Ahavas Scholem Congregation (Sheboygan, Wis.). Records, 1903-1952.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection DH and Milwaukee Micro Collection 13
Photostats of a minute book and miscellaneous records; financial records (1908-1937) on microfilm. Some records are in Yiddish.
Baron, Joseph L., 1894-1960. Papers, 1910-1960.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 173 and Milwaukee Micro Collection 45
Papers of a Wisconsin Reform rabbi whose Milwaukee rabbinical career at Temple Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun spanned the years 1926 to 1960. The collection documents his school years at Columbia University, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and Hebrew Union College from 1910 to 1920, and highlights the many achievements of his rabbinical career (1920-1960). Included is information on the establishment of synagogues in Madison and Waukesha, Wisconsin, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and the establishment of the Milwaukee Round Table of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, the Milwaukee Jewish Council, the Wisconsin Society for Jewish Learning, the Wisconsin Jewish Archives, and the Department of Hebrew Studies at the University of Wisconsin. View finding aid.
Barquist, Barbara. History of Summit Cemetery (Waukesha County, Wis.), 1836-1989.
Milwaukee Small Collection 173
The history, compiled by Barbara and David Barquist, includes an alphabetical list of burials at the cemetery which contains date of birth, date of death, age at death, lot number and cause of death.
Beth El Congregation (Sheboygan, Wis.). Dedication and 20th anniversary celebration booklet, 1964.
Milwaukee Small Collection 182
Dedication and twentieth anniversary celebration booklet of a Jewish congregation in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The program contains a short history and photographs of the congregation and its rabbis.
Central United Methodist Church (Milwaukee, Wis.). Records, 1844-1973.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection AT, Milwaukee Micro Collection 3, and Milwaukee Micro Collection 56
Records of a church formed in 1969 from two urban predecessor congregations: the First Methodist Church and the Wesley Methodist Church. The files include church bulletins (1900-1973); sacramental records (1892-1933); financial records dating to 1844; records of the Milwaukee Missionary Society; and information on various remodeling efforts.
Also includes minutes of the church, dating to 1853, which are not complete but are the most important source on the history of the congregation. Minutes of special meetings (1906-1966) are available on Milwaukee Micro Collection 3. The sermons of Ensworth Reisner (1943-1973) are available on Milwaukee Micro Collection 56. For Wesley Methodist there are sacramental records (1883-1922), collected historical materials, and some ministerial subject files from the 1960s. There are few records from the Central United Methodist Church itself. View finding aid.
Church and Cemetery Records (Genealogical Society of Utah Project): Milwaukee County, Wisconsin [microform], 1836-1982.
Milwaukee Micro Collection 70
Collection contains various types of records for numerous Milwaukee County churches and some cemeteries. The denominations include Baptist, Catholic, Christian, Congregational, Episcopal, Evangelical, Lutheran, Methodist, Methodist Episcopal, Moravian, Presbyterian, and United Church of Christ. The microfilm contains baptismal, communion, funeral, interment, marriage, membership, probation, and other records. Some of the records, especially those from the nineteenth century, are in German. View finding aid.
Church and Cemetery Records (Genealogical Society of Utah Project): Ozaukee County, Wisconsin [microform], 1808-1982.
Milwaukee Micro Collection 66
Collection contains various types of records for numerous Ozaukee County churches. The denominations include Congregational, Evangelical, Lutheran, Methodist, and Methodist Episcopal. The microfilm contains baptismal, communion, funeral, interment, marriage, membership, probation, and other records. Most of the records, especially those from the nineteenth century, are in German. View finding aid.
Church and Cemetery Records (Genealogical Society of Utah Project): Sheboygan County, Wisconsin [microform], 1839-1987.
Milwaukee Micro Collection 68
Collection contains various types of records for numerous Sheboygan County churches. The denominations include Congregational, Evangelical, Lutheran, Methodist, Methodist Episcopal, Presbyterian, and Reformed. The microfilm contains baptismal, communion, funeral, interment, marriage, membership, probation, and other records. Some of the records, especially those from the nineteenth century, are in German, and a few are in Dutch. View finding aid.
Church and Cemetery Records (Genealogical Society of Utah Project): Washington County, Wisconsin [microform], 1761-1983.
Milwaukee Micro Collection 65
Collection contains various types of records for numerous Washington County churches. The denominations include Congregational, Episcopal, Evangelical, Lutheran, Methodist, Methodist Episcopal, and United Church of Christ. The microfilm contains baptismal, communion, funeral, interment, marriage, membership, probation, and other records. Some of the records, especially those from the nineteenth century, are in German, and a few are in Dutch. View finding aid.
