Cosmopolitan Charity Club

Description:

This is a small collection of the records of Lansing's Cosmopolitan Charity Club, from the 1920s to the 1960s. Ledgers of minutes, membership records, dues paid, reports, correspondence, a few newspaper clippings, and snapshots are included. The Club was focused on creating handcrafted items for donation, as well as fundraising and support for various organizations and individuals in the Lansing area. They made quilts, blankets, and children's clothes, plus some food items such as marmalade, and they raised money to help provide shoes and healthcare support at area hospitals and children's homes. Some of their charity work also went to areas outside of Lansing, such as donations to the Red Cross when an area of Mississippi was badly flooded. Most of the members were wives and daughters of prominent Lansing-area men. Also with these materials is one ledger of records from a Birthday Club, 1922-1925. It is possible that this club was a predecessor to the Cosmopolitan Charity Club, although there were many Birthday Clubs in Lansing in that era, most of which were subgroups of other clubs and organizations such as the Rebekahs or neighborhood associations. There is also typed poem "History of the Friendship Embroidery Club" by Mrs. Leroy A. Potter, which talks about a group of women who began meeting in 1907 or 1908 on Sparrow Street. It is possible these materials were previously in the possession of Mildred or Maude Seymour, daughter and wife of Chief of Police Alfred Seymour, at some point. They were both members, and one of the small notebooks included is embossed "A. J. Seymour" on the cover. The Lansing State Journal notes that Mrs. Alfred Seymour hosted the embroidery club on October 25, 1923.

Date Created:

[1922 TO 1966]

Data Provider:

Capital Area District Library (Lansing, MI). Forest Parke Library and Archives

Collection:

Cosmopolitan Charity Club

Subject Topic:

Clubs, Women, Charity, Sewing, Birthdays, and Lansing (Mich.)

Language:

English

Rights:

Copyright Not Evaluated

URL:

http://cadl.pastperfectonline.com/archive/A01F800F-5237-4FE4-97A4-591784892498