Archives

SOCIETY OF SAINT EDMUND ARCHIVES
LOCAL ADMINISTRATION
Vermont
1845-present 

Arrangement
Records are arranged into series: Brattleboro, Essex, Ethan Allen Mission, Fairholt (Folder Listing,) Fanny Allen Hospital, Lyndonville, Saint Anne's Shrine (Folder Listing,) Swanton (Folder Listing,) Vermont Pastoral Region, West River Missions (Folder Listing,) Williston.

History
The Society of Saint Edmund has had personnel in Vermont since 1892, when they first came to North America.  In 1895, they took over a parish is Swanton Vermont.  In 1904, they took charge of St Anne’s Shrine and started Saint Michael’s College.  In 1930 the official Generalate of the Society moved to Swanton, VT.  Since that time, the Generalate of the Society has remained in Vermont, and the Society maintained a number of official Houses and a diverse number of apostolic works. 
This record group includes both the Vermont Pastoral Region and other sites or apostolates that were closed before the region was created.  It also includes some materials from parishes that predate the Edmundite presence.  Notably absent from this record group is the Saint Michael’s College House, which is the only Vermont house to remain independent of the Vermont Pastoral Region.  Generalate, Novitiate and Scholasticate files are not included, even if they were located in Vermont.

Scope

Brattleboro, 1998-Back to Top
Since 1998, a member of the Society has been the parish priest for St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Brattleboro, VT.  This series contains general information about the parish. 
Folder Listing
General

Essex—St Lawrence, 1966-1988
From 1966-1988, A member of the Society served as the parish priest of St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Essex Junction, Vermont.  This series consists of general information about the church, including clippings, correspondence, and financial reports. 

Folder Listing
Clippings
Correspondence
Financial reports/budgets
Miscellaneous
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Ethan Allen Mission, 1948-1959
From 1948 To 1959 the Society had a parish called the Ethan Allen Mission at Fort Ethan Allen a sometimes military base.  The Fort is located near Saint Michael’s College, yet the Diocese deemed that the families who lived on the grounds would best be served by an independent parish. Services were held in the fort chapel, which had been built to serve the 71^st Field Artillery Brigade.   In 1951, when Air Force personnel returned to the post after an absence, the chapel reopened under the military supervision of Chaplain Robert D. Coward.  The Society of Saint Edmund continued to assist the chaplain until 1959, when Bishop Joyce of Burlington announced that the Mission was being discontinued. This series contains material both from the time in which the Mission fell under the Diocese of Burlington and the time in which it was accountable to the Military Ordinariate.  Material is arranged alphabetically.

Folder Listing
Correspondence
Diocesan reports
Military Ordinariate
Miscellaneous
Mission report
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Fairholt, 1954-1995
In 1954, the Society of Saint Edmund purchased an estate in Burlington, Vermont.  Fairholt, which had been built by publisher Henry Holt, was first used as the major seminary of the society.  By the 1960’s, however, many members of the Society working at Saint Michael’s College and in various stages of formation lived at Fairholt.  The major seminary of the Society was eventually transferred to Toronto, and Fairholt became a residence for Edmundites posted in the Burlington area.  In 1978, the General Administrative Offices of the Society were moved to Fairholt, where they remained until the Society sold Fairholt in 1995.  Material is arranged alphabetically.
Note:  These files do not include records from the Generalate or from the seminary.  It includes only records of the House and its members.

 Folder Listing
Box 1
Chronicle                                  1976-1991
Chronicle                                  1992-1994
Correspondence                      
Fairholt as Generalate               1978
Financial and Budgets               FY 1970-1976
Financial and Budgets               FY 1977-1979
Financial and Budgets               FY 1980-1984
Financial and Budgets               FY 1985-89
Financial and Budgets               FY 1990
Guest information
Job Descriptions
Ledger                                     1980-1989
House Council Minutes 1975-1979
House Minutes             1973-1981, 1988
Reports
Visitors register             1992-1996
Box 2
Ledger             July 1966-June 1971
Ledger             July 1971-June 1973
Ledger             July 1973-March 1976
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Fanny Allen Hospital,  1908-1988
From 1902-1982, the Society of Saint Edmund managed a chaplaincy at Fanny Allen Hospital, an apostolate of the Religious Hospitallers of Saint Joseph..  The Society was responsible for the Spiritual life of personnel and clients of the Fanny Allen Hospital.  Material is arranged alphabetically.

