Contents
Descriptive Summary
Administrative Information
BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL NOTE
SCOPE AND CONTENT OF THE RECORDS
SELECTED SEARCH TERMS DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE RECORDS
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE RECORDS
Ser. 1 By-Laws and Membership
Ser. 2 Minutes
Ser. 3 Writings
Ser. 4 Miscellaneous
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Finding aid for Novelty (Club : Lansdowne, Pa.) Records,
1887-1992Finding Aid Prepared by FHL staff2007
| | | | | Creator | Novelty (Club : Lansdowne, Pa.) | | Title | Novelty Records
| | Dates: | 1887-1992 | | Abstract: | The Novelty was a women's social club founded
in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, in 1887. Most of its first members were Quakers and
members of Lansdowne Monthly Meeting. The group was established "for the
promotion of sociability and good house and home-keeping," according to its
by-laws. The records include minutes, 1887-1938 and scattered, 1954, 1982-1984;
by-laws and membership lists and attendance, writings by members, histories,
and some miscellaneous material. | | Extent: | 3 boxes; 1.5 linear feet | | Identification: | RG4/107 | | Location: | For current information on the location of
materials, please consult the Library's online catalog. | | Location: | |
The Neighbors Club, the men's social club in Lansdowne, is still
active in 2003. Return to the Table of Contents
The Novelty was a women's social club founded in Lansdowne,
Pennsylvania, in 1887. Most of its first members were Quakers and members of
Lansdowne Monthly Meeting. The group was established for the promotion of
sociability and good house and home-keeping, according to its by-laws. It
remained a small group (limited to thirty until 1929 and subsequently, forty
members) and met in members' homes. Besides fellowship, the meetings for many years consisted of a time
for reading and questions, usually on household matters. Although primarily
social in mission, the group did address concerns in the community such as
unwrapped bread and lack of trash cans, and in the twentieth century, it
established a civic committee. The Novelty's members were active in the establishment of other civic
groups such as the Lansdowne Library, Needlework Guild, and the Associated
Charities Association. The Club encouraged the founding in 1904 of a larger
women's group, the Twentieth Century Club of Lansdowne, a federated women's
club; the first president of Novelty, Lydia T. Hallowell, also served as the
first president of the Twentieth Century Club. By 1992, with changing times, membership had dwindled, and almost half
of the active members were residing in homes for the aged in the Philadelphia
area. Return to the Table of Contents
The records contain material preserved in a metal box labeled "The
Novelty." It includes minutes, 1887-1938 and scattered, 1954, 1982-1984;
by-laws and membership lists and attendance, writings by members, histories,
and some miscellaneous material. Organized into four series: Organization:By-laws and membershipMinutesWritingsMiscellaneousReturn to the Table of Contents
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: Return to the Table of Contents
Ser. 1 By-Laws and Membership
Box |
|
| | 1 |
| Printed by-laws and membership lists, published
irregularly
1945-1992 1 folder |
Ser. 2 Minutes
Box |
|
| | 1 |
| Minutes
3/9/1887-5/26/1890 1 folder |
|
| Minutes
10/20/1890-320/1893 1 folder |
|
| Minutes
10/2/1893- 12/14/1896 1 folder |
|
| Minutes
1/4/1897-1-19/1903 1 folder |
|
| Minutes
3/30/1903-3/2/1908 1 folder |
Box |
|
| | 2 |
| Minutes
3/16/1908-5/17/1915 1 folder |
|
| Minutes
10/4/1915-4/6/1925 1 folder |
|
| Minutes
4/20/1925-5/1/1933 1 folder |
|
| Minutes, including loose sheet describing 50th
anniversary meeting with a brief history
5/1/1933 (cont.)-5/16/1938 1 folder |
|
| Loose minutes
4/5/1954, scattered 1982-1984 1 folder |
Ser. 3 Writings
Box |
|
| | 2 |
| Book 1: Original Papers. Includes a history of the Club
by Virginia Guilford, 1894, and other compositions by members
1894-1895 1 folder |
Box |
|
| | 3 |
| Bacteria, by Mrs. Kennedy
1896 1 folder |
|
| Novelty Round Robin: Compositions by members
1912-1914 1 folder |
|
| The Chautauqua, A Victim of the Radio, by Margaret H.
Powell (composition book)
n.d. 1 folder |
|
| 40th Anniversary History by Margaret H.
Powell
1927 1 folder |
|
| The Novelty, 1887-1970, by Edith Lewis
White
1970 1 folder |
|
| Novelty Food (Recipe book)
n.d. 1 folder |
Ser. 4 Miscellaneous
Box |
|
| | 3 |
| Roll call, attendance
1907-1982 1 folder |
|
| Attendance
1970-1986 1 folder |
|
| Program schedule
1984-1988, n.d, 1 folder |
|
| Memorial for Edith White
[1986] 1 folder |
|