GUIDE TO CATHOLIC RECORDS ABOUT NATIVE AMERICANS IN THE U.S.
Volume 2: Midwest United States
Indiana: IN-17

Benedictines. St. Meinrad Archabbey. Archives
Swiss-American Congregation
100 Hill Drive
St. Meinrad, IN 47577

Phone: 812-357-6611

 

Hours: By appointment only 

Access: No restrictions 

Copying facilities: Yes

 

History: Benedictines self-identify with the post-nominal initials, “O.S.B.” Those from Our Lady of Einsiedeln Abbey (Einsiedeln, Switzerland) founded St. Meinrad Abbey, St. Meinrad, Indiana, 1854. In turn, Benedictines from St. Meinrad’s founded Blue Cloud Monastery, Marvin, South Dakota, 1950, which was raised to an abbey, 1954, and closed, 2012. The St. Meinrad Benedictines administered the following Native American missions and parishes in Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

1884-1954 (transferred to Blue Cloud)	St. Michael Church (Sisseton, Wahpeton Dakota), St. Michael, Fort Totten Reservation, North Dakota
1885-1954 (transferred to Blue Cloud)	Seven Dolors Church (Sisseton, Wahpeton Dakota), Fort Totten, Fort Totten Reservation, North Dakota
1887-1954 (transferred to Blue Cloud)	Immaculate Conception Church (Santee, Sisseton Dakota), Stephan, Crow Creek Reservation, South Dakota
1887-1954 (transferred to Blue Cloud)	St. Catherine/ Sacred Heart Mission (Sisseton, Wahpeton Dakota), Big Bend, Sisseton Reservation, South Dakota
1887-1954 (transferred to Blue Cloud)	St. Joseph Church (Brulé Lakota), Fort Thompson, Lower Brule Reservation, South Dakota
1892-1954 (transferred to Blue Cloud)	St. Jerome Mission (Sisseton, Wahpeton Dakota), Crow Hill, Fort Totten Reservation, North Dakota
1917-1954 (transferred to Blue Cloud)	St. Francis Solano Mission (Yankton), Lake Andes/ White Swan, Yankton Reservation, South Dakota
1917-1954 (transferred to Blue Cloud)	St. Paul Church (Yankton), Marty, Yankton Reservation, South Dakota
1917-1954 (transferred to Blue Cloud)	St. John Mission (Yankton), Greenwood, Yankton Reservation, South Dakota
1929-1954 (transferred to Blue Cloud)	Christ the King Mission (Sisseton, Wahpeton Dakota), Tokio, Fort Totten Reservation, North Dakota
1931-1954 (transferred to Blue Cloud)	Sacred Heart Mission (Santee Dakota, Ponca), Santee, Santee Reservation, Nebraska
1933-1954 (transferred to Blue Cloud)	St. Ann Church (Métis, Ojibwa), Belcourt, Turtle Mountain Reservation, North Dakota
1933-1954 (transferred to Blue Cloud)	St. Anthony Mission (Métis, Ojibwa), Alcide, North Dakota
1936-1954 (transferred to Blue Cloud)	Good Shepherd Mission (unknown), Grace Mission, South Dakota
1938-1954 (transferred to Blue Cloud)	St. Gregory Mission (Yankton), Greenwood/ Missouri Bottom, Yankton Reservation, South Dakota
1940-1954 (transferred to Blue Cloud)	St. Catherine of Sienna Mission (Yankton), Rising Hail Colony, Yankton Reservation, South Dakota
1940-1954 (transferred to Blue Cloud)	St. Benedict Mission (Métis, Ojibwa), Belcourt/ Turtle Mountain, Turtle Mountain Reservation, North Dakota
1941-1954 (transferred to Blue Cloud)	Sacred Heart Mission (Santee Dakota, Ponca), Niobrara, Ponca Reservation, Nebraska
1946-1954 (transferred to Blue Cloud)	St. Augustine Mission (Winnebago, Ponca), Winnebago, Winnebago Reservation, Nebraska
1948-1954 (transferred to Blue Cloud)	St. William Mission ((Santee Dakota, Ponca), Niobrara, Ponca Reservation, Nebraska

 Blue Cloud Benedictines administered the following missions and parishes, which served Native Americans in Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, 1954-2012:

