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Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Records: Social Service Committee (1936-1964)

 Collection — othertype: SW/Phy/805
Identifier: QM-Phy-805

Scope and Contents

Minutes of the Social Service Committee of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, 1936-64, miscellaneous records including correspondence and financial papers, and publications.

Dates

  • 1936-1964

Creator

Limitations on Accessing the Collection

Collection is open for research. Access may be provided via digital or microfilm copy, per repository policy.

Copyright and Rights Information

Copyright has not been assigned to the Repositories All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to the individual Meeting or its successor. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Repositories as the holder(s) of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by reader.

Biographical / Historical

The Social Service Committee of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (Hicksite) held its first meeting in the Race Street meeting house in 4th month 1936. Its name had been changed from the Committee on Philanthropic Labor, but its structure was also reorganized, de-emphasizing the work of sub committees in an attempt to act as a single unit on most issues. As stated in its first Yearly Meeting report in 1937, "a function of this committee is to stimulate local meetings to increase their knowledge of conditions and to furnish leadership in social concerns." In order to communicate more effectively with the local meetings, Mary Hobson Jones was appointed the first Field Secretary. After a period of time, some subcommittees were established. In 1939-40, for example, the Subcommittee on Marriage sponsored talks for Friends on eugenics, birth control, marriage counselling, and family life in the light of how they related to community problems. The Marriage Council was a jointly funded project with Arch Street.

During the War, the Committee also sponsored Friendship Parties for new Americans. By the early '50's, concerns included penology, health and welfare, child welfare, and the care of elderly Friends.

The Social Service Committee was renamed the Social Welfare Committee in 1964.

Extent

1.5 Linear Feet (4 boxes)

Language

English

Overview

The Social Service Committee was appointed in 1936, continuing the work of the Committee on Philanthropic Labor of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (Hicksite). Primarily educational in nature, its work included providing information to local Quaker meetings on social service issues. The Committee was renamed the Committee on Social Welfare in 1964.

Physical Location

This collection is stored at the Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Deposit

Related Materials

The records of the successor committee, Social Welfare, may be found in Series 7 of the records of the Meeting for Social Concerns (RG2/Phy/758).

Title
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Records: Social Service Committee (1936-1964)
Date
2004
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Find It at the Library

Most of the materials in this catalog are not digitized and can only be accessed in person. Please see our website for more information about visiting or requesting reproductions from Quaker Meeting Records at Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections and Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College Library