Kiwanis Club of Xenia, Ohio, Records (MS-538)

The Kiwanis Club of Xenia, Ohio, Records document the history of the club’s activities and memberships throughout its entire existence. It includes records of all the types that one would expect from such an organization, including meeting minutes, financial records, annual and monthly reports, membership lists, newsletters, photographs, and other materials. The researcher should be encouraged to note that information is often duplicated in multiple record series, so that if a particular piece of information, for a given date/time period, is missing in the most obvious series, it may still be found in another series. For example, researchers interested in the names of the members will find this most readily in the Membership series; however, lists also can be found in the Bulletins series, as well as the dues statements of the Financial series.

Series I: General History, includes written histories, files concerning anniversary celebrations (1942-2012), constitutions and by-laws (1965-2002), resolutions, standing rules, and statements of continued existence. The anniversary files are particularly useful, as the event programs often include a written history, membership roster, officer lists (past and present), legion of honor member list (long-time members), and songs. (Note that photographs from anniversary celebrations are not in this series but in Series X: Photographs.) Materials in the General History series date from 1942 to 2012.

Series II: Meeting Minutes, consists of the official minutes of the club’s meetings, which were usually held monthly, as well as attachments that were filed with the minutes. Attachments may include committee or treasurer reports. Materials in this series date from 1922 to 2015, although there are many gaps prior to 1949.

Series III: Membership, includes lists of the club’s leaders, as well as general membership. Leadership files include the installation of officers, lists of past officers, lists of committee chairs and committee members, as well as officer and committee chair duties. Files pertaining to the general membership include membership rosters (1958-2015), attendance records, membership surveys, applications for membership, and membership change forms. The actual materials in this series date from 1933 to 2016; however, the information on some of the officer lists does go back to the founding (1922).

Series IV: Reports, includes a bound volume of annual and monthly reports (1928-1936), as well as separate annual reports (1936-2013), official monthly reports (1947-2014), committee monthly reports (1943-2006), and election reports (1946-2012). There are some coverage gaps throughout this series, noted more clearly on the individual folders. Annual Reports, often called “Achievement Reports” prior to 1970, are reports to Kiwanis International of the club’s activities in a given year, typically including a standardized form outlining membership, attendance, activities, fundraisers, and service projects, and sometimes including a freeform narrative attached. Official Monthly Reports also use a standardized form from Kiwanis International, and include such details as membership numbers, as well as additions, deletions, or changes in status; meeting dates, speakers, and topics; and general summaries of service and activities. Committee Monthly Reports detail activities of a particular committee in a given month, including number of meetings, number in attendance, actual activities, and sometimes proposed activities. Election Report files contain Annual Reports of Club Election, which provide contact information for the club’s newly elected officers, as well as the usual meeting day and location for the year; also included in these same files (arranged by date) are Certificates of Election of Delegates and Alternates, which name the club’s representatives to the Annual Convention, Ohio District of Kiwanis International. Materials in the Reports series date from 1928 to 2014.

Series V: Correspondence, includes general correspondence, letters of gratitude, and correspondence concerning membership status. Correspondence specifically concerning financial matters is not in this series but instead is filed in Series VI: Financial Records. Materials in the Correspondence series date from 1928 to 2016.

Series VI: Financial Records, includes official treasurer’s reports, budgets, financial correspondence, and Dues Statements to Kiwanis International. It is important to note that treasurer or financial reports that were originally filed with the meeting minutes, which was common in earlier years (prior to 1970s), can be found in the attachments of those minutes (see Series II: Meeting Minutes). The Dues Statements detail the dues paid to Kiwanis International and the Ohio District for a given quarter or half-year, and these usually also include attached membership lists.

Series VII: Bulletins, contains weekly newsletters sent to club members. In earlier years, these were simply called “bulletins,” but in 1942 the name The Xenia Kiwanian was adopted. These bulletins, or newsletters, contain information about upcoming and recently past meetings, speakers, and topics; lists of officers, committees, and membership; member news and announcements; and sometimes financial reports. This is the largest series in the collection, and the bulletins date from 1930 to 2010.

Series VIII: Programming, includes files on various activities of the club. Individual programs with several relevant items, such as the Ox Roast, Key Club, and Well Baby Clinics, have their own labeled folders, arranged alphabetically. Thereafter, programming materials are filed together by decade. The contents mainly include flyers, announcements, tickets, and printed programs. Of particular note in this series is a file concerning the club’s efforts to provide relief to their neighbors following the devastating April 3, 1974, Xenia tornado. Materials in this series date from 1942 to 2016.

Series IX: News Clippings, contains news articles (preservation photocopies of the original newsprint) concerning club activities or club members. These are grouped by decade and arranged chronologically, with undated articles in the last file of the series. Materials in this series date from 1925 to 2016.

Series X: Photographs, contains general photographs and negatives, as well as from specific events, such as anniversaries. Many photographs are unidentified and undated, though approximate dates have been identified. Negatives in this series include large format (4”x5”), 120mm, 35mm, and 16mm. Files are in roughly chronological order. Materials in this series date from 1947 to about 2010.

Series XI: Ohio District, contains materials relating mainly to Ohio District 4, Kiwanis International, to which the Xenia club belongs. In earlier years, it was called “Division 4,” and at least as early as the 1930s, Xenia was part of Division 2 (not 4). Materials in this series primarily include constitutions, meeting minutes, newsletters, and directories for Ohio District 4. Of particular note are two files concerning Ohio Kiwanis activities in 1936, a Division 2 meeting held in Greenville in May, and the Ohio District annual convention held in Dayton in October. Materials in the Ohio District series date from 1936 to 2016, though gaps in many time periods are significant.