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Title
Date(s)
- 1949 (Creation)
- 1845 (Creation)
Extent
1-10000
Name of creator
Administrative history
The Wesleyan Methodist Church of America emerged in response to the Methodist Episcopal Church's support of slavery and its centralized, authoritarian governance. In November 1842, leaders O. Scott, J. Horton, and L. R. Sunderland withdrew from the Methodist Episcopal Church and launched The True Wesleyan, a weekly publication explaining their reasons for separation. In December, Luther Lee and L. C. Matlack also withdrew, marking the formal beginning of the Wesleyan movement. Although earlier separations had occurred—particularly in Michigan, where a conference was established—these events laid the foundation for the official organization. The first church of the new denomination was founded in Providence, Rhode Island. In February 1843, a preliminary convention was held in Andover, Massachusetts, which led to a General Convention in Utica, New York, on May 31, 1843. There, the Wesleyan Methodist Church was officially organized and adopted a governing Discipline. The first General Conference convened in October 1844 to revise this Discipline, followed by a second in October 1848, which produced a more comprehensive and clearly organized version.
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Scope and content
This series comprises records from the Illinois conference. They capture the district’s role as a vital regional hub within the wider church. The materials include minutes from district conferences, correspondence between local pastors and district leaders, reports from area churches, pastoral appointments, membership and financial statistics, and policy documents specific to the region.
These records reveal how the district guided and supported local congregations and clergy, implemented denominational policies on a regional level, and fostered church growth and ministry within the community.
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Notes element
General note
In 1845, Illinois was prepared to organize as its own body and, with permission from the General Conference, was officially authorized to separate from the Miami Conference. The first session being held at Monson, LaSalle County, Illinois, commencing August 28, 1845. At the 1926 annual session of the Illinois Conference, Rev . J. A. McPherson retired as president, and Rev . W . J. Seekins, former publishing agent, was elected to serve for what was to be the last year of the conference's existence. The statistics showed seven organized churches and 193 members. The conference adopted a resolution requesting the General Conference of 1927 to grant permission for it to dissolve, and align itself with the Iowa Conference, except for the Frankfort Heights church in the southern part of the state which would go to the Kentucky Conference.
On May 30, 1949, an organizational meeting was held in Peoria, Illinois. Rev. J. R. Swauger, Secretary of Home Missions, presided over the meeting, during which the district was reestablished as the Illinois Mission Conference. The new Illinois Conference continued until the 1968 merger. In 1967, the district consisted of 16 churches and 882 members.
General note
Illinois Conference Presidents:
Rev. Rufus Lumry 1845- unknown
Rev . J. A. McPherson unkown-1926
Rev . W . J. Seekins 1926-1927
Rev. William · H. Dyer 1949-1951
Rev. Arthur L. Bray 1951-1968