Sorosis Records, 1856-1972

Sorosis is an organization of professional and literary women founded in New York City in 1868. Columnist "Jennie June" (Jane C. Croly) and other women journalists were denied tickets to a New York Press Club event honoring Charles Dickens. The presenters claimed that the presence of the women would make the occasion "promiscuous." Offended, the female journalists founded their own press club, naming it Sorosis after a botanical term referring to plants with a grouping of flowers that bore fruit. The term was meant to symbolize women's determination to transform supposedly delicate and feeble ladies into important members of public society. Jane Croly organized a group of her friends, many of whom were writers, into the club to "promote agreeable and useful relations among women," particularly those who had found "expression in outward life and work." The club's mission was to "establish a freemasonry among women of similar pursuits....[to afford] an opportunity for discussion...the results of which promise to exert an important influence on the future of women and the welfare of society." Historian Karen J. Blair states that the members tended to be "career women who had become keenly aware of sexism in their struggle for professional success."1

New York's Sorosis and Boston's New England Woman's Club (both founded in 1868) inspired the formation of women's clubs across the country. Croly called a national convention of women's clubs in 1869 that eventually led to the formation of the Association for the Advancement of Women (1873) and the General Federation of Women's Clubs (1890).

From the very beginning members of Sorosis have been prominent participants in varied professions and political reform movements such as abolitionism, suffrage, prison reform, temperance and peace. Although the discussion of suffrage was forbidden in an effort to create a safe feeling of unity among the members, many Sorosis members were staunchly in favor of, and involved in, the suffrage movement.

Sorosis expanded into local chapters beyond New York City in the early twentieth century and the various chapters went on to organize war relief efforts during both World Wars. Peace time activities included philanthropy (such as support for funding the MacDowell Colony), scholarship funds, and social reforms (such as literary training for immigrant women). In later years, Sorosis focused its activities on local projects, raising money for the aid of other women's clubs, funding scholarships for women, and aiding local rescue missions. Presidents of the club have included Alice Cary, Jennie C. Croly, Charlotte B. Wilbour, M. Louise Thomas, Ella Dietz Clymer and Jennie de la M. Lozier. Sorosis continues to thrive in New York City with an active charitable agenda.

1: Karen J. Blair, The Clubwoman as Feminist: True Womanhood Redefined, 1868-1914 (Homes and Meier Publishers, New York: 1980): 21.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Sorosis records include by-laws, constitutions, minutes, membership lists, yearbooks, programs, reports, histories, speeches, writings, clippings, subject files, memorabilia, publications, printed material, and scrapbooks.

The Records document the club's advocacy of temperance, prison reform, and peace, as well as their programs in art, drama, education, and music. Included are bound copies of Executive Committee minutes (1884-1907, 1937-1965); and committee reports (1886-1947). There are also biographical materials, writings, and photographs of first president Jane C. Croly (1829-1901); material relating to the Women's Congress in New York City (1873-1877); and the Association for the Advancement of Women (established by Sorosis in 1873).

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Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into eight series:

• I. MEETINGS, 1868-1965
• II. ADMINISTRATION AND ORGANIZATION, 1870-1985
• III. HISTORY, 1871-1973, n.d.
• IV. OFFICERS, 1894-1950
• V. MEMBERS, 1868-1975, n.d.
• VI. PUBLICATIONS, 1869-1966
• VII. RELATED ORGANIZATIONS, 1885-1937
• VIII. MEMORABILIA, 1880-1968

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I. MEETINGS (1868-1965) 5.25 linear ft.

This series is divided into two subseries: General meetings and Executive Committee meetings each of which is arranged chronologically. The General Meeting minutes include both Social Days and Business Days. Earlier minutes (1868-1925) are bound. Printed cards listing the questions for discussion at specific meetings are also included.

II. ADMINISTRATION AND ORGANIZATION (1870-1985) 2 linear ft.

This series is divided into three subseries: Programs, Committees, and Yearbooks. The Programs subseries contains printed programs for meetings between 1883 and 1913. The Committees subseries consists of material related to the twenty-one committees that have been active in Sorosis at various times between 1879 and 1967. The committee records are arranged alphabetically. The Yearbooks subseries contains yearbooks printed by Sorosis that consist of lists of the members and officers, and by-laws. Some of the yearbooks contain schedules of events for the upcoming Sorosis year. There is a broken run of these yearbooks, 1889-1914; 1935-1983.

