ArMs 1977.326, 1985.010
16 Boxes
(8 cubic feet in 16 legal ms boxes)
4C-5.4.E
RLIN No. (NIC) NYKI590-940-0197
John Howard Melish,
William Howard Melish, and
Protestant Episcopal Church of the Holy Trinity
(Brooklyn, NY) Collection
1904–1985
Bulk dates:1947–1958
Brooklyn Historical Society
Othmer Library
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Tel. 718.222.4111 FAX 718.222.3794
Gabriel Farrell
May 2006
Leilani Dawson, Supervisor
May 2006
Brooklyn Historical Society
Melish & Church of the Holy Trinity Collection
11/18/2008
ArMs
1977.326,
1985.010
2
Introduction
The Rev. John Howard Melish (1874–1969) was pastor at the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Holy
Trinity, Brooklyn, New York, 1904–1949, while his son, the Rev. William Howard Melish (1910–
1986), was associate rector at the same church from 1938 to 1957. The bulk of this collection covers
1947–1958, a period of time during which the two clergymen, with the support of parish congregants,
struggled to remain attached to the Church of the Holy Trinity despite efforts by the church vestry and
the Episcopal Bishop of Long Island to remove them.
The Church of the Holy Trinity, now known as the Church of Saint Ann’s and the Holy Trinity, is
located in downtown Brooklyn at 157 Montague St., Brooklyn, NY, 11201. It is well known in
architectural circles for its gothic revival style and stained glass windows by William Jay Bolton,
thought to be the earliest stained glass windows in the United States, c. 1822.
Provenance
John V. Mason, the nephew of Ms. Anna May Mason (1876–1969) and the executor of her estate,
donated to the Brooklyn Historical Society in 1969 a collection of materials that included Church of
the Holy Trinity Materials, Trinity House Materials, Anna May Mason Materials, and various
newspaper clippings, publications, and legal papers. Anna May Mason was a Holy Trinity congregant
and partisan of Melish father and son. At the time of donation, Mason requested that “any of the
records of a non-public nature (personal correspondence, etc.) not be made available to the public until
the year 2000.” (Accession No. 1977.326)
Accession No. 1985.010 consists of materials received from William Howard Melish in 1983, Francis
H. Touchet in 1985, and Mary Jane Melish (1913–1999) in 1987. The material from William Howard
Melish includes newspaper clippings, notes, etc. contained in Series 5, as well as publications,
correspondence, and the obituary of John Howard Melish. Francis H. Touchet donated his doctoral
research materials on "the Melish Case,” which consisted of materials in Series 6 and some
correspondence and publications. Mary Jane Melish was responsible for the reel-to-reel tapes in Series
3: "Melish Family Materials" with a few publications. This collections contains very few original
papers belonging to John or William Howard Melish, from which it is surmised that there may be more
materials relevant to this collection elsewhere.
Biographical Note
John Howard Melish was born in Milford, Ohio in 1874; attended the University of Cincinnati,
Harvard Divinity School, and the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Mass.; became
associate rector of Christ Church in Cincinnati in 1900; and came to Brooklyn to serve as the rector for
the Church of the Holy Trinity in 1904. In 1915–16, he gained some fame within the church for his
efforts to give women the right to vote in the annual parish meetings of the Episcopal Church. He was
also a fraternal delegate to the Central Trades Labor Council of Greater New York and Chairman of
the Brooklyn Committee for Better Housing.
His son, William Howard Melish, was born in Brooklyn in 1910; attended Harvard, Union Theological
Seminary, Jesus College at Cambridge University, and the Episcopal Theological School in
Cambridge, Mass.; began his ministry at Christ Church in Cincinnati in 1935, and joined his father as
assistant rector at the Church of the Holy Trinity in 1938. At various times he served as the Chairman
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1977.326,
1985.010
3
of the Cincinnati Forum Committee, Vice-President of the Kings County American Labor Party, and
Chairman of the National Council for Soviet-American Friendship. It was this last position in
particular that led to the famed “Melish Controversy.”
The Attorney General of the United States in 1948 labeled the "National Council for Soviet-American
Friendship" a subversive organization. Soon after, "the vestry sought to persuade the elder Melish to
dismiss his son from the position of associate minister because they considered “that certain outside
activities of the Assistant Rector were most detrimental to the interests of Holy Trinity Church." The
elder Melish declined, and the vestry attempted to remove them both. The ensuing battle involved the
parishioners of Holy Trinity church, Bishop James Pernette DeWolfe, the Protestant Episcopal Bishop
of Long Island, and wound up going to the New York Supreme Court twice in the course of the
ensuing decade. Increasing conflict between the bishop's new rector and some parishioners brought
about the closing of the church in 1957, by order of the Bishop.
