TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Descriptive Summary

Historical Note

Scope and Contents

Arrangement

Restrictions

Administrative Information

Related Material

Index Terms

Bibliography

Detailed Description of the Collection

Subgroup 1: Personal Papers Of Mary Virginia Merrick, 1880 (1900-1955) 1965

Subgroup 2: Organizational Papers of the Christ Child Society of Washington, D.C., 1884 (1905-1979) 1999

Subgroup 3: Organizational Papers of the National Christ Child Society, 1908 (1948-1984) 1988

Christ Child Society

An inventory of the Records of the Christ Child Society at The American Catholic History Research Center and University Archives

Mailing Address: The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. 20064

Telephone: 202-319-5065

Email: archives@mail.lib.cua.edu

URL: http://libraries.cua.edu/achrcua/index.html

Historical Note

In 1886, Mary Virginia Merrick (1866-1955), who lived much of her life confined in bed because of a back injury suffered as a child, founded the Christ Child Society in the Washington area. This society provided a formal structure to Merrick's philanthropic activities; for several years, Merrick and her friends sewed children's clothes and made toys for poor families, particularly at Christmas. Within ten years, the scope of the Society's activities expanded to administering settlement houses which provided poor relief, health care, and educational services to poor Catholics. In addition, the Christ Child Society developed a Fresh Air Program and established a visiting committee to identify deserving families. But, the appeal of the Christ Child Society was firmly grounded in the imagery of the Christ Child and the inspirational life of Mary Merrick.

With the encouragement of Cardinal James Gibbons, Mary Merrick organized the National Christ Child Society in 1905. A national board defined the mission of the national organization, but each chapter developed its own rules of governance and programs for carrying out that mission. Until the mid-1940s, Merrick led the national organization both spiritually and materially, writing much of its publications, raising funds to carry on its work, and acting as the chief spokesperson of the Society to other Catholic organizations. In 1953, the National Christ Child Society incorporated separately. Thereafter, the NCCS organized conventions and other meetings wherein representatives of local chapters reviewed their activities and authorized national officers to represent their views on national issues and to other Catholic organizations such as the National Council of Catholic Women.

The Washington chapter has reached more children than any branch of NCCS. Between 1908 and 1925, this chapter consolidated its activities by acquiring a Fresh Air Farm in Rockville and Settlement House (bringing eight different houses under one roof), established a Colored Auxiliary to accommodate black children, and effectively raised money in its Opportunity Shop (first known as the Rummage Shop). For the next twenty years, the chapter invested the capital to strengthen these activities and separated the camps for healthy children from the care of the sick with the establishment of summer camps and a convalescent home. Following Merrick's death in 1955, the Washington chapter began a period of retrenchment. The organization lost more than Merrick's ability to attract support. Changes in the standing of charitable organizations within the District and the composition of its neighborhoods led the Washington chapter to close the Settlement House in 1977. As other non-profit health care providers in the early 1980s, the Christ Child Institute for Children (formerly called the Convalescent Home) closed. The Washington chapter still maintains its Opportunity Shop in Georgetown, a fresh air camp and a school counseling program. Despite these cutbacks, the Washington chapter maintained the largest membership of any of the 35 chapters within NCCS.

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Scope and Contents

The collection includes correspondence, photos, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, as well as organizational records such as minutes of meetings and financial ledgers. There are also several publications on the history of these organizations included in this collection. A more pointed discussion of the contents of these collections appears below, as introductions to the box listings for each record group.

During Merrick's lifetime, the Christ Child Society was a leader among Catholic welfare organizations with an especially strong relationship with the National Catholic Welfare Council, the National Conference of Catholic Women, the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, and U.S. Catholic Charities. Merrick and thereby the Society maintained friendships with many of the most prominent Catholics of her day, including Mary Graham Hawks (a president of NCCW), John Burke (General-Secretary of NCWC), and Mother Helen Lynch (a leader of the retreat movement). As a Catholic organization, the Christ Child Society used devotional imagery to attract support, maintain loyalty and teach children the basic tenets of Catholicism. As such, devotional materials, for example, memorial cards and Christmas seals, are interspersed throughout this collection.

Merrick's aims were similar to the leaders of the settlement house movement. As such, these records shed light upon the history of philanthropy in general and the role of women within it. Because of the extent of the Washington records, they provide rich materials for the examination of not only charity work but also aspects of Washington society, including the administration of relief, the Italian community and its Americanization, segregation, and the activities of youth.