1954-1957 (closed)	Sacred Heart Mission (Santee Dakota, Ponca), Ponca Reservation, Niobrara, Nebraska
1954-1957 (transferred to Omaha Archdiocese)	St. William Mission (Santee Dakota, Ponca), Ponca Reservation, Niobrara, Nebraska
1954-ca. 1957 (closed)	Good Shepherd Mission (unknown), Grace Mission, South Dakota
1954-1958 (closed)	St. Gregory Mission (Yankton), Greenwood/ Missouri Bottom, Yankton Reservation, South Dakota
1954-1965 (closed)	St. Catherine of Sienna Mission (Yankton), Rising Hail Colony, Yankton Reservation, South Dakota
1954-1978 (closed)	St. Francis Solano Mission (Yankton), Lake Andes/ White Swan, Yankton Reservation, South Dakota
1956-1982 (closed)	St. John Mission (Santee, Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota), Pierre
1954-1995 (transferred to Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity)	St. Ann Church (Métis, Ojibwa), Belcourt, Turtle Mountain Reservation, North Dakota
1954-1995 (transferred to Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity)	St. Anthony Mission (Métis, Ojibwa), Alcide, North Dakota
1954-1995 (transferred to Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity)	St. Benedict Mission (Métis, Ojibwa), Belcourt/ Turtle Mountain, Turtle Mountain Reservation, North Dakota
1954-1980s (transferred to Sioux Falls Diocede)	St. Paul Church (Yankton), Marty, Yankton Reservation, South Dakota
1954-1997 (transferred to Sacred Heart Priests, U.S. Province)	St. Catherine/ Sacred Heart Mission (Sisseton, Wahpeton Dakota), Big Bend, Sisseton Reservation, South Dakota
1954-1997 (transferred to Sacred Heart Priests, U.S. Province)	Immaculate Conception Church (Santee, Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota), Stephan, Crow Creek Reservation, South Dakota
1954-1997 (transferred to Sacred Heart Priests, U.S. Province)	St. Joseph Church (Brulé Lakota), Fort Thompson, Lower Brule Reservation, South Dakota
1954-1980s (closed)	St. John Mission (Yankton), Greenwood, Yankton Reservation, South Dakota
1954-1980s (transferred to Fargo Diocese)	St. Michael Church (Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota), St. Michael, Fort Totten Reservation, St. Michael, North Dakota
1954-1980s (transferred to Fargo Diocese, but served by a Dominican)	Christ the King Mission (Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota), Tokio, Fort Totten Reservation, North Dakota
1954-1980s (transferred to Fargo Diocese, but served by a Dominican)	Seven Dolors Church (Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota), Fort Totten, Fort Totten Reservation, North Dakota
1954-1980s (transferred to Fargo Diocese, but served by a Dominican)	St. Jerome Mission (Sisseton-Wahpeton Dakota), Crow Hill, Fort Totten Reservation, North Dakota

 

Holdings of Catholic records about Native Americans:

Inclusive dates: 1862-2012, undated

Volume: ca. 30 cubic feet

Description: Before 1954, the Swiss-American Congregation Archives included the bulk of the Blue Cloud holdings, which were transferred there to facilitate the administration of its missions and parishes, 1954-2012, and then returned with some exceptions and additions, 2012. The Swiss-American Congregation Archives and the Blue Cloud Abby Archives are described below as currently constituted.The bulk of the pre-1954 St. Ann's Mission (Belcourt, North Dakota) records were lost or destroyed; the papers of Rev. Stanislaus Maudlin, O.S.B., and the American Indian Research Center Research Collection with the Blue Cloud Abbey Photographic Collection were transferred to Augustana University, Center for Western Studies (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), which combined the latter two collections as American Indian Research Center Collection.

 

Swiss-American Congregation Archives

Inclusive dates: 1862-1954, undated

Volume: ca. 5 cubic feet

Description: 4 series with records.

 

/1. "Indian Missions"

Inclusive dates: 1886-1954, undated

Volume: .9 cubic foot

Description: Arranged alphabetically by location of the mission.

