Exploring Culture and Heritage through Congregational Church Records

Rachel Groh
Tuesday, May 7, 2024  |  12-1 pm EDT  |  In-Person

Rachel Groh, a Simmons University MLIS graduate student intern, worked with the CLA in the spring of 2024 processing two collections: East Congregational Church in Springfield, Massachusetts and Berkeley Temple in Boston. In this talk, she reflected on her time at the CLA, her first archival experience and first time working with a religious repository.

When she had nearly finished processing the Berkeley Temple collection, Rachel made an unexpected find. What at first appeared to be correspondence regarding an exchange of funds in documents previously labeled “miscellaneous materials” turned out to be letters from the church arranging to purchase the freedom of an enslaved man from Maryland named John Henson.

In exploring these collections, and particularly those from Berkeley Temple, she explained how she has come to understand the importance of these records beyond research by sharing how they have the power to explore culture and heritage through the lens of Congregational history.

 

SPEAKER BIO

Rachel Groh is a student at Simmons University pursuing the cultural heritage track for her MLIS who worked with the CLA for her field experience in the spring 2024 semester. Rachel greatly enjoying exploring this sector through the lens of Congregational history and looks forward to using the knowledge of both this history and archival skills to further explore culture and heritage in her studies and work.