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American Red Cross, Lower Shore Chapter records

2 cartons, 1 oversize folder (3 linear feet)

(1916 – 2011)

Edward H. Nabb Center for Delmarva History and Culture, Salisbury, University, Salisbury, Maryland

Identifier 2016.095
Creator(s) American Red Cross, Lower Shore Chapter
Acquisition

The American Red Cross, Lower Shore Chapter records were donated to the Nabb Research Center by Suzanne Farris on behalf of the American Red Cross, October, 2016.
Language(s) English
Use Records are open for research. Copyright, including literary rights, belongs to the author(s) or their legal heirs. Permission to publish or reproduce must be obtained from the Nabb Research Center which extends beyond "fair use."
Preferred Citation "Item, collection title and identifier, box # and folder # (if applicable), Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture, Salisbury University, Salisbury, Maryland."
Attribution Finding aid written by Jennifer H. Piegols, February 2017.
Related Materials

George Whitehead papers (1980 – 2014)

American Red Cross, Hebron Chapter Minute Book (1918)

Diary of a Brooklyn, New York Woman (1943)
Separated Materials

Oversize materials have been housed in the Nabb Research Center’s flat file system.
Abstract

American Red Cross, Lower Shore Chapter records document the diverse services volunteers from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware have provided in the nearby communities, across the nation, and on foreign soil, especially during the Second World War. Providing home care, medical services, and disaster relief, the organization’s local achievements are represented through chapter forms, meeting minutes, monthly reports, pins, newspaper clippings and photographs. Their national aid is documented via pamphlets and photographs, and their World War II involvement is recorded in their financial records, volunteer logs, donation ledgers, and shipping forms. The records date from the chapter’s founding in 1916 to 2011.

Administrative History

The American Red Cross was modeled after the Swiss-inspired global Red Cross network and created by Clara Barton in Washington, D.C. on May 21, 1881.  In an effort to provide local, national, and global aid during wartime, peace time, and after natural disasters, the Lower Shore Chapter of the Red Cross was founded thirty-five years later, on December 8, 1916, to extend the reach of Red Cross support to the Eastern Shore.  During its infancy, branches were largely located in the Maryland region, but later expanded to include the Maryland counties of: Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester, Accomack and Northampton counties in Virginia, and the state of Delaware. 

The Lower Shore Chapter, or Delmarva Chapter, played a large part in the community in the 1920s by providing home service care, nurse aid, and ambulance services through a motor corps, as well as supplied school nursing services to promote children’s health.  During the Second World War, Lower Shore Chapter volunteers donated a significant amount of supplies in support of the American troops abroad.  After hand-crafting clothing, preparing “kit-bags,” and collecting items such as cigarettes and playing cards, the Lower Shore Chapter shipped the products to soldiers, while providing medical care and material donations to local families in need. 

More recently, the Lower Shore Chapter continues to provide relief to disaster victims and played an integral role in helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  Volunteers and members also host fundraisers, annual meetings, participate in community outreach programs, hold seminars to teach locals about safety procedures and arrange a multitude of other activities.

Scope and Content Note

The American Red Cross, Lower Shore Chapter records contain and fully document the Chapter's aid involvement on Maryland's Eastern Shore.  Administrative Files document the administrative activities of the American Red Cross Lower Shore Chapter and include local and foreign aid, correspondence, financial documents, and publications related to their activities for local and global service.  The Visual Materials series includes photographs documenting the disaster relief and community outreach activities of the Lower Shore Chapter.  The Oversize Materials includes posters and Certificates of Appreciation documenting advertisement methods and achievements of the Lower Shore Chapter of the American Red Cross. 

Arrangement Statement

The American Red Cross, Lower Shore Chapter records have been arranged into three series, ADMINISTRATIVE FILES, VISUAL MATERIALS, and OVERSIZE FILES.

Folders are listed by their location in each box; any given subject may be dispersed throughout the entirety of the collection.

Subject Terms

  • Topical Terms
    • World War, 1939-1945
    • Medical History
    • Military History
  • Corporate Names
    • American Red Cross
    • Junior Red Cross
  • Personal Names
    • Booth, Mrs. A.B. ( )
    • Booth, Mrs. E. Wilson ( )
    • Davison, Dorothy ( )
    • Jones, Mrs. Harry L. ( )
    • Perdue, Frank (1920 - 2005)
    • Perdue, Mitzi (1941- )
    • Ruark, Travers L. ( )
    • Taylor, Mrs. J.S. ( )
    • Whitehead, George (1945 - )
    • Wilhelm, C. Leo ( )
    • Woodley, Virginia ( )

Inventory List

The inventory list for this item is hidden due to its length. Click the button below to view it.

