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Friends' Association of Philadelphia for the Aid and Elevation of the Freedmen, Annual Reports
Report of the Executive Board of Friends' Association for the Aid and Elevation of the Freedmen, Read at the Meeting of the Association
Yearly reports printed for annual meeting of the association. Largely consist of narrative accounts of the freedmen's progress, drawn from letters sent by teachers who operated colored schools under the care of the association. Most years, a list of the society's officers, the treasurer's report, accounts of donations received in cash and goods, and an overview of distributions made were also included.
1864 - 1871
192 p. ; 22 cm.
reformatted digital
SG 3
Friends Freedmen's Association Records--http://archives.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/resources/4024frfr
The Women's Association of Philadelphia for the Relief of the Freedmen was founded in 1862 to provide charitable assistance to recently freed slaves. Many Quakers were involved in this organization, but it was not until the following year that a similar group that was officially affiliated with the Society of Friends emerged. The Friends Association of Philadelphia and its Vicinity for the Relief of Colored Freedmen, was founded by Orthodox Quaker men in 1863. Soon after, in 1864, an equivalent group was established by Hicksite Quakers of both sexes: the Friends' Association for the Aid and Elevation of the Freedmen (amended to the more precise "Friends' Association of Philadelphia for the Aid and Elevation of the Freedmen"), which incorporated the Women's Association in 1865. It is unclear when this association closed, but it was in existence at least as late as 1872. Its Orthodox counterpart, renamed Friends' Freedmen's Association circa 1873, continued to operate in various capacities--most recently as a scholarship fund--until it was dissolved in 1982.
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average attendance is nearly forty. I have many new scholars this
winter who have never been to school before; some of them surprise
me by learning so rapidly.
“T get discouraged sometimes; I suppose all teachers do; and think
that my patience and diligence need to be redoubled: I do pray for
it, and I know that He, who is the fountain of all our strength, hears
and answers my prayers.
“Our Sabbath School progresses nicely, and as the weather becomes
more favorable, I think it will increase.”
In one of her letters she speaks of the difficulty of obtain-
ing a suitable boarding-place; as the prejudice existing in Ma-
nassas against any one who teaches colored people, excluded her
from the families of the residents there.
Satire E. Luoyp writes :—
“When school opened, I told the colored people that I thought they
were not required to pay anything toward the salary of their teacher,
. but they could pay ten cents each per month, that we might be able
to keep on hand a fund sufficiently large to defray the expenses of
getting wood, and anything else we may need for the school. This
they readily agreed to do.
“Our Virst-day School this afternoon, although unusually small,
was very interesting; there are generally in attendance about sixty-
five.
‘My school is becoming more and more interesting each day, and
I regret that the time when you propose to close it will come so soon.
“Many of the scholars who have attended heretofore, are again
coming back. For the last two weeks the average attendance has
_ been about thirty-seven or eight; and it is quite as many as I have
time to attend to, even with occasional assistance from some of the
girls in my first class.
“Our Directors visit us quite frequently. They have put the house
in order for Winter, banking up the sides with earth, mending the
broken windows, etc., and making it much more comfortable than it
hasbeen. They have also built a very substantial wood-house, which we
find a great convenience in stormy weather. The colored people have
had several meetings of their Lyceum again this winter. Chalkley
Gillingham has attended a number of them, and has delivered short
lectures upon different subjects, which they seem to enjoy, and to un-
derstand and remember remarkably well. He promises to attend at
every other meeting and give them a series of lectures’”
The following interesting letter, dated from Waterford, First
month 31st, from Saran A. STEER, will show the advancement
of some of her pupils:—
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Friends Freedmen's Association Records --http://archives.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/resources/4024frfr