Descriptive Summary
Ladies' Reading
Club
Ladies' Reading
Club
ca.
1888-1992Materials are in
English.
RG E 26
13 document boxes, 1 flat
box; 7 linear feet
Houston Metropolitan Research Center,
Houston Public Library
Historical Note
The Ladies' Reading Club was organized in 1885 as the first women's
club in Houston. Its members engaged in intellectual study by preparing and
presenting papers at club meetings. They assumed strong leadership in
establishing Houston's first public library and have continued their support of
the library system through the years. The Club is still in existence after 107
years.
Scope and Contents
This collection contains documentary records of the organization and
selected holdings from the club's own library. The materials date from 1888 to
the present time.
Arrangement
This collection is divided into six subgroups with the materials
arranged chronologically within each subgroup. The first subgroup consists of
club minutes which include attendance records, meeting procedures, and
financial reports. In some instances, supplemental papers to the minutes will
be found in folders immediately following the indicated minutes. The second
subgroup contains Annual Reports in which each year's program of study is
outlined and year-end reports of the primary officers are given. They also
contain membership listings for the years before yearbooks were compiled. The
third subgroup provides a complete set of yearbooks dating from 1901. The
yearbooks also contain the club's organizational structure as stated in the
Constitution and By-Laws. The fourth subgroup deals with materials, primarily
books, which were owned by the Ladies' Reading Club. In some instances, the
authors were Ladies' Reading Club members. These provide a good historical
overview of the club as well as that of the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs
and the General Federation of Women's Clubs. The fifth subgroup consists of
materials related to the club's association with the Texas Federation of
Women's Clubs and the General Federation of Women's Clubs. The last subgroup is
a collection of scrapbooks compiled by club members from 1930 through the
1980's.
Access Restrictions
None
Use Restrictions
None
Preferred Citation
Ladies' Reading Club Records. Houston Metropolitan Research Center,
Houston Public Library
Index Terms
Organizations
Ladies' Reading Club
(Houston, Tex.)
Texas Federation of
Women's Clubs
General Federation of
Women's Clubs
Detailed Description
I. Minutes
1
1
Jan. 31,
1888 - March 3, 1891
1
2
April 7,
1891 - November 28, 1893
1
3
April 4,
1893 - March 27, 1894
1
4
April 21,
1896 - May 4, 1897
1
5
May 18,
1897 - Jan. 24, 1899
1
6
Supplemental papers to
Dec. 14, 1897
1
7
Sept. 16,
1902 - Dec. 15, 1903
1
8
January 5,
1904 - Oct. 10, 1905
1
9
Supplemental papers to
Oct. 10, 1905
2
1
Oct. 1,
1907 - April 20, 1908
2
2
Supplemental papers to
1907-1908
2
3
Jan. 23,
1912 - Feb. 9, 1915
2
4
Feb. 16,
1915 - May 1, 1917
2
5
Supplemental papers to
March 30, 1915
2
6
Oct. 2,
1917 - March 26, 1920
2
7
Supplemental papers to
March, 1920
2
8
Oct. 5,
1920 - March 9, 1926
2
9
Supplemental papers to
Oct. 5,
1920 - March 9, 1926
3
1
March 16,
1926 - April 29, 1930
3
2
Supplemental papers to
March 16,
1926 - April 29, 1930
3
3
Oct. 7,
1930 - May 1, 1931
3
4
Oct. 6,
1931 - May 3, 1932
3
5
Oct. 4,
1932 - April 24, 1934
3
6
Supplemental papers to
Oct. 4,
1932 - April 24, 1934
3
7
Oct. 9,
1934 - April 23, 1935
3
8
Supplemental papers to
Oct. 9,
1934 - April 23, 1935
3
9
Oct. 8,
1935 - May 5, 1936
3
10
Oct. 13,
1936 - June 10, 1937
4
1
Sept. 17,
1937 - May 3, 1938
4
2
Oct. 11,
1938 - May 7, 1940
4
3
Sept. 12,
1940 - May 6, 1941
4
4
Oct. 7,
1941 - May 11, 1942
4
5
Oct. 13,
1942 - May 4, 1943
4
6
Oct. 8,
1946 - May 11, 1948
