Ladies Benevolent Association of New Brighton (Pa.)
Scope and Contents
Contains the records of the Ladies Benevolent Association of New Brighton, including minutes, financial records, correspondence, and other related papers, including minutes of the District Nurse Association of New Brighton, 1907-1912.
Dates
- Creation: 1846-1977
Creator
- Ladies Benevolent Association of New Brighton (Pa.) (Organization)
- Ladies Benevolent Association of New Brighton (Pa.) (Contributor, Organization)
- District Nurse Association of New Brighton (Pa.) (Contributor, Organization)
- Beaver Valley General Hospital (New Brighton, Pa.) (Contributor, Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Some of the items in this collection may be protected by copyright. The user is solely responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder or their heirs/assigns to reuse, publish, or reproduce relevant items beyond the bounds of Fair Use or other exemptions to the law. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/.
Biographical / Historical
In 1846, a group of women, most of whom were Quakers, founded the Female Benevolent Association of New Brighton to “procure clothing and other articles of convenience for the destitute poor.” The small group (whose name was changed to the Ladies Benevolent Association before 1856) met monthly (except during July and August) in each others homes to sew clothing for the needy in the village. They formed a Visiting Committee to investigate cases and to determine the level of support. Financial records indicate that the Ladies Benevolent Association also supplied coal, milk, shoes, and other articles which were purchased through the contributions of the members.
As time passed, their activities expanded to include keeping a room at the hospital and aiding other local charities. In 1907, the Ladies Benevolent Association cooperated with other organizations to engage a visiting nurse; this organization, known as the District Nurse Association (see Series 5), was disbanded five years later due to the difficulties of obtaining continuing funding. After World War II, the need for sewing declined, and the Ladies Benevolent Association began to meet quarterly and then semiannually to support the Beaver Valley General Hospital. The group was dissolved in 1977.
Extent
1.25 linear ft. (3 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Ladies Benevolent Association of New Brighton was a largely Quaker women's society, founded in 1846 in New Brighton, Pennsylvania, to provide clothing and other necessities to destitute poor. In 1907, the Ladies Benevolent Association cooperated with groups to engage a visiting nurse; this organization, known as the District Nurse Association was disbanded five years later. After World War II, the need for sewing declined, and the Ladies Benevolent Association then turned its support to the Beaver Valley General Hospital. The group was dissolved in 1977. Contains the records of the Ladies Benevolent Association of New Brighton, including minutes, financial records, correspondence, and other related papers, including minutes of the District Nurse Association of New Brighton, Pa., 1907-1912.
Arrangement
The collection is divided into six series:
- Historical background
- Minutes, 1846 and 1856-1977
- Financial and other administrative records
- Correspondence, 1896-1977
- District Nurse Association of New Brighton, Pa., 1907-1912
- Miscellaneous
Physical Location
For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donor: Mrs. Roland Kenah, 1987
Separated Materials
A leather purse from the collection was catalogued as Relic #372, then removed and transferred to Cabinet 6.
Topical
- Charities -- Pennsylvania -- New Brighton
- Clothing and dress
- Patients -- Clothing
- Poor -- Services for -- Pennsylvania
- Quaker women -- Pennsylvania -- Societies and clubs
- Quakers -- Pennsylvania -- New Brighton
- Quakers -- Societies, etc.
- Sick -- Services for -- Pennsylvania
- Social service -- Pennsylvania -- New Brighton
- Women -- Pennsylvania -- Societies and clubs
- Women in charitable work -- Pennsylvania
- Title
- An Inventory of the Ladies Benevolent Association of New Brighton (Pa.) Records, 1846-1977
- Author
- FHL staff
- Date
- 1987
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
- Sponsor
- Encoding made possible by a grant by the Gladys Kriebel Delmas Foundation to the Philadelphia Consortium of Special Collections Libraries
Find It at the Library
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