MS-007

MS-7

 

PIQUA CHAPTER OF THE AMERICAN RED CROSS COLLECTION

 

INTRODUCTION

 

The American Red Cross is a charitable volunteer organization that offers a variety of beneficial humanitarian services to the public.  The records of the Piqua Chapter of the American Red Cross were accessioned into the Flesh Public Library Archives and Special Collections on February 13, 1986.  They were donated by the Piqua Red Cross Board of Directors who passed the following resolution on February 6, 1986:

 

The Piqua Chapter, American Red Cross Board donates Piqua Red Cross minutes, records and reports from 1917 to 1966 to the Flesh Public Library Archives.  Any records that might intrude on individual privacy would be retained by the Piqua Red Cross Chapter.

 

The collection fills nine Hollinger boxes with 236 file folders.  The record collection covers the years from 1917 until 1985.  There are no restrictions on the use of this collection.

 

SCOPE AND CONTENTS

 

The Piqua Chapter of the American Red Cross Collection is divided into nine series:  Photographs, Administration, Financial, Volunteer Services, Newsletters, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam, and Scrapbooks.

 

SERIES I:  PHOTOGRAPHS

 

The series Photographs contains twelve file folders of unbound photographs ranging from 1942 until 1982.  Missing are photos dating from 1944, 1947, 1953, 1955, 1958-1960, 1962, 1970-1973, and 1976-1981.  Also many of the photos are undated.  One subject of the photos is chapter owned and operated automobiles used for Red Cross business.  Others are various scenes from the Blood Program, Disaster Corps, First Aid Training, Home Nursing Class, National Red Cross Conventions, Nurses’ Aides, Service Men, Social Functions, and Water and Hunter Safety programs.  There are also scenes of Red Cross parade exhibits and various Red Cross window displays.  Finally there are photographs of many assorted groups and individuals associated with the Red Cross.

 

SERIES II:  ADMINISTRATION

 

Administration contains thirty-nine file folders of unbound administrative records.  One of these files contains various items that explain the administrative structure, organization and polity of the Red Cross. 

Thirty-one file folders contain the organizational minutes that are records of the proceedings at various meetings of the Piqua Chapter of the American Red Cross.  They are, therefore very diverse in content.  There is a complete range of them from 1917 until 1922 and from 1931 until 1972.  Those from 1923 until 1930 are missing.  The organization many not have been active during this period of time.  There are occasional listings of committee members as well as some records of various financial transactions. 

Five file folders contain membership and officer lists. The dates are 1917 and 1943-1976.  Two file folders contain administrative matter relating the Piqua Chapter of the American Red Cross to its district and the national association.  Items in this section date from 1950 to 1976.  This section also includes assorted campaign advertising memorabilia done on a national scale.

 

SERIES III:  FINANCIAL

 

Financial contains eighty-four file folders containing financial records of the Piqua Chapter for the years 1943 to 1976.  Twenty-nine of these contain assorted financial reports and audits.  Thirty of the eighty-four files deal exclusively with the Red Cross fund raising campaigns.  1971 is the only year missing; however, there are some undated records.  Out of these thirty, eight focus upon special fund raising efforts during World War II.  These range from 1942 until 1949.

Four files under the financial series contain ledgers, two of which are unbound.  Together these legers date from 1943 to 1973.  They basically record banking and cash flow.  The next eighteen folders contain insurance and automobile records from the years 1949 until 1973.  Years missing are 1951, 1954-1955, and 1958-1959.  In general this section contains automobile and fire insurance policies, and automobile repair and maintenance records for the chapter’s car.  Two folders in the series contain the chapter’s budget records from 1944 until 1962.  Finally one folder in this series contains the chapter’s investment records of 1945, 1956, 1964, and 1971.  These roughly include some stock certificates and market reports.  Bequest records are also included in this file from cases where the proceeds of the bequest were invested in stocks or mutual funds.

 

SERIES IV:  VOLUNTEER SERVICES

 

Volunteer Services contains thirty-four file folders containing records of the activities of the various services of the Piqua Chapter from 1948 to 1973 (earlier records of these are filed under World War II).  Twenty-four of these contain the records of the chapter’s Blood Program from 1949 to 1973.  These files contain extensive list of blood donors and in some cases records of recipients.  Also among these records are various types of reports and financial records related to the activities of the Blood Program.

There is one file in this series containing records of the activities of the chapter’s Canteen in 1970.  One file contains the records of the Disaster Corps in 1948, 1966, and 1974.  One file contains the records of Entertainment and Instruction Corps from 1949 to 1953.  Two files contain the records of the First Aid, Water Safety and Accident Prevention Corps From 1949 to 1976.  This section contains extensive records of participants in the water safety programs.  One file contains the records of the Home Services Corps from 1948 to 1958.  One file contains the records of the Junior Red Cross from 1949 to 1956.  One file contains the records of the Nursing Corps from 1942 to 1951 and from 1970 to 1971.  Finally, one file contains the reports of the administrative body over the entire Piqua Volunteer Services area dating from 1948 to 1971.  Most records in this series list names.

