Mount Carmel Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Randolph County, Missouri, Records, 1873-1979 (C3785)

10 folders, photocopies

INTRODUCTION

Records of the Mount Carmel Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Randolph County. The documents include information about baptisms, marriages, funerals, and dismissals. Also included are session minutes, church history, and pastoral information. Moreover, the records seem to include some documents from the Cumberland Chapel Church.

DONOR INFORMATION

The Mount Carmel Church records were loaned to the State Historical Society of Missouri for copying on 6 March 1980 by Ralph Schmedake (SHS Accession No. 2304).

HISTORICAL SKETCH

Mount Carmel Cumberland Presbyterian Church was founded on August 31, 1873 under the organized efforts of the Reverend J.B. Mitchell, D.D. Many of Mount Carmel's members came from the Eldad congregation. The records state that the members from Eldad did not leave "from any dissatisfaction unto the parent Congregation-Eldad." Seventy-seven people formed the first congregation. Moreover, during difficult times, the congregation of Mount Carmel shared ministers, space, and services with the Cumberland Chapel Church.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

This collection chronicles the Mount Carmel Cumberland Presbyterian Church from 1873 until 1979. Throughout the records there is mention of Sunday school, shut-in visitations, elders' meetings, and the pastors. Some of the pages are illegible due to the copying process. Additionally, the collection is not in strict chronological order. The records were bound in volumes which made photocopying hard and the retention of the original numbering difficult.

A strength of the collection is that one can find a complete membership list, including the member's name, the date they joined the church, and the date they left the church or died. Years missing from the records are 1885, 1905, 1930, 1933, 1939, 1947, 1949, and 1956-1964. Information from Cumberland Chapel is also included in the records.

FOLDER LIST

f. 1-3Minutes, 1873-1909, 1920. Discusses how the church organized and where the members came from in order to form Mount Carmel. This section has illegible pages.
f. 4-6Register, 1873-1908. Lists elders, deacons, and communicants and contains marriage and baptism records. Also included are financial reports and statistical reports to the Presbytery.
f. 7-9Minutes, 1906-1970. Minutes of the elders' meetings and church services. Mentions shut-in visitations, dedication of a new church, and sharing resources with the Cumberland Chapel Church.
f. 10Minutes, correspondence, and register, 1967-1979. Deals with getting Albert J. Smith ordained. Includes a register of communicants.

INDEX TERMS

These index terms are the subjects, people, places, etc. under which this collection is listed in all available indexes at The State Historical Society of Missouri-Columbia. If you are interested in a specific index term, please contact the reference staff.