After a few years spent in an effort to re-open Holy Trinity, William Howard Melish was called to be
the rector of Grace Church, in Corona, Queens. Holy Trinity was eventually re-opened by the
congregation of St. Ann’s, and was henceforth known as the Church of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity.
John Howard Melish lived in the rectory of Holy Trinity Church until his death in 1969.
A portion of the material came from Anna May Mason, who was a longtime, heavily involved
parishioner in the Church of the Holy Trinity. She was born in 1876 and baptized in Holy Trinity, and
when she died in 1969, her funeral was held in the Church of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity. During the
period of the Melish Controversy, she was the most senior member of the parish.
Scope and Content
This collection covers the years 1904 to 1985. A few twentieth-century copies of materials concerning
the origins of the Church of the Holy Trinity in 1847 are included. The collection really begins at 1904,
at which time the Rev. John Howard Melish came to Brooklyn as pastor. The collection is also quite
sparse after 1969, the year the Rev. John Howard Melish died. The bulk of the material is newspaper
clippings, but also includes correspondence, publications, legal records, photographs, notes, ephemera,
financial records, and minutes of meetings. It centers on the decade from 1948–1958, the period of the
“Melish Case.”
The collection consists of sixteen boxes, equal to 8 cubic feet of material. It is arranged into nine
series, beginning with background on the Church of the Holy Trinity and the Trinity House in Series 1
and 2, then materials from the Melish Family in Series 3 and materials in Series 4 from Anna May
Mason, the elderly parishioner of Holy Trinity who stood by the Melishes throughout the controversy.
Series 5–7 contains chiefly newspaper clippings from William Howard Melish, Francis H. Touchet,
and Anna May Mason, respectively, and make up the bulk of the material in the collection. Series 8
consists of various publications and Series 9 contains the court records from the Melish Case.
Series 1, Church of the Holy Trinity Materials, 1933–1957, contains a small amount of architectural
information, fundraising pamphlets, and financial records on the Church of the Holy Trinity, most of
which is from Accession No. 1977.326.
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1977.326,
1985.010
4
Series 2, Trinity House Records, 1950–1959, contains materials on Trinity House, which was a “non-
sectarian, co-ed residence club located at 124 Pierrepont Street, Brooklyn, NY.” Anna May Mason was
Chairman of the Trinity House Committee from 1950–1959.
Series 3, Melish Family Materials,
ca
. 1950s–1969, contains materials that give some background on
the Melish Family, including various correspondence, photographs, obituaries, and a reel-to-reel audio
tape recording of a memorial service Wm. Howard Melish gave for Dr. W. E. B. Du Bois in 1963.
Series 4, Anna May Mason Materials, 1947–1969, contains materials from Anna May Mason that give
more background on the Melish Case, including correspondence, a scrapbook, a photo, and ephemera.
It also includes the records of a committee, of which Anna May Mason was a leading member, known
alternately as the Committee to Retain Our Rector, the Parishioners’ Committee for Holy Trinity, and
the Defense Committee.
Series 5, William Howard Melish Clippings, Ephemera, Correspondence, Notes, 1939–1958, contains
materials from scrapbooks of William Howard Melish. The newspaper clippings come from such
sources as the
New York Times
, the
Brooklyn Eagle
, and the
Daily News
. These clippings, while not
original, are a thorough collection of research material. In 1952 Melish began to combine notes,
programs, correspondence, and ephemera with the clippings. The original order, with materials filed
together chronologically, gives context to the notes and correspondence and greater meaning to the
newspaper clippings. They were therefore placed more forward in the collection than they would be
otherwise. Photocopies are included for many of the clippings in this series. Sometimes two sets of
photocopies have been made, marked “BHS Copies” and “Melish Copies.” Photocopies should be
consulted where available to minimize wear and tear on the originals.
Series 6, Francis H. Touchet Clippings, Ephemera, Notes, 1904–1980, contains materials from the
research of Francis H. Touchet, kept in the order in which he organized it. Most of the series is
newspaper clippings, many of which are duplicates of clippings found in Series 5. The folder that
covers the year 1955, which contains only a small number of clippings, includes a few programs from
Holy Trinity, an issue of
Parish News
, and the minutes from a meeting of the vestry. The last folder of
the series contains clippings, programs, and charts laid out for inclusion in the appendix of
The Social
Gospel and the Cold War: A History of the Melish Case
, Touchet’s doctoral thesis, as well as some
handwritten notes. It also includes twentieth-century copies of records from the opening of the Church
of the Holy Trinity in 1847. Photocopies should be consulted where available.
