Browse Items (79 total)
Chronicles of the Bell, A. D. 1848
Cartoon drawing of the controversy over the Rev. Michael Hummer and the Bell. The attached PDF contains the transcribed text of the cartoon's panels. The text document is likely from the 1940s, while the cartoon may have been contemporary to the bell…
1844 Letter and envelope from Theodore Sanxay to Rev. Michael Hummer
Letter from Theodore Sanxay to Rev. Michael Hummer. The letter is dated June 6, 1844, and is addressed to Rev. Hummer in New York. It speaks of the ongoing construction of the Church and materials for it, so it seems likely that this was during one…
1844 Letter and envelope from Theodore Sanxay to Rev. Michael Hummer
Letter from Theodore Sanxay to Rev. Michael Hummer, written during one of Rev. Hummer's trips out east to raise funds for the construction of the Church.
1847 Constitution of the First Presbyterian Church
Constitution of the First Presbyterian Church.
1847 Rev Hummer’s Collection Ledger, 1847 & Expense Ledger, 1847-1850
First pages of ledger detail money collected by Rev. Michael Hummer in 1847, for the building of the First Presbyterian Church. Rev. Hummer made two trips out East to raise funds for the Church, and the ledger records the amounts received in…
1847 Rev. Michael Hummer’s Church Book, 1845-1847
An expense ledger kept by Rev. Michael Hummer from mid-1845 to 1847. The ledger details the amounts paid for various materials and services related to building a church. Rev. Hummer was the first pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, and had been…
1851 Cross Bill filed by the Board of Trustees of the First Presbyterian Church against Rev. Hummer
Cross Bill filed by the Board of Trustees, in response to Rev. Hummer’s Bill of Complaint against them. The Cross Bill has several questions that the Board compels the Court to have Rev. Hummer address, and also asks the Court to rule against Rev.…
1851 Response to Bill of Complaint brought by Rev. Hummer against the Church
Response by the President and the Board of Trustees of the First Presbyterian Church to the Bill of Complaint brought by Rev. Michael Hummer.
1853 Letter from Rev. Hummer to Rev. Crozier
Letter written by Rev. Michael Hummer to Rev. John Crozier, detailing a time and place where the two of them can meet. The letter was written in Hamilton, Illinois.
1853 Receipt for $91.00 received by Rev. John Crozier, for services as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church
Rev. John Crozier (August 27, 1822-December 23, 1891) was pastor at First Presbyterian Church from May-August, 1853. During his short tenure he met several times with Rev. Michael Hummer to discuss the stolen Church bell and Rev. Hummer’s claims for…
1853 Report to the Board of Trustees of the First Presbyterian Church
Report by Rev. John Crozier to the Board of Trustees of the Church, detailing two monetary claims against the Church. The first claim is held by Rev. Michael Hummer, former pastor of the Church, for $658.00. The second claim is held by Miss Legare,…
1853 Report to the Board of Trustees of the First Presbyterian Church
Report by Rev. John Crozier to the Board of Trustees of the Church, detailing his attempts to settle Rev. Michael Hummer’s claim against the Church for unpaid salary. The report was written in Burlington, Iowa, where Rev. Crozier had gone to meet…
1853 Request for Rev. Michael Hummer to be paid $490.00
A request by the Board of Trustees of the First Presbyterian Church of Iowa City, to the Treasurer of the Church, stating that Rev. Michael Hummer should be paid $490.00 out of any available Church funds. This request comes after many months of…
1853 Rev. Hummer’s Proposed Settlement with the First Presbyterian Church
A proposed settlement written by Rev. Michael Hummer, given to Rev. John Crozier and sent to the Board of Trustees of the First Presbyterian Church with Rev. Crozier’s report. Rev. Hummer asks for $400.00 down and $100.00 within the year, at ten…
1855 Receipt for $600 received by Rev. F.A. Shearer, for services as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church
Receipt for $600.00 received by Rev. F.A. Shearer, for services as pastor from April 1, 1854 to April 1, 1855.
1855 Subscription ledger for a bell for the North Presbyterian Church in Iowa City
A list of people who pledged to pay money for a bell for the North Presbyterian Church. The North Presbyterian Church was the First Presbyterian Church, and was located where Old Brick is. The church building that stood in 1855 was destroyed by fire…
1855 Subscription ledger for a bell for the North Presbyterian Church in Iowa City
A list of people who pledged to pay money for a bell for the North Presbyterian Church. The North Presbyterian Church was the First Presbyterian Church, and was located where Old Brick is. The church building that stood in 1855 was destroyed by fire…
1858 Resignation letter of the North Presbyterian Church Board of Trustees
A letter formally stating the resignation of the Board of Trustees.
