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Record Digitalization Project
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Early Church Record Digitalization Project
All of the volumes show varied signs of deterioration including foxing (browning), frayed and cracked edges; broken bindings and fading ink. Nevertheless, the volumes are intact and very little of the written text is missing or unintelligible.
The earliest of St. Mark's records are in volumes numbered 1 through 4. Volumes 1 appears to be in its original binder. Volumes 2, 3 and 4 contain one or more original volumes that have been rebound. Volume 1 is clearly the
earliest of the volumes, containing handwritten records of the
establishment of the church in 1852 and church council meeting notes
through 1868. Volume 2 contains some early material, including
the
Volumes 3 & 4 contain the pastoral records of Pastor Lampe (1863) through Pastor Paulson (1911). These include baptisms, confirmations, burials, marriages and communion records. These are of most interest to those looking at genealogy. Volume 4 also contains the constitution and discipline from 1859, along with the signatures of members in agreement with the document. Some of the earliest records have been posted on the Rootsweb site. Others will follow. With luck and available time, most of the records will be scanned to digital format by the end of 2006. |
St. Mark's archive
includes a number of early volumes, dating from the founding of the
church in March 1852. All of the volumes are handwritten.
Some are in their original binding and others have been rebound.
Digitalization of these
records serves several purposes. First, preservation of the
records. The images of the
records
are preserved, to mitigate the impact of future deterioration of the
record. Of course, damage or loss due to fire or flood is
always possible. Indeed, it is quite amazing that the volumes
were not damaged or lost in the many floods that struck St. Mark's
in its early years.
Second,
digitalized records are more accessible. Indeed, one part of
the project is to post the records on the Web, for access by all who
are interested in the history of the church and in genealogical
research. A Rootsweb (an online database of genealogical
records) Web site has been established for this purpose. See:
Third,
poor handwriting and fading ink sometimes renders records difficult
to read. Digital records may be magnified and enhanced for
examination.
original
charter of 1852, amendments through 1892, the constitution of 1886
and member rolls through 1918, 1942 & 1943.