MS-81 Records of the First Regular Baptist Church, Dayton, Ohio

Introduction

The papers of the First Regular Baptist Church of Dayton, Ohio cover the years 1829 - 1977. They were donated to Wright State University Archives in January of 1978 by the church.

Linear feet of shelf space occupied: 24

Restrictions to Access:

The deed of gift includes two restrictions on public access to this collection. Records that primarily concern personnel of the church's paid staff are to be closed for twenty five years from their origin and for ten years from the termination of the individual's employment by the church. All records are to be closed for a period of five years from their origin. Exceptions to these restrictions may be granted, upon written request, by the Executive Council of the church.

Special Provisions:

Membership records and weekly attendance records have been retained on the church premises, except for early periods when membership records could not be separated from other materials.

Literary Rights:

Any literary copyrights such as the donor might possess in this property have been dedicated to the public. This includes the right to duplicate or reproduce this property.

Institutional History

In 1823, several Baptists from Lebanon and other surrounding communities moved into Dayton. This movement initiated what became the First Baptist Church of Dayton. The church was organized on May 29, 1824. This strongly Calvinistic congregation held meetings and services at the Court House, in a room on St. Clair Street and on the porch of William Huffman's house at Third and Jefferson Streets. Stephan Garel, who had been pastor of a church in Trenton, Ohio, is believed to have been the first pastor. In September of 1824, the Miami Baptist Association received the church into its fellowship

Under the ministry of D.S. Burnett, the church softened its Calvinism, erected its first church building, and saw their membership increase to 84, the largest in town. After these early successes, the Dayton Baptist Church encountered two major crises. On March 21, 1829, Rev. Burnett led the majority of the congregation into the Campbellite movement. They called for a simplified faith which could unite Christianity into one body and separated themselves from the Missionary Baptist Association. Only eight (possibly nine) members remained loyal to the Baptist creed.

In 1835, the Dayton Baptists suffered another blow when the Miami Baptist Association took a stand against the use of benevolent institutions. When the Baptist churches in Dayton, Cincinnati, Lebanon, and Middletown refused to condemn the use of Sunday Schools, missionary societies. etc., the Association dropped these churches from their minutes.

On February 25, 1837, the Dayton church became incorporated as the First Regular Baptist Church of Dayton. The term "Regular" distinguished them from the churches of the Miami Baptist Association.

In 1840, the congregation moved into its first church building after the Campbellite affair. This Greek Revival building sat on the corner of Jefferson and East Fourth Streets. Its construction proved financially burdensome to the congregation who had to seek aid from the Ohio Baptist State Convention. The congregation quickly gained strength, however, and by 1851, it had over two hundred members. On October 25, 1863, the Dayton First Baptist Church dedicated their third building on Main Street, free of debt. By 1867, the membership roll included three hundred names.

In 1868, Dr. Henry F. Colby began a pastorate, which lasted for thirty four years. During this time the church undertook many new projects and developed some new institutions. The church began several mission schools around the Dayton area, some which developed into churches. The First Church figured prominently in organizing the Linden Avenue Baptist Church in 1872. This period also saw the development of Young Peoples organizations and Women's Missionary circles. Dr. Colby brought the First Church into greater prominence by his many civic and denominational involvements. He served three year terms as President of the Ohio Baptist Convention and as President of the American Baptist Missionary Union. Dr. Colby also acted as President of the Board of Trustees for Dennison University for twenty two years and for the Miami Valley Hospital for nineteen years. After retiring from the pastorate, Rev. Colby continued with the church for many years.

In 1904, Rev. Howard Whidden, then pastor, and Dr. Henry Colby led the church to a conscious decision to remain in the central city area rather than follow the movement to the suburbs. At this time the church bought the property on Monument Avenue for its present building. Despite the decision to remain downtown, the church still helped organize the Dayton View Baptist Church in 1912. This project took thirty one of its members.

Construction of the new building proceeded slowly and suffered a major set back in the Dayton flood of 1913. The properties on Main Street and on Monument Avenue suffered severe damage. In addition, nearly half of the church's membership lived or had businesses and factories in areas which remained flooded for four days. The laymen of the First Baptist Church participated in resolving this community crisis at nearly every level of activity. Henry A. Stout and E.A. Deeds had prominent roles in acquiring money and legislation for the Miami Conservancy project to prohibit further flooding.