Church and Cemetery Records (Genealogical Society of Utah Project): Waukesha County, Wisconsin [microform], 1805-1975.
Milwaukee Micro Collection 67
Collection contains various types of records for numerous Waukesha County churches. The denominations include Baptist, Congregational, Episcopal, Evangelical, Lutheran, Methodist, Methodist Episcopal, and United Church of Christ. The microfilm contains baptismal, communion, funeral, interment, marriage, membership, probation, and other records. Some of the records, especially those from the nineteenth century, are in German, and a few are in Dutch. View finding aid.
Community United Church of Christ (Elkhart Lake, Wis.). Records [microform], 1863-1983.
Milwaukee Micro Collection 19
Records of the church and its predecessors, Trinity Reformed Church and St. John’s Evangelical Church; including sacramental records, minutes, records of women’s guilds, and other records. Until the late 1930s, the entries are in German. Also included are brief records of St. John’s Evangelical Church of Greenbush, Wisconsin, and of Evangelical Peace Church of Plymouth, Wisconsin. The relationship of these two churches to the Elkhart Lake churches is unknown. View finding aid.
Congregation Adas Israel (Sheboygan, Wis.). Records, [ca. 1900]-1931.
Milwaukee Micro Collection 14
Minutes and financial records in Hebrew or Yiddish of a Sheboygan Jewish congregation.
Congregation Anshe Sfard (Milwaukee, Wis.). Records, 1948-1970.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection EG
Records of an Orthodox Milwaukee Jewish congregation founded in 1893, containing constitutions of the congregation and its men’s club; burial, death, and family information; contracts for using the synagogue’s facilities; and financial records. View finding aid.
Congregation Beth Israel (Milwaukee, Wis.). Records, 1900-1956, 1966.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection CY
Scattered records, some in Hebrew and Yiddish, of a Milwaukee Jewish congregation, containing annual reports (1921-1946); financial records, including a general ledger (1944-1947), cashbooks (1922-1947), membership and contribution books (1920-1944); and a brief subject file. View finding aid.
Eman-el B’ne Jeshurun Congregation (Milwaukee, Wis.). Records, 1856-1935.
Milwaukee Small Collection 178 and Milwaukee Micro Collection 15
Minutes (1869-1927) and constitution of Emanu-el Congregation; minutes (1875-1927) and constitution of B’ne Jeshrum Congregation; minutes (1927-1935) of Emanu-el B’ne Jeshurun Congregation; and constitution of Temple Anshe Emmeth (1856).
Ely, Donald H., 1883-1967. Drawings, [ca. 1941].
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection DP
Undated drawings done by a Milwaukee interior designer who did work for churches and private home owners; mainly of interiors, particularly window treatments, but also including an exterior view of the Kenwood Methodist Church; accompanied by biographical notes supplied by Mrs. Ely.
First Unitarian Society (Milwaukee, Wis.). Records, 1841-[ongoing].
UWM Manuscript Collection 175
This collection contains the records of the First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee, the first Unitarian-Universalist church in southeastern Wisconsin. The majority of the records date from the 1930s through 2000. Earlier items include newspaper clippings from the 1840s, as well as Board of Trustees minutes from 1859. Some of the more interesting items in the collection are the original Bonds of Union for the Society, a long run of Board minutes, a large number of transcribed sermons, and over a forty-year run of the church newsletter. View finding aid.
Fisher, Cecil A., 1899- . Papers, 1921-1966.
Milwaukee Small Collection 51
This collection contains the papers of Reverend Cecil A. Fisher, concerning St. Mark’s African Methodist Episcopal Church in Milwaukee.
Free Will Baptist Church (Greenbush, Wis.). Records, 1848-1927.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 150
Contains the clerk’s record books (1848-1927) and treasurer’s book (1899-1913) of the Free Will Baptist Church. The clerk’s books contain minutes of the covenant and trustees meetings as well as other notes taken by the clerk, often relating to funerals of members, and church finances. Also included are membership records (1888-ca. 1927).