1860 Receipt for $905.85 received by Rev. Oliver O. McClean, for services as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church
Receipt for $905.85, received by Rev. Oliver O. McClean, for services to the the First Presbyterian Church from June 1, 1859 to May 31, 1860. Rev. McClean was elected to fill the position in April, 1859, and started his duties in October. He remained…
1860 Sheriff’s Certificate—N. Oakes vs. Presbyterian Church
Sheriff’s Certificate, describing Sheriff Edmund Harrison’s posting of a specific lot of land for sale (block 86, lot 8, the northwest corner of Market St. and Clinton St.) in November, 1859. An added portion, written by N. Oakes and dated August 9,…
1868 Church pew rent ledger
Ledger detailing amounts paid for specific pews in the First Presbyterian Church during 1868-1869.
1868 Pew rent agreement
Handwritten note detailing the amount of money to be paid for a section of a particular pew in the North (First) Presbyterian Church during the year 1869. Signed by Alfred Stevens.
Internal Revenue 5 cent certificate stamp, hand canceled with Aug…
Internal Revenue 5 cent certificate stamp, hand canceled with Aug…
1868 Pew rent booklet
Booklet recording the cost of and rentals paid by Church members for specific pews.
1869 Contract for the building of a spire for the First Presbyterian Church
Handwritten contract between Sheets and Adams carpenters and the Board of Trustees of the First Presbyterian Church for a new spire. The contract details the amount to be paid and the conditions under which the spire will be built. Signed: Rush…
1869 Warranty contract for Sheets & Adams to the Board of Trustees of the Church
A warranty obligation created by Sheets & Adams, binding them to the Board of Trustees for $1500 (or the cost of damages) if they do not fulfill their contract for the spire. Signed Sheets & Adams; Jos. [illegible]; Mortimer Ryan; R M…
1870 Document detailing Stone Church property
Document recording a meeting where the First Presbyterian Church has been asked to consider a purchase of the Stone Church on Burlington St. by Rev. S. S. Howe. The document details the state of the building as well as its liabilities and any value…
1872 Receipt for payment of salary to Pastor Samuel M. Osmond
Receipt for Pastor’s salary.
1873 Sunday School Attendance
1873 Sunday School Attendance record book
1874 Sunday School Records
1874 Sunday School Record book
1890 First Presbyterian Church Jubilee Anniversary Program
Program created for the First Presbyterian Church’s Jubilee Anniversary, which took place September 11-13, 1890. The Church celebrated 50 years of organization with special services and activities. Rev. Edward Barrett was pastor at the time.
1890 Letter from John Shoup to Rev. Dr. Barrett
Letter from John Shoup to Rev. Dr. Barrett about the Church's 50th anniversary
1890 Letter from Rev. Crozier to Rev. Barrett
Letter written by Rev. John Crozier to Rev. Edward Barrett in 1890. In it, Rev. Crozier talks about Rev. Michael Hummer at length, including information about his parents, his education, and his early days as a reverend. Crozier states that Hummer’s…
1890 Letter from Rev. O. O. McClean regarding the Church’s 50th anniversary celebration
A letter written by Rev. Oliver O. McClean (to the then-current pastor Rev. Edward Barrett?) sending his regrets that he could not attend the First Presbyterian Church’s 50th anniversary Jubilee. The letter was written in Lewistown, Pennsylvania.
1911 Letter from Andrew Meneely of Meneely & Co. to Rev. Wylie, about the bell that the foundry made for a church in Iowa City in 1849.
A letter from Andrew Meneely, President and General Manager of the Meneely Foundry in West Troy, New York. The letter was written to Rev. D. W. Wylie and describes the record (dated Aug. 16, 1849) of a bell being made for a church in Iowa City. The…
1911 Letter from George Gibbs to Walter Davis about the Church’s missing bell
George Gibbs, writing as Secretary to the President of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints, responds to a previous letter from Walter Davis inquiring about the possibility of the First Presbyterian Church’s missing bell being in possession…
1911 Letter from Rector Williams to the First Presbyterian Church
Letter from W.D. Williams, Rector of Trinity Church in Iowa City, to the First Presbyterian Church on occasion of their 70th anniversary.
1911 Letter from Rev. Schell to Rev. Wylie about the Church’s missing bell
Rev. J.P. Schell writes to Rev. D. W. Wylie about the Church’s missing bell. He states that, in addition to hearing about the bell from other sources, while serving as a missionary in Utah he met Brigham Young’s brother George, and that George Young…
1911 Letter to Meneely & Co.
A letter to Meneely & Co., possibly written by Rev. D. W. Wylie. The letter is in response to a previous letter from Andrew Meneely, and relates to Rev. Wylie’s search for information about the Church’s missing bell. It mentions a bell that is…
1912 Letter from Andrew Meneely to Rev. Wylie about bells
Letter from Andrew Meneely, President and General Manager of Meneely & Co., about the various stamps the company used on bells previous to 1849. This letter is in response to a previous letter to Meneely & Co, and relates to Rev. Wylie’s search for…
1915 Program for the Church’s 75th anniversary service
Program for the Church’s 75th anniversary service