WAR RECORDS COMISSION:
An Inventory of its YMCA and YWCA Records
Government Records
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Minnesota War Records Commission. | |
| Title: | YMCA and YWCA Records. | |
| Dates: | 1911-1920. | |
| Abstract: | Documents the activities of the Young Mens' Christian Association [YMCA] and the Young Women's Christian Association [YWCA] duing World War I, particularly the YMCA's recruitment of men to staff canteens on the French front and its raising of the money to provision those canteens, the organization of YWCA/YMCA units at Minnesota colleges, and participation in the United War Work Campaign. | |
| Quantity: | 3.0 cubic feet (3 boxes). | |
| Location: | See Detailed Description for shelf locations. |
SCOPE AND CONTENTS
The majority of the correspondence files document activities of the state organizations and are mainly the incoming correspondence of E. W. Peck, Minnesota state YMCA secretary. There are also letters addressed to E. W. Decker, state treasurer; R. C. Coffin, assistant secretary; and others. Arranged first by the last name of the sender and then chronologically within each letter, most of the correspondence dates from October 1917 to December 1918 and concerns raising money for YMCA war funds and the recruitment of volunteers (called secretaries) to serve on the European war fronts. Detailed applications with family and personal data, photographs, and work history, are found throughout. Other letters give details of applicant's lives at the time and offer a good glimpse of their thoughts toward both the war and war service with the YMCA. There are also a number of sets of miscellaneous correspondence files, the most prominent of which document the organizing of "community sings" and information booths at the 1918 county fairs and the state fair.
The alphabetically arranged subject/correspondence files mainly concern the organization of YWCA/YMCA units at Minnesota colleges, the Victory Girls program, and the United War Work Campaign, a merged fundraising campaign of the YMCA, YWCA, National Catholic War Council of the Knights of Columbus, Jewish Welfare Board, War Camp Community Service, American Library Association, and the Salvation Army. There is also a file on YMCA work with the Italian Army.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Minnesota War Records Commission. YMCA and YWCA Records. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples
Accession Information:
Accession number: None
Processing Information:
Catalog ID number: 1704166
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| 103.K.8.9B | State correspondence, undated, 1911-1918. | ||||||||||
| A-O. 24 folders. | |||||||||||
| 103.K.8.10F | P-Z. 16 folders. | ||||||||||
| Central Department correspondence, undated. | |||||||||||
| Largely lists. | |||||||||||
| YWCA National Board correspondence, 1917-1918. 2 folders. | |||||||||||
| Miscellaneous correspondence and form letters, undated, 1913-1918. | |||||||||||
| County fairs, undated, 1918. | |||||||||||
| State fair, undated, 1918. | |||||||||||
| 103.K.8.11B | Bureau I: Educational and Publicity Information, undated, 1918. | ||||||||||
| Bureau I: Recruiting and Speakers, undated, 1918. | |||||||||||
| College correspondence, 1912-1919. 3 folders. | |||||||||||
| Includes correspondence with Carleton, Hamline, Macalester, Mankato, University of Minnesota Farm School, St. Cloud, Parker Academy, Pillsbury Academy, St. Olaf, St. Paul's, Moorhead, Crookston, Morris, Windom, and Winona. | |||||||||||
| Junior War Work Council, undated, 1917-1918. | |||||||||||
| Mailing lists, undated. | |||||||||||
| Pamphlets, 1918-1919. | |||||||||||
| Publicity correspondence, 1917-1918. | |||||||||||
| Reports and bulletins, 1918. | |||||||||||
| Speakers institutes, undated, 1918. | |||||||||||
| Suggestions for associations, undated, 1916-1917. | |||||||||||
| United War Work: Campaign, undated, 1918-1920. | |||||||||||
| United War Work: Correspondence, 1917-1918. 9 folders. | |||||||||||
| Arranged numerically by YWCA state districts. | |||||||||||
| Victory Girls: Bulletins, undated, 1918. | |||||||||||
| Victory Girls: Correspondence and reports, 1917-1918. | |||||||||||
| The Victory Girls program, aimed at females between 12 and 20, encouraged girls to earn $5.00 apiece and donate it to the United War Work Campaign. | |||||||||||
| War Centers correspondence, 1917-1918. | |||||||||||
| War Work Council: Financial special, 1917-1918. | |||||||||||
| War Work Council: Publicity, 1918-1919. | |||||||||||
| YMCA work with the Italian Army, 1915-1919. | |||||||||||
| Includes quarterly reports, hospital reports, transcripts of letters of Italian soldiers, a list of American secretaries who served in Italy, and a digest of YMCA service in Italy from June 1915 through June 1918. | |||||||||||
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- World War, 1914-1918 -- Economic aspects -- Minnesota.
- World War, 1914-1918 -- Civilian relief.
- World War, 1914-1918 -- War work -- Minnesota -- Young Men's Christian associations.
- World War, 1914-1918 -- War work -- Minnesota -- Young Women's Christian associations.
- World War, 1914-1918 -- War work -- Minnesota -- Schools.
- World War, 1914-1918 -- Italy -- War work -- Minnesota -- Young Men's Christian associations.
- Fairs -- Minnesota.
- Persons:
- Coffin, R. C.
- Decker, E. W. (Edward Williams), 1869-1953.
- Peck, E. W.
- Organizations:
- United War Work Campaign, Inc.
- Young Men's Christian Association.
- Young Women's Christian Association of the U.S.A.
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