David Nelson Beach, Jr. Papers

These papers continue the record of the Beach Family begun in Record Group 60, which primarily documents the life and work of David Nelson Beach, Jr.'s father, David Nelson Beach, and his uncle, Harlan P. Beach. Descendant of established New England families, graduate of Yale College and Yale Divinity School, David Nelson Beach, Jr. was a respected and influential clergyman for more than half a century, and a systematic "keeper" of records. Besides providing biographical information, Beach's papers include valuable, thorough documentation of two movements in which he was a key player: the movement toward merger of the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church to form the United Church of Christ, and the Connecticut Civil Rights Commission.

The Family Correspondence of Series I all dates from before 1928 and is primarily between Beach and his fiancé/wife Marguerite Mills Beach or Beach and his parents and siblings. Extensive correspondence from the 1915 to 1918 time period documents Beach's life as a student at Yale and Bangor Theological Seminary, and his service with the YMCA in France during World War I.

The General Correspondence of Series II is not extensive, but provides an overview of Beach's activities in the churches and organizations with which he was involved, including First Church (Center Church) in New Haven. Much of the substantial correspondence of the record group is contained in Series IV and V with the records documenting the Congregational merger and the Connecticut Civil Rights Commission.

The notes in Series III date primarily from Beach's years at Yale College, providing a thorough record of his undergraduate coursework. Beach's writings include sermons and articles related to the nature of Congregationalism. Other notes, drafts, and writings by Beach are contained in Series IV and V.

Series IV contains a variety of records related to the merger that formed the United Church of Christ in 1957, including legal briefs, letters, memos, notes, and material documenting the role of Beach and Center Church, New Haven. These records of a key player who was in favor of the merger provide an important complement to similar records in Record Group No. 52, the Papers of Henry David Gray, an influential opponent of the merger.

Beach's twelve years of service on what was first called the Connecticut Inter-Racial Commission and then the Connecticut Civil Rights Commission came at a crucial period in the development and enforcement of civil rights in the United States. The thorough Commission records retained by Beach include minutes, letters, memos, cases of appeal, conference reports, and other documentation providing a vivid picture of the civil rights climate in Connecticut and surrounding states from 1948 to 1960.

Series VI, Biographical Documentation, includes a variety of materials shedding light on Beach as an individual, his family, and the organizations with which he was involved during his long and active career.