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TABLE OF CONTENTSInventory |
Guide to the Jamaica Women's Club Records
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Descriptive Summary | ||
| Creator | Jamaica Women's Club (New York, N.Y.) | |
| Title | Jamaica Women's Club Records, | |
| Dates: | 1888-1993 | |
| Abstract: | The Records of the Jamaica Women’s Club (JWC) provide excellent documentation on twentieth century social clubs, their activities, actions, and members. The records provide insight into the means by which the members entertained themselves, participated in the civic affairs of Jamaica and Queens, and interacted with each other. | |
| Extent: | 20 Boxes, 15.47 cubic feet | |
| Identification: | J-11 | |
| Location: | The material is located in the Archives at Queens Library. | |
Historical/Biographical Note
In November of 1888 the women of Jamaica formed the Jamaica Women’s Club. The initial purpose of the Club was to create an intellectual forum for the members through the presentation and discussion of papers. The Club also provided a community for women to meet and be entertained. As the membership grew, the objective changed to include the betterment of society and to “promote a generous public spirit in the community.” With this change of objective more activities and departments such as literature, music, philanthropy, etc. were added. For over one hundred years the Club provided a means for the women of Jamaica to entertain and educate themselves, and provide community outreach. The Club served Jamaica until 1993 when it was dissolved. The combined factors of low membership, poor parking facilitates and an inability to achieve the Club’s stated goals contributed to the dissolution.
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Scope and Content Note
The Records of the Jamaica Women’s Club (JWC) provide excellent documentation on twentieth century social clubs, their activities, actions, and members. The records provide insight into the means by which the members entertained themselves, participated in the civic affairs of Jamaica and Queens, and interacted with each other. The records are arranged in fourteen series (see below for a list of the more significant ones) in alphabetical order by department and committee. Each series can contain sub series of records in the form of Annual Reports, Calendars, Correspondence, Directories, Ephemera, Meeting Minutes, Membership Lists, Notes, Printed Material, Programs, and Yearbooks. Not all of the series, their sub series, and sub sub series are elaborated in the scope and content note, please see the inventory for self-explanatory titles.
The Archives Committee Records (1888-1990, 16 boxes) series is the largest series in the group. This series contains the sub series Annual Reports (1950-1987, 27 folders) from the club’s committees and departments, and are grouped in chronological order. Each folder contains the year’s annual reports. The exception is the President’s Annual Reports (1922-1976, 2 folders) were kept separated, because that is the way they were found. The Ephemera (1920-1934, 2 folders) sub series contains a program from a Women’s League for the Protection of the Riverside Park ceremony, 1926; a program from the New York State Federation of Women’s Club Seventy-fifty Anniversary, 1928; and a copy of the club song, letterhead, and an unknown award. The Printed Material (1930-1978, 1 folder) sub series contains photocopies of newspaper articles about the JWC. The Calendars (1924-1972, 25 folders) sub series contain the monthly calendars for club events and are arranged chronologically. The Yearbooks (1894-1988, 17 folders) contain the Yearbooks for the club and are arranged chronologically. The Yearbooks contains annual information on – the officers, the members of the departments and committees, programs and meetings information, reports from the Treasurer, Welfare Committee, and President, the constitution, by-laws, and a list of active members and honorary members. The book also contains information on the Junior League its constitution, by-laws, active members, and a list of Junior Debutantes. The Centennial Celebration (1988, 3 folders, 1 box) contains a scrapbook of the club’s 100 year history, the program for the March 25, 1988 Centennial Luncheon and photographs of the event. The Awards sub series contains an undated plaque of membership in the Central Queens YMCA Century Club.
The Bulletin Committee Records (1970-1975, 1 folder) series contains mailings it distributed announcing events of the organization.