A. Belcourt, North Dakota, St. Ann Mission, 1902, 1911, 1933-1954, .1 cubic foot:

1. Land titles, abstracts, and warranty deeds, 1902, 1911, 1933-1934, 1937-1938, 1940, 1954, 3 folders

2. Financial reports, 1935-1953, 1 folder

B. Fort Totten, North Dakota, Seven Dolors Mission and St. Michaels, North Dakota, St. Michael Mission, 1887-1892, 1902-1906, 1914-1922, 1932-1953, .15 cubic foot:

1. Correspondence, 1890-1892, 1914, 1917-1918, 1921-1922, 28 letters; major correspondents include Rev. Jerome Hunt, O.S.B., Rev. Ambrose Mattingly, O.S.B., Rev. Sylvester Eisenman, O.S.B., Abbot Fintan Mundwiler, O.S.B., and Abbot Athanasius Schmitt, O.S.B.

2. Financial reports (annual), 1887-1888, 1902-1906, 1916-1917, 1932-1953, 2 folders

3. Land titles, abstracts, and deeds, 1934, 1937, 1941, 1 folder

C. Marty, South Dakota, St. Paul Mission, 1920-1921, 1928-1953, .15 cubic foot:

1. Correspondence, 1920-1921, 1940, 8 letters; major correspondents include Rev. Sylvester Eisenman, O.S.B., Abbot Athanasius Schmitt, O.S.B., and the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions

2. Financial reports, 1928-1953, 2 folders

3. Historical notes, ca.1940, 18 pages

D. Stephan, South Dakota, Immaculate Conception Mission, 1886-1953, undated, .4 cubic foot:

1. Correspondence, 1886-1908, 1916, 1919-1920, 1922-1923, 1930-1931, 1934, undated, 190 letters; major correspondents include Rev. Pius Boehm, O.S.B. and Rev. Ambrose Mattingly, O.S.B., Sister M. Romana, O.S.B., Saint Katharine Drexel, S.B.S., Bishop Thomas O'Gorman, Abbot Fintan Mundwiler, O.S.B. and Abbot Ignatius Esser, O.S.B., and the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions

2. Financial reports, 1891-1953, 2 folders

3. Clippings, 1916, 1 folder

3. "Indian Missions, Indian Sisterhood (Father Francis Craft) and Origins of Catholicism in Dakotas (Bishop Shanley)," 1888-1900, 1941, undated, .1 cubic foot:

5. Correspondence, 1888, 1890, 1897-1900, 1941, 14 letters; major correspondents include Rev. Francis Craft, Bishop Thomas O'Gorman, and Abbot Athanasius Schmitt, O.S.B.

6. Clippings, undated, 1 folder

 

/2. "Abbots Files"

Inclusive dates: 1862-1897, 1920s-1956 

Volume: .6 cubic foot

Description: Arranged chronologically by administration. Most correspondence between the abbots and Indian missionaries is found in the "Indian Missions" and "Monks" files.

A. Abbot Martin Marty, O.S.B. (Abbot, 1870-1880), 1862-1897, undated, .1 cubic foot:

1. Correspondence, 1862-1897, .1 cubic foot; primarily outgoing correspondence written in German; major correspondents include Rev. Claude Ebner, O.S.B. and Rev. Jerome Hunt, O.S.B., Abbot Fintan Mundwiler, O.S.B., monks at the Abbey of Our Lady of Einsiedeln (Canton, Schwyz), Switzerland, and Christina Wewer, Bishop Marty's housekeeper, whose letters to Abbot Mundwiler O.S.B., 1896-1897, provide an account of Bishop Marty's death

2. Biographical information, undated, 1 folder

B. Abbot Fintan Mundwiler, O.S.B. (Abbot, 1880-1898), 1886-1890, .1 cubic foot: correspondence, primarily incoming; major correspondents include Rev. Claude Ebner, O.S.B., Rev. Pius Boehm, O.S.B., and Rev. Joseph A. Stephan

C. Abbot Athanasius Schmitt, O.S.B. (Abbot, 1898-1930), 1920s, .1 cubic foot: correspondence, primarily incoming; major correspondents include Rev. Sylvester Eisenman, O.S.B. and Rev. Justin Snyder, O.S.B.

D. Archabbot Ignatius Esser, O.S.B. (Abbot, 1930-1955; Archabbot, 1954-1955), 1930-1956, .2 cubic foot: correspondence files with incoming and outgoing letters (copies) plus enclosures; arranged alphabetically by name of missionary, institution or subject; inventory exists which gives name of correspondent, brief description of the topic, date, and the number of items in the file.

