Residents & Staff in New Cottages, circa 1995

The German Roman Catholic St. Joseph Orphan Society of Dayton, Ohio, was run by a Board of Trustees and set of officers, both elected by the membership. The institution changed its mission, bylaws, and name numerous times, but remained a child caring institution until its closure in 2004. The records of the St. Joseph Orphan Society/ Children’s Treatment Center include printed material, minutes and proceedings of the Board of Directors/Trustees, financial documents, legal documents, photographs, scrapbooks, audio recordings, film, and video tapes documenting the purpose, methods, and activities of St. Joseph. The records are divided into six series and sixteen subseries, with the bulk of the records documenting the period from 1890 to 1950.

Series I: Administrative: This series is divided into ten subseries.

Subseries IA: Governing Documents and History – This subseries contains a variety of legal documents establishing the St. Joseph Orphan Society. Documents include the Society’s Constitutions from 1889 to 1973, Articles of Incorporation from 1909 to 1991, By-Laws from 1980 and 1984, and several licenses. Additionally, included in this subseries is a variety of files documenting the Society’s history. Of particular note is the St. Joseph Orphanage Centennial History Program, documents and certificates for religious relics, and alumni reminiscences. Finally, there are some background files on the establishment of the St. Joseph Archives in the mid-1990s and how documents were gathered.

Subseries IB: Board of Directors/Trustees – This subseries is divided into several major groups. The first major group, General Information, contains the board handbook, organizational charts from the 1980s, and annual reports, primarily from the 1990s. The largest, and most complete group, contains the minutes of Board of Directors/Trustees meetings from 1849 to 2004. The very early minutes, 1849 to 1890, are in old German script. The last major group contains general administrative records. The majority of these files are from the 1980s through 2004. Most of the files document the deliberations of various committees.

Subseries IC: Children’s Records – This subseries contains the Admission and Dismissal records for the children at St. Josephs from 1849 to 1999. The early records, 1849 to 1913, are in old German script. The records contain information about children at St. Josephs including the date of admission and dismissal, names and general information about parents, date of birth, date and place of baptism, and general comments about the child. The records do not contain adoption information. Also included in this subseries are Baptism records from 1890 to 1943, First Holy Communion records from 1912 to 1975, and Confirmation records from 1911 to 1942.

Subseries ID: Personnel – The Personnel subseries primarily documents personnel related activities during the 1980s. Included in this subseries is information about volunteers, including the Volunteer Manual, policies and procedures, Executive Director correspondence, job descriptions, minutes of several committees, organizational charts, and miscellaneous personnel-related activities.

Subseries IE: Programs and Outreach – This is a small subseries relating to outreach programs of St. Joseph Children’s Treatment Center from the 1970s to the 1990s. Of particular note are the files on the National Training Institute held at St. Joseph in 1994 and 1995, the St. Joseph Leadership Development Program sponsored by St. Joseph and the University of Dayton in 1996-1997, conferences held at St. Joseph in 1981, 1993 and 1995, and information about St. Joseph treatment homes, including Liberty House and The Anchorage.

Subseries IF: Public Relations – This is another relatively small subseries pertaining to public relations activities of St. Joseph. Most of the information pertains to activities during the 1970s and 1980s. Of particular note for researchers is information concerning anniversary events held in 1949 and 1984 and newspaper articles about St. Joseph from 1971 to 2004. Also included in this subseries a June 17, 1974 City of Dayton proclamation for a “St. Joseph Home for Children Week.”

Subseries IG: Property – This subseries contains the original 1892 “Deed of Gift” for land on Demphile and St. Paul Streets and deeds, notes of sale, and land transactions from 1893 to 1933. Also contained in this subseries are property appraisals from 1994 to 1998, a facility assessment by the Capital Improvements Committee in July 2003, information concerning the building and dedication of a number of buildings.

Subseries IH: Reports and Assessments – This subseries contains a variety of reports about St. Joseph. Of particular note is the January 1967 “Report of Survey” conducted by the Child Welfare League of America and the “3-Year Longitudinal Evaluation and Assessment” conducted by Wright State University in1990 and 2000. Other reports include those conducted by MSW & Associates in 1981 and the Ohio Department of Public Welfare from 1978 to 1982.

Subseries II: Archdiocese of Cincinnati and Christ Child Society of Dayton – The Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the Christ Child Society of Dayton were both actively involved in St. Joseph. This subseries contains communications of the Archdiocese from 1931 to 1974. It also contains activities of the Christ Child Society during the 1990s and early 2000s. Of particular is information on the Annual Red Wagon Luncheon and grants given to St. Joseph for summer programs, equipment, and several projects.

Subseries IJ: Memorabilia – Memorabilia included in this subseries include guest books, commemorative Christmas ornaments, Parish cards, children’s artwork, and Foundations for Hope Capital Campaign paperweight. Located in the oversize files are two CYO banners proclaiming football and basketball championships in the 1940s.

