Subject: Charities / Place: Philadelphia (Pa.) / Year: <span class="from" data-blrl-begin="1850">1850</span> to <span class="to" data-blrl-end="1899">1899</span> - Philadelphia Area Archives Search Results

Extent:: 2.5 linear feet
Abstract:: The Germantown Relief Society, founded in Philadelphia in 1873, was the first society in the United States to organize charitable work. It aimed to make sure charity reached those who needed it most, and avoid wasting effort on those who did not really need it. The Germantown Relief Society records, 1873-1953, consist of minute books, financial records, correspondence, scrapbooks, and other records.

Held at: Germantown Historical Society [Contact Us]

Extent:: 8.0 linear feet (27 boxes + 8 oversize folders)
Abstract:: The collection comprises the records of the umbrella organization United Singers of Philadelphia (Vereinigte Sänger von Philadelphia) from its founding, in 1881, until 1926, with some scattered ephemera dating as late as 2006; included are the records of several regional singing festivals held in Philadelphia (in 1882, 1897, 1912, and 1926) under the auspices of the Nordöstlicher Sängerbund, an alliance of singing societies in the Mid-Atlantic region. The collection includes minute books, financial records, correspondence, membership lists, scrapbooks, three newspaper issues related to Saengerfests (1897, 1912), and ephemera, including souvenir programs, admission tickets, fliers, and singers' badges. Also included are manuscripts in the hand of William A. Haussmann, of essays written for a souvenir program of 1912, and the rehearsal attendance list of the Ladies' Chorus, dated 1925.

Held at: German Society of Pennsylvania: Joseph P. Horner Memorial Library [Contact Us]

Extent:: 27.4 linear feet
Abstract:: The German Society of Pennsylvania, founded in Philadelphia in 1764, directed its early efforts to assisting new German immigrants, especially those forced into indentured servitude when they were unable to pay their sea fare. Throughout the late 18th and 19th centuries, the Society was very visible in the thriving German-American community in Philadelphia, boasting just over one thousand members at the peak of its growth, in the late 1870s. In the 20th century, the Society’s scope and prominence was affected by the two World Wars, which created suspicion and criticism of Germanic culture. That suspicion and government scrutiny played a role in the dwindling membership of the Society. In the post-World War II era the Society channeled its overseas relief activities through a Quaker-based aid society. In the second half of the century, the neighborhood was also changing, as it became predominantly African-American, rather than German, and more impoverished. But the Society pressed...(see more)

Held at: German Society of Pennsylvania: Joseph P. Horner Memorial Library [Contact Us]

Extent:: 0.1 linear ft. (1 folder)
Abstract:: This collection contains a leaflet regarding the opening of Joseph Sturge's First Day School at the Friends Locust St. Mission House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 1st, 1865. The school was established as First Day school for poor African Americans and immigrants. The school later merged and formed the Benezet House Association to provide education and relief to African Americans. Lack of demanding and funding led to the school's demolishment in 1945. There is also a letter from the Board of the Friends' Freedmen's Relief Association requesting funding for the reopening of schools in North Carolina and Virginia, addressed to William W. Smedley in September, 1874. The association was founded in 1863 to provide aid and education to freed enslaved peoples. The focus later shifted in the 20th century to supporting Black students, summer work camps, and scholarships. The association disbanded in 1982, with aid being placed under the J. Henry Scattergood Scholarship Fund, to be...(see more)

Held at: Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections [Contact Us]

Extent:: 10.0 linear feet (52 boxes)
Abstract:: 72 volumes of handwritten ledgers, indexes, logs, reports, and letter books, recording the efforts of the Agentur to help needy German immigrants and Philadelphia residents of German origin over a period of a hundred years. Valuable biographical information for local history, social history, labor history, immigration research, genealogy.

Held at: German Society of Pennsylvania: Joseph P. Horner Memorial Library [Contact Us]

Extent:: 2.5 linear feet
Abstract:: Wright's Industrial and Beneficial Institute was founded in the mid-19th century by Joseph Wright (1792-1858) as a charitable institution for the community, which was initially supported by his estate. The Institute was to maintain organizations geared towards the improvement of the industrial, literary, and scientific pursuits of the young people of the community. The Wright's Industrial and Beneficial Institute of Frankford records, 1855-1964, consist of financial records, administrative records, property documents and volumes from the Wright's Industrial and Beneficial Institute, as well as a few of the organizations it supported.

Held at: Historical Society of Frankford [Contact Us]

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