Folder Listing
Biography of Sr. Fanny Allen, RHSJ
Caritas memos
Clippings
Correspondence
Fund raising events
History of hospital meeting minutes
Miscellaneous printed items
Pastoral care services
Reports            1908-1913, 1988
Religious Hospitallers of Saint Joseph information
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Lyndonville/St Elizabeth, 1952-1976
From 1952-1976 a member of the Society of Saint Edmund had charge of the Parish of St. Elizabeth in Lyndonville, VT.  In 1976, the Society ended its affiliation with the parish.  This series consists of general records from the parish and financial records. 

Folder Listing
Account book
Financial
General
Personal financial 1968-1976
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St. Anne’s Shrine, 1895-present
     St. Anne’s Shrine is located on Isle LaMotte, the site of Fort Saint Anne, an early French fort.  Although the Fort had been long abandoned, the Very Rev. Louis De Goesbriand, Bishop of Burlington, fostered his own devotion to St. Anne by erecting a statue and chapel at the site in 1893.   By 1904, the shrine had become popular for pilgrimages.
      In 1904, Bishop Michaud entrusted the direction of St. Anne’s Shrine to the Society of Saint Edmund.  The Society purchased the shrine from the diocese in 1921.  Since then, it has continued to expand and improve upon both the physical site and activities at the site.  It offers a full range of devotional activities.  
     This series includes financial information, correspondence, and information about the property.  The collected articles and publications are significant, representing a wealth of information about the history of the both the Shrine and Isle LaMotte, as well as information about activities and programs at the shrine.  It is arranged alphabetically.
 

Folder Listing
100 Years of Edmundite Service           2004
Board of Directors minutes
Clippings
Collected Articles (list available in folder)
Collected Publications (list available in folder)
Correspondence
Correspondence—Kathleen Laramie re: shrine history
Financial ledgers           1917-1940
Financial statements      1930-1959
Financial statements      1960-65
Financial statements      1970-75
Financial statements      1976-1979/80
Financial statements      1980-85
Financial statements      1986-89
Financial statements      1990-
Mission statement
Newsletters, Form letters          1959-1993
St. Anne’s Shrine: Pamphlets, Brochures etc. (list available in folder)
Profiles (St. Amadeus, St Joseph's. St. Anne's)
Property Records
Property appraisal        1977
Reports
Research notes
Research notes re: Bishop Rappe
St Anne’s Shrine Association
SG Correspondence McLaughlin (1986-1990)
Shrine project
Studies of         The architectural conservation assessment 1992
Studies of         Natural resources/historic preservation
Videotapes
Ledgers  General Accounts 1898-1903
                  General Accounts 1908-1920
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 Swanton 1845-present
The Society of Saint Edmund assumed the administration of  Nativity of our Lord Parish in Swanton in 1895.  In addition to parish work, the society also opened a novitiate in Swanton as well as St. Edmunds Juniorate.  Even after moving the Novitiate to Winooski Park, where it became Saint Michael’s College, the House in Swanton remained the primary site of the Vermont foundations. The American Province of the Society was located in Swanton, and when the Generalate of the Society moved to America in 1930, it was in Swanton until 1939. 
 Materials in this series include items from the founding of the Church in Swanton.  Ledgers include many names and information about the parishes, including pew registers and Sunday announcements from 1895-1961.  As with the other series in the Vermont subgroup, financial records are well represented.  The Swanton School records provide an interesting scrapbook of an innovative proposal to merge the public and parochial school in the 1960’s.   Materials are arranged alphabetically, although the ledgers are boxed separately. 