THE PERSONAL PAPERS OF MARY VIRGINIA MERRICK 1880 (1900-1955) 1965

The letters within this record group are primarily personal and thereby refer to her family and household affairs as well as her illnesses. Throughout her life, Mary Merrick spent most of her summers at her family's estate "Linwood" near Ellicott City and her winters in Washington, DC. At the age of fourteen, Mary Merrick fell out of a window, broke her back, and subsequently never walked again. Her parents died in 1885, about five years after her accident. Mary Merrick became the head of her household and assumed care for the youngest of her brothers and sisters. Accordingly, she maintained contact with all of her siblings. Their parents' estate provided them a comfortable lifestyle, which included a full-time nurse for Mary. During the 1920s, circumstances changed somewhat forcing Mary to release household staff. Mildred Merrick, whom Mary raised, replaced Mary's nurse. Nonetheless, Mary Merrick retained Linwood and used the estate for gatherings to support the Christ Child Society until the time of her death. After that time, Mildred Merrick represented the interests of her sister. Mildred's correspondence relating to the memorialization of Mary Merrick appears within this collection.

Mary Merrick maintained close friendships with some of the leading Catholics of her day. Mary Graham Hawks, president of NCCW, and John Burke, General Secretary of NCWC, were among the frequent visitors to Linwood who regularly corresponded with Mary Merrick. Her letters addressed her spiritual concerns, her health and household affairs, and the activities of the Christ Child Society. Between 1909 and 1953, Mary Merrick wrote in French to Father J.B. Pinson about an autobiography which he encouraged her to write. She never published such an autobiography, although she completed a draft. (Researchers must have permission from NCCS to see this autobiography).

Mary Merrick published essays for Catholic children and books regarding spiritual affairs. Her "Aunt Kate Letters," written for young children, appeared in the Leader between 1911 and 1921. Other publications: The Life of Christ (1909), Come Unto Me (1915), and The Altar of God (1935), are included herein. Manuscript copies of "Margery Stories"(1915) written for children and other essays are also included in this record group.

This record group also includes a number of photos, clippings, memorials and scrapbooks. Merrick as president of the Christ Child Society is the dominant subject of this series. While Mary Merrick maintained the scrapbooks, it is unclear whether Merrick collected and organized the loose materials the photos, clips, and memorials.

THE CHRIST CHILD SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON, D.C. 1884 (1905-1979) 1999

This record group includes papers generated by the Christ Child Society of Washington, D.C. In the years before Mary Merrick's death, the Washington chapter dominated the national organization. These papers, therefore, often contain information related to the national organization, although any papers produced for the national organization are included in that record group. Researchers interested in the Washington chapter should also consult the papers of the national organization, especially publications such as The Voice of the Christ Child.

Records of the general activities of the Washington chapter constitute a major portion of this record group (9 feet). The chapter published annual reports (1890-1976 are included herein), by-laws, invitations and programs for events, and histories of the Christ Child Society including one written by Mildred Merrick. In addition, the Washington chapter retained a scrapbook history of his activities. Other records of the chapter are extensive. This record groups includes minutes taken during the meetings of the Board of Directors between 1902 and 1980. Financial records include auditors' reports (1927-1969), Community Chest correspondence and income reports (1929-1930), ledgers from the administrative fund (1971-1981), legacies (1931-1986), and cash books (1940-1961).

In its early days, the Christ Child Society of Washington consisted of committees which oversaw its activities, but by 1960 it established four departments, the Christ Child Institute for Children, the Settlement House, the Opportunity Shop, and Girls' Camp, with their own Board of Directors whose representatives reported to the chapter's Board. The records of each department constitute a series and include the records of the committees that preceded them. Records of the Christmas, Layette, Finance, Visiting, Benefit, Retreat, and Volunteer Committees are included in the Committee series.

The Christ Child Society devoted considerable resources to the care of sick children in the Washington area. The Christ Child Institute for Children series includes records of all such activities, including the Board Minutes (1929-1980), correspondence (1929-1982) and financial records of Fresh Air Work (1891-1931), the Convalescent Home (1929-1953), the Christ Child Convalescent Hospital (1953-1963). In 1963, the Christ Child Convalescent Hospital changed its name to the Christ Child Institute for Children. The files also detail the financing of several new buildings: the 1914 purchase of a Silver Spring Farm for Fresh Air Work, which moved to Norbeck Pike in Rockville in 1922 (where the Convalescent Home opened in 1929); in 1951, the Convalescent Home moved to Edson Lane in Bethesda. Because of changes in Medicare and rising costs, the Christ Child Institute for Children closed in 1982.

