EPISCOPAL CHURCHWOMEN, DIOCESE OF MINNESOTA:

In June 1882 representatives of various Episcopal women's groups met and organized a branch of the Minnesota Auxiliary to the Board of Missions, to unite all parishes of the Diocese to "...raise funds, circulate missionary publications...and to clothe and educate missionaries and their families." The first meeting included Episcopal women from St. Paul, Minneapolis, Duluth, and other cities in the Diocese. From 1882 to 1892 the organization collected considerable funds, clothing, and other items. Later scholarships were added, along with study classes, a junior auxiliary, and an infant aid group.

From 1900 to 1982 the organization expanded its activities, responding to the many social changes during that period, incorporating work in prisons, lumber camps, mining locations, and ranches; charitable and other work during the two world wars and the great depression; and missionary work to Japan and Alaska, and among American Indians. In May 1956 the name of the organization was changed to its present title.

Folder one of box one contains "Episcopal Churchwomen of Minnesota, The First One Hundred Years, 1882-1992," by Catherine Gaines Boehlke (1981), from which the information in this sketch was taken.

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Minutes and related papers (1882-1984); financial records (1901-1985); reports (1961-1979); yearbooks, handbooks, and directories (1959-1990); annual meeting files (1985-1992); and historical information, constitutions, and bylaws (1882-1955) created by an organization founded in 1882 as a cooperative effort by Episcopal women to raise funds for missionaries and their families, later expanding its work to encompass all types of social action on behalf of diverse groups.

Other items of interest include information on purchasing and distributing food and clothing to missions in Minnesota and elsewhere, with detailed lists of items purchased and their cost, and files containing historical data on Episcopal parishes in Minnesota (1981), which information was used in the preparation of a manuscript celebrating the centennial of the organization.

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Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Episcopal Churchwomen, Diocese of Minnesota Records. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples

Accession Information:

Accession numbers 12,961; 13,100; 13,664; 13,668; 14,038; 14,248; 14,643; 14,864; 17,125

Processing Information:

Processed by: Kathryn A. Johnson, April 1993

Catalog ID number: 001729312

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This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Topics:

Church work.

Episcopalians -- Minnesota.

Missions -- Minnesota.

Social action -- Minnesota.

Women in church work -- Minnesota.

Persons:

Boehlke, Catherine Gaines.

McConnell, Viola.

Organizations:

Episcopal Church. Diocese of Minnesota.

Episcopal Church. Woman's Auxiliary.

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