1. "Blue Cloud Abbey, missionaries-Opinions," 1949, 21 items

2. "Blue Cloud Abbey, Father Pohlen-Sisseton," 1949, 1 item

3. "Blue Cloud Abbey, Ranch near Stephan," 1950, 6 items

4. "Mary Jane Borden, employee at Marty, South Dakota," 1930-1936, 27 items

5. "Fargo, North Dakota-Chancery Correspondence, re: Belcourt and St. Michael's," 1938-1951, 28 items

6. "Fort Totten Mission and St. Michael's Mission," 1930-1956, 76 items

7. "Hulsman, Rev. Frank, Indian Missionary," 1935-1952, 40 items

8. "Marty Mission," 1930-1955, 92 items

9. “St. Ann Mission, Belcourt," 1932-1955, 71 items

10. "Sioux Missions, Project reform of real estate tenure in Dakota," 19301931, 31 items

11. "Stephan, South Dakota, Immaculate Conception Mission," 1931-1955, 26 items

12. Correspondence of abbots and other St. Meinrad monks with the Abbey of Our Lady of Einsiedeln (Canton, Schwyz), Switzerland, 1877-1893, ca. 100 letters: outgoing letters (copies) from St. Meinrad to Einsiedeln written in German with English translations; major correspondents include Rev. John Chrysostom Foffa, O.S.B. and Bishop Martin Marty, O.S.B.

 

/3. "Monks' Files"

Inclusive dates: 1871-1965, undated

Volume: 2.0 cubic feet

Description: The files of individual monks are divided into two groups: records generated before and records created after 1930.

A. "Monks Files, Pre-1930," 1871-1929, undated, 1.0 cubic foot: arranged alphabetically by first name; files typically contain both official mission correspondence and personal records.

1. "Ambrose Mattingly, O.S.B., Rev.," 1888-1898, 1918, undated, 1 folder:

a. Correspondence, 1888-1898, 1918, 31 letters; primarily letters to Abbot Fintan Mundwiler, O.S.B. from Immaculate Conception Mission, Stephan, South Dakota

b. Biographical information, undated

2. "Anthony Mannhart, O.S.B., Brother," 1890, undated, 1 folder:

a. Correspondence, 1890, 2 letters; to Abbot Fintan Mundwiler, O.S.B. from Immaculate Conception Mission, Stephan, South Dakota

b. Biographical information, undated

3. "Claude Ebner, O.S.B., Reverend," 1878-1900, undated, .2 cubic foot of 2 cubic feet:

a. Correspondence, 1878-1900, .2 cubic foot; both outgoing and incoming; major correspondents include Abbot Fintan Mundwiler, O.S.B., Rev. Louis Bonin, Rev. Ambrose Mattingly, O.S.B., Rev. Pius Boehm, O.S.B., Rev. Bernard Strassmaier, O.S.B., Rev. Jerome Hunt, O.S.B., Rev. Stephan Stenger, O.S.B., and the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions

b. Biographical information, undated

4. "Fintan Wiederkehr, O.S.B., Rev.," 1887-1897, undated, 2 folders:

a. Correspondence, 1887-1897, 45 letters (in German); to Abbot Fintan Mundwiler, O.S.B. from Seven Dolors Mission, Fort Totten, North Dakota, and Immaculate Conception Mission, Stephan, South Dakota

b. Biographical information, undated, 1 folder

5. "Giles Laugel, O.S.B., Brother," 1889-1890, undated, 1 folder:

a. Correspondence, 1889-1890, 3 letters (in German); to Abbot Fintan Mundwiler, O.S.B. from Seven Dolors Mission, Fort Totten, North Dakota

b. Biographical information, undated

6. "January Huber, O.S.B., Brother," 1888-1894, undated, 2 folders:

a. Correspondence, 1888-1894, 15 letters in German; to Abbot Fintan Mundwiler, O.S.B. from Immaculate Conception Mission, Stephan, South Dakota

b. Biographical information, undated, 1 folder

7. "Jerome Hunt, O.S.B., Rev.," 1886-1912, undated, .1 cubic foot:

a. Correspondence, 1886-1890, 1897-1899, 1902, 1904, 1912, 59 letters mostly in German; majority to Abbot Fintan Mundwiler, O.S.B. and Rev. Claude Ebner, O.S.B. from Seven Dolors Mission, Fort Totten, North Dakota

b. Extract from an Indian child's diary regarding a school celebration, undated, 7 pages

c. Biographical information, undated, 1 folder

8. "John Apke, O.S.B., Brother," 1889-1894, undated, 1 folder:

