EPISCOPAL CHURCH. DIOCESE OF MINNESOTA:

Frederick Ferdinand "Fritz" Kramer began his service in the Diocese of Minnesota in 1953 with his appointment as vicar in charge of the Samuel Memorial Mission, Naytahwaush, and of St. Philip's Church, Rice Lake. Following the retirement of Frederick K. Smythe, he rose to the positions of archdeacon in charge of Indian work in Minnesota and dean of the Cass Lake Deanery (1956). In 1960 he was removed as vicar of the two individual parishes, and the post of dean to the Northwest Deanery was added to his responsibilities. In 1966 Kramer left the Diocese of Minnesota to accept a position in Iowa.

Return to top

Kramer's papers document his service in the Diocese of Minnesota, particularly as archdeacon in charge of Indian work and dean of the Cass Lake and Northwest deaneries (1956-1966). They include correspondence and subject files regarding administrative matters, finances, and clergy development; minutes of the Deans of the Deaneries and of the diocesan committee in charge of Christian education, finance, and missions; deanery financial records; and files on the activities, administration, and finances of individual parishes in the two deaneries. There is a strong focus on the church's work with Native Americans, including Kramer's annual reports of mission work and files on various assistance and community service organizations.

Return to top

These records are organized into the following sections:

Return to top

A set of data sheets for the Diocese of Minnesota records (P1035 - Box A) provides more detailed information on each of the files in Kramer's papers. Included on each data sheet is a selected list of correspondents for that file.

See the inventory for the Episcopal Church Diocese of Minnesota for information on other diocesan records in the Minnesota Historical Society manuscript collections.

Return to top

Availability:

The collection is open for research use.

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Episcopal Church. Diocese of Minnesota. Archdeacon Frederick F. Kramer Files. Minnesota Historical Society.

See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.

Accession Information:

Accession number: See accession file 1773B

Processing Information:

Processed by: Cheri Thies, 1980-1981

Box numbering is not uniform.

Catalog ID number: 001734956

Return to top

The correspondence files are divided into two sections: general correspondence and a series of letters with Suffragan Bishop Philip F. McNairy. The general correspondence (1956-1966) deals with many aspects of Kramer's positions as archdeacon and dean, including the possibility of uniting the Cass Lake and Northwest deaneries (1956), Church Army recruitment (1963), a study of the archdeacon position and Kramer's opinion of his work in that position (1963), juvenile marriages (1964), and the organizational chart of Indian work in the Minnesota diocese (1965). Much of the correspondence is with Bishop Kellogg.

The correspondence with Bishop McNairy (1958-1965) deals mainly with Kramer's requests for aid from McNairy as suffragan bishop. He discusses financial problems, meetings, budgets, clerical turnover, and McNairy's trips to Kramer's deaneries.

Return to top

Contains minutes of the Deans of the Deaneries (1958-1965), an organization composed of the deans of all the Minnesota deaneries, and of the Diocesan Interdepartmental Committee (1964-1965), a diocesan organization in charge of the departments of Christian Education, Finance, and Missions. Kramer was a member of both organizations.

Return to top

Ledger pages containing various accounts of Kramer's deaneries, including the vicars special needs fund, clergy utilities, lay workers travel, property repair and maintenance, special gift, Indian hymnal fund, and camp scholarships.

Return to top

Kramer's subject files contain correspondence, reports, minutes, printed materials, diocesan bulletins, budgets, and programs, dealing mainly with the church's work in its Indian missions. Included are Kramer's annual reports of mission work (1955-1965) and files dealing with the Archdeacon Gilfillan Center, Bemidji (1963-1966), a residential treatment center for mildly emotionally disturbed children; the Governor's Indian Action Committee (1961-1963); the National Advisory Committee on Indian Work (1957-1965); Indian scholarships (1961-1966); the United Church Committee on Indian Work (1956-1965), a Minneapolis/St. Paul based organization to help reservation Indians settle into an urban environment; the Voluntary Services Program (1965-1966), a summer program of the church's National Council to give Indian and non-Indian youth a chance to serve in each others' communities; and Indian Crafts of the Episcopal Church in Minnesota (1955-1966), an organization that sold crafts from the missions.

Also found here are files concerning various aspects of Kramer's activities in the two deaneries. These include files on staff (clergy) meetings (1953-1965); on the Women's Auxiliary (1951, 1954-1966); on the Consultant-Trainer Program (1961-1966), an in-service training program to help professional staff and lay readers strengthen their skills; and on various financial problems, including clerical salaries and pensions, budget cut-backs, insurance premiums, and the Advance Fund Campaign (1964-1966), a diocesan stewardship drive.

Return to top

A series of subject files dealing with the activities and problems of the parishes in the Cass Lake and Northwest deaneries. Parishes included are:

Bemidji--St. Bartholomew's Church.

Cass Lake--St. Peter's Church.

Crookston--Christ Church.

Hallock--St. John's Church.

Morton--St. Cornelia Church.

Morton--Bishop Whipple Mission.

Ponsford--Breck Memorial Church.

Red Lake Indian Reservation: Red Lake--St. Johns' Church; Redby--St. Antipas Church; Ponemah Mission.

Thief River Falls--St. Alban's Church.

Walker--St. John's (Onigum) Mission.

Warroad--St. Peter's Church.

White Earth--St. Columba's Church.

White Earth Indian Reservation: Naytahwaush--Samuel Memorial Mission; Rice Lake--St. Philip's Church.

Contained in the files are vicar's monthly reports, minutes, membership lists, individual clergy information notebooks, monthly treasurer's reports, deacon's work sheets, annual reports, miscellaneous copies of "Chippewa Church Notes" and the "Reservation Churchman," and correspondence. The correspondence deals mainly with clergy turnover, rectory and parish hall construction, attendance, annual meetings, cemeteries, and financial problems, including property taxes, poor parishioners, salaries, and general operating expenses.

Return to top

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 management.

Church work with Indians -- Minnesota.

Ojibwa Indians -- Missions.

Persons:

Kramer, Frederick F.

Organizations:

Episcopal Church -- Finance.

Episcopal Church -- Government.

Episcopal Church -- Missions -- Minnesota.

Occupations:

Archdeacons -- Minnesota.

Return to top