Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Use Restrictions

THE CASE FILES, 1891-1957 (SERIES III) ARE RESTRICTED FOR 75 YEARS FROM THE DATE WHEN THE FILE WAS CLOSED. ANNUALLY CASE FILES WILL BECOME UNRESTRICTED AS THE 75-YEAR TIME PERIOD PASSES. NAMES OF THE CHILDREN CONTAINED WITHIN THE CASE FILES WILL NOT BE MADE AVAILABLE UNTIL THEIR FILES ARE OPEN. THE ONLY EXCEPTION TO THE 75-YEAR DATE RESTRICTION IS FOR INDIVIDUALS WHOSE FILES ARE CONTAINED IN THE COLLECTION. PROPER IDENTIFICATION MUST BE PRESENTED IN THOSE CASES BY THE INDIVIDUAL SEEKING TO VIEW THEIR FILES.

Preferred Citation

Memorial Foundation for Children. Records, 1811-2006 (bulk 1926-1999). Accession 42432, Organization records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Gift of the Memorial Foundation for Children, 2006 (Accession 42432).

Gift of the Memorial Foundation for Children, through Mrs. Edwin Cox, 1966 (Accession 26532).

Biographical/Historical Information

According to several written histories, the story of the Memorial Foundation for Children of Richmond began in 1805 when a young homeless girl presented herself at the door of Mrs. Jean Moncure Wood, wife of Governor James E. Wood. Realizing the lack of shelter for homeless children in the city, Mrs. Wood decided to find a way to create a refuge for homeless girls. With the help of Mrs. Philip Norborne Nicholas, Mrs. Edward J. Carrington, and Mrs John Bell, among others, the Female Humane Association was formed in 1807 for "...the relief and comfort of distressed females, and for the maintenance and instruction of destitute white female children residing in the City of Richmond." Initially the society was formed to care for adult women and children, but soon decided to focus all of its efforts on aiding needy children.

In 1810 Major William Duval offered the Association two lots to build a home and the Female Humane Association of the City of Richmond was incorporated by Act of the General Assembly of Virginia on 8 January 1811. In 1813 the first home was built on the corner of St. John's and Charity Streets in Richmond. The organization solicited members and money to expand their organization and housed a number of full time and day boarders. In 1841 the Association received large bequests from the Amicable Society and the estate of Edmund Walls. The Amicable Society, which had been founded in 1788 to relieve strangers in distress, donated more than half its investment to the Association. The estate of Edmund Walls also gave a generous bequest to construct a new building. A new house was built on the corner of Seventh and Leigh Streets and opened May 1843. The Association prospered and had fifty girls living there. Some of the girls were bound out or indentured and some of the younger ones were adopted. The home continued operations during the Civil War and by 1878 the building was enlarged and held seventy-three girls.

On 3 September 1892 a fire broke out at the building and temporary shelter was found for the children at the Eustace-Grant house on Twelfth street. In 1916 Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Nolting loaned the Association money to purchase a farmhouse and several adjoining acres at the north side of the city. The organization soon outgrew the farmhouse and in 1923 a new building was constructed, a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frederic William Scott, as a memorial to Mrs. Scott's mother, Mary Cameron Buford. In 1921 the name, Female Humane Association, was changed to Memorial Home for Girls. In 1922 the school received the first license issued in Virginia to a child-care institution by the Department of Welfare and Institutions. The Memorial Home continued to provide a home for children, along with an education and training to find positions in the outside world.