a. Correspondence, 1889-1894, 14 letters in German; to Abbot Fintan Mundwiler, O.S.B. from Immaculate Conception Mission, Stephan, South Dakota

b. Biographical information, undated

9. "John Chrysostom Foffa, O.S.B., Rev.," 1871-1881, 1887, undated, .1 cubic foot:

a. Correspondence, 1871-1881, 1887, 89 letters in German: primarily to Abbot Martin Marty, O.S.B.; many letters from the Standing Rock Reservation

b. Sermon notes, 1873, 1876-1877, undated, 1 folder

10. "Justin Snyder, O.S.B., Rev.," 1925, undated, 1 folder:

a. Correspondence, 1925, 1 letter: to Abbot Athanasius Schmitt, O.S.B. from Immaculate Conception Mission, Stephan, South Dakota

b. Biographical information, undated

11. "Meinrad McCarthy, O.S.B., Rev.," 1890-1899, 50 letters: correspondence by or about Rev. McCarthy; major correspondents include Abbot Fintan Mundwiler, O.S.B. and Rev. Pius Boehm, O.S.B.

12. "Philip Ketterer, O.S.B., Brother," 1889-1894, undated, 2 folders:

a. Correspondence, 1889-1894, 13 letters; to Abbot Fintan Mundwiler, O.S.B. from Immaculate Conception Mission, Stephan, South Dakota, and Chamberlain, South Dakota

b. Biographical information, undated, 1 folder

13. "Pius Boehm, O.S.B., Rev.," 1887-1907, 1909, 1911-1914, 1916, 1923, 1925, 1927-1929, 183 letters; primarily correspondence to and from Abbots Fintan Mundwiler, O.S.B. and Athanasius Schmitt, O.S.B.

14. "Stephan Stenger, O.S.B., Rev.," 1877-1881, 1885, 1888-1892, 18961900, 1920, 50 letters: incoming and outgoing, in English and German; major correspondents include Abbot Fintan Mundwiler, O.S.B., Rev. Claude Ebner, O.S.B., and Bishop Martin Marty, O.S.B.

15. "Sylvester Eisenman, O.S.B., Rev.," 1910, 1919-1921, undated, 1 folder:

a. Correspondence, 1910, 1919-1921, 4 letters; to Abbot Athanasius Schmitt from Ravinna, South Dakota

b. Biographical information, undated

B. "Abbatial File of St. Meinrad Monks," 1930-1965, 1.0 cubic foot: Includes incoming and outgoing correspondence filed alphabetically under the religious name of each monk. The "Abbatial File" was initiated by Archabbot Ignatius Esser, O.S.B. at the beginning of his administration in 1930. Subsequently Archabbot Bonaventure Knaebel, O.S.B. and Archabbot Gabriel Verkamp, O.S.B. added their records to the file. Files pertaining to monks who had died, transferred, secularized, laicized, or otherwise had left the Archabbey, were transferred to the Archives, 1975.

1. Alan Berndt, 1946-1957, 8 items: from Immaculate Conception Mission, Stephan, South Dakota, and St. Michael Mission, St. Michaels, North Dakota

2. Alfred Baltz, 1938-1941, 22 items: from St. Michael Mission, St. Michaels, North Dakota

3. Ambrose Mattingly, 1930-1941, 90 items: from St. Michael Mission, St. Michaels, North Dakota, St. Ann Mission, Belcourt, North Dakota, and St. Paul Mission, Marty, South Dakota

4. Augustine Edele, 1946-1958, 1 folder: from Immaculate Conception Mission, Stephan, South Dakota

5. Benno Fellinger, 1945-1949, 19 items: from St. Paul Mission, Marty, South Dakota

6. Boniface Armbruster, 1948-1951, 6 items: from St. Ann Mission, Belcourt, North Dakota

7. Boniface Benkert, 1935-1936, 1 folder: from St. Paul Mission, Belcourt, North Dakota

8. Brendan Keane, 1946-1949, 18 items: from St. Ann Mission, Belcourt, North Dakota, and St. Paul Mission, Marty, South Dakota

9. Casimir Kot, 1943-1950, 1 folder: from St. Paul Mission, Marty, South Dakota and Immaculate Conception Mission, Stephan, South Dakota

10. Celestine Sander, 1943-1953, 1 folder: from Immaculate Conception Mission, Stephan, South Dakota, and St. Paul Mission, Marty, South Dakota