Between 1898 and 1977, the Christ Child Society maintained a Settlement House to provide relief and education to the poor living in several Washington neighborhoods. Before 1920, the Christ Child Society operated as many as eight settlement houses at one time. In 1920, the Christ Child Society consolidated their efforts and purchased a Settlement House on Indiana Avenue which in 1929 moved to 608 Massachusetts Avenue. This series includes minutes of the Settlement House committee (1939-1960) and, after the organization of the Settlement House as a department, Board Minutes (1962-1974). These records include files on the Boys' Club (1929-1947), Sewing School (1899-1938), Dental Clinic (1929-1942), the building of a gym (1933-1948), the remodeling of the Settlement House on Massachusetts Avenue (1965-1966), and the decision to close the Settlement House. There are also several reports, including masters' theses, on the its work.

In 1932, the Christ Child Society of Washington established an Opportunity Shop, a second-hand shop, to raise funds for their activities. Its records include Committee Minutes (1932-1961) and Board Minutes (1962-1979). Financial records include reports (1932-1958), ledgers (1951-1954, 1974-1981), and cashbooks (1958-1983). The Christ Child Society still maintains an Opportunity Shop in Georgetown.

The Christ Child Society began its Girls' Camp in 1932 under the name Camp Kateri located on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. Poor girls who applied to the program attended this camp. This camp moved two to times, first to Wild Rose Shores and then Island Creek, both located on the Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis. Records include applications and recommendations for campers, reports (1943-1963), financial reports (1951-1966), and ledgers (1974-1981).

From the time Mary Merrick began the Christ Child Society by making layettes for poor children, black children received relief from the society. Washington was a segregated city, however, so that the Christ Child Society formed a Colored Auxiliary to allow black women to organize activities for black children. The records here include Minutes (1919-1937), correspondence (1925-1945), Financial Reports (1926-1950), and records of the Bel Alton Camp. By the early 1950s, the Christ Child Society integrated its records. Researchers interested in the Christ Child Society's work among black children should also check the records of the Settlement House, particularly during its early years, and scrapbooks.

The Christ Child Society maintained several other committees. The records of the Christmas Committee (1921-1972) include minutes, record books, and correspondence that document the special relief efforts and fundraising drives sponsored by the Christ Child Society during the holiday season. The Visiting Committee recommended who should receive relief in the Christ Child Camps and Settlement House. Its minutes (1920-1970) illuminate how the Christ Child Society determined who should receive assistance. The Layette Committee minutes (1929-1971) document the volunteer activities of several Catholic women who made clothing for poor infants. The records of other committees, including the Finance (1965-1980), Benefit (1962), Retreat (1909-1947) and Volunteer (1942-1966) Committees, are sparse.

The remainder of the Washington chapter's records include the attempts of the Christ Child Society to document their own activities by keeping newsclippings, photos, and scrapbooks. Anyone interested in the aforementioned departments should also consult these records, as they include separate folders for the various departments. Newsclippings (1922-1979), filed loosely in folders, document the Christ Child Institute for Children, Settlement House (including the Boys' Club), Opportunity Shop, and Mary Merrick's involvement with the Washington chapter. Most of the photos cover the same topics and are contained within albums rather than individual albums. These photos cover special events, especially within the Christ Child Institute for Children and Settlement House. Scrapbooks often represented a conscious effort to document the chapter's history and officers wrote notes within these, identifying photographs and explaining their importance.

THE NATIONAL CHRIST CHILD SOCIETY 1908 (1948-1984) 1984

The central office of the National Christ Child Society coordinated the meetings of the individual chapters of the Christ Child Society and maintained the records of its officers, especially its president who often acted as the NCCS spokesperson on national issues. In addition, NCCS published newsletters for the individual chapters and tried to record their histories. This record group consists of four series: Publications and Printed Materials; Constitution and History; Executive Committee and Conventions; Correspondence and Other Papers; and Oversized Scrapbooks and Historians' Reports.

Between the 1930s and 1980s, the Christ Child Society operated in more than 20 cities in every region of the country. In addition to the Washington chapter, the Omaha and Cleveland chapters were especially active. These records contain information regarding their entry (and withdrawal when applicable) into the Christ Child Society. Information about each chapter is interspersed throughout the collection.

The NCCS published the Voice of the Christ Child (1923-1934) and newsletters (1943-1988) to report the activities of individual chapters to the NCCS as a whole. Both publications were published quarterly, as funds permitted. This series includes correspondence about these publications in subject files, miscellaneous pamphlets, and memorials to Mary Merrick. In the years before her death and particularly in Voice of the Christ Child, these publications concentrated upon the activities in the Washington chapter.

The Constitution and History series (1934-1980) consists of official handbooks and chapter histories, compiled by an elected officer, an historian, who collected photographs and statistics from the individual chapters.

The Executive Committee and Convention files (1932-1982) include the records generated during the biannual conventions of NCCS as a whole. These includes records of the planning of each convention, for which the chapter that hosted the convention led. In addition, there are transcripts of many of the proceedings of these conventions and minutes of the meetings of the executive committee, the officers of NCCS, and its Board. In addition, NCCS chapters often held separate regional meetings. The records for some of these conventions are held here as well.

