Felicity United Methodist Church (New Orleans, La.) records
Scope and Contents
This collection documents the activities of Felicity United Methodist Church (New Orleans, La.) as
well as some of its predecessor congregations. It includes membership records, administrative records,
financial records, committee records, historical records, legal records, and guest registers.
Membership records consist of church register books as well as member lists. The church registers
(1861-1954) include names of pastors, members, baptisms, and marriages. A photocopy facsimile of the earliest membership record book (1849-1852) includes a church history, list of members, statistics, and obituaries for the
following predecessor congregations: Lafayette Charge, Andrew Chapel Charge, and Elijah Steele
Chapel Charge.
Administrative records consist of meeting minutes of the following groups: Members and Friends of
the Elijah Steele Charge (1846-1850), Board of Trustees (1848-1918), Board of Stewards (1853-1898),
and Official Board (1955-2003). Also included are the congregation’s church conference records
(1875-1884), quarterly conference records (1887-1942), and charge conference reports (1975, 1989).
Some early record books contain minutes of multiple administrative groups within the church. The quarterly conference record book (1935-1937) also contains reports from Chalmette Methodist Episcopal Church South (Chalmette, La.).
Financial records primarily consist of assessment books (circa 1869-1910) and general fiscal records
(1882-2006). The assessment books document donations from members, collections for specific funds,
and expenditures.
Committee records document the activities of groups within the church, such as: Epworth League
(1908-1919), Sunday School (1893-1909), Temperance Society (1877), and the Woman’s Missionary
Society (1917-1931). The Building Committee (1849-1852) oversaw funds for the McGehee Church,
Moreau Street Church, and the Elijah Steele/Lafayette/Andrew Chapel Charge.
Historical records include bulletins (1948-2002), church histories (1950-1996), photographs
(1950-1992), and printed items (1888-2004).
Legal records include insurance policies (1998-2002) and property records (1849-1970).
Guest registers (1942-1994) document visitors to the church.
Dates
- 1846 - 2006
Creator
- Felicity United Methodist Church (New Orleans, La.) (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Physical rights are retained by the Centenary College of Louisiana Archives and Special Collections. Copyright is retained in accordance with U.S. copyright laws.
Biographical / Historical
Felicity United Methodist Church (New Orleans, La.) traces its history to the merger of multiple
predecessor congregations in 1848. At that time, the Louisiana Conference of the Methodist Episcopal
Church South united the following charges: Lafayette Charge (Saint Mary Street Church built circa
1830 at the corner of Saint Mary and Fulton Streets), Andrew Chapel Charge (Andrew Chapel founded
1835 at the corner of Dryades and Felicity Streets), and Elijah Steele Chapel Charge (also known as the
“Flatboat Church” founded early 1840s on Magazine Street between Robin and Race Streets).
In 1849, this unified group built a chapel at the rear of their property located at the intersection of
Felicity and Chestnut Streets. After purchasing adjoining lots, the congregation built a new brick
church building in 1850. Early records appear to interchangeably identify the congregation using two
names -- Elijah Steele Church as well as Felicity Church.
In 1887, a fire destroyed much of the church; it was rebuilt in 1888. In 1906, members from the
Dryades Street Methodist Episcopal Church (formerly the First German Mission) merged with
Felicity. Felicity was damaged by hurricanes in October 1915, September 1965, and August 2005. In
2007, Felicity United Methodist Church was discontinued and abandoned.
Extent
6.5 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
Arranged in the following series and sub-series:
Series 1. Membership records, 1849-2006
Sub-Series 1: Church registers, 1860-1954
Sub-Series 2: Other membership records, 1849-2006
Series 2. Administrative records, 1846-2003
Sub-Series 1: Members and friends, 1846-1850
Sub-Series 2: Board of Trustees, 1848-1918
Sub-Series 3: Board of Stewards, 1853-1898
Sub-Series 4: Official Board, 1955-2003
Sub-Series 5: Conference records, 1875-1989
Series 3. Financial records, circa 1869-2006
Series 4. Committee records, 1849-1931
Series 5. Historical records, 1888-2004
Series 6. Legal records, 1849-2002
Series 7. Guest Registers 1942-1994
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Collection consists of multiple accessions. The first transfer of material occurred circa 1969 by the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church Commission on Archives and History. In 1978, a photocopy of Membership records, 1849-1852 (accession 1978-77) was added from Tulane University Library Special Collections. In 1982, the Quarterly Conference record book, 1935-1937 (accession 1982-41) was transferred from Rayne Memorial United Methodist Church (New Orleans, La.). In 2013, accession 2013-022 was transferred by the Administrative Assistant to the Provost of the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Existence and Location of Originals
Original manuscript volume of Box 2, Folder 1, Membership records (1849-1852) in Lafayette Chapel records, Manuscripts Collection B-352, Louisiana Research Collection, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Chalmette Methodist Episcopal Church South (Chalmette, La.)
- Church bulletins
- Church records and registers -- Louisiana -- Orleans Parish
- Financial records
- Methodist Church (U.S.). Louisiana Conference (South Central Jurisdiction)
- Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Louisiana Conference
- Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Louisiana Conference. Woman's Missionary Society
- Minutes (administrative records)
- Photographs
- Property records
- Sunday schools
- United Methodist Church (U.S.). Louisiana Conference
Creator
- Felicity United Methodist Church (New Orleans, La.) (Organization)
- Title
- Finding Aid to the Felicity United Methodist Church (New Orleans, La.) records
- Author
- Chris Brown
- Date
- 2022
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Centenary College of Louisiana Archives and Special Collections Repository