Friedens United Church of Christ (Milwaukee, Wis.). Records, 1882-1968.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 163
Records of the Friedens United Church of Christ, organized in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1869 as the Friedens Evangelical Church, a congregation of German Americans. The collection consists mainly of financial records which also include information about membership and clues about church activities. There is also a record book of baptisms, confirmations, marriages, deaths, communion, and special offerings between the years 1914 and 1928. A scrapbook in the collection includes a 60th anniversary brochure with brief historical notes, and also includes clippings, orders of worship, and other memorabilia. There are two photographs in the collection, including an image of what is presumably the first church built in 1869, and an unidentified group of men in front of it. The earliest records are in German. View finding aid.
Grand Avenue Congregational Church (Milwaukee, Wis.). Records, 1857-1998.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 128
Records, mainly 1910-1998, of a Milwaukee church founded in 1847 as the Free Congregational Church, later known as the Spring Street Congregational Church, and renamed the Grand Avenue Congregational Church (GAC) in 1881. Since 1961 the congregation was a member of the United Church of Christ. Included are published histories and information on anniversary observances; newspaper clippings and photographs; minutes and correspondence of congregational meetings, the Church Council, and many governing boards and committees; financial and other administrative records; incomplete membership records, and numerous publications including annual reports, newsletters, and church bulletins. Activities of the women in the congregation are documented by minutes, financial information, and other records of the Women’s Guild and its many circles, the Home and Foreign Missionary societies, and other groups. The collection also includes information on the United Church of Christ merger and on participation in area ecumenical activities. The church closed in 1997 and the collection contains documentation on the closing and sale of the building, which had been placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. View finding aid.
Gurda, Francis S., 1895-1976. Papers, 1886-1981.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 49
Papers of a Milwaukee Polish American architect and engineer, containing architectural drawings of Milwaukee public and private buildings, including St. Adalbert’s Church, St. Francis Hospital, Lincoln State Bank, and the Convent Hill Low Rent Housing Project; a family tree and other papers of genealogical interest; and family photographs, including a World War I photo of Company K, 127th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Division. View finding aid.
Holy Name Polish National Catholic Church (Milwaukee, Wis.). Records, 1954-1980.
Milwaukee Small Collection 117
Records of the oldest Polish National Catholic Church in Milwaukee (founded 1914), consisting of anniversary albums and programs of the church and its pastor, a parish hymnal and songbook, and other materials. View finding aid.
Hope United Church of Christ (Milwaukee, Wis.). Records, 1894-1979.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 190
Records of a Milwaukee United Church of Christ congregation formed in 1953 by the merger of Faith Evangelical and Reformed Church (formerly Evangelische Glaubens Gemeinde, which was organized in 1897) and the German Evangelical Salem Congregation (formerly Deutsch Evangelische Salems Gemeinde). Records include minutes of board and congregational meetings, financial records, and minutes and other records of various church organizations such as Sunday schools, choirs, and men’s, women’s and youth guilds. Records of the Salem congregation are written in German until 1929. View finding aid.
Immanuel Presbyterian Church (Milwaukee, Wis.). Indexes, 1837-1880.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection BT
Contains card indexes of persons received and dismissed at the church.
Krukar, Phyllis. Papers, 1928-1956.
Milwaukee Small Collection Oversize 3
Miscellaneous family and other papers collected by Phyllis Krukar (nee Kowalski), including a chronicle of meetings and a summary of costs prepared in 1928 for the St. Adalbert (Sw. Wojciech) Parish building committee, on which Mrs. Krukar’s father, Frank (Franciszek) Kowalski served, a photocopy of Proroctwo Michaldy (1948), a popular book of prophecies; and a holy card from the 1956 burial Mass of Al Simmons (Szymanski), the baseball star. There is also a photocopy of the “Call to Colors,” listing men in service with Co. K, 127th Infantry, 32nd Division, 1940-1941, and a photograph of company officers, Camp Livingston, Louisiana, March 1941. Emil Krukar, husband of the donor, was an officer with Co. K, which was organized as the Kosciuszko Guard in 1874. View finding aid.
Kucharski, Thaddeus M. Papers, 1914-1960.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 31
Collected papers of a Milwaukee resident, documenting his involvement with several parish theatrical groups of St. Hedwig’s Catholic church, his children’s school years, and family church activities. Personal and church records are for the most part interrelated, and include a handwritten personal financial journal (probably kept by Kucharski’s wife, Mary), a receipt book for special donations to St. Hedwig’s, a 1942 photo of Kucharski and other officers of St. Hedwig’s Holy Name Society, and a photo of Mary Kucharski and other miscellaneous records of the Home and School Association and of the Confraternity of Christian Mothers. Other church records include minutes of the committee (of which Kucharski was a member) formed to plan the diamond jubilee celebration of St. Hedwig’s (1946), a program commemorating the golden Jubilee of the church organist (1943), a 1949 program for the dedication of the new organ, constitutions of St. Hedwig’s Civic Association and the Usher’s Society, and the initiation ceremony for members of St. Hedwig’s Alumni Association. View finding aid.