 

SERIES V:  NEWSLETTERS

 

The newsletters Category consists of one file folder of newsletters released by the Piqua Chapter at various dates between 1966 and 1976.  These newsletters contain a variety of information dealing with the activities of the local chapter including the occasional mention of names and activities of various volunteers.

 

SERIES VI:  WORLD WAR II

 

World War II contains all of the collection’s records, except the major financial ones, dating from the era of World War II, 1942-1948.  Many of these records are like those already described above under Series IV, Volunteer Services, with the stated exception that they deal with the war years.  Like Volunteer Services this section contains a file on the Blood Program )1943-1945); one on the Canteen Corps (1944-1946); one on Disaster Relief (1945-1948); one on First Aid, Water Safety and Accident Prevention (1942-1947); one on Home Services (1943-1948); one on the Junior Red Cross (1945-1948); and one on Volunteer Services reports (1943-1949).

In addition to these records this series also includes a file of the records of the Camp and Hospital council dating from 1942 to 1947.  It includes one file of correspondence between the Piqua Chapter and servicemen from the Piqua area dating from 1942 to 1945, and from 1948.  It includes two copies of a historical record released by the American Red Cross that explains the historical activities of the American Red Cross during the Second World War.  These volumes were published in 1946.  It includes one file of records from the Motor Corps dating from 1944 to 1945.  It includes one file from the Nutrition Corps, 1943-1945.  It includes three files of records and newsletters about P.O.W.’s of World War II. An article in one of these papers gives the names and locations of the various German prison Camps during the war.  It includes one file of records from the Production Corps 1944-1946.  It includes one file of records from the Staff Assistance Corps, 1942-1946.  It includes one file of reports of a troop train wreck that occurred in Piqua in 1945.  These records date from 1945, and 1948.  Finally, it includes a file on war brides dating from 1947.  Many of the records in this series list the names of specific individuals involved with the given subject matter. 

 

SERIES VII:  KOREAN WAR

 

Korean War contains only one document about the Red Cross activity during the Korean War.  It is a file containing a letter from a G.I. to the Piqua Chapter that discusses the war and the Red Cross activity at that time.  It dates from the years 1950-1953.

 

SERIES VIII:  VIETNAM

 

Vietnam contains one file of reports, articles, correspondence, and newsletters related to the Red Cross activities in relationship to the Vietnam conflict.  The materials date from 1965 to 1968.

 

SERIES IX:  SCRAPBOOKS

 

The series Scrapbooks consists of forty-four files containing the contents of various scrapbooks compiled by the Piqua Chapter of the American Red Cross dating from 1937 to 1983 and from 1985.  The bulk of this series is photo copies of newspaper articles about all facets of the life of the Piqua Chapter.

 

CONTAINER LISTING

 

SERIES I:  PHOTOGRAPHS

 

BOX 1

 

File

          1        Automobiles of the Chapter 1950, 1952, 1956

          2        Blood Program 1948, 1951, 1952, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1982, and Undated

          3        Disaster Corps 1966 and undated

          4        First Aid 1966 and undated

          5        Home Nursing Class 1949

          6        Miscellaneous Groups and Individuals 1951, 1952, 1954, 1963, 1974, and undated

          7        National Conventions 1946, 1949

          8        Nurses’ Aides 1942, 1945, 1948, 1950, 1952, 1961, and Undated

          9        Promotions, Parades, and Window Displays 1943, 1948, 1965, 1969,  and undated

          10      Service Men 1943, 1949, 1950 1957, 1966-1968, 1975, and undated

          11      Social Functions – undated

          12      Water Safety and Accident Prevention 1957, 1961, 1963, 1965, and undated

          13      Photocopies of photographs and newspaper clippings.

 

SERIES II:  ADMINISTRATION

 

BOX 1A

 

File

          1        Organizational Structure 1948 and following

          2        Minutes – 1917-1923, 1930-1943

                   Minutes – 1924-1929 are not part of the collection

          3        Minutes – 1943

          4        Minutes – 1944

          5        Minutes – 1945

          6        Minutes – 1946

          7        Minutes – 1947

 

BOX 2

 

