IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES
IOWA CITY, IOWA
FRIENDLY NEIGHBORS CLUB
(PERCIVAL, IOWA)
RECORDS, 1935-2000
0.9 linear inches
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ACQUISITION: |
The Friendly Neighbors Club records
(donor no. 227) were donated by Jean
Schobert in 1995 and 2000. |
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ACCESS: |
The records are open for research. |
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COPYRIGHT: |
»Copyright has been transferred to the University of Iowa. |
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PHOTOGRAPHS: |
»In box 1. |
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PROCESSED
BY: |
Your name, year»Leslie Czechowski, 1995; revised 2000. [FriendlyNeighbors
Percival.doc] |
History
The Friendly Neighbors Club was organized
in April 1935. The members were farm
wives living southeast of Percival, Iowa.
The meetings were originally held biweekly; members pieced quilt blocks,
quilted, hemmed dish towels, or worked on other projects to raise money for the
club. Each October the club held a fund
raising sale, auctioning homemade food and crafts. The money was used to support county causes and needs of the
Percival community and to purchase gifts for the needy. Special social events of the Friendly
Neighbors were family potlucks, guest days, picnics, and card parties. Special celebrations were held for the 25th,
40th, and 50th anniversaries. The club
ceased to exist after its sixtieth year in 1995 because of a decline in
membership.
Scope and Content Note
The Friendly Neighbors Club records date from »1935 to 2000 and measure 9 »11 linear inches. The records
consist of a club history,
biographies, annual programs, minutes, treasurer's books, scrapbooks,
photographs, and a guest book. These
records provide a glimpse into the social lives of farm women during the
mid-twentieth century and into the demise of this type of social organization.
The club history includes a typed
reminiscence culled from handwritten records of the club. There is also a newspaper clipping based on
the reminiscence. The annual programs list
officers, committees, and meeting dates.
The minutes chronicle the activities of the meetings: gifts exchanged,
mystery boxes shared, games played. The
treasurer's books record income from dues, fines, and sales and expenditures
for gifts, prizes, and donations to community groups and private
individuals. The disbound photograph
album includes numerous photographs of club members at their meetings. The guest book lists members attending the
50th anniversary celebration on April 17, 1985. The oversize scrapbook includes thank-you notes received by the
club, newspaper clippings, and other memorabilia.
Box no. Description
Box 1
Club history
Biographies
Annual programs, 1939-1996
(bulk 1970s and 1980s)
Minutes
1935-1937
1964-1974
1974-1979
1979-1988
1988-1993
1993-1999
Treasurer's books
1948-1984
1985-2000
Guest book from 50th
anniversary, April 17, 1985
Box 2
Scrapbook, 1956-1985 [oversize]
Box
3
Scrapbook (disbound),
1980s-1990s
Photograph album (disbound),
1940s-1990s