1893-1931
Guide to the Collection
Restrictions on Access
The bulk of the Mayflower Club records, except for oversize materials, is stored offsite and must be requested at least two business days in advance via Portal1791. Researchers needing more than six items from offsite storage should provide additional advance notice. If you have questions about requesting materials from offsite storage, please contact the reference desk at 617-646-0532 or reference@masshist.org.
Abstract
This collection consists of the records of the Mayflower Club of Boston, Massachusetts, a private women's club founded in 1893 to provide a place in a central location in Boston where members could find comfortable rooms, a place for reading and writing, and a restaurant for lunch.
Historical Sketch
The Mayflower Club of Boston, Massachusetts, was founded in 1893 and officially incorporated in 1924. Members had to be nominated and recommended by at least two current members and were often from prominent families. Daughters were often also members alongside or succeeding their mothers. The Mayflower Club eventually closed in 1931 due to financial difficulties.
Collection Description
The Mayflower Club records, 1893-1931, include meeting minutes; correspondence between officers and members regarding RSVP notifications, resignations, and nominations for membership; papers related to the leasing and upkeep of the facilities; reports of the secretary, Board of Government (sometimes referred to as the Board of Governors), and president; membership lists and records; printed leaflets of officers and rules; a visitors' sign-in book (1895); and records related to the club's incorporation in 1924.
Corresponding officers of the club included Jennie L. Motley, Lucy Lowell, Katharine P. Loring, and Elizabeth Cabot. Among the individuals with single letters in the collection are Helen H. Taft, Edward E. Hale, Charles W. Eliot, Frederick H. Gillett, and Lois L. Howe.
Processing Information
This collection was partially processed in May 2003 by Michael Rush and an inventory created in April 2004 by Michael Rush.
The majority of the volumes in this collection have been intellectually integrated into their respective series but have retained their physical location in Cartons 3 and 4.
Acquisition Information
Gift of the Mayflower Club, June 1933.
Restrictions on Access
The bulk of the Mayflower Club records, except for oversize materials, is stored offsite and must be requested at least two business days in advance via Portal1791. Researchers needing more than six items from offsite storage should provide additional advance notice. If you have questions about requesting materials from offsite storage, please contact the reference desk at 617-646-0532 or reference@masshist.org.
Detailed Description of the Collection
I. Administrative records, 1893-1931
Series I contains administrative records of the Mayflower Club, comprised of both Board of Government records and financial papers.
A. Board of Government records, 1893-1931
This subseries contains records from the club's Board of Government, including meeting minutes and election materials such as ballots and lists of officers; notices of special meetings outside of usual times; reports from club officers, primarily the president; bylaws and amendments; and materials from the club's House Committee.
Reports, 1883, 1894, 1910
Reports of the Board of Government, 27 March 1893-7 December 1899
Secretary's reports on the Board of Government, March 1893-24 April 1901
Special meetings, 1898-1931
Records (Board of Government), 3 January 1900-4 December 1901
Secretary's reports on the meetings of the Board of Government, 1901
Meeting minutes and elections, 1902-1931
Meeting minutes and ballots, undated
Records of the Board of Government, 1902, 1908
Board of Governors, 1909-1915
Board of Governors, 1916-1926
Board of Governors, 1926-1931
Bylaws and amendments, undated
House Committee, undated
B. Financial papers, 1866-1932
The club's financial papers include two treasurer's reports; audit materials; declarations of trust; receipts and bookkeeping; member-related financial and fundraising materials; materials related to the club's 1924 incorporation; and property materials such as those related to insurance, utilities, maintenance, and indentures. Receipts include those for tableware used in the club's restaurant and dining rooms. Member-related financial materials include dues paid, as well as special occasion fundraising such as Christmas gift contributions.
Treasurers' reports 1893, 1923
Audits, 1898, 1923
Indentures and property documents, 1905, 1910, 1918
Declarations of trust, [1910]
Insurance, utilities, and building, 1911-1931, undated
Receipts and bookkeeping, 1913-1921
Member-related financial and fundraising, 1924-1925, undated
Incorporation, 1924, 1931
Corporate records, 1924
Blueprints, undated
II. Correspondence, 1893-1930, undated
Series II contains correspondence primarily between club members and officers. Correspondence is often short notes notifying the club that the member will accept or decline event invitations, or will or will not be able to make it to a club meeting. Longer letters include nominations for new members absent official paperwork, as well as resignations from the club for various reasons. Some correspondence is between club officers and other clubs and organizations, or with other individuals such as financial funders of the club. A large amount of the correspondence is undated.
Dated correspondence, 1893-1930
Undated correspondence
III. Membership records, 1901-1929, undated
Series III contains records related to membership, including announcements to members about club rules and regulations; outreach materials; applications for membership; member lists; member cards, either for full-time members or temporary ones; and guest passes. A number of blank passes, cards, and tickets are also included. Members could bring guests to dine at the club's restaurant, and many (excluding daughters) needed tickets. Women could also be honorary club members if they lived too far away to take advantage of the club on a regular basis or were only living in Boston for a discrete period of time. The club also extended invitations to members of similar clubs in other American cities, as well as overseas in London, and offered honorary memberships to women whose husbands were stationed in Boston as naval officers during World War I. This series also contains seven membership-related volumes.
Address book, 1893-1894
Member book, 1893
Visitor's book, 1895
Membership book, 1896-1903
Membership book, 1905-1910
Secretary's book, 1897-1925
Book of member information kept by the club's secretary.
Announcements to members, 1901-1929
Lucy Lowell letter register, 10 March 1902-29 November 1905
Letter register of outgoing and incoming correspondence kept by Lucy Lowell, the assistant secretary to the club.
Librarian's book, 1908
Unfinished list of books possibly held in a library at the Club.
Member miscellaneous, 1910, undated
Member correspondence books, 1910, 1914
Two volumes denoting correspondence of members by name, including resignations, nominations of new members, etc.
Class booklets, 1914-1915, 1923-1926
Two booklets, the first titled "Mrs. Ward's Class" and the second "Mrs. Avery's Class, 1923-1924." Entries made include fees received and names of participants and guests with tickets sent.
New, deceased, and resigning members, 1924-1925
Booklet of new members, member deaths, and member resignations.
Member lists, post-1925, [1927], undated
Outreach and reciprocity, 1927, undated
House rules, undated
Announcement cards, undated
Applications for guest passes, 1910s-1920s
Elections and invitations, 1910s-1920s
Applications for admission, 1910s-1920s
Passes, cards, and tickets - blank, undated
Member card file, undated
Alphabetized card file of club members.
IV. Printed, ephemera, and photographs, undated
Series IV contains a small amount of printed material, ephemera, and photographs.
Printed and ephemera, undated
Photographs, undated
Preferred Citation
Mayflower Club records, Massachusetts Historical Society.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.