Materials by and relating to Oregon Episcopal bishops

Collection

Identifier: Coll 998

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of letters and clippings of portraits of Episcopal bishops of Oregon. These materials were originally collected by the John Gordon Wright Library of the Episcopal Theological School (later the Episcopal Divinity School) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Many of the materials are glued to scrapbook pages, which also have handwritten information about the bishops' names and consecration dates. On the opposite side of some pages is material relating to bishops in locations other than Oregon. Oregon bishops represented are: E. W. Barton, James W. F. Carman, Benjamin B. Dagwell, Hall R. Gross, Benjamin Wistar Morris, Robert L. Paddock, Charles Scadding, and Walter T. Sumner. Some of the letters are addressed to Elizabeth Hodges, a librarian who appears to have been in charge of collecting these materials, while others are addressed to Bishop William Lawrence of Massachusetts. There are three letters from Benjamin Wistar Morris in the collection, including a 12-page letter to Lawrence, dated 1900, that complains about recent cuts to the missionary budget for Oregon.

Dates

Creation: 1898-1966

Creator

Episcopal Theological School (Cambridge, Mass.). Library (Compiler, Organization)
Morris, Benjamin Wistar, 1819-1906 (Correspondent, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Historical Note

Although Episcopalian services were held in what would become Oregon in the 1830s and 1840s, the first official Episcopal missionary in the region was William Richmond, who came to Oregon in 1851 and established congregations in Portland and Oregon City. Soon after, Episcopal churches were founded in Salem, Lafayette, and Milwaukie. In 1854, Thomas Fielding Scott became the first bishop of the Diocese of Oregon.

Source: "Dictionary of Oregon History," second edition, 1989, edited by Howard McKinley Corning.

Extent

0.1 Cubic Feet (1 folder in shared box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Letters, consecration information, and portrait clippings of Episcopal bishops of Oregon, collected by the John Gordon Wright Library of the Episcopal Theological School (later the Episcopal Divinity School) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Includes three letters from Bishop Benjamin Wistar Morris (1819-1906), one of which complains about cuts to funding for missionary work in Oregon.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Purchased from Charles Apfelbaum in January 2005 (Lib. Acc. 25866).

Related Materials

Other materials at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library that relate to Episcopal bishops of Oregon are located in the Episcopal Church collection, Mss 88.