adn0002.2 Michael A. Corrigan papers ADN 0002.2 Finding aid prepared by E. O'Donnell The Monsignor Field Archives & Special Collection Center
Seton Hall University Libraries 400 South Orange Ave South Orange, NJ, 07079

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 This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2009-07-29T17:24-0400 English Describing Archives: A Content Standard Collection Summary Corrigan, Michael Augustine, 1839-1902 Michael A. Corrigan papers 1870-1898 4.5 Linear feet 10 boxes, 1 microfilm reel and 3 bound volumes ADN 2.2 The Monsignor Field Archives & Special Collections Center Archdiocesan records and papers from Corrigan's time as Bishop of Newark. Biographical Information

Michael A. Corrigan was the third President of Seton Hall College (now Seton Hall University). A native of Newark NJ, the future Bishop was born on August 13, 1839, the fifth child in Thomas and Mary (English) Corrigan's household of nine. His parents emigrated from Ireland in the 1820s, and his father's grocer business and real estate investments enabled them to provide for Michael's education. Corrigan attended St. Mary's College in Wilmington, Delaware from 1853-1855 and upon graduating, entered Mount St. Mary's College in Emmitsburg, Maryland. Despite spending a year in Europe with his sister, Michael received his degree with first honors in 1859. Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley, learning of Corrigan's intention to study for the priesthood, assigned him to the first class of the newly established American College at Rome. Cardinal Patrizi conferred ordination on the seminarian on September 19, 1863, and a Doctor of Divinity degree followed one year later.

Shortly after returning to Newark in August 1864, Corrigan was appointed director of Seton Hall's Seminary of the Immaculate Conception and Professor of Dogmatic Theology and Sacred Scripture. In 1865, he became vice President of Seton Hall College, subsequently succeeding Bernard J. McQuaid as College President and Vicar General of the Diocese in 1868.

Pius IX appointed Corrigan Bishop of Newark in 1873, with the consecration taking place in St. Patrick's Cathedral on May 4th of that year. He served there until October 1, 1880, when Cardinal McCloskey, Archbishop of New York, and his suffragen Bishops agreed upon the Newark prelate as coadjutor with right of succession. Upon McCloskey's death in 1885, Corrigan automatically became Archbishop of New York.

For the next seventeen years, the Archbishop became embroiled in virtually every major controversy touching the American Church. A strict canonist, stalwart advocate of parochial schooling and unyielding opponent of secret societies, Corrigan gained wide renown as a principal spokesman for the Church's conservative wing. Widely publicized conflicts with Rev. Edward McGlynn and Archbishop John Ireland added to his reputation.

While conducting a visitation in the Bahamas, Corrigan contracted a severe cold and died on May 5, 1902.

[Biographical sketch from legacy finding aid by unknown author.]

Scope and Content of the Collection

This collection focuses primarily on Corrigan's tenure as Bishop of Newark from 1873-1880. It also contains, however, a notebook chronicling visitations made to New York parishes between 1880 and 1882, and approximately 75 letters to Bishop Winand Wigger, who succeeded Corrigan as Bishop of Newark, written while Corrigan served as New York's Archbishop.

The Diocese possessed jurisdiction over all New Jersey parishes until 1881 and this material documents Catholicism's rapid growth during the 1870s. By the 1880s, New Jersey's Catholic population numbered approximately 175,000 and parochial schools provided instruction for nearly 25,000 students. Corrigan's expository entries in the Episcopal register offer informal commentary on his travels throughout the state, and correspondence with priests and laymen detail the administrative and financial problems plaguing many parishes.

Unfortunately, extensive correspondence exists only for the years between 1877 and 1880. The Bishop's letter files for earlier years have not been located, and documentation therefore remains spotty for the years 1872-1876.

Arrangement of the collection

The papers are arranged into 9 series:

Episcopal documents Correspondence Pastoral and circular letters Financial reports Legal documents Institutions and agencies Petitions Speeches Diocesan work Preferred Citation:

Michael A. Corrigan papers, The Monsignor Field Archives & Special Collections Center, Walsh Library, Seton Hall University.

