| Creator | Boston Conference on Illegitimacy |
| Title | Boston Conference on Illegitimacy records |
| Dates | 1912-1932 |
| Identification | CC 34 |
| Quantity | 1.0 linear feet (2 manuscript boxes) |
| Collection Abstract | The Boston Conference on Illegitimacy records contain administrative records, conference history, by-laws, minutes, membership lists, correspondence, conference studies, reports, clippings, and legislative material which document the local, state, and federal activities regarding the problems of illegitimacy and the legal efforts directed toward improving the circumstances for illegitimate children and their mothers. |
| Historical Abstract | The Boston Conference on Illegitimacy was founded in 1912 by professional women case workers concerned with improving conditions for illegitimate children and their mothers. Ada Eliot Sheffield was the first president. Two off-shoot organizations were later established: the Inner-City Conference of Illegitimacy in 1915, and the Bureau of Illegitimacy in 1918. The Bureau of Illegitimacy was renamed the Research Bureau of Social Case Work in 1922, and the Inner-City Conference of Illegitimacy was absorbed by the Child Welfare League of America in 1931. |
| Language | Material in English. |
| Location | Collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Archives staff for more information. |
Collection is open.
Copyright for materials resides with the creators of the items in question, unless otherwise designated.
Please contact the College Archivist with requests to publish any material from the collection.
[Identification of item: description and date], Boston Conference on Illegitimacy records, CC 34, Simmons College Archives, Boston, MA, USA.
Transferred from the Simmons College School of Social Work Library, 1991
Processed by library staff
Supervised by library staff
This collection guide was encoded as part of the LEADS project by Molly Bruce, December 2012
The Boston Conference on Illegitimacy was founded in 1912 when professional women case workers who were concerned with how to better handle the existing situations of illegitimacy circulated a round robin letter. The first meeting was held at Massachusetts General Hospital; nine members were present, and Ada Eliot Sheffield was elected president. Although membership was originally restricted to women who acted as representatives of various of Boston's social welfare agencies, membership was extended to women working in the field of social work who were not affiliated with a particular agency. Monthly meetings, some held at the Simmons College School of Social Work, were a forum for the presentation of cases by members and readings of formal papers by both members and outside speakers. In 1915, the first of two off-shoot organizations was established: the Inter-City Conference of Illegitimacy was begun when the Boston Conference on Illegitimacy formed a committee to exchange ideas with case work charitable agencies in other cities; and in 1918, the Bureau of Illegitimacy was established to study and compare the present policies and future plans of agencies concerned with the problems of illegitimacy ; the Bureau of Illegitimacy was funded by the Permanent Charity Fund, and Ada Eliot Sheffield was designated as director. The Inner-City Conference of Illegitimacy was absorbed by the Child Welfare League of America in 1931, and the Bureau of Illegitimacy was renamed the Research Bureau of Social Case Work in 1922. The Boston Conference on Illegitimacy also inspired the founding of the Philadelphia Conference on Illegitimacy in 1915.
The Boston Conference on Illegitimacy records contain administrative records, conference history, by-laws, minutes, membership lists, correspondence, conference studies, reports, clippings, and legislative material which document the local, state, and federal activities regarding the problems of illegitimacy and the legal efforts directed towards improving the circumstances for illegitimate children and their mothers. The records document the growth and outreach of the Boston Conference on Illegitimacy, and its influence on individuals and charity institutions also professionally concerned with the problems of illegitimacy. The records also document two organizations established by the Boston Conference on Illegitimacy: the Inter-City Conference on Illegitimacy, and the Bureau on Illegitimacy. Correspondents include: Ada Eliot Sheffield, Edith Miriam Hedges Baylor, Margaret Elden Rich, Gertrude L. Farmer, Frances Upham, and Richard K. Conant.
These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.
Collection is arranged into 7 series:
Part of the School of Social Work Library Charities Collection.
Box 1
Box 1
Box 2
Box 2
Box 2
Box 2
Box 2
Box 2