The pastorate of Rev. Charles Lyon Seasholes (1931 1965) brought many changes. The structure of the church's committees and boards underwent a major reorganization. A west wing was added to the building in 1937. The church reordered its schedule for the Sunday worship services to convenience those who traveled from the suburbs. Dr. Seasholes introduced the practice of dedicating babies, and the wearing of robes by the ministers for Sunday worship service. On Wednesday evening, he lectured on world problems, and he initiated a book review series for the Sunday evening services. Dr. Seasholes served on many civic boards and further distinguished himself by initiating the first Planned Parenthood program in Dayton during the early 1930's. He was a recognized leader in the American Baptist Convention and served as an accredited delegate to the 1948 meeting of the World Council of Churches in Amsterdam. In 1967, the First Baptist Church compiled a study of its work and the community which it served. They found most of its members lived in Dayton's more prestigious communities of Dayton View, Oakwood, and Kettering. Around 87% of the members were found to be either white collar workers or professional people.

The turbulence of the 1960's challenged the First Church to several new involvements. Through a community organization called PUSH, they attempted to purchase and rehabilitate substandard
housing for resale to low income families. A coffee house which the church attempted for its youth proved to be a short lived venture. The Day Care Center, begun at this time, has remained to
the present.

The 1970's have seen the First Church reemphasizing a personal ministry as is evidenced by its support of the Key '73 evangelism campaign and the formation of a spontaneous devotional fellowship known as "One in the Spirit."

Scope and Content

The papers of the First Regular Baptist Church of Dayton contain a variety of materials. These include minutes, financial records, baptismal records, annual reports, publications, phonograph records and tapes, correspondence, clippings, photographs, programs, calendars, directories, genealogical charts, and blueprints. The earliest documents date to the Campbellite schism in 1829, but these include copies of earlier materials. The latest document is dated 1991. Documents which might be of special interest to researchers would include materials on the Campbellite schism of 1829, the Central Baptist Mission 1883 1886, the minutes, records, and annual publications of the church, church school, Women's Society, Dennison University, several youth organizations, and the Courier weekly publication from 1920 1989 (with several large gaps). There might also be interest in the "Missionary Chronicle, 1889" of Mary Pfeifer, who taught at Spellman Seminary, a "colored school" in Atlanta, Georgia. Scattered references are made in the twentieth century materials to a Baptist Church located in the Dayton Hungarian Community. Dr. Seasholes' trip to the World Council of Churches meeting in 1948 has provided another significant body of materials. The prominent role which the church played in establishing several local missions and Baptist Churches in Dayton has further enriched this collection.

The relationship of the First Regular Baptist Church to various social currents are usually well documented in the collection. This would include such occurrences as urbanization, foreign immigration, suburbanization, World War I, the Great Dayton Flood, the Great Depression, World War II, and the social activism of the 1960's. The collection conspicuously lacks materials relating to the slavery controversy or the Civil War.

The researcher should be aware of the following before using the collection:

(1) The church operated on a fiscal year which began in May and ended in April until 1970 when they changed to a calendar year. When a file folder is labeled "1916 1917" it contains materials for the year beginning in May of 1916 and ending in April of 1917. The surrounding folders would be labeled "1915 1916" and "1917 1918."

(2) The church held an annual meeting during the first part of May. At this time reports were received from the various boards and committees for their activities in the previous year. These reports have been placed in Series III, General Church Records, according to the year of the annual meeting rather than the year on which they reported. When an annual report has been found with a body of materials relating to its particular board or committee,the original order has been retained.

(3) Series VI, Baptist Young Peoples Union (BYPU) contains some materials on youth organizations which preceded the BYPU.

(4) The church has published three narrative histories. The study by Harriet Colvin and Myriam Page (1974) and the study by Henry A. Stout (1924) are revisions of Rev. Henry Colby's history, published in 1914. The researcher might find their studies to be useful tools for several reasons. They can provide an overview of the church's history. Leads are sometimes given in these histories for research in other materials such as newspapers and local government records. These studies contain a record of oral traditions and interviews. They also display the church's views of itself at the time of writing.

(5) Those materials found in the collection which contain only a slight relation to the First Baptist Church have been, placed in their own separate collection group rather than left with the First Baptist materials. This includes a printed history of the Miami Valley Hospital (1966), a directory for the Faith United Methodist Church (n.d.), programs for the First Lutheran Church(1969). Copies of a Dayton religious publication, Here and Now: a Christian Journal of Opinion (1966 1969) have also been placed in a separate collection.

Inventory

Series I: Related Organizations

Series II: Printed Materials

Series III: General Church Records

Series IV: Courier, Weekly Church Publication

Series V: Programs

Series VI: Baptist Young Peoples Union and Baptist Youth Fellowship

Series VII: Church School

Series VIII: Woman's Societies

Series IX: Miscellanea

Series X: Sermons