 Index Terms Persons: Corrigan, Michael Augustine, 1839-1902. Organizations: Catholic Church. Archdiocese of Newark (N.J.) - Archives. Catholic Church. Archdiocese of Newark (N.J.) - History - Sources. Seton Hall University - History - Sources. Subjects: Catholic converts - History - Sources. Catholics - Newark (N.J.) - History - Sources. Catholic Church - Pastoral letters and charges. Document Types: Letters. Account books. Scrapbooks. Diairies. Restrictions on Access

Collection is open to researchers at the Msgr. William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center. Advance appointments are required for the use of archival materials.

Acquisition Information

Archdioces of Newark.

 Episcopal documents 1870-1880 Episcopal register 1 October 1, 1876 - December 27, 1885 Ancient Order of Hiberians 2 1 1873-1877 Baptisms in the Diocese of Newark 2 2 1874-1875 Church property questionaire, A - M 2 3 1877 Clerical Fund constitution 2 5 1880 Clerical Fund correspondence with priests 2 6 1880 Commission of Investigations of the Diocese of Newark 2 7 November 29, 1878 to Juny 1, 1879 Visitation book 2 8 1878-1882 Visitations 2 9 1879 Correspondence 1881-1888 Archbishop Corrigan letters 2 10 1881-1888 Archbishop Corrigan's letters 2 11 1889-1895 Archbishop Corrigan's letters 2 12 1896-1902 Archivio di Propaganda Fide correspondence 1 1.0 microfilm reels 1885-1886 Microfilm reel in reading room microfilm cabinet. Bishop's and Archbishop's corredpondence 2 13 1872-1877 Bishop's and Archbishop's correspondence 2 14 1874-1886 Bishop's and Archbishop's correspondence 2 15 1875-1880 Bishop's copybook - Diocese of Newark, New Jersey 1 2 3 3.0 volumes 3 bound volumes 1878-1887 Arrangement note

3 bound conserved volumes of the original letter copybooks of Bishops Corrigan and Wigger

 Clerical and General 2 16 1872-1873 Clerical and General 2 17 1874 Clerical and General, A - Ca 2 18 1875 Clerical and General, Ch - D 2 19 1875 Clerical and General, E - G 2 20 1875 Clerical and General, H - M 2 21 1875 Clerical and General, N - P 2 22 1875 Clerical and General, Q - Z 2 23 1875 Clerical and General, A - B 2 24 1876 Clerical and General, C - F 2 25 1876 Clerical and General, G - O 3 1 1876 Clerical and General, P - Z 3 2 1876 Clerical and General, A - B 3 3 1877 Clerical and General, C - D 3 4 1877 Clerical and General, E - Fi 3 5 1877 Clerical and General, Fl - K 3 6 1877 Clerical and General, L - M 3 7 1877 Clerical and General. N - J. O'Rourke 3 8 1877 Clerical and General, M. O'Rourke - R 3 9 1877 Clerical and General, S 3 10 1877 Clerical and General, T - Z 3 11 1877 Clerical and General, A - C 3 12 1878 Clerical and general, D 3 13 1878 Clerical and General, E - G 3 14 1878 Clerical and General, H - L 3 15 1878 Clerical and General, M - Mc 3 16 1878 Clerical and General, Me - Ora 3 17 1878 Clerical and General, Ore - R 3 18 1878 Clerical and General, S - Z 3 19 1878 Clerical and General, A - B 3 20 1879 Clerical and General, C 3 21 1879 Clerical and General, D - Dom 3 22 1879 Clerical and General, Don - Dow 3 23 1879 Clerical and General, Dw - E 3 24 1879 Clerical and General, F - Gi 3 25 1879 Clerical and General, Gl - He 3 26 1979 Clerical and General, Ho - J 3 27 1879 Clerical and General, K - Kev 3 28 1879 Clerical and General, Key - Ma 3 29 1879 Clerical and General, Mc 3 30 1879 Clerical and General, Me - Mu 4 1 1879 Clerical and General, N - O 4 2 1879 Clerical and General, P - Ri 4 3 1879 Clerical and General, Ro - Sha 4 4 1879 Clerical and General, She - Sz 4 5 1879 Clerical anf General, T - V 4 6 1879 Clerical and General. W - and Miscellaneous 4 7 1879 Clerical and General, A - B 4 8 1880 Clerical and General, C - Coo 4 9 1880 Clerical and General, Cor - Cu 4 10 1880 Clerical and General., D - Doa 4 11 1880 Clerical and General, Dob - Dz 4 12 1880 Clerical and General, E - G 4 13 1880 Clerical and General, H - He 4 14 1880 Clerical and General, Hi - Kern 4 15 1880 Clerical and General, Kerrigan 4 16 1880 Clerical and General, Ki - L 4 17 1880 Clerical and General, M - McK 4 18 1880 Clerical and General, McL - N 4 19 1880 Clerical and General, O - Pa 4 20 1880 Clerical and General, Po - R 4 21 1880 Clerical and General, S 4 22 1880 Clerical and General, T 4 23 1880 Clerical and General, U - Z 4 24 1880 Clerical and General, A - Z 4 25 1881 Clerical and General, Undated and A - C 4 26 1883 Clerical and General, John Dean 4 27 Undated Clerical and General, John Dean 4 28 Undated Clerical and General, Miscellaneous 4 29 Undated Letters from Michael A. Corrigan 4 30 1876-1880 Letters from Michael A. Corrigan to James Roosevelt Bayley 4 31 1876-1880 Letters from Rome Scope and Contents note

