Additional records of the Women's Educational and Industrial Union, 1877-2005

These addenda to the records of the Women's Educational and Industrial Union overlap considerably with earlier records donated previously, for which preliminary inventories are available online (B-8, M-89, and 81-M237 -- 82-M11). There are sizeable gaps in the more recent records. Audiovisual material has been removed and cataloged separately as T-362 and Vt-12, and MP-61. Additional material received in 2019 (accession number 2019-M189 was added to the collection in August 2020. These materials are housed in #43.1-43.9, PD.14-PD.26. All other files remain in the same order.

Series I, HISTORY, ADMINISTRATION, AND ORGANIZATION, 1894-2004 (#1.1-8.7, 4CB), consists of historical sketches; clippings; leases; bills of sale; by-laws; constitution; administrative records; trustees and committee meeting minutes, agendas, notes, and correspondence.

Subseries A, History and administration, 1904-2002 (#1.1-6.2, 4CB), contains historical sketches and clippings related to various aspects of the history of the Union, including its committees, departments, shops, and services. Also included is correspondence relating to and a draft of S. Agnes Donham's History of the WEIU (ca.1955). Leases, bills of sale, building specifications, etc., document the history of buildings occupied or owned by the Union. Correspondence of the executive director, employee manuals, reports, staff meeting minutes and agendas, etc., document the daily operation of the Union. Minutes of the President's Council (1904-1937), which served in an advisory capacity to the president and board of trustees, document decisions made on daily operating procedures. Also included are by-laws, constitution, articles of incorporation, and a certificate of organization, as well as board of trustees meeting minutes, agendas, memos and correspondence, annual reports, annual meeting minutes, financial reports, etc. These records document the evolving structure and policies of the Union, but are rather scattered. See also Series II, Subseries A (Employment) and Subseries B (Social Services) for departmental annual reports. Following the histories, articles of incorporation, and constitution and by-laws, the subseries is arranged alphabetically.

Subseries B, Committees, 1894-2004 (#6.3-8.7), consists of committee meeting minutes. Committee names changed frequently in order to document the shifting interests of the Union. Examples of committees include the handwork committee, law and thrift committee, legislative committee, school lunch committee, and social work committee. For earlier records see B-8, M-89, and 81-M237 - 82-M11; there are gaps in most record types. The subseries is arranged alphabetically.

Series II, SERVICES, 1882-2004 (#8.8-37.3, 10CB-12CB, 20CB-21CB, PD.1-PD.4), consists of clippings, flyers, program notices, invitations, brochures, departmental annual and other reports, training material, proposals, correspondence, conference material, newsletters, calendars of events, photographs, press releases, financial records, etc. This series is arranged in three subseries by department function, since department and/or bureau names changed frequently over time.

Subseries A, Employment, 1910-2004 (#8.8-23.8, 10CB-12CB, 20CB-21CB, PD.1-PD.2), contains annual and financial reports, placement and statistical reports, brochures, and studies created by the Appointment Bureau, successor to the Employment Bureau. Also included are records of Career Services, successor to the Appointment Bureau: annual reports; project proposals; studies; program notices; correspondence, memos, notes, etc. Records related to the Amelia Earhart Award, sponsored annually by Career Services, include correspondence; announcements; brochures; flyers; invitations; speeches; and photographs. Notable award winners include Julia Child, Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Liz Walker. This subseries also contains annual reports, flyers, brochures, training materials, photographs, etc., of both the Emergency Employment Bureau and Homemaker - Home Health Aide Services. The records document the Union's effort at providing employment and vocational services to women in the service industry, business, and professional fields, and are arranged alphabetically.

Subseries B, Social services, 1956-2002 (#23.9-29.7, PD.3), consists of correspondence, memos, notes, annual reports, case files, program proposals and requests for funding, volunteer training materials, conference materials, publications (including the annual nursing home and long term care guide, which was published under several different titles), photographs, etc., which document the daily operations of the social service department, as well as several ongoing and proposed programs and projects. Most material documents the Companions Unlimited, Horizons Transitional Housing, and Parent Aide programs, but there is a smaller amount of material documenting the Family Day Care, Intergenerational, Looking Ahead, and Domestic Violence Advocacy programs. There are a number of gaps in the records. The subseries is arranged alphabetically, except for publications, which are arranged chronologically.