4
7
Oct. 12,
1948 - May 9, 1950
4
8
Sept. 27,
1950 - May 13, 1952
4
9
May 20,
1952 - May 11, 1954
4
10
Sept. 23,
1954 - May 8, 1956
5
1
Sept. 28,
1956 - May 10, 1960
5
2
Sept. 27,
1960 - Jan. 14, 1964
5
3
Supplemental papers to
Sept. 27,
1960 - Jan. 14, 1964
5
4
Sept. 10,
1968 - May 6, 1970
5
5
Aug. 25,
1970 - May 3, 1972
5
6
Sept. 8,
1972 - May 1, 1974
5
7
July 31,
1974 - May 5, 1976
5
8
Aug. 23,
1976 - May 4, 1978
5
9
May 16,
1978 - May 3, 1979
5
10
June 19,
1979 - May 1, 1980
II. Reports
6
1
Annual Reports
1888-1890,
1892-1897,
1899
6
2
Annual Reports
1888-1890,
1910,
1917,
undated
6
3
Annual Reports
1941-1950
6
4
Annual Reports
1951-1956
6
5
Annual Reports
1957-1962
6
6
Annual Reports
1963-1968
6
7
Annual Reports
1969-1978
6
8
Programs of Study
1892-1901
6
9
Constitution / ByLaws
1948,
1971,
1980
III. Yearbooks
A. Bound
Yearbooks
7
1
1901-1911
7
2
1911-1929
7
3
1929-1943
7
4
1943-1957
7
5
1957-1971
7
6
1971-1984
B. Unbound
Yearbooks
8
1
1901-1902
through
1906-1907
8
2
1908-1909,
1909-1910,
1911-1912
through
1914-1915
8
3
1916-1917
through
1921-1922
8
4
1922-1923
through
1927-1928
8
5
1928-1929
through
1933-1934
8
6
1934-1935
through
1939-1940
8
7
1940-1941
through
1945-1946
8
8
1946-1947,
1948-1949,
1949-1950,
1953-1954,
1970-1971,
1971-1972
8
9
1972-1973,
1973-1974,
1975-1976
through
1980-1981,
1982-1983
8
10
1983-1984
through
1992-1993
IV. Ladies' Reading Club Library Materials
9
1
Ladies' Reading Club Library Register
1893
9
2
Supplemental papers to Library Register
9
3
Two copies of
The Quest by Mollie Moore
Davis
9
4
Community Awards received by Club
9
5
History of Ladies' Reading Club
1885-1960
(original copy and 1 reprinted copy)
9
6
Jr. Ladies' Reading Club Yearbooks
1929-1930,
1930-1931,
1932-1933,
1936-1937
through
1938-1939
9
7
A Brief Sketch of the Life and
Characteristics of Mrs. Mary Jane Briscoe Showing the Estimation in Which She
Was Held by Her Friends and the Public Generally by Adele Briscoe
Looscan,
1906; Adele Briscoe Looscan's calling
card
9
8
City Federation of Women's Clubs History
1900-1961
9
9
Program City Federation of Women's Clubs Golden Jubilee
1949-1950
9
10
Key to The City of Houston by CFWC
1908
The Club Woman's Friend,
1909, by Elizabeth Strong Tracy (LRC
1894- 1919)
History of The Texas Federation of Women's
Clubs,
1919, by Stella Christian (LRC 1891-
1933)
The Maverick,
Aug. 1934 - Oct.
1935, ed. Leone Newby (LRC 1921 - 46)
History of The Texas Federation of Women's
Clubs, Vol. II,
1938
Unity in Diversity, History of the General
Federation of Women's Clubs,
1953
Lyceum to Library: A Chapter in the
Cultural History of Houston by Orin Walker Hatch,
1965
Tiger Lace by Margaret S. Alderman
(LRC),
1968
Thursday's Child by Claire Justine
Graboski,
1968
Banked Fires, Once Stirred by
Mabel A. Stewart (LRC)
V. Texas Federation of Women's Clubs/General Federation of
Women's Clubs
10
1
Texas Federation of Women's Clubs Awards
1947-1968
10
2
Texas Federation of Women's Clubs Awards
1965-1968
10
3
Texas Federation of Women's Clubs 15th anniversary
program
1930
10
4
Texas Federation of Women's Clubs Federation News
May, 1947
10
5
General Federation of Women's Clubs Award
1954
10
6
Report of Gladys Ewing Combes on Armstrong - Browning
Library,
1963
VI. Scrapbooks
11
Founding -
1930
11
1933-1956
11
1940-1941
12
1946-1953
12
1956-1960
12
1958-1969
13
1
Minutes
May 24,
1984 - May 8, 1956
13
2
Minutes
Aug. 12,
1986 - May 5, 1988
13
3
Minutes
Sept. 1,
1988 - May 3, 1990
13
4
Minutes
Sept. 6,
1990 - May 7, 1992
VII. Oversize Materials
14
Folio of Members' Photographs
(nd)
Framed photograph of LRC members
May 7, 1975
Houston Press Clipping
Feb. 7, 1930
Mayor's Proclamation on 100th anniversary of Club
Feb. 26, 1985
VIII. Scrapbooks
1961 -
1972
1973 -
1978
1980 -
1982
1984 -
1986