The First Annual Report of the Associate Committee of Women

THE FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE ASSOCIATE COMMITTEE OF WOMEN READ AT THE ANNUAL MEETING, MARCH 7TH, 1921 To the Board of Directors of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania .* Your Associate Committee of Women was called together for organiza¬ tion by its Chairman, Mrs. James Mifflin, Wednesday, February 4, 1920, at the rooms of The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Those pre¬ sent at that meeting were: Mrs. Henry Pemberton, Jr., Mrs. Harry Rogers, Miss Margaret R. Grundy, Mrs. Louis F. Benson, Miss Cresson, Miss Leach, Mis. Mifflin in the Chair. Letters explaining absence were received from Mrs. John Scott, Jr., Mrs. C. Howard Colket, Mrs. Alvin A. Parker and Miss Magee. After the election of Miss Leach as secretary, Mrs. Mifflin explained that, the Associate Committee had been formed to further the endsl for which the Society itself was organized, and, in this connection; stated that the most immediate need of the Society was an increased membership to aid the treasury by an increased number of annual dues and life-membership fees. In the informal discussion which followed, attention was directed to the work of copying and abstracting of church, county and other public records, already accomplished by the Society, of which, too much cannot be said in commendation. Atten¬ tion was also called to the desirability of the Committee making an earnest effort to aid the work by securing, additional church records, or other similar manuscript records for copying. The scope of the annual Publication was also outlined and its need of genealogical manu¬ scripts, Bible and other records for printing emphasized. In the matter of members, the Committee has to March 7, 1921, se¬ cured fifty-three annual members, six life memberships and has trans¬ ferred two from annual to life members a total of 61. Two additional general meetings of the Society have been carried out by the Committee. The first, an afternoon tea-party at Walnut Grove Farms, Croyden, Pennsylvania, made possible through the generous hospitality of Miss Margaret Ridgway Grundy, who, with her mother, Mrs. William H. Grundy, acted as hostess. Those who wended their way to the beautiful banks of the almost classic Neshaminy, on that) fifteenth of June afternoon will recall with pleasure the varied pro¬ gramme the brief address of welcome by the President of the Society, the short but comprehensive sketch, “ Bristol and its Environs ”, by one who knew and loved it and them Miss Grundy. The delightful let¬ ters from Washington Irving to Thomas A. Cooper of Bristol, the widely known actor of yester years, charmingly read by Mrs. Griffin a greatgranddaughter of President Tyler and of Mr. Cooper. The letter of a Woodbury member of the Society of Friends to her Sister, descriptive of — — — (118) 119 First Annual Report of Associate Women. an evening party of about 1825, read by the Committee ’a Secretary. The verses of Hon. Nicholas Biddle dedicated to Miss Sarah Luke ns Keene of Bristol, read by his grand son, Edward Biddle, Esq. After which came tea with its accessories, served in the open, topped off with straw¬ berries freshly picked from the fragrant old-time garden adjoining. On January twentieth, last past, the Committee invited the Society to commemorate the two hundred and thirty-eighth anniversary of the establishment of Friends Meeting in Philadelphia the records of this and subsequent meetings being the primary source of genealogical in¬ formation in Pennsylvania. On this occasion Miss Anna J. Magea was the generous hostess, Mrs. William Cameron Sproul the guest of honor, the assembly rooms of the Historical Society the noble setting, with Mrs. Mifflin and her committee receiving the members and guests. Mrs. Mifflin opened the meeting by requesting Edward S. Sayers, Esq., one of the vice-presidents, to take further charge of the evening by in¬ troducing the four-minute speakers and their topics, which were : Beading of Governor Sproul 's Letter regretting his inability to be present, as well as his inability to formally meet Mrs. Sproul, read by the Society’s President, Colonel Leach. — — Address by the President of the Society The Difference between The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania and other Genealogical Societies. The fact commemorated The Philadelphia Meeting of Friends Mr. Albert Cook Myers. Friends Meetings in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, prior to 1700 Mrs. Charles Boberts, President of the Friends Historical Society. Chester County Friends and some of their peculiarities. This wa® touched upon by John F. Lewis, Esq., a vice-president of the Society. Mr. Lewis materially added to the general interest by passing among the audience an illuminated Chinese pedigree-roll of great age, and a sixteenth century copy of the Scriptures, showing in unusual detail the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Applied Genealogy Mrs. James Starr, President of the Pennsylvania! ■Society of Colonial Dames of America. Johan Printz, Governor of New Sweden and the Swedes on the Dela¬ ware, 1643-1645 Thomas Willing Balch, Esq. An episode of the Academy Inaugural Ball of January 20, 1857, as seen from the newspapers of January, of that year. Bead by the Com¬ mittee’s secretary. By request, the letter from the Woodbury Friend, read at the June tea-party Be-read by Mrs. Henry Pemberton, Jr. Helmets Captain Ogden Dungan Wilkinson, Historian of the Society, briefly described his unique collection of overseas helmets and head-wear which temporarily ornamented the book-oases in the Assembly room of the Historical Society. It is with deep sorrow that the Committee reports the loss by death of Miss Anne H. Cresson, the accomplished genealogist, who enjoyed her connection with the Society and Committee and gave freely of her — — — —— — — i J J 22 120 First Annual Report of Associate Women. self to further the interests of both. Hers was the kindly-humorous, gentle, yet positive spirit, whose passing makes the world a poorer place for those who loved her and remain. Unofficially, the Committee learnedj that Miss Creeson had bequeathed the sum of one thousand dollars to the Society, and, at its February meeting, after much expressed appre¬ ciation of her generous gift, it was moved and duly seconded that at recommendation be made to the Board of Directors that this legacy should, when received, be thereafter known as the ANNE HANNUMI CRESSON MEMORIAL FUND. Respectfully submitted, LILY STURGIS MIFFLIN, Chairman. The Associate Committee of Women: Mrs. Thomas Hand Ball Mrs. Louis F. Benson Mrs. C. Howard Colket Miss Margaret Ridgway Grundy Miss Anne J. Magee Miss Helen Kirkbride Morton Mrs. Alvin A. Parker MAY ATHERTON LEACH, Secretary . Mrs. Henry Pemberton, Jr. Mrs. Harry Rogers Mrs. Willard Saulsbury Mrs. John Scott, Jr. Miss Anne Hollingsworth Whar¬ ton Miss Mary Couper Williams