On Saturday, July 1, 1815, 16 women met in the village of Keene to form a reading society. They agreed to pay dues of one cent a week and to use the money to help the needy in the community.

The population of Keene was about 1,800 and it was long before any public social service agencies existed. The ladies responded directly to people in need – widows, orphans and, later, immigrants -- providing such practical goods as bed linens, stockings, flannel gowns, diapers, shoes, food and warm clothing.

Today, nearly 200 years later, the Ladies' Charitable Society of Keene has an endowment of more than half a million dollars and gives away thousands of dollars each year in scholarships and community aid. Its membership has included the wives and daughters of some of the most prominent families in Keene including the Colonys, Faulkners, Barstows, Parkers, Hitchcocks, Fiskes, Eatons, Twitchells, Griffins, Wheelers, Tildens, Larsons, Robertsons, Laceys, Browns, Prentisses, Sturtevants and Ingersolls.

The ladies who first met in 1815 had a sense of purpose from the very beginning. They kept meticulous minutes of their meetings and reports of their activities. All have been preserved and are housed at the Historical Society of Cheshire County in Keene.

Using these sources and others, Nelson author Susan Peery has written the history of this group. "A Legacy of Good Works Since 1815: A History of the Ladies' Charitable Society of Keene, New Hampshire" is being published by the Historical Society and will be debuted at a book signing and reception December 17 from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Society's headquarters at 246 Main Street.

Peery will be on hand to sign the books as well as members of the Ladies' Charitable Society, which now includes 68 women, and Alan Rumrill, director of the Historical Society. The book will be on sale for a special price of $11. (It will be $14 after December 17 and available at the Historical Society and Toadstool book store in Keene.)

On display at the book signing will be several artifacts from the Charitable Society's history including the first book of minutes, a history of its first 100 years, early newspaper clippings from The Evening Sentinel, a hand-made calico drawstring bag that was used for many years to hold the record books and a wooden box used by the group for well over a hundred years to store linens and clothing to be loaned or given away.

PUTNAM GRANT SEEDS BOOK PROJECT

The idea for a history of the group was born in a conversation between Peery and Sylvia Lacey of Nelson, president of the Charitable Society. The records of the group had been turned over to the Historical Society in the 1980s and the members weren't sure exactly what was in the six boxes housed there. As the 200th anniversary of the Society approached, they felt it was important to document its contributions to the community.

A grant of $2000 from the Putnam Foundation seeded the project and the members of the Society raised more than $4000 among themselves. Many donated in memory of their own women ancestors, says Christine H. Weeks, a board member of the Society and a member of the committee that raised the funds and organized the publication of the book. Many of the current members' mothers and grandmothers were members of the group.

"Since this would be the first book published through the historical society that deals strictly with women and the incredible society they formed to provide aid and comfort to their neighbors," Weeks says, "we thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to have a book dedicated to women who have had an influence on our own lives."

A WONDERFUL SLICE OF WOMEN'S AND CHARITABLE HISTORY

"Little has been written and published about women locally," says Peery. She points out that, in Simon Griffin's "A History of the Town of Keene," published in 1904, of the 156 biographies, only three are women, and they were all single women.

"Once a woman married, she became a Mrs. and it is hard to find any records of her," says Peery.

David Leinster, retired professor of history at Keene State College, reinforces the significance of the Charitable Society in his forward to the book:

"The Ladies' Charitable Society of Keene is noteworthy in two respects. First, its duration; for several generations it has quietly worked, with considerable success and through a variety of activities, to help those in need. Second, it has meticulously maintained and preserved the records of the Society which will, with this book, now become an important part of an expanding literature dealing with the lives of women in history."

Rumrill says it is rare for such thorough records over such a long period of time to survive. "The fact that the records still survive makes the Ladies' Charitable Society very unusual and easy to study," he says. "And the book gives a wonderful slice of women's and charitable history not only locally but in the context of what was happening around the nation. It puts the organization and Keene in the context of the big picture of the history of this country."

WORKING TOGETHER TO DO GOOD

Peery's research proved to be much more than a journey through dry meeting minutes and treasurer's reports.

Many of the women's personalities shone through, she says. Between the lines of the formal written records she detected "friendships, disagreements, private jokes, alliances, secrets, joys and sorrows shared by generations of women who lived, sewed, worked, worshipped, socialized, and dreamed together…" (from the book)

"These (the founders of the Society) were unique women of this generation of women working to do good in the world," she says. "The reform spirit was in the air. They were in a position to build their own society and determine how it should work.

"They were restricted in some ways," she adds. "They couldn't vote or serve on corporate boards, but they put themselves to work. They didn't just give money but they fanned out around the neighborhoods, seeing who was in need of help. They put their considerable social capital to work, helping countless destitute families and especially women who were much like themselves except for their personal resources."

The unmarried women had to serve as treasurers for the organization since married women weren't allowed to own or control property until the latter part of the 19th century. They also were usually assigned to teach at a summer Sabbath School the Society supported and to accompany some of the married members on their visits.