Subseries C, Membership, 1882-2003 (#29.8-37.3, PD.4), includes membership applications and brochures featuring historical vignettes; press releases, calendars of events, flyers, advertisements, photographs, and clippings which promote fundraising events and members' programs, including daytime lectures, tours, and special events, and After Five, a series of evening programs for working adults. Financial records related to capital campaigns and fund-raising events, and correspondence documenting the transfer of the Union's archives to the Schlesinger Library, are also included. The subseries is arranged alphabetically except for publicity which is arranged chronologically.

Series III, SHOPS, 1928-2000 (scattered) (#37.4-39.13, PD.5-PD.6), consists of correspondence, memos, notes, flyers, notices, meeting minutes, photographs, and reports related to the daily operation of the retail shops of the Union. Several folders of correspondence and a needlework design catalog, as well as a number of uncataloged photographs of needlework designs, document the work of the Needlework shop specifically. The bulk of the material in this series is from the 1960s and 1970s; there are few early records. The series is arranged alphabetically.

Series IV, PHOTOGRAPHS, OVERSIZED, AND MEMORABILIA, 1877-1999 (#PD.7-PD.13f+, FD.1, OD.1, 40CB.1m - 40CB.21m), consists of photographs and slides, oversized material, and a small number of printing blocks. It is arranged in three subseries by format.

Subseries A, Photographs, 1877-1992 (#PD.7-PD.13f+), consists of photographs, lantern slides, and slides. Photographs and slides depict staff members and trustees at various meetings or events and the Union building and its shops. Lantern slides comprise a slide show of the Boston schools lunch program run by the Union. A slide show (ca.1988) and a scrapbook provide a photographic history, depicting the physical space the Union occupied, and its programs. Most of the photographs in this collection are or will be cataloged in VIA, Harvard University's Visual Information Access database. Others, referred to as "uncataloged" photographs, are not of sufficient research interest to warrant cataloging and are simply treated as part of the documents they accompany; they are marked on the back with an asterisk in square brackets [*].

Subseries B, Oversized, 1900-1999 (#FD.1, OD.1), consists of program posters, income reports, programs, and inventory sheets removed from other series.

Subseries C, Memorabilia, 1964, 1997, undated (#40CB.1m - 40CB.21m), consists of graphic printing blocks used to print various flyers, newsletters, brochures, etc., and two buttons.

Series V, PUBLICATIONS, 1934-2002 (#41-42), consists of two newsletters published by the Union: The Bulletin and the Companions Unlimited News. The Bulletin was published monthly from ca.1934 until at least 2002, but possibly until 2006 when the Union merged with Crittenton. It provided members with notices of upcoming events, meetings, and exhibitions, advertised the Union's available services, and made requests for donations. From the 1930s through the 1950s it was alternatively titled as the Members' Notice, Notice to Members, Bulletin to Members, or Members' Bulletin, and for several years in the 1950s went untitled. It became known as The Bulletin in October 1980. It may have been preceded by an earlier publication, simply known as the Circular, although this is unclear since there is only one known copy for the year 1882-1883.

The Companions Unlimited News was published sporadically between 1982 and 1993, either monthly, bimonthly, or seasonally. It provided Companions Unlimited volunteers with news of upcoming events, notifications of orientations and workshops, reports on specific projects, and recommended books on caring for the handicapped and elderly. Because there is no separate set of reference copies of these newsletters, the archival masters are open to research. Consult the library's catalog for holdings.

Series VI. ADDENDA, 1880-2005 (#43.1-43.10, PD.14-PD.26, 44F+B) includes additional material received in 2020. Material was received loose in boxes. The bulk of this material consists of photographs of Union trustees, employees, and volunteers; Union buildings; events; Union programs, including the school lunch program, Horizons transitional housing program, Companions Unlimited, etc; clippings; annual reports; brochures and flyers; several histories of the Union, including research material and correspondence; and a scrapbook documenting the Union's Partnership Teaching program. Materials are arranged alphabetically. Folder titles were created by the archivist.