Series II: Financial – The financial records of St. Joseph are contained in six Hollinger boxes. The first two boxes contain the reports by auditors on the financial records of St. Joseph from 1938 to 2002. Unfortunately, some audits are missing including audits from 1962 to 1974 and from 1984 to 1987. There are also several reports from audit agencies on ways for St. Joseph to improve the internal control structure and administrative efficiency of the institution. Other audits included in this series are audits of the Ladies Auxiliary from 1946 to 1963.

A second major area of Series II is efforts to raise money by St. Joseph from 1942 to 2003. Included are files relating to the Direct Mail Campaign of the early 1980s and United Way allocation requests from 1981 to 2002. Of particular note are the extensive files on two major fund-raising campaigns of the 1990s and early 2000s – the Capital Campaign and the Budding Dreams campaign. Included in these files are donor notebooks, meetings, correspondence, special events, and other activities.

Series III: Publications and Other Printed Material – St. Joseph began publishing a newsletter in the early 1900s. These newsletters are an excellent source of information about activities and significant events in St. Joseph history. Included in this series are copies of the St. Joseph Sentinel from 1924 to 1935, the Hillside Echo from 1936 to 1993, the St. Joseph News from 1982 to 1993, and the St. Jos. Journal from 1991 to 1994. Also included in the series is a variety of recent newsletters including the Culley Hall Newsletter, Horizons, and New Beginnings. Additionally, the series contains a variety of brochures and pamphlets promoting St. Joseph programs and activities, primarily during the 1980s and 1990s. Of particular interest to some researchers may be a cookbook, Pearl of the Kitchen, A Careful Compilation of Tried and Approved Recipes, which was published in 1898 by the Ladies of St. Joseph Orphan Society.

Series IV: Scrapbooks and Photograph Albums – This series contains thirteen scrapbooks containing mostly newspaper clippings. The newspaper clippings are document Catholic Church and St. Joseph Orphan Society history from 1910 through 1976, with the bulk of clippings from the 1940s to the 1960s. Of particular interest is the scrapbook documenting the St. Joseph Orphan Society centennial in 1949.

The series also contains nine photographs albums documenting a variety of events at St. Joseph beginning in 1927 and ending in 1989. The albums include photographs of trustees and staff members, the Liberty House Girls Group Home, the annual St. Joseph Picnic, buildings being dedicated or torn down, and general St. Joseph special events. Of particular note is a scrapbook that includes photograph from the 1930s and 1940s that was created from the 140th Anniversary Alumni Day.

Series V: Photographs, Negatives and Slides – This is the largest of the six series in this collection spanning seventeen boxes and is divided into three subseries – Photographs, Negatives, and Slides.

Subseries VA: Photographs – The first five boxes in this subseries contain photographs documenting St. Joseph history, events, and children from 1890 to approximately 1969, with the majority of the photographs from the 1930s and 1940s. The photographs are grouped according to subject including trustees and staff, the St. Joseph Picnic, religious ceremonies and events, buildings and grounds, and children. Of particular interest are the photographs of children at St. Joseph, some of which are with siblings and/or parents. Many, but not all, photographs are labeled.

The remainder of the subseries VA photographs is from the 1980s and 1990s. The photographs primarily document children events such as parties, the St. Joseph Prom, recreational activities, field trips, summer programs, and some of the staff. Unfortunately, most of the photographs do not provide the names of people in the photographs or the date of the event/activity. Finally, at the end of the series, there are a large number of photographs documenting “The Cottages” ground breaking ceremonies in the mid-1990s and the “Budding Dreams” campaign of the early 2000s.

Subseries VB: Negatives – This subseries is filed in two flat album boxes. Some of the negatives are labeled, but many are not.

Subseries VC: Slides – This subseries is filed in two flat album boxes. In the front of each album box is a guide to the slides in the subseries. The slides are of events that occurred from 1969 to 1987.

Series VI: Audiovisual Material – The final series in this collection is divided into three subseries.

Subseries VIA: Films, DVDs, and Reel-to-Reel Tapes – This subseries primarily contains 8mm and 16mm film from the 1940s and 1950s. The film documents activities at St. Joseph including the St. Joseph Picnic, celebrations, and other events. The films have been transferred and access copies are available for viewing. Of particular interest for researchers is the film of the 1949 Centennial Celebration, the Solemn Outdoor Mass of 1948, and a general compilation of events in 1946.

Subseries VIB: Cassette Tapes – This subseries contains ten tapes from the mid-1990s. The tapes document the March 16, 1995 Cottage Dedication, several radio advertisements, and several interviews with staff members. There are also two tapes that accompany at slide presentation.

Subseries VIC: Video Tapes – This subseries contains 72 video tapes. The tapes primarily document activities, programs, and events at St. Joseph during the 1990s. Most of the tapes are of news programs broadcast by Dayton-area TV stations. There are also several promotional tapes.