The group gave most of its money to local citizens although one year, 1820, it decided that "making and repairing clothes for the mission to the Indians" would be its "principal object of …charity." And in 1824, it gave funds "to aid the Greeks" in their war of independence, a popular cause at the time in the United States, says Peery.

It appears that the women "sort of adopted certain people" over time, says Peery. Though the names of people helped were seldom mentioned in the minutes, a couple of names do come up repeatedly including Polly Frink who, from 1832 until 1854, received firewood, clothing, medicine and food nearly every year.

According to the book, "When she died…at age 78, she left only her bed and some articles of clothing, all of which she gave to the Ladies' Charitable Society. The bed was sold to one of the members at the annual meeting for the sum of $3."

KEEPER OF THE CHEST

Many of Society's members came to life for Peery, she says, women such as Elizabeth Barstow, the wife of the Rev. Zedekiah Smith Barstow, the minister of the First Congregational Church, the only church in town at the time. She served as president of the Charitable Society for more than 45 years, through the birth of four children and the death of two. She and her family lived in the old Wyman Tavern at 339 Main Street where a portrait of her hangs today.

Sally Parker was another stalwart member of the Charitable Society. The wife of lawyer Elijah Parker, she and her family lived on the north corner of School and Court streets. Despite a busy family life with six children, she became the "keeper of the chest" for the organization.

From 1820 until her death in 1875 at age 92, she kept in her home the pine chest that held items that were loaned or given away. The chest had been built for the group around 1818 for the price of $2.

Each year at the Society's annual meeting, Mrs. Parker would report on the "State of the Chest." In January of 1834, she reported that the chest currently held "one comforter, nine sheets, seven pairs of pillowcases, nine chemise (two of which are very much worn), seven night gowns (three very much worn), eight night caps, one cotton skirt, one long flannel gown, 1 long cotton gown, and several towels."

The ladies were just as meticulous with their treasurer's reports, noting their assets and distributions to the penny: $6.37 in hand at the beginning of 1818, for example, or $8 to Polly Frink in 1836 and $9.55 to Mrs. Hale. The treasury was down to eleven cents in 1840. In 1843, the group spent its entire treasury -- $11.86 – "upon the various objects of the Society's bounty."

THE LADIES DISAGREE WITH THE SELECTMEN

In the 1860s, the Ladies' Charitable Society had a slight disagreement with the town fathers. David Simmons, a native of Keene, "left the town a bequest of $1,000 to be invested, with the income to be used by the Selectmen for the relief and comfort of the aged and infirm." The Society requested that it be allowed to spend the money since it was experienced in such matters, but the Selectmen refused.

For several years, the Society remained concerned about these funds. In 1862, it appointed a committee to "wait upon the Selectmen, and ascertain who of the poor have been helped from the Simmons Fund, that the Ladies' Charitable Society may act intelligently with the appropriation of their fund." In 1863, the committee found that two people "were the only recipients of their bounty" from the Simmons fund. As it turned out, Peery says in the book, "The tight-fisted Selectmen invested the money and the interest in a local bank and later lost most of it during the bank failure of the early 1890s."

BEQUESTS ASSURE LONGEVITY

For the first 60 or so years, the Society only had its dues to spend or whatever else the members chipped in.

"If they raised $23, they spent $23," says Peery.

However, in 1881, the Society received its first bequest -- $100 from Clara Howard Carpenter, a long-time member and former treasurer. The next year, Clara's father, Caleb, gave $500 to the group. This was the first significant money the group had ever held and the members decided to form a corporation, a huge step for a group of women at the time. Over the years, the Society received more bequests, including a major gift from George B. Elliott of $18,000 in 1937, and divided its assets between two local banks.

"All of a sudden, they had real money," says Peery. "With an eye to the future, they put the money in the bank and used only the interest. And they used different banks – they didn't put all their eggs in one basket."

In the 20th century, the income of the Society rose with its endowments and, as social welfare agencies developed in the city, the group changed its focus. It worked closely with the school nurse's "adenoids and tonsils fund," says Peery, "dispatched tons of coal and loads of wood to needy families every winter" and also brought "cod-liver oil by the gallon and sent it to schools so every child could get a daily dose. Possibly the only instance when their charity was not appreciated by its recipients!"

Today, with its substantial endowment, the Society offers $20,000 to $30,000 in scholarships each year to local students. It continues to respond to local needs, consistent with its original mission, donating to such local organizations as Maplewood Nursing Home; Cedarcrest, a home for children with severe disabilities; YMCA summer camps; Keene Community Kitchen; and Rise…for baby and family. The members also respond to specific needs such as the recent request for bedding for the Keene homeless shelter.

The story of the Ladies' Charitable Society is an important one, says Peery. "It is the story of an important local institution, but it is also a personal and heartfelt story of friendships, hard work and the joy of helping others."

"We felt it was important to publish this book," Weeks adds. "It is an important part of Keene's history and it recognizes the important role women have played in that history."

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