File

          1        Minutes – 1948

          2        Minutes – 1949

          3        Minutes – 1950

          4        Minutes – 1951

          5        Minutes – 1952

          6        Minutes – 1953

          7        Minutes – 1954

          8        Minutes – 1955

          9        Minutes – 1956

          10      Minutes – 1957

          11      Minutes – 1958

          12      Minutes – 1959

          13      Minutes – 1960

          14      Minutes – 1961

          15      Minutes – 1962

          16      Minutes – 1963

          17      Minutes – 1964

          18      Minutes – 1965

          19      Minutes – 1966

          20      Minutes – 1967

          21      Minutes – 1968

          22      Minutes – 1969

          23      Minutes – 1970

          24      Minutes – 1971

          25      Minutes – 1972

          26      Membership and Officers Lists – 1917-1947

          27      Membership and Officers Lists – 1948-1953

          28      Membership and Officers Lists – 1954-1963

          29      Membership and Officers Lists – 1964-1969

          30      Membership and Officers Lists –1970-1976

          31      National and District – 1950-1967

          32      National and District 1968-1976

 

SERIES III:  FINANCIAL

 

BOX 3

 

File

          1        Reports and Audits – 1943

          2        Reports and Audits – 1944

          3        Reports and Audits – 1945

          4        Reports and Audits – 1946

          5        Reports and Audits – 1947

          6        Reports and Audits – 1948

          7        Reports and Audits – 1949

          8        Reports and Audits – 1950

          9        Reports and Audits – 1951

          10      Reports and Audits – 1952

          11      Reports and Audits – 1953

          12      Reports and Audits – 1954

          13      Reports and Audits – 1955

          14      Reports and Audits – 1956

          15      Reports and Audits – 1957

          16      Reports and Audits – 1958

          17      Reports and Audits – 1959

          18      Reports and Audits – 1960

          19      Reports and Audits – 1961

          20      Reports and Audits – 1962

          21      Reports and Audits – 1963

          22      Reports and Audits – 1964

                    Reports and Audits – 1965-1966 are not part of the collection

          23      Reports and Audits – 1967

          24      Reports and Audits – 1968

          25      Reports and Audits – 1969

          26      Reports and Audits – 1970

          27      Reports and Audits – 1971

          28      Reports and Audits – 1972

                   Reports and Audits – 1973-1975 are not part of the collection

          29      Reports and Audits – 1976

          30      Campaigns (War Fund) – 1942

          31      Campaigns (War Fund) – 1943

          32      Campaigns (War Fund) – 1944

          33      Campaigns (War Fund) – 1945

          34      Campaigns (War Fund) – 1946

          35      Campaigns (War Fund) – 1947

          36      Campaigns (War Fund) – 1948

          37      Campaigns (War Fund) – 1949

 

BOX 4

 

File

          1        Campaigns – 1950

          2        Campaigns – 1951

          3        Campaigns – 1952

          4        Campaigns – 1953

          5        Campaigns – 1954

          6        Campaigns – 1955

          7        Campaigns – 1956

          8        Campaigns – 1957

          9        Campaigns – 1958

          10      Campaigns – 1959

          11      Campaigns – 1960

          12      Campaigns – 1961

          13      Campaigns – 1962

          14      Campaigns – 1963

          15      Campaigns – 1964

          16      Campaigns – 1965

          17      Campaigns – 1966

          18      Campaigns – 1967

          19      Campaigns – 1968

          20      Campaigns – 1969

          21      Campaigns – 1970

                   Campaigns – 1971 is not part of the collection.

          22      Campaigns – 1972

          23      Leger – 1943-1962

          24      Leger – 1957-1965

          25      Leger – 1944-1947

          26      Leger – 1956-1964

 

BOX 5

 

File

          1        Leger – 1964, 1965, 1966

          2        Leger – 1969-1973

          3        Insurance and Automobile – 1949

          4        Insurance and Automobile – 1950

                   Insurance and Automobile – 1951 is not part of the collection.

          5        Insurance and Automobile – 1952

          6        Insurance and Automobile – 1953

                   Insurance and Automobile – 1954-1955 is not part of the collection

          7        Insurance and Automobile – 1956

          8        Insurance and Automobile – 1957, 1960

                   Insurance and Automobile – 1958-1959 is not part of the collection

          9        Insurance and Automobile – 1961, 1962

          10      Insurance and Automobile – 1963

          11      Insurance and Automobile – 1964

          12      Insurance and Automobile – 1965

          13      Insurance and Automobile – 1966

          14      Insurance and Automobile – 1967

          15      Insurance and Automobile – 1968

          16      Insurance and Automobile – 1969

          17      Insurance and Automobile – 1970

          18      Insurance and Automobile – 1971

          19      Insurance and Automobile – 1972

          20      Insurance and Automobile – 1973 (and undated materials)

          21      Budgets – 1944-1950

          22      Budgets – 1951-1962

          23      Investments – 1945, 1956, 1964-1971

 

