Guide to the Swabian Beneficial Society Records, 1885-1959 AIS.1976.05
Arrangement
Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Swabian Beneficial Society Records
Creator
Swabian Beneficial Society (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Collection Number
AIS.1976.05
Extent
6.25 Linear Feet(5 boxes)
Date
1885-1959
Abstract
The Swabian Beneficial Society was officially founded in 1886 to provide health insurance and life insurance to members, all of whom had emigrated from the duchy of Swabia in present-day southwestern Germany or were Swabian descendents. The Society also functioned as a social club. The Society's records include minute books, financial records, and membership information from its inception until 1959.
Language
English
.
Author
ASC Staff. Revisions occurred to the finding aid as a part of the encoding process on April 8, 2004.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System Archives & Special Collections Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
History
On July 1, 1886, some Swabian immigrants living in Allegheny County met at David Bauman's newspaper office to create the "Schwaebischer-Kranken-Unterstuetzungs-Verein von Allegheny County." The membership of the Swabian Sick Person's Support Society was limited to Swabian immigrants and their descendents. Swabia, or Schwaben, is an area of Germany in present-day southern Baden-Wuerttemberg and southwestern Bavaria. The Society's acted as an insurance company, paying benefits to members in good standing if they were too ill to work, or to their families in case of death. Around 1891, the Society's name changed to the "Schwaebischer-Unterstuetzungs-Verein von Allegheny County", emphasizing the supporting mission of the group and removing wording about illness. In 1917, a merger united the Swabian Relief Society of Allegheny County and the Swabian Beneficial Society. At this time the name of the society changed to the Swabian Beneficial Society of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. The Society was dissolved in 1973.
Scope and Content Notes
The records of the Swabian Beneficial Society give a fairly complete overview of the workings of the society from its inception in 1885 until about 1959. There are virtually no records for the 1960s and 70s. The records consist primarily of minute books, financial ledgers, and membership information. This collection is organized into four series: Governance, Finances, Membership, and Artifacts. Detailed descriptions of the records are given below at the series level.
Access Restrictions
No restrictions.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Mrs. Kurt Nestel in 1976.
Preferred Citation
Swabian Beneficial Society Records, 1885-1959, AIS.1976.05, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Previous Citation
Swabian Beneficial Society Records,1885-1959,AIS.1976.05,Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Swabian Beneficial Society. Records, 1885-1952, AIS 76:5, Archives of Industrial Society, University Library System, University of Pittsburgh
Processing Information
This collection was partially processed in 1976.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Amy Shaffer in April 2004. Information about the collection title and the controlled access terms was extracted from the MARC record in the University of Pittsburgh catalog Voyager ID number: 1426852
Copyright
Permission for publication is given on behalf of the University of Pittsburgh as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
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