The Fine Arts Department was the encompassing department for the Literature Department, Music and Drama Department, and Arts and Crafts Department. The records in this series (1917-1972, 8 folders) are divided into sub series by the department creating the records and by function if the provenance of these records was not determined or they were created by more than one department. The Correspondence (1972, 1 folder) sub series contains a letter to the chairwoman from a member thanking her for a program she attended. The Programs (1917-1966, 1 folder) contains programs from activities of the Fine Arts Department.
The Membership Committee Records (1942-1977, 11 folders) series contains information on the JWC’s membership. The Annual Reports (1954-1974, 1 folder) sub series is repeated in the Archives Committee Records’ sub series Annual Reports (1922-1987, 30 folders). The Correspondence (1957-1966, 2 folders) sub series contains letters and a memorandum to the chairwoman concerning individuals’ membership, nominations for membership, and clarifications on current membership. The Baily, Banks, and Biddle Co. Correspondence (1958-1977, 1 folder) sub sub series in the sub series Correspondence contains correspondence to and from the company and the chairwoman concerning anniversary pins for JWC members.
The Philanthropy Committee Records (1929, 1 folder) series contains the sub series George Washington Memorial Building which contains buttons, correspondence, and a certificate for a donation to the George Washington Memorial Building to be erected in Washington, D.C.
The President’s Office Records (1891-1993, 5 folders) series document the President’s role in directing and organizing the actions of the club. The Correspondence (1918, 1970-1980, 1982, 1 folder) sub series contains a 1918 letter written on behalf of Miss Jessie F. Hume by the JWC president, memoranda received from the Archives Committee chair about the disposition and transmittal of club records to the archives and a thank you note to the JWC from the Archives at Queens Library of the Queens Borough Public Library for a donation of the Oracle newspaper. The Invitations (1924-1925, 1927-1928, 1 folder) sub series contains invitations from other organizations to the JWC president to attend their meetings, sometimes as the guest speaker. The Dissolution (1989-1993, 6 folders) sub series documents the efforts of the club to dissolve themselves. The Upland Park (1891-1922, 1961, 1977, 3 folders) sub series contains - a letter sent to the JWC from Charles W. Kirby explaining how and why Upland Park was created, and a draft of the agreement to purchase land for the park; a list of all the previous owners of the land; a copy of the original purchase of land for the park; and printed material about a tree planting campaign in the parks of New York City (1977, 1 folder).
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Arrangement
The series, sub series, sub sub series are arranged in alphabetical order. The contents of the each folder is arranged in chronological order.
The series are:
| Auditing Committee Records | |
| Archives Committee Records | |
| Biennial Luncheon Committee Records | |
| Bulletin Committee Records | |
| By-laws Committee Records | |
| Federation Committee Records | |
| Fine Arts Department Records | |
| Historian Committee Records | |
| Invocation Committee Records | |
| Membership Committee Records | |
| Nominating Committee Records | |
| Philanthropy Committee Records | |
| President’s Office Records |
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Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Creator of item, date of item (if known), identification of item, if a photograph its control number. The Jamaica Women's Club Records, Archives at Queens Library, Queens Borough Public Library.
Provenance
The records were donated to the library by the club.
Access Restrictions
Open for research without restrictions. Manuscripts are only available in the Archives at Queens Library, please call (718) 990-0770 for hours. Manuscript users will be required to complete the division's Manuscript Usage Form and show their photograph identification or Queens Borough Public Library card. The identification will be returned to the user after she/he has returned the material. Manuscript users will deposit all their personal items behind the reference desk. Manuscript users must use the division's loose sheets of paper for note taking. To reiterate, no pen of any type is permitted. Paper and a pencil are available upon request. Manuscript users may be required to use special handling procedures depending on the conditions of the material.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the:
- Archives at Queens Library
- Queens Borough Public Library
- 89-11 Merrick Boulevard
- Jamaica, NY 11432
- Phone: (718) 990-0770
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Access Points
Subject Organizations:
- Jamaica Women's Club (New York, N.Y.)
- New York State Federation of Women's Clubs
Subject Topics:
- Societies
Subject Places:
- Jamaica (New York, N.Y.)
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Inventory
[The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.]