Series 7, Anna May Mason Clippings, 1947–1969, contains newspaper clippings from the Anna May
Mason materials. All of these are photocopies of articles, the originals of which are not in the
collection.
Series 8, Publications, 1913–1985, contains various publications. The first folder in the series contains
a few pamphlets authored by John Howard Melish. The next few folders contain pamphlets and
sermons authored by William Howard Melish. Some miscellaneous publications follow, which include
Father and Son
, a pamphlet written by Arthur Miller in support of the Melishes. Next in the series is a
folder of press releases from the years of the Melish Case. Next is a run of
Parish News
from 1946–
1959, and
The Churchman
from 1948–1963. Finally, a few copies of
The Witness
are included.
Series 9, Court Records, 1949–1979, contains court records from the Melish Case. Some records from
Touchet’s research, including a letter to a judge who was involved in the case and some handwritten
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ArMs
1977.326,
1985.010
5
notes from an interview, are in this series. Court briefs from the first court actions, in 1949–1950, and
the second, in 1956–1959, are also included.
Processing Note
This collection was initially organized and described in 1985 and 1987, and consisted of materials
received between 1983 and 1987. The materials from the estate of Anna May Mason, accessioned in
1977 and originally titled the Church of the Holy Trinity Records, were released from restriction and
incorporated in the spring of 2006 . The full collection was processed at that time by Gabriel Farrell, an
intern at the Brooklyn Historical Society in the Pratt GATEWAI program. Dr. Pettit edited the text,
May, 2006. Minor editing to the finding aid was done in November 2008 by Chela Scott Weber, BHS
Archivist.
Related Material
The Social Gospel and the Cold War: A History of the Melish Case
, Doctoral Thesis of Francis Henry
Touchet, 1981. Library of Congress Classification: BX5995 .M44. A copy of this thesis is kept in the
library at the Brooklyn Historical Society.
Wolcott Cutler Papers at Harvard Divinity School
Includes articles and clippings about the Melish Case.
National Council of American Soviet Friendship Records 1919-1990 at New York University’s
Tamiment Library
http://dlib.nyu.edu:8083/tamwagead/servlet/SaxonServlet?source=ncasf.xml&style=saxon01tw2002.xsl
Shirley Graham Du Bois Papers at Harvard University
http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:RAD.SCHL:sch00211
Includes correspondence with William Howard Melish.
Mary Elisabeth Dreier Papers at Harvard University
http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:RAD.SCHL:sch00136
Includes correspondence with William Howard Melish.
International Labor Defense Correspondence with Wanda Gág at the University of Pennsylvania
Includes correspondence with William Howard Melish.
Photographs and postcards of the Melish family and the Church of the Holy Trinity in the image
collection at the Brooklyn Historical Society, Accession Number V1997.22
Records of the Protestant Episcopal Church Diocese of Long Island at the Brooklyn Historical Society
(unprocessed collection)
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ArMs
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Subject Headings
Melish, John Howard, 1874–1951
Melish, William Howard, 1910–1986
Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt), 1868-1963
Miller, Arthur, 1915-2005
White, Bouck, b. 1874
Church of the Holy Trinity (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
Church of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
Church controversies.
Anti-communist movements--United States--History.
City clergy.
Episcopalians--United States.
Container List
Box
Folder
Title
Dates
Accession
Series 1: Church of the Holy Trinity Materials, 1933–1957
1
1
Architectural
Information
1933–1955
1977.326
2
Centennial
1947
1977.326
3
Finances 1950–1955
1977.326
4
Fundraising
1948–1957
1977.326
5
Programs
1950,
1955,
and 1977.326
undated
6
Inventory of the Church Archives of NYC—Protestant 1940
1985.010
Episcopal Church Diocese of Long Island— Note: Separated, June 6 2006, to Archives
Reference Collection
Series 2: Trinity House Records, 1950–1959
1
Correspondence
1950–1959
1977.326
2
Finance
1950–1959
1977.326
3
General
1950–1956
1977.326
4
Minutes 1951–1959
1977.326
Series 3: Melish Family Materials, ca. 1950s–1969
1
William Howard Melish Correspondence 1982–1985
1985.010
2
Francis H. Touchet Correspondence
1955–1984
1985.010
3
Correspondence concerning Bouck White
1965–1966
1985.010
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1977.326,
1985.010
7
Includes photographs of Bouck White
4
Photographs
(Photocopies)
ca.