Kwasniewski, Roman B. J., 1886-1980. Photographs, 1907-1947.
UWM Manuscript Collection 19
Kwasniewski was a photographer who worked in Milwaukee’s Polish American community (Polonia). Most of the pictures were created by Kwasniewski at his Park Studio in Milwaukee. Many of the photographic images depict family events such as anniversaries, first communions, funerals, graduations, and weddings. View finding aid.
Methodist-Episcopal Church (Sheboygan, Wis.). Records, 1877-1938.
Milwaukee Micro Collection 50
Record book containing lists of church members officers, and records of baptisms and marriages, partly written in Norwegian.
Mount Carmel Lutheran Church (Milwaukee, Wis.). Records, 1952-1958.
UWM Manuscript Collection 110
The collection contains brief histories and photographs of the Mount Carmel Lutheran Church. The photographs include church exteriors and photographs of the church’s tenth anniversary banquet. View finding aid.
New Hope United Church of Christ (Milwaukee, Wis.). Records, 1969-1993.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 162
Records of an urban congregation located on the near south side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and incorporated circa 1977. Organizational records include the congregation’s constitution, correspondence, minutes of council meetings, and minutes of committee meetings. Subject files include correspondence, flyers, guidelines, notes, and other materials pertaining to church governance and to projects in which the congregation was engaged such as a food pantry, a child care center, an outreach ministry in the Hispanic community, and a health care program in partnership with the Marquette University nursing school. A 1989 grant proposal to the Lilly Endowment contains an excellent description of the church and its programs. The collection also contains unidentified photographs of the church building and parishioners. View finding aid.
Otis, John P. Church Histories Collection, 1967-2002.
UWM Manuscript Collection 8
The collection consists of John P. Otis’s photographs and compiled histories of about 5,000 Wisconsin churches and a few synagogues, acquired over a twenty-year period. The photographs usually consist of a single 3″ x 3″ color exterior image of the building, kept in twenty albums. The photographs are indexed by “history” cards, arranged by locality. The collection includes four boxes of negatives, in no apparent order; and seventy-two maps showing the routes Otis traveled and the location of many of the churches he photographed.
Otis compiled the history of the churches through a standard form which requested the year the church was founded, the first pastor, and denomination or sect. A number of the respondents provided additional historical information. The forms are maintained in files, arranged by locality and/or county, which also containing published histories of the churches, and newsclippings. The collection includes Otis’s correspondence (1968-1979) concerning the acquisition of materials; the development of the project; miscellaneous faith and denomination histories; newsclippings; solicitation of funds; and efforts to donate the collection. View finding aid.
Polish Roman Catholic Union of America Records, 1911-1980.
Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 62
The records of the Polish Roman Catholic Union include material from state, circuit, and individual society levels. Although individual societies were formed originally at particular parishes, the tendency in recent years has been for groups to hold meetings at the PRCU hall; some of the records in this collection were left at the hall after such meetings and collected by the donors. Other items came into the possession of Harriett Nowaczyk following merger of individual societies with the Pol-Americ Society, at which time their records were turned over to that group. Thus, the collection is composed of anniversary programs and books, and of partial records of four individual societies which no longer exist: St. Dorothy (Sw. Dorothy) Group No. 526, St. Florentine (Sw. Florentyny) Group No. 591, St. Anne (Sw. Anny) Group No. 781, and St. Clara Group No. 1218. View finding aid.
Stubbe, Ray W., 1938- . The Reverend Doctor William Keller Frick: Papers, letters, “Milwaukee notes,” articles, notices, and other pertinent material concerning his work, 1965.
Milwaukee Small Collection 216
A 253 page typescript compiled and with an introduction by Stubbe. Frick (1850-1918) was a Lutheran clergyman, church organizer, and writer who came to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1889 and organized the first English Lutheran congregation in Wisconsin the following year.
Zoar Reformed Church (Rhine, Wis.). Record book, 1862-1969.
Milwaukee Small Collection 157
Record book of a German Reformed congregation which dissolved in 1969; including baptismal records (1862-1969); confirmation, marriage, burial, and communion records (1908-1969); and membership and other records.