Call Number:

C1673

Repository:

Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division

Extent:

• 1 box
• 2.0 linear feet ((1 container))

Language:

English

Date:

1906-1922 (inclusive)

Creator:

United Spanish War Veterans. Mrs. Edmund Rice Auxiliary

Form:

Administrative records -- 20th century. and Minutes (administrative records) -- 20th century.

Abstract:

Consists of three meeting ledgers documenting the activities of the Mrs. Edmund Rice Auxiliary of the United Spanish War Veterans, an American women's organization run by suffragists and philanthropists that advocated for veterans and their families during the first two decades of the 20th century, including during World War I.

The Mrs. Edmund Rice Auxiliary was a women's philanthropic organization based in Wakefield, Massachusetts, that worked in concert with the United Spanish War Veterans, an American group composed of veterans of the Spanish-American War, the Philippine-American War, and the China Relief Expedition. Originally named the Corporal Charles F. Parker Auxiliary, the organization adopted the name Mrs. Edmund Rice Auxiliary on November 12, 1906. Initiated to aid soldiers and minister to the sick, the Auxiliary's membership was open to mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters of those fighting, as well as to nurses and women employed in military service. Its operations continued after World War I, with the Auxiliary adding to its mission the pursuit of benefits for widows and dependents of fallen soldiers, charitable and social events, donations to libraries, and other efforts. It is possible that the group's namesake, Mrs. Edmund Rice, refers to Elizabeth Huntington Rice (1849-1919), who was married to United States Army officer Edmund Rice (1842-1906).

Consists of three meeting ledgers documenting the activities of the Mrs. Edmund Rice Auxiliary of the United Spanish War Veterans, an American women's organization run by suffragists and philanthropists that advocated for veterans and their families during the first two decades of the 20th century, including during World War I. Spanning over 300 pages, the ledgers document the Wakefield, Massachusetts-based auxiliary's meetings, roll calls, officer votes, and projects as recorded by multiple women serving in the role of secretary. The ledgers begin in 1906 when the group was operating under the name Corporal Charles F. Parker Auxiliary, and shortly thereafter, they document the group's name change to the Mrs. Edmund Rice Auxiliary in November of 1906, with entries continuing under this name through 1922. Leaders serving in the role of secretary include Louise M. Parker (1868-1954), a member of the National Woman Suffrage Association and leader of women's clubs; Minnie Gihon, an active community member in Wakefield who was married to the National Commander of the USAWV; and (Anna) Myrtle Feindel, a woman from a nearby town who was married to a dairy farmer. In the organization's earlier years, Parker writes of the group's inaugural decisions, including bylaws, charitable priorities, and elections. Later entries further demonstrate how the organization's members carried out their work, taking roll calls, following Robert's Rules of Order, and conducting an internal audit of their books to ensure transparency. The group's projects during the period documented include establishing relief funds for veterans and their families, pursuing benefits for widows and dependents of soldiers killed in wars, organizing charity events, and making donations to libraries and other civic institutions, among other efforts. These ledgers provide evidence of how women were organizing in their communities as leaders for charitable purposes during an era where many of the same women were also organizing around women's suffrage.