Folder Listing
Box 1
Nativity Parish  75 years of service
Nativity Parish Anniversary items
Nativity Parish Building information
Nativity Parish Clergyman's Funeral Record 1982-1983
Nativity Parish Correspondence
Nativity Parish Correspondence Purtill 1942
Nativity Parish Diocesan financial reports 1958-1964
Nativity Parish Diocesan financial reports 1981-1988
Nativity Parish historical items
Nativity Parish mission reports             1946-1959
Nativity Parish SSE financial reports 1946, 1947, 1971, 1976-1985
Superior General Correspondence   Purtill 1946-1952
Superior General Correspondence   Purtill 1952-1958
Superior General Correspondence  Purtill 1958-1964
Superior General Correspondence  Galligan, 1964-1970
Superior General Correspondence   Galligan, 1970-1974
Superior General Correspondence  Gokey 1974-1978
Superior General Correspondence  Leary 1978-1982
Swanton School project            1965-1971
Swanton School project            1965-1971
Swanton School project            clippings           1965-1966
Swanton School project            clippings           1967
Box 2 (Ledgers)
Account Book 1845-1857
Account Book 1873,1875
Account Book 1888-1901
Account Book 1895-1912
Account Book 1902-1904
Account Book 1904
Account Book 1905-1917
Account Book 1914-1922
Account Book 1918-1921
Account Book 1918-1926
Account Book 1934-45
Account Book 1926-30
Accounts (Yearly) 1928/29-1936/37
Account Book 1930-34
Account Book (Monthly) 1934-41
Announcements 1895-1899
Announcements 1900-1906
Announcements 1907-1912
Announcements 1910
Announcements 1912
Announcements 1916-1920
Announcements 1921-1929
Announcements1927-1934
Announcements 1940-1944
Announcements 1956-1961
Announcements1961
 Box 3 (Ledgers)
Building Chapel 1898/School Debt on Church 1891-1902
Cemetery Reciepts 1917-1979
Church of the Nativity Chronicle -1858-1956 (copy)   
Church of the Nativity Chronicle 1980-1983
Church of the Nativity Chronicle/History (Typed)
Council Minutes 1901-1941
Council Minutes 1941-1950
Ministries 1936-1948
Fund drive 1859-1865
Journal 1895-1941
Journal… Swanton  1941-1952
Register of Holy Name Society 1948-1966
Register of Pews 1856-1870
Register of Pews 1884-1900
Register of Pews 1901-1903
Register of Pews 1912-1915
Swanton Scrapbook 1895-1941
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 Vermont Pastoral Region, 1977-present
In 1977, the Society consolidated the separate and increasingly small houses and apostolates located in Vermont in the entity of the Vermont Pastoral Region.  With the exception of the Saint Michael’s College House, all sites and personnel in Vermont were placed into this region.  Financial affairs and some administrative decisions are made by this entity.  The bulk of these records are financial in nature. 

 Folder Listing
Correspondence
Financial reports
Personal budgets
Vermont Pastoral Region minutes
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West River Missions, 1947-present
In 1945, Superior General Nicolle and the Bishop of Burlington arranged for the Society to take over the administration of a group of parishes in Southern Vermont.  The Society adminstered them from the novitiate, which was then located in Putney.  The missions include Our Lady of Mercy in Putney, St. John Berchman in West Dummerston, Our Lady of the Valley in Townshend, St. Edmund of Canterbury in Saxtons River, Our Lady of Hope in Wardsboro, and the Chapel of the Snows in Stratton.    The administration was  dependent upon the needs of the parishes at a given time.  The series is arranged alphabetically.

 Folder Listing
Contracts
Correspondence
General
Visitors report q1987
Putney  Catholic Directory information
Putney Bulletins
Putney Education reports
Putney Financial Statements      1947-1957, 1959-60, 1966-67
Putney Financial Statements 1978-1991
Putney General
Putney Other reports
Putney Priestly ministry study 1991
Saxtons River               Financial Statements 1947-1967, 1974
Saxtons River               General
Townshend & West Townshend           Financial statements 1947-67, 1978-91
Townshend & West Townshend           General
Wardsboro and Stratton           Financial statements 1952-67, 1974, 1978-84
Wardsboro and Stratton           Financial statements 1985-1991
Wardsboro and Stratton           General
Wardsboro and Stratton           The Center
West Dummerston        Financial Statements 1947-67, 1978-1991
West Dummerston        General
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Williston, 1951-1989
In 1951, Rev. Eugene Alliot became the first pastor of Immaculate Heart Parish in Williston, Vermont, continuing the work he had begun as chaplain for the Carmelite Nuns. (Until the church was built, the small Roman Catholic population of Williston heard mass in the public chapel adjoining the nuns’ cloistered chapel.)  Edmundites continued to administer the parish until 1989, when it returned to the diocese.  Material is arranged alphabetically.

 Folder Listing
Church building Dedication
Correspondence
Diocesan financial reports, 1958-64, 1966-67, 1971
Diocesan financial reports 1978-87
Immaculate Heart of Mary History, by Tom Geno
Miscellaneous
Personal Financial Statements 1971-73, 77-84
SSE Financial Statements 1951-57
 

Prepared By:    Elizabeth Scott     December 2004

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Maintained by Elizabeth Scott, last update - Thursday April 13, 2006