During the 1920's and 1930's the trend of welfare work was to do away with private homes, substituting state-run institutions, and placing children in private boarding homes. There was a decline in the number of applicants for the Memorial Home for Girls and yet an increase in serious behavioral problems of the children in the home. After a study of the Memorial Home and the needs of society by Dr. Esther Loring Richards of the Phipps Clinic of John Hopkins University, the organization made some radical changes. The Memorial Home for Girls began specializing in the treatment of emotionally disturbed girls and boys in a residential unit and day-care treatment center. The home also worked closely with the Children's Memorial Clinic, an organization founded by Richmond residents and funded by the Community Fund of New York. The Memorial Home provided residence for the children, while the Clinic provided clinical services. In 1946 the Children's Memorial Clinic expanded to accept adults and changed its name to the Memorial Guidance Clinic. Also in 1946 the Memorial Home for Girls was renamed the Memorial Foundation. The two organizations worked closely together to provide guidance and psychological services to the maladjusted children (admitting boys in 1946). The children at the Foundation came to the home because they needed treatment for the various problems, anxieites, and emotional injuries. Both the Clinic and the Foundation resided on the same land given by the Scotts. In 1961 the Foundation built a home for children needing day care.

In 1962 the Memorial Foundation changed its name to Memorial Foundation for Children to mark a clearer distinction between the Clinic and the Foundation. Again, the organization decided to redefine the roles of the Foundation and Clinic programs. A recommendation was made by Dr. Reginald Lourie, Director of the Department of Psychiatry at the Children's Hospital in Washington, D.C., that the residential program be closed and the Foundation focus on the Day Care Center and psychiatric care. In 1967 the residential program was closed and the Day Care Center was made available to the Richmond Public Schools for special programming. The Foundation funded the cost of special education programs held by the Richmond Public Schools at the Day Care Center until 1970, when it was decided that the City of Richmond should finance its own special education programs.

In 1970 new tax laws were established which made the Foundation no longer a tax exempt orgainzation. Instead of becoming a public institution, the Foundation chose to remain private and make yet another radical operating change. In 1972 the Foundation decided to change from an operating organization to one providing financial aid to other charitable groups. Since 1972 the Memorial Foundation for Children has increased the number of tax-exempt organizations it has been able to help. Financial assistance continues to be given to projects appropriate to the Foundation's interest for the well being of children in the Richmond area. Members of the Grants Committee are changed each year and in 1998 the Board voted to employ a grants coordinator. The Memorial Foundation for Children recently celebrated its 201st Anniversary and continues to provide grants and financial aid to local charitable groups.

For further information on the history of the organizations, please consult Series II: Administrative Records. Several published pamphlets, notes, and a masters thesis further document the history of the organization.

Scope and Content

Records, 1811-2006, of the Memorial Foundation for Children of Richmond, Virginia. Includes admittance books, annual reports, case files, charters, clippings, constitutions and bylaws, contracts, correspondence, grant files, histories, minutes, photographs, reports, and scrapbooks documenting the history of the organization. The papers are organized into three series. Series have been designated for: Series I. Grant files; Series II. Administrative records; and Series III. Case files. The records document the organizations role in supporting and helping needy children in Richmond for over 200 years.

SERIES I: GRANT FILES, 1993-1999

The Grant files are housed in 21 boxes and arranged chronologically by year and then alphabetically by the organization's name. Included are annual reports, board rosters, clippings, correspondence, financial statements, grant forms, newsletters, notes, reports, and tax information. This series includes information on grants extended by the Memorial Foundation for Children Grants Committee to local non-profit charitable organizations focusing on children and teen programs, mainly in the Richmond area.

Types of programs include anti-drug counseling, self esteem issues, race relations, training for child care providers, financial aid, after school programs, health issues, efforts to help single parents and at risk children, etc. At the end of the grant term the organizations were required to submit a grant summary report detailing the use of the funds. These reports are included and are very informative. The folders also often included notes on previous grants approved by the council. Grants were issued no more than 2 years in a row to an organization. Letters are included accepting or rejecting the grant applications.

The Grants Committee supported numerous organizations such as: American Red Cross, Arts Council of Richmond, Bon Secours, Boys and Girls Club of Richmond, Children's Hospital, Children's Museum of Richmond, Coal Pitt Learning Center, Downtown Presents, Family and Children's Services, Garfield F. Childs Memorial Fund, Goochland Family and Fellowship Services, Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, Robert E. Lee School, Math and Science Center Foundation, MCV Arts in the Hospital, Memorial Child Guidance Clinic, Mary Munford Elementary School, Prevent Blindness Virginia, Richmond Symphony, Theatre IV, Virginia Historical Society, Virginia Opera, and the Richmond YMCA.