The arrangement of the correspondence (1928-1982) varies according to the organization of the NCCS central offices. Before 1972, the NCCS correspondence was not organized by any single officer of staff person. Before 1960, the correspondence is arranged in three ways, chronologically, by the officer who generated the correspondence, by subject, and by chapter. During the 1960s, correspondence is only arranged by subject. After 1972, the presidents of NCCS maintained their own correspondence and organized their own files. Each of these presidents, Rasmussen (1972-1976), Myrtle Walsh (1976-1980), and Kay Walsh (1980-1982, arranged their correspondence by subject, correspondence, and chapter. There are newsclips interspersed throughout this series.

The Oversized Scrapbooks and Histories represent a continuation of the Constitution and History series. In addition, there are some large rolled documents, mostly awards.

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Arrangement

The Records of the Christ Child Society consists of three subgroups:

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

Researchers may not examine the autobiography and spiritual diary of Mary Virginia Merrick without the permission of the National Christ Child Society. Anyone interested in using the personal papers of Mary Merrick in publications should also seek permission of the national headquarters.

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Administrative Information

Custodial History

The Christ Child Society Collection consists of three separate groups of records: the personal papers of Mary Virginia Merrick; the Christ Child Society of Washington; and the National Christ Child Society. The Christ Child Society of Washington and the National Christ Child Society transferred the papers of their own organizations. Both were involved in the transfer of the personal papers of Mary Virginia Merrick.

During the late 1950s, officers of national and local societies assembled the personal papers of Mary Virginia Merrick as a collection to be used for a biography. Mildred Merrick, Mary's younger sister, and Mary Hawks, a former president of the National Council of Catholic Women and Mary Merrick's close friend, assembled a collection of correspondence, consisting generally of letters written by Mary Merrick. Hawks and Mildred Merrick included only a few letters received by Mary Merrick to protect the privacy of Merrick's correspondents. These letters address more than the affairs of the national and local organizations of the Christ Child Society. Mary Merrick wrote extensively of her illnesses and their treatment, religious beliefs, household affairs, and much more. The Christ Child Society of Washington deposited these papers at CUA in 1978.

A large portion of the organizational papers of the Christ Child Society of Washington were recorded by Mary Virginia Merrick. Over the years, these records have become part of the papers of the Washington chapter. After Merrick's death, several officers, sometimes with short tenure, were involved in creating the records. The records of the Society's activities, both before and after Merrick's death, generally reflect the organization of the Society as a whole. The records include minutes of Board of Directors, the financial records of the treasurer, papers of each committee and department compiled by their respective officers.

The National Christ Child Society consists of records held in its national headquarters in Washington, in addition to some records submitted by each president. The records include NCCS publications, most notably the Voice of the Christ Child (1923-1934) edited by Mary Virginia Merrick, the records of the convention of NCCS, the historical record submitted by each chapter, and the correspondence of national presidents (after 1950) who often acted as NCCS' representative or liaison to national Catholic organizations.

Initially, the records from these organizations were maintained in two separate manuscript collections (Ms. No. 42: The Christ Child Society of Washington, including the personal papers of Mary Virginia Merrick; Ms. No. 103: The National Christ Child Society). Primarily because of Mary Merrick's important role in these organizations until 1955,the subject matter of these organizations overlap. As a result, the Archives staff combined these collections into a single collection with three discrete record groups so that researchers could easily consult the pertinent records in all three groups: The Personal Papers of Mary Virginia Merrick; the Christ Child Society of Washington; and the National Christ Child Society.

Acquisition Information

Donated by the National Christ Child Society and the Washington Chapter of the Christ Child Society 1978-1994.

Processing Information

Processing completed in 1996 by Mary Beth Corrigan. EAD markup completed in February 2007 by Jordan Patty.

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Related Material

The Christ Child Society worked with several organizations, whose records are kept here. Several leading Catholics maintained friendships to Mary Merrick and officers of Christ Child. In addition, many members of the Catholic University faculty were friends of the Christ Child Society which was active in Brookland and other neighborhoods throughout the city. Related ACUA collections include:

Records of Catholic Charities

John Montgomery Cooper Papers

Paul Furfey-Mary Walsh Papers

Henry Hyvernat Papers

William J. Kerby Papers

Records of NCWC (especially NCCW)

Antoinette Margot Papers

Non-CUA Collections include:

John Burke Papers at the Paulist Archives in Washington, DC.

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Index Terms

This record series is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.

Persons:

Organizations:

Places:

Subjects:

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Bibliography

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Detailed Description of the Collection