III. HISTORY (1871-1973, n.d.) .75 linear ft.

This series has two subseries: Anniversaries and Writings and publications. The first subseries includes reports of anniversary celebrations (1872-90) and anniversary programs (1871-1979). The twenty-fifth, seventieth, seventy-fifth, and hundredth have their own sections and are arranged chronologically. There are also photographs from the hundredth anniversary located in Oversized box 30. The Writings and publications subseries contains books and essays on the history of Sorosis written by its members as well as press clippings pertaining to Sorosis history. Of particular interest is a history by Jennie June Croly, Sorosis: Its Origins and History (1886).

IV. OFFICERS (1894-1950) .75 linear ft.

There are two subseries in this series: Presidents and Other officers. The Presidents subseries contains information on two early presidents of Sorosis: Charlotte Beebe Wilbour and Jane Cunningham Croly. The former consists of speeches by Wilbour and an address by Deborah Jackson McLeod about Wilbour (1973), and the latter consists of a biography of Croly written by her daughter, and Memories of Jane Cunningham Croly "Jennie June" compiled by members of Sorosis after her death. In addition there are selected annual reports by the President which provide a record of Sorosis activies as well as lists of the presidents (1897-1901). Other officers contains reports of additional officers including the Recording Secretary, the Vice President, the Corresponding Secretary, and the Chairman of Reception. It also contains "Chairman of Executive's Work" by E.F. Turtle, a description of the work taken on by the Chairman of the Executive in 1929.

V. MEMBERS (1868-1975, n.d.) .75 linear ft.

This series contains three subseries: Lists, Writings and Membership Corporation Law. Included in the Lists subseries are the earliest membership list (1870-71), membership and attendance lists (1868-1968), typed "Who's Who" (1947-8 and circa 1980), a binder of biographical information about deceased members (circa 1975) and death notices (1967-71). The "Who's Who" contains education, birth and death dates, and profession as well as information about the member's activities within Sorosis. The Writings subseries contains writings by Sorosis members. These include unpublished manuscripts (1893-1966), miscellaneous publications (1932-1964), and three books written by Gladys Ewing Combes. The Membership Corporation Law is an old statute of the State of New York that was combined into the current Non-For-Profit Corporation Law and dictates how an organization may be formed. The Sorosis copy of the Membership Corporation Law is fragmentary, containing only sections 6, 11, 14 and 15 and is undated.

VI. PUBLICATIONS (1869-1966) .5 linear ft.

This series consists of publications produced by and about Sorosis and includes clippings and articles (1886-1901); The Women's Cycle (1890); Sorosis Monthly Bulletins (1955-78); Esther Herrmann Testimonial (1902); Sorosis Verse (1938); and Sorosis: A Federated Woman's Club (1982).There are additional publications in SERIES V. MEMBERS.

VII. RELATED ORGANIZATIONS (1885-1937) .5 linear ft.

This series contains information and materials pertaining to the Women's Congress, the MacDowell Colony, the New York State Federation of Women's Clubs, the Ossoli Circle, the Soldiers and Sailors Club and the General Federation of Women's Clubs. These organizations were affiliated with, or related to, Sorosis.

VIII. MEMORABILIA (1880-1968) 2.25 linear ft.

This series contains books created by Sorosis, including numerous scrapbooks and the Sorosis Valentine Party Book. There are also books and other items given to Sorosis, such as Four Centuries After: Or, How I Discovered Europe by Ben Holt, two gavels, sheet music, a guestbook, awards, items commemorating Sorosis-related events and three portraits of Charlotte Beebe Wilbour, one painted and two in plaster.

SERIES I. MEETINGS

SERIES II. ADMINISTRATION AND ORGANIZATION

SERIES III. HISTORY

SERIES IV. OFFICERS

SERIES V. MEMBERS

SERIES VI. PUBLICATIONS

SERIES VII. RELATED ORGANIZATIONS

SERIES VIII. MEMORABILIA