1950s
1985.010
5
John
Howard
Melish
Obituaries
1969
1985.010
6
Reel-to-reel tape recordings—Memorial service at
1963
1985.010
Achimota for the late Dr. W. E. B. Du Bois
Box
Folder
Title
Dates
Accession
Series 4: Anna May Mason Materials, 1947–1969
2
1
Ephemera
1948–1958
1977.326
Includes
member
lists,
correspondence
2
Scrapbook
1948–1951
1977.326
Includes clippings, letters to the congregation, event announcements
3
Correspondence with John Howard Melish
1941–1960
1977.326
4
Correspondence with William Howard
Melish
1951–1963
1977.326
5
Incoming
Correspondence
1948–1961
1977.326
6
Outgoing
Correspondence
1947–1959
1977.326
7
Photograph of John and William Howard Melish,
ca. 1940, 1969
1977.326
Anna
May
Mason
Obituary
8
Defense
Committee
Records
1949–1960
1977.326
9
Diocese
Hearing
Transcription
1949
1977.326
Series 5: William Howard Melish Clippings, Ephemera, Correspondence, Notes, 1939–1958
1
Clippings
(Originals)
1935–1946
1985.010
2
Clippings
(BHS
copies)
1935–1946
1985.010
3
Clippings
(Melish
copies)
1935–1946
1985.010
3
4
Clippings
(Originals)
1947,
Jan.–Jun.
1985.010
5
Clippings
(BHS
copies)
1947,
Jan.–Jun.
1985.010
6
Clippings
(Melish
copies)
1947,
Jan.–Jun.
1985.010
7
Clippings
(Originals)
1947,
Oct.–Dec. 1985.010
8
Clippings
(BHS
copies)
1947,
Oct.–Dec. 1985.010
9
Clippings
(Melish
copies)
1947,
Oct.–Dec. 1985.010
10
Clippings
(Originals)
1948,
Jan.–May. 1985.010
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1977.326,
1985.010
8
4 11
Clippings
(Originals)
1948,
Jun.–Dec.
1985.010
12
Clippings, Correspondence (Originals)
1949, Jan. 6–Mar. 14
1985.010
Includes Pastoral Letter from Pernette DeWolfe
13
Clippings, Correspondence (BHS copies)
1949, Jan. 6–Mar. 14
1985.010
Includes Pastoral Letter from Pernette DeWolfe
14
Clippings
(Originals)
1949,
Mar.
14–Apr.
29
1985.010
Box
Folder
Title
Dates
Accession
4
15
Clippings (BHS copies)
1949, Mar. 14–Apr. 29 1985.010
16
Clippings
(Originals)
1949,
May
1–Dec.
8
1985.010
5
17
Clippings (BHS copies)
1949, May 1–Dec. 8
1985.010
18
Clippings
(Originals)
1950,
Jan.
1–Mar.
31
1985.010
19
Clippings
(BHS
copies)
1950,
Jan.
1–Mar.
31
1985.010
20
Clippings (Melish copies)
1950, Jan. 1–Mar. 31
1985.010
21
Clippings
(Originals)
1950,
Apr.
1–May
31
1985.010
22
Clippings
(BHS
copies)
1950,
Apr.
1–May
31
1985.010
23
Clippings (Melish copies)
1950, Apr. 1–May 31
1985.010
24
Clippings
(Originals)
1950,
Jun.
1–Dec.
30
1985.010
25
Clippings
(BHS
copies)
1950,
Jun.
1–Dec.
30
1985.010
26
Clippings
(Melish
copies)
1950,
Jun.
1–Dec.
30
1985.010
6
27
Clippings
(Originals)
1951,
Jan.
12–May
22
1985.010
28
Clippings
(Copies)
1951,
Jan.
12–May
22
1985.010
29
Clippings
(Originals)
1951,
Sep.
21–Dec.
30
1985.010
30
Clippings
(Copies)
1951,
Sep.
21–Dec.
30
1985.010
31
Clippings
and
Ephemera 1952
1985.010
32
Clippings,
Ephemera,
Correspondence
1953
1985.010
33
Clippings,
Ephemera,
Correspondence,
Notes
1954
1985.010
7
34
Clippings, Ephemera, Correspondence, Notes
1956, Jan.–Feb.
1985.010
35
Clippings, Ephemera, Correspondence, Notes
1956, Mar.–Dec.
1985.010
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1977.326,
1985.010
9
36
Clippings, Ephemera, Correspondence, Notes
1957, Jan.–Jul.
1985.010
8
37
Clippings, Ephemera, Correspondence, Notes
1957, Aug.–Dec.