SERIES II: ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS, 1811-2006

The Administrative records are housed in 20 boxes and arranged alphabetically by folder title. Included are accounts, admittance books, budgets, charters, clippings, constitutions and bylaws, contracts, correspondence, histories, insurance policies, minutes, photographs, reports, and scrapbooks documenting the history of the Memorial Foundation for Children.

Of note is a copy of Virginia House Bill No. 33, An Act of Incorporation for the Female Humane Society, establishing the organization on 8 January 1811. Also of note are charter amendments, 1874-1924, copies of the bylaws and constitution, 1811-2001, and minutes, 1871-1992. Numerous histories were written about the organization including, "A Brief History of the Memorial Foundation of Richmond, Virginia, 1805-1954," thesis written by Marymor Sanborn for William and Mary College; "Memorial Foundation for Children, 1805-1965," by Virginia Cox; and "A History of the Memorial Foundation for Children, 1805-2005," edited by Mrs. William G. Ellyson.

The admittance books, 1850-1966, contain names of children, date admitted and discharged, age, parents names, and notes whether they were discharged, adopted, or bound out. Also included are two apprentice forms, 1829 and 1900, for children bound. Names of children admitted can also be found in the minute books. These records are protected by confidentiality rules and use of the records must follow the restrictions noted in the Library of Virginia Research Agreement form. The case files, 1891-1957, contain more complete files on children who resided at the home but these are closed for 75 years from the last date on the file.

Financial records include account books, 1858-1891, and 1936-1965, documenting dues collected, salaries paid, stock interest, taxes, and utilities; budgets, 1956-1970; cash receipt sheets, 1967; list of securities, 1900-1919; reports on audit, 1931-1941; statement of accounts, 1931-1941; taxes, 1966-1967; and endowment funds, 1841-1971. The endowment funds files include information on bequeaths left to the Memorial Foundation by the estates of William Barrett, Elizabeth W. Fry (d. 1895), Ann Hubbard (d. 1867), Fannie R. Pollard (d. 1949), Mann S. Valentine (1786-1865), and Edmund Walls (d. 1841). Also included is information regarding grants by the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation, 1959-1970.

Included is correspondence, 1971-1975, with Collins Denny III, a lawyer with Mays, Valentine, Davenport & Moore, regarding the changes in tax status and the decision by the foundation to remain a private organization. Other correspondence includes letters of recommendations for employees, 1964-1966; agreements and correspondence between the Memorial Home for Girls and the Children's Memorial Clinic; and correspondence, 1964-1966, regarding holiday closings of the center. Included in the general correspondence is a letter, 11 May 1867, from B. Sears, agent of the Peabody Educational Fund, regarding a change in funding; letter, 11 December 1875, from H.D. Taliaferro, accepting the position of physician at the institute; letter, 8 September 1892, from the Mutual Assurance Society of Virginia, regarding the fire at the home and damages; and letters, 1895, regarding bequeaths to the institute. Includes letters, 1940-1942, from people offering to provide foster homes to the children of the institute, and letters, 1958-1965, regarding charitable contributions by members of the community.

Also included are insurance policies, 1953-1969; report of trustees, 1900-1919; rules for children, 1925; contracts with the Richmond Public Schools, 1967-1971; and claims for the Milk Fund, issued by the National School Lunch and Special Milk Programs, 1963-1966. The Day Care Center records, 1960-1969, include annual reports, financial information, list day care staff, and construction related records. The deeds, 1968-1972, relate to the sale of the buildings by the Memorial Foundation for Children to the Psychiatric Institute of Richmond. Also included are official permits, 1950-1970, to establish a kitchen and day care; payroll records, 1964-1968; A Personal and Procedural Survey of Memorial Foundation by Dr. Reginald S. Lourie, 1954; and property and building expenses, 1922-1972. In 1965 the Foundation sponsored an train to the Preakness Race in Baltimore, Maryland, proceeds donated to the Foundation. Included is correspondence, report, brochures, advertisement, and financial papers relating to the charity event. Also included is a list of Board of Directors and Presidents of the Memorial Foundation for Children 1805 to 2006.

