously been deposited in 1947 as a gift of Niles Walcott, and the Baptist Yearly Meeting book was deposited originally in 1906 by Charles Wyman Hopkins. In 1966, the records of the Maple Root church were placed on "unconditional loan" at the library and added to the previously deposited archives.
The provenance of one volume remains unknown: the Swansea volume covering 1854 to 1858. According to a note in the accession book, it was already here by 1959. In addition, two volumes were donated in 1991 by Ellis Wilcox, and one was purchased in 1992 from David Karbonik.
The condition attached to the 1959 deposit is that it must "be kept together as a special collection collectively known as 'General Six Principle Baptist Archives' on permanent loan not to be removed from the Historical Society except by special permission of the Historical Society and the General...Conference."
Processing note:
During processing, loose papers were removed from the volumes and placed in archival folders.
Inventory:
Series I: Anthony (Knotty Oak)
Misc. Papers, 1904-1917 (Box 7)
Series II: Cranston
1. Records, 1842-1853 (Volume)
Misc. Records, 1846-1853 (Box 7)
Series III: East Greenwich
2. Records, 1743-1831 (Volume)
3. Minutes, 1855-1865 (Volume)
Series IV: Johnston
4. Records, 1771-1833 (Volume)
Series V: Richmond
Misc. Papers, 1836 (Box 7)
Series VI: Scituate Union (Kent)
5. Index of Record Book, 1841-1872 (Volume)
6. Records & Vital Statistics, 1841-1872 (Volume)
7. Minutes, 1877-1912 (Volume)
8. Sunday School Records, 1880-1886 (Volume)
9. Sunday School Records, 1880-1899 (Volume)
10. Sunday School Records, 1890-1896 (Volume)
11. Sunday School Records, 1899-1910 (Volume)
12. Sunday School Records, 1907-1916 (Volume)
13. Treasurer's Book, 1906-1918 (Volume)
Box 6 Loose minutes and reports, 1842-1925 (2 folders, with Coventry records)
Series VII: South Kingstown-Waites Corners
14. Records & Vital Statistics, 1854-1945 (Volume)
Series VIII: South Scituate
15. Records, 1762-1825 (Volume)
16. Records, 1821-1854 (Volume)
17. Records, 1858-1886 (Volume)
18. Records, 1887-1923 (Volume)
19. Records, 1898-1925 (Volume)
Misc. Papers, 1847 (Box 1)
Series IX: Swansea
20. Records, 1680-1853 (Volume)
21. Records of Vital Statistics, 1789-1827 (Volume)
22. Records, 1854-1858 (Volume)
Series X: Warwick
23. Records (Lippitt & Phenix), 1845-1851 (Volume)
24. Members & Vital Statistics (Bethel Church), 1857-1892 (volume)
25. Records (Bethel Church), 1857-1909 (Volume)
26. Records, 1907-1910 (Volume)
Misc. Records, 1845-1863 (Box 7)
Series XI: West Greenwich (Noose Neck Hill)
27. Records, 1823-1868 (Volume)
28. Records (Noose Neck Hill), 1842-1868 (Volume)
Box 2: Minutes, 1842-1850. 2 volumes (with Coventry records).
Misc. Papers, 1823-1868 (Box 7)
Series XII: Wyoming (Wood River) (Richmond, R.I.)
31. Sunday School Records (Wood River), 1869-1884 (Volume) (See series XIII)
Correspondence, 1918 (Box 7)
Series XIII: Executive Committee/Annual Conferences
29. Records of the Baptist Yearly Meeting, 1774-1854 (volume)
30. Minutes of Executive Committee, 1859-67 (Volume)
31. Annual Conference Reports, 1874-1902 (Volume)
32. Minutes of Executive Committee, 1894-1917 (Volume)
Legal Papers, Reports, Correspondence, 1912-1953 (Box 7)
Annual Register, 1790; Annual Report, 1847 (Box 7)
Series XIV: Coventry (Maple Root)
Box 1: Minutes, 1782-1838 (1839 transcription)
Minutes, 1811-1893
Box 2: Minutes, 1813-1819
Incorporated Church Society charter, minutes and accounts, 1824-1905
Membership book, 1844-1858
Minutes, 1839-1884
Box 3: Membership, 1858-1931
Minutes, 1885-1921
Box 4: Sunday School attendance totals, 1896-1907
Membership book, 1903-1936
Minutes, 1894-1923
Box 5: Annual meeting minutes and treasurer's reports, 1907-1956
Sunday School attendance totals, 1907-1920
Minutes, 1922-1937
Box 6: Minutes and membership, 1782-1839
Box 6, fol. 3 Deed to lot for first meeting house, 1787
Deed to lot for present meeting house and Sunday School, 1797
Draft of subscription for building meeting house, 1796
R.I. General Assembly charter, 1824
"Names of Part of the Members of Bethel Church Dismissed", undated
Box 6, fol. 4-6. Loose treasurer's reports, 1911-1955
Receipt book, 1916-1925
Subjects:
Baptist Church - Rhode Island
Baptist Yearly Meeting
Churches - Rhode Island
Coventry, R.I. - Churches
Cranston, R.I. - Churches
East Greenwich, R.I. - Churches
Johnston, R.I. - Churches
Kent Six Principle Baptist Church
Maple Root Six Principle Baptist Church
Noose Neck Hill Six Principle Baptist Church
Richmond, R.I. - Churches
Scituate, R.I. - Churches
Six Principle Baptist Church - Records
South Scituate, R.I. - Churches
South Kingstown, R.I. - Churches
Swansea, Mass. - Churches
Waites Corner Six Principle Baptist Church
Warwick, R.I. - Churches
West Greenwich, R.I. - Churches
Wood River Six Principle Baptist Church
Wyoming Six Principle Baptist Church
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RIHS1822