National Historical Reference Committee

Location of Records Prior to Union

Congregational:

State records are in various archives in each state. NSW and Victoria have their own UCA archive buildings in North Parramatta and Elsternwick respectively, although some Congregational material is in La Trobe Library. Other states house records in their state library: – NT, Northern Territory Archives; Qld, John Oxley Library; Tas, State Archives; SA, Mortlock Collection State Library; WA, Battye Library, Alexander Library Building.

National Records of the Congregational Union of Australia (earlier and of New Zealand), including papers of specific ministers, are in the National Library

London Missionary Society, LMS. In 1966 it became the Congregational Council for World Mission, CCWM. It was the missionary arm of British Commonwealth Congregational Churches. It became the Council for World Mission, CWM, in1977,
Records are in London and those of the Australian and New Zealand Committee are in the National Library, Canberra.

Methodist:

Methodist Church of A/Asia 1902-75 ‘Eskdale’ NSW, Wesleyan Methodist Church
1855-1902 ‘Eskdale’

Methodist Inland Mission (MIM) National Library, (some in Victorian UCA archives 51 boxes).

Methodist Overseas Mission (MOM) National Library, Mitchell Library NSW.

Methodist Beneficiary Fund, 42 boxes, Victorian UCA archives.

Methodist Church of Australasia, National Library, (see also state repositories as listed under Congregational. A useful guide for records in NSW is Eric Clancy, Guide to Methodist Records in NSW, revised 2002). There are special collections of specific ministers.

Presbyterian:

Presbyterian Church of Australia, Mitchell Library NSW.

Australia Inland Mission, AIM, Including Fred McKay papers, National Library.

Bd of Mission (bound originals 1909-77) boxes 117-120, kept at 'Eskdale'. Some in Victorian UCA archives 31 boxes.

BOEMAR 1850-1977, Mitchell Library NSW

Board of Religious Education, 10 boxes, Victorian UCA archives.

Some parts of the Presbyterian Church did not enter into the Uniting Church in Australia and have maintained their own records. Check, e.g., the Ferguson Library in NSW.

All Saints College (Cong., Meth., Pres.) 1958-62, Mitchell Library NSW, box138.

Uniting Church in Australia (1977-):

Records of the UCA are housed in Mitchell Library NSW. Some are still at ‘Eskdale’ NSW not yet catalogued.

The MacArthur collection of negotiations for church union is in the Mitchell Library NSW.

Farquhar Gunn’s papers re church union are in the UCA Victorian archives.

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