SERIES IV:  VOLUNTEER SERVICES

 

BOX 5 – continued

 

File

          24      Blood Program – 1949

          25      Blood Program – 1950

          26      Blood Program – 1951

          27      Blood Program – 1952

          28      Blood Program – 1953

          29      Blood Program – 1954

          30      Blood Program – 1955

          31      Blood Program – 1956

          32      Blood Program – 1957

          33      Blood Program – 1958

          34      Blood Program – 1959

          35      Blood Program – 1960

          36      Blood Program – 1961

          37      Blood Program – 1962

 

BOX 6

 

File

          1        Blood Program – 1963

          2        Blood Program – 1964

          3        Blood Program – 1965

          4        Blood Program – 1966

          5        Blood Program – 1967

          6        Blood Program – 1968

          7        Blood Program – 1969

          8        Blood Program – 1970

          9        Blood Program – 1971

          10      Blood Program – 1972

 

BOX 7

 

File

          1        Blood Program – 1973

          2        Canteen – 1970

          3        Disaster Relief – 1948, 1966, 1974

          4        Entertainment and Instruction – 1949-1953

          5        First Aid, Water Safety and Accident Prevention – 1949-1971

          6        First Aid, Water Safety and Accident Prevention – 1972-1976

          7        Home Services – 1948-1958

          8        Junior Red Cross – 1949-1956

          9        Nursing – 1942-1951, 1970-1971

          10      Reports – 1948-1971

 

SERIES V:  NEWSLETTERS

 

BOX 7 – continued

 

File

          11      Newsletters – 1966-1976

 

SERIES VI:  WORLD WAR II

 

BOX 7 – continued

 

File

          12      Blood Program – 1943-1945

          13      Camp and Hospital Council – 1942-1947

          14      Correspondence – 1942-1945, 1948

          15      Canteen Corps – 1944-1946

          16      Disaster Relief Committees – 1945-1948

          17      First Aid, Water Safety and Accident Prevention – 1942-1947

          18      Historical Record (copy 1) – 1946

          19      Historical Record (copy 2) – 1946

          20      Home Services 1943-1948

          21      Junior Red Cross – 1945-1948

          22      Motor Corps – 1944-1945

          23      Nutrition – 1943-1945

          24      P.O.W.s – 1943

          25      P.O.W.s – 1944

 

BOX 8

 

File

          1        P.O.W.s – 1945

          2        Production Corps – 1944-1946

          3        Staff Assistance Corps – 1942-1946

          4        Troop Train Wreck – Piqua 1945 (1948)

          5        Volunteer Services Reports – 1943-1949

          6        War Brides – 1947

 

SERIES VII:  KOREAN WAR

 

BOX 8 – continued

 

File

          7        Korean War – c. 1950-1953

 

SERIES VIII:  VIETNAM

 

BOX 8 – continued

 

File

          8        Vietnam – 1965-1968

 

SERIES IX:  SCRAPBOOKS

 

BOX 8 – continued

 

File

          9        Scrapbook – 1937

                   Scrapbook – 1938-1941 are not part of the collection

          10      Scrapbook – 1942

          11      Scrapbook – 1943

          12      Scrapbook – 1944

          13      Scrapbook – 1945

          14      Scrapbook – 1946

          15      Scrapbook – 1947

 

BOX 9

 

FILE

          1        Scrapbook – 1948

          2        Scrapbook – 1949

          3        Scrapbook – 1950

          4        Scrapbook – 1951

          5        Scrapbook – 1952

          6        Scrapbook – 1953

          7        Scrapbook – 1954

          8        Scrapbook – 1955

          9        Scrapbook – 1956

          10      Scrapbook – 1957

          11      Scrapbook – 1958

          12      Scrapbook – 1959

          13      Scrapbook – 1960

          14      Scrapbook – 1961

          15      Scrapbook – 1962

          16      Scrapbook – 1963

          17      Scrapbook – 1964

          18      Scrapbook – 1965

          19      Scrapbook – 1966

          20      Scrapbook – 1967

          21      Scrapbook – 1968

          22      Scrapbook – 1969

          23      Scrapbook – 1970

          24      Scrapbook – 1971

          25      Scrapbook – 1972

          26      Scrapbook – 1973

          27      Scrapbook – 1974

          28      Scrapbook – 1975

          29      Scrapbook – 1976

          30      Scrapbook – 1977

          31      Scrapbook – 1978

          32      Scrapbook – 1979

          33      Scrapbook – 1980

          34      Scrapbook – 1981

          35      Scrapbook – 1982

          36      Scrapbook – 1983

          Scrapbook – 1984 is not part of the collection.

          37      Scrapbook – 1984 and undated material