Photographs, 1925-2000, include images of children, teachers, and buildings. Included are numerous identified photographs of children, c. 1964-1965, containing age, date entered residence, and date of photograph. More of these images can be found in the scrapbook, c. 1958-1959. Also included are images of children during special events such as birthday parties, Easter, and Christmas, and a photograph album from the 1960's. Some of the earlier images, c. 1925-1940 include group photographs of the children at a picnic and in front of a school building. Included are photographs of the interior and exterior of the home c. 1940 and photographs of the main building, interior, farm house, day care, and George Cottage taken in 2003. Also includes two scrapbooks: One scrapbook, c. 1958-1959, contains photographs of children at the home, many of which are identified. Similar images can be found in the loose photographs, c. 1965-1965. The second scrapbook, c. 1960, regards autism in children. Oversize photographs include a group of girls, ca. 1930, and two photographs of a group of boys at the work shop, c. 1930.

SERIES III: CASE FILES, 1891-1957

The Case files are housed in 34 boxes and are arranged chronologically by the year the file becomes available to the public and then alphabetically by last name. All of the files are restricted for 75 years after the case closing date. As the cases are opened, the names of the children will be made available. Included are admission applications, medical records, family histories, psychological evaluations, photographs, birth certificates, school records, correspondence, and case worker notes. The case files include very detailed personal information on the childs family, mental abilities, and physical health, and should be treated in a confidential manner.

The admission applications contain genealogical information including parent and relatives names, birth dates, reasons for placing the child in the home, school record, mental ability, physical condition, family background, and date the child left the home. Included are medical records and notes from physical examinations of the children, sometimes including photographs of the child in the doctors office, and examination certificates from the Richmond Tuberculosis Association. Often a copy of the childs birth certificate is also included. Includes psychological summaries, exams and reports, including test results from the Stanford Revision Binet-Simon Tests. A summary of the childs background, developmental story, medical examination, and notes by the case worker is included. The most informative record can be found in the Child's Personal Record. The Child's Personal Record includes detailed information on the supervision and development of the child, indicating notes on the initial visit with the child, placement of the child in the home, history of the child, date returned home, and visits to the family after the child has returned home. Often sisters were admitted to the home together and files relating to the sisters are intermingled. It is therefore necessary to check all the files relating to the family to obtain all information on the child.

Included is correspondence from parents, children, physicians, case workers, judges, and other institutions. Many of the children were recommended to the Home from various institutions such as the Children's Home Society of Virginia, Children's Aid Society of Richmond, Children's Memorial Clinic, and the Department of Public Welfare. Correspondence is included from the children while in the Home asking for leave or while on vacation. Also included are letters from the girls after they left the home requesting letters of recommendation or including wedding invitations and birth announcements. Some girls ran away and included are letters with sheriffs in other cities/states regarding the capture of the runaways. Included is correspondence with the parents regarding finances and care for their children. Some case files include letters from the Home Superintendent regarding the family situation and suggestions as how to improve their family life. School records include report cards and graduation certificates.

The Scrapbook contains records similar to the case files and in some cases information can be found in both the case files and the scrapbook. Instances where additional information can be found in the scrapbook is marked by an asterisk on the list of children's names. The scrapbooks include correspondence, photographs, physician certificates and notes, court orders, applications, and notes. Of note are photographs of the girls when they entered the home and corresponding photographs of when they left the home. The scrapbook contains a full name index. Closed until 2007.

Arrangement

Arranged into three series: Series I. Grant files, 1993-2001; Series II. Administrative records, 1811-2005; Series III. Case files, 1891-1957.