11. Cletus Miller, 1945-1950, 18 items: from St. Michael Mission, St. Michaels, North Dakota

12. Cuthbert Hughes, 1944-1963, 30 items: from St. Paul Mission, Marty, South Dakota, and St. Michael Mission, St. Michaels, North Dakota

13. Damien Preske, 1929-1937, 1 folder: from St. Michael Mission, St. Michaels, North Dakota

14. Daniel Madlon, 1934-1953, 70 items: from St. Paul Mission, Marty, South Dakota, Immaculate Conception Mission, Stephan, South Dakota, and St. Augustine Mission, Winnebago, Nebraska

15. Edward Berheide, 1934-1939, 1 folder: from St. Michael Mission, St. Michaels, North Dakota

16. Felix Haug, 1930-1952, 42 items

17. Fintan Baltz, 1931-1937, 1 folder: from Immaculate Conception Mission, Stephan, South Dakota

18. George Lyon, 1951, 1 item

19. Gerald Nilan, 1936-1952, 13 items

20. Giles Laugel, 1935, 2 items

21. Gregory Kunkel, 1941-1953, 1 folder: from St. Michael Mission, St. Michaels, North Dakota, and St. Augustine Mission, Winnebago, Nebraska

22. Gaulbert Brunsman, 1948-1965, .1 folder: from St. Paul Mission, Marty, South Dakota

23. Hildebrand Elliot, 1931-1952, 248 items: from St. Paul Mission, Marty, South Dakota, and St. Ann Mission, Belcourt, North Dakota

24. Ildephonse Kreidler, 1940-1949, 1 folder: from St. Michael Mission, St. Michaels, North Dakota

25. Julius Armbruster, 1945-1949, 8 items: from St. Michael Mission, St. Michaels, North Dakota

26. Justin Snyder, 1931-1942, 1 folder: from Immaculate Conception Mission, Stephan, South Dakota

27. Lawrence Riebenthaler, 1938-1941, 1 folder: from St. Michael Mission, St. Michaels, North Dakota

28. Louis Fuchs, 1949-1958, 1 folder: from Immaculate Conception Mission, Stephan, South Dakota

29. Gerald Buehlman, 1930-1937, 1 folder

30. Paul Thoma, 1942-1956, 1 folder: from St. Michael Mission, St. Michaels, North Dakota, and: Seven Dolors Mission, Fort Totten, North Dakota

31. Philip Ketterer, 1944-1949, 2 items

32. Philip Seib, 1938-1939, 1 folder: from Immaculate Conception Mission, Stephan, South Dakota

33. Pius Boehm, 1931-1935, 16 items: from Immaculate Conception Mission, Stephan, South Dakota

34. Roger Dieckhaus, 1948-1954, 17 items: from St. Paul Mission, Marty, South Dakota

35. Stanislaus Maudlin, 1943-1955, 1 folder: from St. Ann Mission, Belcourt, North Dakota, and St. Michael Mission, St. Michaels, North Dakota

36. Sylvester Eisenman, 1931-1951, 257 items: from St. Paul Mission, Marty, South Dakota

37. Timothy Sexton, 1934-1951, 1 folder: from St. Michael Mission, St. Michaels, North Dakota, St. Paul Mission, Marty, South Dakota, Immaculate Conception Mission, Stephan, South Dakota, and Seven Dolors Mission, Fort Totten, North Dakota

 

/4. Photographs

Inclusive dates: 1880s-1950s

Volume: ca. 1.0 cubic foot (545-720 prints and negatives)

Description:

A. Members, 1880s-1950s, 200-300 prints: includes 1 folder for each Indian missionary, arranged alphabetically by last name; each file contains 1-10 prints

B. Missions, 1880s-1950s, 4 negatives

C. South Dakota Natives, 6 negatives

D. St. Ann Mission, North Dakota, 5 negatives

E. St. Michael Mission, North Dakota, 20 negatives

F. Immaculate Conception Mission, South Dakota, 4 negatives

G. St. Paul Mission, South Dakota, 10 negatives

H. “Missions,” 1880s-1950s, approximately 200 pages

I. “Indian personalities,” 1880s-1910, 50-75 prints

I. “Missionaries, Government Agents,” 1880s-1910, 50-100 prints

 

