Collection Acc3198 - North Bedeque Pastoral Charge of the United Church of Canada fonds : [1826-1985]

Title and statement of responsibility area

Title proper

North Bedeque Pastoral Charge of the United Church of Canada fonds : [1826-1985]

General material designation

  • Textual record

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  • Source of title proper: Title based on provenance of the collection

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Collection

Reference code

CA PCA Acc3198

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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

Dates of creation area

Date(s)

  • Microfilmed 1980-1995 (Creation)

Physical description area

Physical description

7 reels of 35 mm microfilm
.018 m of textual records

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Archival description area

Name of creator

North Bedeque Pastoral Charge of the United Church of Canada

Biographical history

The North Bedeque pastoral charge of the United Church of Canada reflects the geographical areas and religious denominations of the area that came together in 1925 to form the United Church of Canada as well as the shifting boundaries of denominational circuits before and after that date. As well as the Bedeque Presbyterian congregation this includes Methodist and Presbyterian charges from Freetown and Presbyterian records from the Richmond Bay East, or Central Lot 16, Presbyterian churches.

Reverend Thomas Payne arrived in Bedeque in 1821. A deed for the Bedeque Methodist church was drawn up in 1823, but was not built until 1849. The Bedeque circuit at that time extended from DeSable to Linkletter's shore and included Travellers Rest. The Wesleyan Chapel in Freetown was built on land purchased from Edmund and Sarah Ann Crosby and opened officially in 1864. It was part of the Bedeque circuit until 1893 when it was moved to the Margate circuit. In 1925, the Freetown Methodist Church became part of the North Bedeque United Church of Canada pastoral charge. The present Bedeque United Church was formerly the Methodist church built in 1887 and dedicated on 8 January 1888.

In 1810, the Princetown Presbyterian parish also included Richmond Bay and Bedeque. Both of the latter charges became separate parishes in 1819. By 1891 the Bedeque circuit was known as the Bedeque Summerfield Congregation which included North and South Bedeque, Summerfield, and Freetown. From 1908 to 1925 it was called the Bedeque Presbyterian congregation.

By 1853, the Richmond charge extended thirty-three miles from Lot 11 to Travelers Rest. Lots 14 and 16 were the two principal preaching stations with others at Summerside and St. Eleanors. In 1859, the charge was divided into Richmond Bay East and Richmond Bay West, which were rejoined in 1873, then divided yet again in 1881.

With the formation of the United Church in 1925, Richmond Bay East became a separate United congregation and Richmond Bay West joined the Tyne Valley Presbyterian church. In 1959, Richmond Bay East became associated with Princetown and formed the Princetown-Lot Sixteen pastoral charge. Lot Sixteen disjoined again in 1964, and remained independent until 1968 when it was amalgamated with the North Bedeque Pastoral charge of the United Church of Canada.

Annual reports from Union on record the name of the charge as: United Church of Canada, North Bedeque & Freetown (1927-1948); North Bedeque, Freetown and Travellers Rest (1949-1967); North Bedeque, Freetown, Lot 16 (1968-1971). Since 1972 it has been called the North Bedeque Pastoral Charge.

Custodial history

Scope and content

The fonds contains Methodist, Presbyterian, and United Church records principally for the circuits of Bedeque, Richmond Bay East, and Freetown including the smaller communities contained within the changing circuits. These are comprised of baptism, marriage and burial records, lists of clergy, officials and communicants, official pastoral charges and individual church minutes, annual reports, financial records, and records of various church organizations. For the purposes of description these have been organized into the following series:
Series 1: North Bedeque pastoral charge
Series 2: Richmond Bay East United pastoral charge
Series 3: Bedeque United Church
Series 4: Freetown United Church

Notes area

Arrangement

Records were filmed at various times and the arrangement does not reflect the intellectual arrangement by which they are described. Nor do they necessarily reflect the arrangement of the originals as baptisms, for example, may be filmed from several volumes in succession rather than filming the whole volume which includes other records. Researchers should refer to the reel numbers given in the series and subseries descriptions and consult the itemized reel listing

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

Location of originals

Although most of the records were returned to the owner, some items were retained by the Public Archives and Records Office. These are identified on the item listings. Researchers are required to use the microfilm

Availability of other formats

Restrictions on access

NO RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS

Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication

PERMISSION FOR USE AND REPRODUCTION IS REQUIRED FROM THE PUBLIC ARCHIVES AND RECORDS OFFICE; QUESTIONS REGARDING COPYRIGHT ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE USER

Finding aids

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS AND ITEM LEVEL LISTINGS AT THE SUBSERIES LEVEL ARE AVAILABLE AS IS A REEL LISTING

Associated materials

Earlier records for Richmond Bay Presbyterian parish are located in Acc3096. Further records of the Bedeque United Church are located in Acc3168

Related materials

Accruals

General note

Minutes for the pastoral charge and church organizations for the Richmond Bay East pastoral charge were originally Acc3778/5

Microfilm is located in microfilm cabinets in Reading Room

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Language of description

  • English

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