Series I: Administrative Files

Box 1

1.      Narrative History, Founding of Branches, circa 1917

2.      History Report, Compiled by Mrs. Harry L. Jones, Executive Secretary, 1942-1945

3.      Chapter Chairmen, 1916-1998

4.      Chapter Directory, Board of Directors, circa 1951-1995

5.      Motor Corps, Home Service, Nurse Aid, 1943-1945

6.      Home Service, circa 1918-1920

7.      Home Service, 1942 January

8.      Home Service, circa 1942-1943

9.      Daily Record of Visits to Patients, Patients Requiring Home Supervision, Work Done, 1923

10.  Volunteer Special Services Report, 1942-1943

11.  Membership Enrollment Card, Mr. D.B. Onens, 1920

12.  Certificate of Organization of a Branch and Election of Officers, 1918

13.  Certification Card, Instructor in Elementary Hygiene and Home Care of the Sick, undated

14.  Certification Card, Course Completion in Nutrition for Mrs. Brighly Wright, 1942 March

15.  Report of Chapter Changes, 1947-1971

16.  Christmas Party Guest Lists and Reports, 1992, 1994

17.  Notes on Foreign War Relief Production, circa 1942

18.  Production Flow of War Donations, 1942

19.  Production Flow of War Donations, 1943-1945

20.  Memorandum, Notes, and Pattern for the Kit Bag Project, circa 1943

21.  Shipping Instructions for Donations, 1942-1943

22.  Packing Lists, 1941

23.  Patterns, circa 1941-1943

24.  Gross Supply Forms and Prices, circa 1942

25.  Order Forms for Sears, Roebuck and Company, 1942-1943

26.  Applications for Tax Exemption on Cigarettes, Tobacco, and Playing Cards for Soldiers, 1942-1945

27.  Volunteer Hours, 1942-1944

28.  Volunteer Hours, 1943-1945

29.  Meeting Minutes, 1916-1922

30.  Meeting Minutes, 1922-1933

31.  Transcript, Meeting Minutes, 1916-1934

32.  Monthly Report, Chapter Activities, 1922

33.  Monthly Report, School Nursing Report, 1923

34.  Monthly Report, Public Health Nursing Service, 1923

35.  Monthly Report, Maryland State Department of Health, Bureau of Child Hygiene, 1923

36.  Annual Meeting and Report Programs, 1966-1975

37.  Annual Meeting and Report Programs, 1976-2003

38.  Annual Meeting and Report Programs, 2004-2011

39.  Financial Reports for the War Period, 1942-1945

 

Box 2

1.      Finances, Items Sold, circa 1943

2.      Finances, Fund Campaign and Record of Block Leaders, 1947

3.      Finances, Fund Campaign and Record of Block Leaders, 1948

4.      Finances, Fund Campaign and Record of Block Leaders, 1949

5.      Fundraiser, The Perdue Chicken Cookbook, 1991

6.      Postcard advertising the Red Cross, 1916

7.      Correspondence, Invitation to Attend Roll Call, Mrs. J. S. Taylor to Mr. and Mrs. W.A. Sheppard, 1920 November 10

8.      Correspondence, Chapter Activities, 1919 March- 1934 August

9.      Correspondence, Chapter Activities, 1938 October - 1948 June

10.  Correspondence, To Junior Red Cross, 1951 April 19

11.  Correspondence, Chapter Activities, 1982 - 2003

12.  Correspondence, Thank You Notes from Relief Recipients, 2003 January

13.  Program, Regional Conference, 17th Annual Roll Call, 1933 October 4

14.  Chapter Pin and Logo, 2011

15.  Certificates of Appreciation for Service, 1939-2006

16.  Pamphlet, Nursing Service Information, 1942 May

17.  Pamphlet, Services to the Armed Forces and to Veterans, 1944 September

18.  Pamphlet, The American Red Cross in Maryland Response to Hurricane Katrina and Rita, circa 2005

19.  Chapter Success Stories, 1983

20.  Junior Red Cross Bulletin, 1941-1951

21.  Publicity Channels Suggestions and Script for Press Release, circa 1942

22.  Press Releases, 1978-1994

23.  Newspaper Articles and Correspondence Re: Criticism of Red Cross Efforts During World War II, 1979 September 26

24.  Newspaper Clippings, 1971-2005

25.  Newspaper Clippings,  2008-2011

26.  Guidelines for Managing Historical Documents and Objects, 2002 May

Series II: Visual Materials

27.  Photograph, Red Cross Serviceman, circa 1918

28.  Photograph of Court House, Salisbury, MD, circa 1950

29.  Photographs Relief Work, Community Outreach, Annual Meetings, Fundraisers, Holiday Parties, 1994-2000

30-31. Photographs, Relief Work, Community Outreach and Training, Fundraisers, Annual Meetings, 2001-2003

32-33. Photographs, Christmas Parades, Katrina Aid, Relief Work, Community Outreach, Volunteer Picnic and Meetings, 2004-2009

34. Booklet, Defining Moments in History, 1881-2006

 

Series III: Oversize Material

1.      Certificate of Appreciation from the British Embassy, 1945

2.      Charter Certificate for Worchester County, 1918 April 22

3.      Re-charter Certificate for the Lower Shore Chapter, 1984 January 1

4.      Re-charter Certificate for the Lower Shore Chapter, 1994 October 30

5.      “Join the Red Cross” Poster, undated

6.      National Convention Poster, 1921

Artifacts

See Nabb Center Staff

Attachments

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