Blue Cloud Abbey Archives

Inclusive dates: 1874-2012, undated

Volume: ca. 25 cubic feet

Description: Blue Cloud Archives staff arranged the records by mission and thereunder by records type, and created this outline, 1984/ rev. 2013. The bulk of the records for St. Ann Church (Turtle Mountain Reservation, Belcourt, North Dakota) were destroyed or lost and the Rev. Stanislaus Maudlin, O.S.B. papers, the American Indian Research Center Research Collection, and the Blue Cloud Abbey Photographic Collection were transferred to Augustana University, Center for Western Studies (Sioux Falls, South Dakota), where the latter two collections were combined as American Indian Research Center Collection

 

 /1. Crow Creek Reservation, Immaculate Conception Mission, Stephan, South Dakota: Boxes no. 68-76

Inclusive dates: 1887-2012, undated

Volume: 8.0 cubic feet

Description:

A. Correspondence, 1890, 1893-1903, 1911, 1916, 1922-1923, 1940s, 1970s, .1 cubic foot: major correspondents include Rev. Pius Boehm, O.S.B., the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions, and Mother Katharine Drexel, S.B.S.

B. Diaries and journals, 1892-1959, .7 cubic foot:

1. Chronicles, 1891-1920, 8 volumes

2. Diaries of Rev. Pius Boehm, O.S.B., 1892-1930, 11 volumes (2,310 pages): handwritten, daily entries; most volumes reported missing and not at Blue Cloud Abbey in 2009; their whereabouts remain unknown.

3. Diaries of Rev. Louis Fuchs, O.S.B., 1949-1959, 3 volumes handwritten, daily entries

C. School records, ca. 1888, 1 volume: School register

D. Census record, ca. 1899, 1905, 1917, 1 volume: lists names of parents and children and their ages

E. Financial records, 1887-1921, .75 cubic foot: records for both the Mission and the School

F. Publications, 1902-1976, undated, 1.25 cubic feet:

1. Appeal form letters, 1902-1903, 1914, 1926-1947

2. History of Immaculate Conception Mission by Sister Marmion Maiers, O.S.B., ca. 1961

3. Wopeedah, 1934-1976; periodical

4. Little Monitor, 1915-1917; periodical

5. Mission Echoes, 1935-1943; periodical

6. Chieftain, 1957-1959, 1963; periodical

 

/2. Fort Totten Reservation, St. Michael's Church, St. Michael, North Dakota, and Seven Dolors Church, Fort Totten, North Dakota: Boxes no. 58-69

Inclusive dates: 1874-1980s

Volume: ca. 7.0 cubic feet

Description:

A. Correspondence, 1886-1890, 1893, 1895, 1897, 1899, 1906-1907, 1914, 1916, 1918-1954, 1957, and 1966, .4 cubic foot: major correspondents include Reverend Vincent Wehrle, O.S.B., Reverend Jerome Hunt, O.S.B., Reverend Ambrose Mattingly, O.S.B., Reverend Edward Berheide, O.S.B., Reverend Ildephonse Kreidler, O.S.B., Abbot Fintan Mundwiler, O.S.B., Abbot Athanasius Schmitt, O.S.B., Abbot Ignatius Esser, O.S.B., Bishop John Shanley, Bishop James O'Reilly, Bishop Aloisius Muench, and the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions

B. Chronicles, diaries, and announcement books, 1874-1966, .75 cubic foot:

1. Chronicles of the Soeurs grises (Montréal, Québec, Canada) (edited, typed copy), 1874-1900, 1 folder

2. Rev. Alan Berndt, O.S.B., daily diaries, 1956-1957, 1961-1966, 7 volumes

3. "Office Diary," 1945-1946, 1 volume

4. Diary, 1934-1940, 1 volume: author not identified

5. Announcement book, 1940-1944, 1 volume

6. Journal or chronicle (typed copy), 1874-1903, 1 volume: author not identified

C. Sacramental records, 1874-1920, .5 cubic foot:

1. Baptisms, 1874-1907

2. Marriages, 1875-1907

3. Deaths, 1905-1920

D. School records, 1874-1926, 1929-1953, .5 cubic foot: records typically include name, age, grade, parents' names and address, and dates when student entered and left school

E. Financial records, 1896-1916, 1931-1945, 1948-1950, 1956-1972, approximately 2.5 cubic feet: include 8 general journals, a ledger, and monthly and annual financial reports

