F M2

Date of the items: 1891

Physical description: 11.5×16.5×1 cm account book

Title: Selwyn Baptist Church Fonds

Creator: Building Committee of the Selwyn Baptist Church

Repository: Trent Valley Archives

Reference number: TVA Fonds 871

Scope and contents: The fonds consists of the account book kept by the building committee of the Selwyn Baptist Church. It contains lists of the names of donors, their pledges, and notes regarding payment. There is a separate page for those who pledged for fence wire.

The Rev. Edward R. Roberts made the largest donation and spearheaded the building of the 1891 church. There is a note in the front of the book signed by him noting that his donation to this church will begin after his donations to the chapel of the Church on the Line (now known as Gilmour Baptist Church) have been completed.

Access Conditions: No Restrictions

Finding aid: None

Accruals: No further accruals are expected

Custodial history: Donated by Bonnie Zeran (nee McIlmoyl) on October 28, 2020.

Administrative history: The Selwyn Baptist Church was built in 1845 on Lot 24 Concession 11 in Smith Township. The first frame building on the property was sold to the Foresters and moved across the road in preparation for a new building (the original building was demolished in 1967). The new building was finally built in 1891 after funds were raised by the congregation, with the dedication ceremony taking place on October 4th of that year. The Selwyn Baptist Church continued to use the building until 1942, leaving it empty for a few years until 1948 when the Selwyn United Church moved in. They used the building until 1969, when it once again became a Baptist church. The building closed in 2002 when the congregation moved to the Selwyn Outreach Centre.

Rev. Edward Riddell Roberts was born in Yorkshire, England on January 18, 1821. He immigrated to Canada and married Margaret Grant Milne on September 13, 1849 in Montreal, Quebec. Shortly afterwards, he moved to the Peterborough area to become the minister of the Church on the Line, holding the position until 1869. He was also the successor to the Rev. John Gilmour as the agent for the New England Company, which had been agents for the local communities of Mud Lake and Hiawatha at Curve Lake and Rice Lake. He even had a brief role as the superintendent of schools for Smith Township in 1855. He and his wife went on to have two children: Agnes and James. He passed away on January 10, 1897 at the age of 85.

Related fonds at TVA: There are no fonds at TVA with a close link to this one.

Access Points:
Selwyn United Church
Rev. Edward R. Roberts