Friends Instruction Association records
Scope and Contents
Contains the records of the Friends Instruction Association including minutes and financial records, receipts from stores, and published bylaws.
Organized in two series:
- Minutes
- Financial Records
Dates
- Creation: 1843-1894
Creator
- Friends Instruction Association (Philadelphia, Pa.) (Organization)
- Friends Instruction Association (Philadelphia, Pa.) (Contributor, Organization)
- Penn Sewing School (Philadelphia, Pa.) (Contributor, Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
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Conditions Governing Use
Friends Historical Library believes all of the items in this collection to be in the Public Domain in the United States, and is not aware of any restrictions on their use. However, the user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status before reproducing. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/.
Biographical / Historical
Friends Instruction Association was organized in 1873 by Philadelphia Quaker women as A Mothers Meeting. Originally part of the Penn Sewing School, the group incorporated in 1876 as Friends Instruction Association, and Philadelphia Monthly Meeting provided a meeting space in the Race Street meeting house. Its purpose was to provide poor women regardless of race, religion or nationality with the life skills to improve their condition and to furnish them with clothing. By providing sewing and tailoring instruction and discounted prices on cloth, these women assembled garments for themselves and their families. The material provided to the women was donated to them for their first garment, and thereafter it was provided to them at half price. The group was disbanded in December 1891 because of declining numbers and because its mission was being fulfilled by other charitable organizations.
The meetings consisted of many women sewing together under supervision of a sewing instructor and a superintendent. The superintendent's job was to make sure supplies were paid for and distributed accordingly and to enforce several rules of courtesy in the meetings. The meetings also served a social purpose in these women's lives. The minutes detail how the superintendent would read to the women at a designated time during the meeting. Holidays were celebrated with refreshments and songs. Prayers and Bible readings from the superintendent would open and close each meeting.
Extent
0.42 linear ft. (1 box)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Contains the records of the Friends Instruction Association including minutes and financial records, receipts from stores, and published bylaws. Friends Instruction Association was organized in 1873 by Philadelphia Quaker women as A Mothers Meeting. Originally part of the Penn Sewing School, the group incorporated in 1876 as Friends Instruction Association. Philadelphia Monthly Meeting provided a meeting space in the Race Street meeting house. Its purpose was to provide poor women regardless of race, religion or nationality with the life skills to improve their condition and to furnish them with clothing. The group was disbanded in December 1891 because of declining numbers and because its mission was being fulfilled by other charitable organizations.
Physical Location
For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donor: Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
Processing Information
Transferred from Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Records, RG 2, in 2005 and processed as a separate collection.
Topical
- Charities -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
- Nonprofit Organizations -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
- Quaker women -- Charities
- Quakers -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
- Quakers -- Social life and customs
- Schools -- Pennsylvania
- Schools -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
- Sewing schools -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
- Society of Friends -- Charities -- Records and correspondence
- Title
- Finding aid for Friends Instruction Association (Philadelphia, Pa.) Records, 1873-1894
- Author
- Finding Aid Prepared by FHL staff
- Date
- 2007
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
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