%eadnotat; ]> 4015ceem An Inventory of the Central Employment Association (Philadelphia, Pa.) Records, 1840-1942 Finding Aid Prepared by FHL staff Encoding made possible by a grant by the Gladys Kriebel Delmas Foundation to the Philadelphia Consortium of Special Collections Libraries Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. 2000 Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Apex Data Services, December 2000. ENG Central Employment Association (Philadelphia, Pa.) Records, 1840-1942 FHL staff Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College before 1950 Descriptive Summary Records, 1840-1942 RG 4/015 Central Employment Association (Philadelphia, Pa.) 2 boxes ; 1 linear foot Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College.

Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 19081-1399 U.S.A.

For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog. The Central Employment Association, a women's charity, was established circa 1840 in Philadelphia by Hicksite Quakers as the Northern Female Association for the Relief of the Sick and Infirm Poor. The collection contains the charter and by-laws, work and financial records, and correspondence, 1840-1942.

Repository:

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081-1399

Phone: (610) 328-8496 FAX: (610) 690-5728

BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL NOTE

The Northern Female Association for the Relief of the Sick and Infirm Poor was organized in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, about 1840 by Hicksite Quaker women to distribute food and clothing to poor people. On 12 month 1, 1857, the name was changed to the Central Employment Association, and in addition to relieving the poor, the Association sought to provide employment, primarily sewing, to the poor who were able to work. Priscilla H. Henrey was appointed President, and Sallie H. Henrey, Treasurer, and Ann H. Townsend, Secretary.

The policy was for each person assisted to be visited by a member of the Association. Poor people were provided with materials to sew garments, and they were paid for the work completed. Garments were distributed without charge to those poor people unable to work, due to illness or infirmity.

The Central Employment Association was incorporated in 1874. In 1884 it was located at 4th and Green Street, Philadelphia. The Association continued to function until 1940 when it was dissolved, and it assets were given to the Female Association of Philadelphia for the Relief of the Sick and Infirm Poor with Clothing.

Organizations of this kind, of which there were several in the Philadelphia area in the late 1800's, were often referred to as “Houses of Industry.”

SCOPE AND CONTENT OF THE RECORDS

This collection contains the records of the Central Employment Association, a women's charity established circa 1840 in Philadelphia by Hicksite Quakers as the Northern Female Association for the Relief of the Sick and Infirm Poor. The collection contains the charter and by-laws, work and financial records, and correspondence, 1840-1942.

The collection is organized into 5 series. The series are:

Constitution Minutes Work Reports Correspondence Financial Records

For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Accession information

Donor: Central Employment Association

Date: 1942

Provenance

Gift of the Central Employment Association in 1942, upon the dissolution of the Association in 1941.

Access

The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Copyright has not been assigned to Friends Historical Library All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in to the Director. Permission for publication is given on behalf Friends Historical Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by reader.

Preferred Citation

[Indicate the cited item or series here], Central Employment Association (Philadelphia, Pa.) Records, RG 4/015, Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College.

SELECTED SEARCH TERMS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Friends Historical Library (TRIPOD). Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings:

Poor -- Employment -- Pennsylvania Poor -- Services for -- Pennsylvania Sick -- Employment -- Pennsylvania Sick -- Services for -- Pennsylvania Quakers -- Charities -- Records Quakers -- Poor-Services for -- Pennsylvania Quakers -- Societies, etc. -- Charities Quaker, Women -- Charities Social service -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia Women in charitable work -- Pennsylvania Women -- Pennsylvania -- Societies and clubs Pennsylvania -- Charitable and social workPennsylvania -- Societies, etc. -- CharitiesPennsylvania -- Societies, etc. -- Women Philadelphia (Pa.) -- Charitable and social workPhiladelphia (Pa.) -- Societies, etc. -- CharitiesPhiladelphia (Pa.) -- Societies, etc. -- Women Northern Female Association for the Relief of the Sick and Infirm Poor (Philadelphia, Pa.) Northern Female Association for the Relief of the Sick and Infirm Poor (Philadelphia, Pa.) Central Employment Association (Philadelphia, Pa.) Female Association of Philadelphia for the Relief of the Sick and Infirm Poor with ClothingFemale Association of Philadelphia for the Relief of the Sick and Infirm Poor with Clothing DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE RECORDS

Note to Researchers: To request materials, please note both the location and box numbers shown below:

Ser. 1 Constitution Constitution. Volume also contains list of members (1927) 1870 1 Ser. 2 Minutes Minutes 1840-1852 1 Minutes 1853-1864 1 Minutes 1865-1876 1 Minutes 1929-1940 1 Ser. 3 Work Records Work Records 1857-1858 2 Work Records 1934-1940 2 Ser. 4 Correspondence Correspondence. Records sewing work distributed, clothing made and distributed 1926-19422 Ser. 5 Financial Records Treasurer's book 1936-1940 2 Contributions and subscriptions 1934-19422 Lists of securities 1904-19412 Correspondence 1914-19412 Receipts for interest on mortgages and securities 1923-19412