F. Minutes of parish meetings, 1971-1981, 1 folder

G. Subject file, 1960-1961, 1970-1971, 1.5 cubic feet: alphabetically arranged; primarily correspondence with various businesses and receipts and vouchers

H. Publications, 1892-1971, .5 cubic foot:

1. Appeal form letters and mail campaign literature, 1932-1970

2. Announcements for Seven Dolors Church, 1938-1947

3. Sinasapa Wocekiye Taeyanpaha, 1892-1897, 1900-1901, 1905-1918, 1921-1922

4. Northern Lights, 1932-1956, 1970-1971

5. Our Lady's Bulletin, 1950-1952, 1958-1964

 

/3. Turtle Mountain Reservation, St. Ann Mission, Belcourt, North Dakota: Boxes no. 82-85

Inclusive dates: 1970-2012, undated

Volume: ca. 3.5 cubic feet

Description: The bulk of the pre-1954 St. Ann Mission records have been lost or destroyed.

A. Correspondence, 1970-1994, 1 cubic foot

B. History book: St. Ann Centennial, 1885-1985

C. Legal/land documents, dates not given

D. Newsletters, 1915-1917, 1935-1943, ca. 1 cubic foot:

1. Bells of St. Ann, 1915-1917

2. Echoes (St. Ann), 1935-1943

 

/4. Yankton Reservation, St. Paul's Mission and School, Marty, South Dakota: Boxes no. 76-81

Inclusive dates: 1920s-2012

Volume: ca. 5.5 cubic feet

Description:

A. Correspondence, 1920s-1970s, 1.5 cubic feet: major correspondents include Rev. Sylvester Eisenman, O.S.B., Rev. Gaulbert Brunsman, O.S.B., Rev. George Lyon, O.S.B., Abbot Gilbert Hess, O.S.B., Abbot Alan Berndt, O.S.B., Bishop Bernard J. Mahoney, Bishop William 0. Brady, Bishop Lambert A. Hoch, and the Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions; a prominent subject is the construction work at St. Paul's Mission, 1941-1942; besides St. Paul's Church, correspondence relates to St. John's School, Greenwood, South Dakota; Sacred Heart Mission, Santee, Nebraska; St. Gregory's Mission, Greenwood, South Dakota; St. Catherine of Sienna Mission, Rising Hail Colony, South Dakota; and St. Francis Solano Mission, Lake Andes, South Dakota

B. Chronicle, 1948-1955, 138 pages

C. History notes, 1920s-1977, 2 folders?

D. Financial reports, 1920s-1970s, .2 cubic foot: primarily annual reports

E. Minutes of meetings, 1948-1958, 1970s, 2 folders: School board minutes and minutes of the Boys' Unit of the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary

F. Personnel, 1939-1976, undated, volume undetermined:

1. Benedictines, 1939-1976

2.Oblate Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, undated

G. Publications, 1920s-1972, .5 cubic foot:

1. Appeal form letters to benefactors, 1920s-1940s

2. The Little Bronzed Angel, 1929-1978

3. The Catholic Sioux Herald, 1931-1950

H. Newspaper clippings, 1974-1978, 2 scrapbooks

 

/5. General: Boxes no. 56-58

Inclusive dates: 1920s-2012, undated

Volume: 1.3 cubic feet

Description:

A. Indian language records, 1920s-1940s, .15 cubic foot: primarily correspondence to and from Indians in Dakota and language study guides; many of the records were generated by Reverend Timothy Sexton, O.S.B.

B. Historical notes, clippings, and printed materials on Indians or missions, 1896-1967, undated, 1.0 cubic foot;

1. American Indian Culture Research Center, undated

2. Benedictines, undated

3. Bibliography: Guide to Christian Indians of the Upper Plains, John McMullen, O.S.B., 1969, and research notes, undated

4. Blue Cloud, Chief, and Naming ceremonies, undated

5. Conference on Indian Youth, undated

6. Catholic Sioux Congress, undated

7. Plains Indian Congress, minutes, undated

8. Sioux Falls Diocesan Survey of Indians, 1967

9. Sioux Indian Congress, 1896

10. Tekakwitha Conference (Indian Missionary Conference), 1939-1956, 1965

C. Winnebago, Nebraska, St. Augustine's Mission, Winnebago Reservation, publication: The Trumpet Call, 1945-1954, 1 folder

 

Unless otherwise noted, the repository on this page holds (or held) the records described here and they are not held at the Marquette University Archives.

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