Itemized index to the letters by Msgr Theodore Bonelli, January 1978, is available. Numbering refers to the index items.

 Letters from Rome, 1 - 25 5 1 Letters from Rome, 26 - 50 5 2 Letters from Rome, 51 - 75 5 3 Letters from Rome, 76 - 100 5 4 letters from Rome, 101 - 125 5 5 Letters from Rome, 126 - 150 5 6 Letters from Rome, 151 - 181 5 7 Propagation of the Faith correspondence referring to Corrigan's administration 1873-1880 Bound with the Bishop James R. Bayley papers ADN 2.1 Box 10 Religious Communities 1872-1880 Religious Communities: Order of St. Benedict, Passionists 5 8 1872-1880 Religious Communities: Society of Jesus, Dominican fathers, St. Bonaventure of Franciscans, Recollects of the Strict Observance 5 9 1872-1880 Religious Communities: Minor Covenentuals, O. S. A., Other male orders 5 10 1872-1880 Religious Communities: Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis 5 11 1872-1880 Religious Communities: Sisters of St. Francis, Sisters of Charity, Sisters of Notra dame, Sisters of Mercy, Congragation of Christian Charity, other female orders 5 12 1872-1880 Religious Communities: Sisters of St. Dominic 5 13 1873-1878 Religious Communities: Sisters of St. Dominic 5 14 1879-1880 Religious Communities: Benedictine Sistersat St. Walburger in Elizabeth, St Teresa in S. Easton, Pa. 5 15 1875-1878 Pastoral and Circular Letters 1873-1880 Circulars 5 16 1873-1880 Circulars 5 17 1874-1880 Ephemera and Miscellaneous 5 18 Ephemera and Miscellaneous: Handbill 5 19 Pasteral Letters 5 20 1875 Pastoral letters 5 21 1879 Pastoral letters 5 22 1880 Financial Reports 1872-1873 Bills 5 23 1872 - September 30, 1873 Bills 5 24 1873-1880 Bills 5 25 October 1, 1873 - June 30, 1874 Bills 5 26 July 1, 1874 - February 28, 1875 Bills 5 27 March 1, 1875 - August 31, 1875 Bills 5 28 September 1, 1875 - March 30, 1876 Bills 5 29 April 1, 1878 - December 31, 1878 Bills 5 30 January 1, 1877 - July 31, 1877 Bills 6 1 August 1. 1877 to January 31, 1878 Bills 6 2 February 1, 1878 to June 30, 1878 Bills 6 3 July 1, 1878 to January 31, 1879 Bills 6 4 February 1, 1879 to July 31, 1879 Bills 6 5 August 1, 1879 to February 28, 1880 Bills 6 6 March 1, 1880 to October 21, 1880 Chancellor's papers - quarterly statements 6 7 June 1873 to October 1876 Chancellor's papers - quarterly statements 6 8 January 1877 to September 1880 Chancellor's papers - correspondence re: sale of lots in Newark 6 9 1876 Chancellor's papers - statemenrs of account 6 10 1875-1880 Checks 6 11 November 1872 to September 30, 1873 Checks 6 12 October 1, 1873 to January 31, 1874 Checks 6 13 February 1, 