| Creator | New England Home for Little Wanderers |
| Title | The New England Home for Little Wanderers records |
| Dates | 1865-1993 |
| Identification | CC 6 |
| Quantity | 0.5 linear feet (1 manuscript box) |
| Collection Abstract | The records of the New England Home for Little Wanderers(NEHLW), 1865-present, include publications by and about the NEHLW and annual reports. They are arranged in three series. Series I contains the organization's publication, Little Wanderer's Advocate (1865-1993 with large gaps) arranged chronologically. The Advocate contains current news of the organization, donor lists, Board of Managers lists, and short articles on issues related to social work. Annual Reports are contained within certain issues. Series II contains individual Annual Reports of the organization (1878-1993 with large gaps) giving statistical, financial, and auditor's information, arranged chronologically. Series III contains other publications produced by and associated with the organization (1872-1959 with large gaps) arranged chronologically. |
| Historical Abstract | The Baldwin Place Mission and Home for Little Wanderers (originally called the Union Mission) was established in 1865. Through the efforts of its founder, Reverend Russell G. Toles, and ten prominent Boston businessmen, donations of five thousand dollars each were made towards the development of a Home for children. In 1865, the Home for Little Wanderers took on a staff in their North End location and started a publication, Little Wanderer's Advocate. Until 1906, the HLW utilized the railroad system to take children in "orphan trains" out West to be adopted. By 1913, there were five branch offices in New England, with a new main location in Boston; by 1922, 15,000 children had been served. During the 1950s, the NEHLW acquired two homes for girls, Orchard Home and Everett House. |
| Language | Material in English. |
| Location | Collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Archives staff for more information. |
Collection is open.
Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with the College Archivist.
Please contact the College Archivist with requests to publish any material from the collection.
[Identification of item: description and date], The New England Home for Little Wanderers Records, 1865-1993, CC 6, Simmons College Archives, Boston, MA, USA.
Transferred from the Simmons College School of Social Work Library, 1991
Accession number: 1996.047
Processed by Lisa Starzyk-Weldon, November 1996
Supervised by Claire Goodwin
This collection guide was encoded as part of the LEADS project by Rebecca L. Meyer, July 25, 2012.
The Baldwin Place Mission and Home for Little Wanderers (originally called the Union Mission) was established in 1865. Through the efforts of its founder, Reverend Russell G. Toles, and ten prominent Boston businessmen who were "motivated by religious spirit, pragmatism,...outrage at the evils of poverty, by a desire to share the benefits of the thriving postwar economy which lay behind their personal wealth, and by the 'child-saving movement'," donations of $5000.00 each were made towards the development of a Home for children. A Home that would be representative of a "closely knit family"; an alternative to the late 19th century almshouses, orphanages, indentured apprenticeships, asylums or streets.
By September of 1865 two hundred children had been gathered up and one hundred of them placed in families. The Home for Little Wanderers (HLW) took on a staff in their North End location and started a publication, Little Wanderer's Advocate, which was a vehicle to "spread the news of The Home's work, to find families willing to take in children, and to raise money." From its inception until 1906, HLW utilized the railroad system to take children in "orphan trains" out West to be adopted. This was a common practice ("between 1854 and 1929 eastern social agencies sent as many as 150,000 children to preselected towns") and was closely supervised by HLW to insure the safety and well-being of the children.
At the turn of the century the HLW had already undergone changes with a new name (changed to The New England Home for Little Wanderers), and a more modern approach and focus as a social work agency emphasizing psychological evaluation of children and professionalism in the field as opposed to "charity work." In 1913, "branch offices" opened in Pittsfield (MA), Greenfield (MA), Manchester (NH), Waterville (ME), and Bridgeport (CT). A new main location was purchased between the Jamaica Way and South Huntington Avenue, with 15,000 children having been served by 1922. The NEHLW was extremely important to the city's needy children during the Depression and also to 255 British children housed by NEHLW during World War II. New branches were established in Tuftonboro (NH) and Walpole (MA) in the 1940's.
During the 1950's, NEHLW acquired two homes for girls (Orchard Home and Everett House). NEHLW also became well known nationally and internationally with articles about it appearing in magazines, newspapers, and television. A film was produced by the organization to generate interest in it, Trudy and Her Visit to The New England Home for Little Wanderers, and was made available to churches, clubs and other organizations. In 1960, The Friends of The New England Home for Little Wanderers was created to "promote the welfare of The Home by a broad variety of means and to interpret the Home to the community."
From the 1940's to the present NEHLW has increased its services, outreach programs, branch offices, methods and programs to care for children in physical, mental, and social crises by following their 1865 mission "providing 'the best' for children in need."
All information taken from: Roberta Star Hirshson with Clifford W. Falby, There's Always Someone There... The History of The New England Home for Little Wanderers (Roberta Star Hirshson and The New England Home for Little Wanderers, 1989).
The records of the New England Home for Little Wanderers (NEHLW) span from 1865 to present, with the majority of the records falling between September 1935 to April 1956.
The records include publications by and about the NEHLW and annual reports. They are arranged in three series. Series I contains the organization's publication, Little Wanderer's Advocate (1865-1993 with large gaps) arranged chronologically. The Advocate contains current news of the organization, donor lists, Board of Managers lists, and short articles on issues related to social work. Annual Reports are contained within certain issues. Series II contains individual Annual Reports of the organization (1878-1993 with large gaps) giving statistical, financial, and auditor's information, arranged chronologically. Series III contains other publications produced by and associated with the organization (1872-1959 with large gaps) arranged chronologically.
These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.
Arranged into three series:
Part of the School of Social Work Library Charities Collection.
The Little Wanderer's Advocate, regular publication of the New England Home for Little Wanderers (NEHLW), contains current news of the organization, lists of donors, Board of Managers listings, and short articles relating to social work, adoption, and issues of the day. The Constitution of the organization is contained within the first Union Mission publication and annual appeals for cash or food donations occur annually in the November issues. Also contained within many of the issues are Annual Reports including statistical, financial, expense and auditor's reports. These Annual Reports are noted on the container list with an asterisk.
An asterisk next to the issue month indicates that the issue contains an Annual Report.
Box 1
Arranged chronologically. Reports of the NEHLW including statistical, financial, expense and auditor reports.
Box 1
This series contains eight publications arranged chronologically. Most are informational publications about The Home for Little Wanderers and its services. Some are by or about important figures in the organization.
Box 1