1985.010
38
Clippings, Ephemera, Correspondence, Notes
1958, Jan.–Jul.
1985.010
(Originals)
39
Clippings, Ephemera, Correspondence, Notes
1958, Jan. 5–Apr. 30
1985.010
(Copies)
40
Clippings, Ephemera, Correspondence, Notes
1958, May 1–Jul.
1985.010
(Copies)
Series 6: Francis H. Touchet Clippings, Ephemera, Notes, 1904–1980
Box
Folder
Title
Dates
Accession
9
1
Clippings
(Originals)
1904–1938
1985.010
2
Clippings
(BHS
Copies)
1904–1938
1985.010
3
Clippings
(Melish
Copies)
1904–1938
1985.010
4
Clippings
1939–1945
1985.010
5
Clippings
1946
1985.010
6
Clippings
1947,
Jan.–Jun.
1985.010
10
7
Clippings
1947,
Jul.–Dec.
1985.010
8
Clippings
1948
1985.010
9
Clippings
1949,
Jan.–Feb.
28
1985.010
10
Clippings
1949,
Mar.
1–Mar.
30
1985.010
11
Clippings
1949,
Apr.
1–Apr.
24
1985.010
11
12
Clippings
1949,
Apr.
25–Nov.
27
1985.010
13
Clippings
1950,
Jan.
1–Jun.
15
1985.010
14
Clippings
1950,
Jul.
1–Dec.
29
1985.010
15
Clippings
(Originals)
1951,
Jan.
4–May
23
1985.010
16
Clippings
(Copies)
1951,
Jan.
4–May
23
1985.010
17
Clippings
(Duplicates)
1951
1985.010
18
Clippings
1952,
Jan.
4–Oct.
16
1985.010
19
Clippings
1953,
Jan.
1–Nov.
19
1985.010
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ArMs
1977.326,
1985.010
10
12
20
Clippings
1954,
Jan.
17–Oct.
4
1985.010
21
Clippings
and
Ephemera 1955
1985.010
Includes
program,
church
meeting
minutes
22
Clippings
1956,
Jan.
9–Jan.
30
1985.010
23
Clippings
1956,
Feb.
1–Mar.
30
1985.010
24
Clippings
1956,
Apr.
1–Dec.
24
1985.010
Box
Folder
Title
Dates
Accession
12
25
Clippings
1957,
Jan.–Jun.
28
1985.010
26
Clippings
1957,
Jul.
1–Jul.
14
1985.010
13
27
Clippings
1957,
Jul.
15–Jul.
31
1985.010
28
Clippings
1957,
Aug.
1–Aug.
31
1985.010
29
Clippings
1957,
Sep.
1–Dec.
1985.010
30
Clippings
1960–1965
1985.010
31
Dissertation Research (Clippings, pamphlets, programs, 1906–1980
1985.010
charts, notes), includes copies of records of church from 1847
Series 7: Anna May Mason Clippings, 1947–1969
14
1
Clippings
1947–1949
1977.326
2
Clippings
1950–1955
1977.326
3
Clippings
1956–1960
1977.326
4
Clippings
1961–1962,
1969
1977.326
Series 8: Publications, 1913–1985
1
John Howard Melish Publications
1913, 1941–1942,
1985.010
1946,
1954
2
William Howard Melish Sermons and Speeches
1947, 1955, 1963,
1985.010
1980–1985
3
“Melish Case: Challenge to the Church,” edited by
ca. 1949, 1985
1985.010
W. H. Melish, and Melish’s explanatory notes on various pamphlets
4
“The Story of a Congregation,” edited by W. H. Melish ca. 1950
1985.010
5
Miscellaneous
Publications
1949–1959
1985.010
6
Press
Releases
1947–1961
1985.010
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ArMs
1977.326,
1985.010
11
7
The Parish News
1946–1956
1977.326
15 8
The Parish News
1957
1977.326
9
The Parish News
1958–1959
1977.326
10
The Churchman
1948–1957
1977.326
11
The Churchman
1958–1963
1977.326
12
The Witness
1950,
1955
1977.326
Box
Folder
Title
Dates
Accession
Series 9: Court Records, 1949–1979
15
1
Court Records, Notes by Francis H. Touchet
1949–1979
1985.010
Includes chronology of newspaper stories, 1949–1956
2
Legal Papers of the Defense Committee
1949–1956
1977.326
3
Court
Records
1949–1950
1985.010
16
4
Court
Records
1956–1959
1985.010
5
Record
on
Appeal
1949
1985.010
6
Record
on
Appeal
(Duplicate)
1949
1985.010