1874 to April 30, 1874 Checks 6 14 May 1, 1874 to July 31, 1874 Checks 6 15 August 1, 1874 to November 30, 1874 Checks 6 16 December 1, 1874 to February 28, 1875 Checks 6 17 March 1, 1875 to May 31, 1875 Checks 6 18 June 1, 1875 to July 31, 1875 Checks 6 19 August 1, 1875 to September 30, 1875 Checks 6 20 October 1, 1875 to December 31, 1875 Checks 6 21 January 1, 1876 to March 31, 1876 Checks 6 22 April 1, 1876 to August 31, 1876 Checks 6 23 September 1, 1876 to December 31, 1876 Checks 6 24 January 1, 1877 to June 30, 1877 Checks 6 25 July 1, 1877 to September 30, 1877 Checks 6 26 October 1, 1877 to December 31, 1877 Checks 6 27 January 1, 1878 to March 30, 1878 Checks 6 28 April 1, 18787 to June 30, 1878 Checks 6 29 July 1, 1878 to October 31, 1878 Checks 6 30 November 1, 1878 to December 31, 1878 Checks 6 31 January 1, 1879 to April 30, 1879 Checks 6 32 May 1, 1879 to July 31, 1879 Checks 6 33 August 1, 1879 to November 30, 1879 Checks 6 34 December 1, 1879 to December 31, 18789 Checks 6 35 january 1, 1880 to February 28, 1880 Checks 6 36 March 1, 1880 to May 31, 1880 Checks 6 37 June 1, 1880 to October 31, 1880 Corrigan Accounts - Ledger 8 1 1873-1880 Miscellaneous 6 38 1871-1880 Parish debt and mortgage ledger and statements 6 39 1873-1876 Legal Documents Affidavit of Theodore Sanford re: Samuel Adams 6 40 May 10, 1875 Deeds, searches, titles, etc (Corrigan and Wigger) 6 41 Institutions and Agencies 1873-1880 Hoboken: St. Mary's Hospital annual reports 7 1 1874, 1875, 1877 Hudson County Catholic Cemeteries - Financial statements 7 2 1878-1880 Jersey City: St. Francis Hospital - Annual reports 7 3 1875-1877 Jersey City: St. Francis Hospital 7 4 1878 New York: St. Francis Hospital 7 5 1875 Newark: St. Michael's Hospital - Annual reports 7 6 1873-1875 Newark: St. Michael's Hospital - Annual Reports 7 7 1876-1879 Patterson: St. Joseph's Hospital 7 8 1872-1875 Seton Hall College: Student bills 7 9 1875-1876 Trenton: St. Francis Hospital 7 10 1874-1878 Petitions 1873-1880 Petitions 7 11 1873-1880 Petitions: Dunellen 1879 - 1880 7 12 1879-1880 Speeches 1898 John J. O'Connor "Silver Anniversary of Archbishop Corrigan's Episcopal Ordination" - 2 drafts 7 13 1898 Diocesan Work 1875-1879 Waldron,Rev. E. Q. S., "A Short History of the Condition of the Catholic Church in the Southern Half of New Jersey in 1848" 9 1 1879 Essays on the rights and powers of the Church regarding matrimony 9 1 1879 Various papers presented at the Camden Conference of the Diocese of Newark 9 3 April 1875 Manuscript of a private record of the case of Dr. Edward J. McGlynn 10 1 1877-1900