CONCORD FEMALE CHARITABLE SOCIETY RECORDS, 1814-1943
Report, Concord, 1815 July.
Vault A75, Con. Fem., Unit 1
EXTENT: 2.8 linear feet.
ORGANIZATION: Seven series: I. Bound records; II. Early records (administrative and financial); III. Administrative records; IV. Membership lists; V. Financial; VI. Printed ephemera; VII. Recipes and menus.
HISTORY: A charitable women’s organization in Concord, Mass., the Concord Female Charitable Society was founded in 1814 to provide aid to the needy in the form of clothing, basic provisions, and sometimes money, and to encourage their religious and moral development. The Society was formally incorporated Feb. 6, 1896. Regular meetings were devoted to making clothing and to discussing the distribution of charity. It was governed by an executive board consisting of officers and managers. First officers were Mrs. Jonas Heywood, President; Mrs. Stephen Wood, Vice President; Abby Brigham Fay, Secretary; Mrs. Tilly Merrick, Treasurer. Other nineteenth century members included Mrs. Nathan Barrett, Mrs. George M. Brooks, Mrs. Nathan Brooks, Mrs. Edward Carver Damon, Mrs. Josiah Davis, Louisa Dunbar, the women of the Emerson family, Mrs. Francis Gourgas, Mrs. Jonathan Hildreth, Elizabeth Hoar, Mrs. Ebenezer Rockwood Hoar, Mrs. Samuel Hoar, Mrs. Phineas How, Annie S. Keyes, Mrs. William Munroe, Mrs. Reuben N. Rice, Mrs. John Thoreau, and Phebe Wheeler. The Society changed its name to the Concord Friendly Aid Society in 1942 and became Concord Family Services Association in 1954.
SCOPE AND CONTENT: Records, 1814-1943, consisting primarily of bound volumes of general administrative records (1830-1942) and of separate financial records (1830-1943), along with unbound administrative, membership, and financial records (1814-[1943]); also including printed ephemera (constitution, handbills, fliers, etc., [1814]-1943) and manuscript recipes and menus (written on verso of Women’s War Savings Service receipts, 1918). Types of materials included in bound and unbound records: constitution and by-laws; minutes of meetings; lists of officers, members and committees; attendance lists; records of items donated to recipients of charity; presidents’ reports; president’s speech (1867), including historical sketch of Society; correspondence; records of income (including dues) and expenditures; loose bills, accounts, receipts, and checks; Board of Directors’ / Managers’ financial reports.
RESTRICTIONS ON ACCESS: Records containing names of charity recipients are closed to researchers for seventy-five years from date of creation.
ASSOCIATED MATERIALS: Some later CFCS records are found in the unprocessed (as of January 2006) Concord Family Services Collection. Materials include record of charity recipients; records of food, clothing and Christmas baskets given out by the Concord Female Charitable Society, 1928-1934, 1928-1939; account book, 1932-1939; Charitable Society Daily, 1937-1939; Vice President’s notes, 1942.
NOTES / COMMENTS: Loose constitution of the Female Charitable Society transferred from the Concord Antiquarian Society Collection (D-2052.1b) to the Concord Female Charitable Society Collection.
PROCESSED BY: LPW 1996; finding aid created C. Manoli-Skocay, January 2006.
Container List
Series I: Bound Records (outside of box):
(a) General, 1814-1942:
Volume 1. Records, 1814-1848 (institution, minutes).
Volume 2. Records, 1815-1830 (membership and dues, financial records).
Volume 3. Records, 1816-1827 (officers, minutes, expenditures).
Volume 4. Records, 1827-1842 (expenditures, minutes).
Volume 5. Records, 1843-1868, with addendum 1882 (expenditures, minutes).
Volume 6. Records of the Board of Directors, 1869-1881 (minutes, attendance list).
Volume 7. Records, 1869-1896 (attendance lists, constitution, minutes, lists of members
and officers).
Volume 8. Financial records, (from1814), [1888?].
Volume 9. Records of Board of Directors, 1882-1896 (minutes, constitution,
membership list).
Volume 10. President’s records, 1888-1891 (officers, committees, minutes).
Volume 11. President’s records, 1891-1913 (officers, committees, minutes, items
donated).
Volume 12. Records, 1896-1929 (revised by-laws, minutes, membership list with
addenda).
Volume 13. President’s records, 1903-1910 (minutes, attendance lists).
Volume 14. Records, 1905-1924 (minutes).
Volume 15. Records, 1925-1942 (minutes).
Volume 16. Membership lists, 1922-1929.
Volume 17. Membership lists, 1930-1940.
Volume 18. Membership list, [1935] (continuing to 1940).
(b) Financial records, 1830-1943:
Volume 1. Financial records, 1830-1860 (dues, income, and expenditures).
Volume 2. Financial records, 1861-1878 (dues, income, and expenditures).
Volume 3. Financial records, 1878-1896 (dues, income, and expenditures).
Volume 4. Financial records, 1896-1909 (income and expenditures, dues).
Volume 5. Financial records, 1909-1922 (income and expenditures, dues).
Volume 6. Financial records, 1922-1930 (income and expenditures, dues).
Volume 7. Financial records, 1930-1937 (income and expenditures, dues).
Volume 8. Financial records, 1938-1943 (income and expenditures, dues).
Unbound Records (boxed and foldered) :
Series II: Early records (administrative and financial), 1814-1832:
Folder 1:
Volume (in paper wrapper) containing constitution, minutes, financial records, list of gifts made, etc. 1814-1816.
Volume (in paper wrapper) containing financial records (dues, income and expenditures), 1814-1816.
Reports, 1814-[1816].
Receipts, etc., 1825-1832.
Loose constitution of the Female Charitable Society, undated.
Series III: Administrative Records, 1867- [1943]:
(a) Presidents’ reports:
Folder 2:
1867, 1875-1888.
Folder 3:
1895-1914.
Folder 4:
1915-1924.
Folder 5:
1925-1935.
Folder 6:
1936- [1942].
Folder 7:
(b) President’s speech, 1867 (Miss Amelia Prichard; includes historical sketch of Society).
Folder 8:
(c) Lists of officers, 1883, 1898, 1903-1941 (with gaps).
Folder 9:
(d) Correspondence, 1897-1942 (plus undated).
Folder 10:
(e) Material relating to name change and amendment of constitution, [1942]-[1943] (including material from [1883], revised).
Folder 11:
(f) Miscellaneous (list of children; note about President’s pin).
Folder 12:
Series IV: Membership lists, 1880, 1911.
Series V: Financial, 1816-1941:
(a) Board of Directors’ / Managers’ reports, 1816-1866:
Folder 13:
1816-1833.
Folder 14:
1834-1849.
Folder 15:
1850-1866.
Folder 16:
(b) Bills, accounts, receipts, checks, 1868, 1882, 1908-1910.
Folder 17:
(c) Miscellaneous (materials relating to Corning stock, 1922-1923; Treasurer’s reports, 1941).
Folder 18:
Series VI: Printed ephemera: (constitution, handbills, fliers, etc.), [1814]-1943.
Folder 19:
Series VII: Recipes and menus.
c2006 Concord Free Public Library, Concord, Mass.
Not to be reproduced in any form without permission of the Curator of Special Collections, Concord Free Public Library.
Mounted 11th January 2006. rcwh.