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Seamen's Church Institute records.
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Held at: Independence Seaport Museum, J. Welles Henderson Archives and Library [Contact Us]Penn's Landing on the Delaware River, 211 South Columbus Blvd. and Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA, 19106
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Independence Seaport Museum, J. Welles Henderson Archives and Library. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Seamen's Church Institute (SCI) was founded in Philadelphia in 1919 to care for the moral, spiritual, mental and bodily welfare of seamen, and to generally better the conditions surrounding and affecting "men of the sea." It joined ranks with similar local organizations that had established a long tradition assisting the merchant marine, going back to the first decade of the nineteenth century when the Bible Society of Philadelphia singled out seamen as important beneficiaries of their work. Over one hundred years later, and in a considerably more ambitious manner than this earliest precursor, SCI set to work providing clean and affordable housing, affordable food, morally sound entertainment, banking, religious services and employment assistance to seamen while in the Port of Philadelphia.
The institution's establishment was appropriately timed, coinciding with a municipally funded overhaul of port facilities along Philadelphia's Delaware River waterfront. Improvements boosted business and by the early 1920s the newly instituted Department of Wharves, Docks and Ferries boasted of Philadelphia's resurgence as a leading center of maritime commerce. The Department claimed that the City's port ranked second in the Nation in terms of volume, handling $742 million worth of imported and exported goods in 1920 alone. An enterprise such as SCI's complemented the municipality's work and, as a result, the institution's early plans to construct a hotel for seamen were warmly greeted by civic, corporate and private supporters.
SCI filled a growing void in Philadelphia. Newly booming maritime business brought greater numbers of seamen into the city, and existing agencies proved inadequate to service the increasing population's needs. In 1919, according to SCI publication "The Crow's Nest," four other seamen's organizations existed city-wide. All were small operations, typically with religious or ethnic affiliations. In contrast, SCI was larger and was created to service all seamen regardless of race, ethnicity or religion. Its founders hoped to consolidate the efforts of seamen's social agencies in Philadelphia and, to this end, amalgamated two of the other four organizations: Pennsylvania Seamen's Friend Society and Churchman's Missionary Association for Seamen. This centralizing effort benefited all three agencies. The merge advanced SCI's fundraising campaign to build a seamen's hotel, through the acquisition of real estate and monetary funds, and the hotel, in turn, provided better accommodations for the other organizations' constituencies. In addition to financial benefit, the newly partnered associations contributed their rich histories and longstanding ties to the port. For example, the Churchman's Missionary Association, founded in 1847, operated the famous "Floating Church of the Redeemer" on the Delaware River in the 1850s. Over time, it also maintained multiple locations along the waterfront. Its northernmost post on Cambria Street became the Port Richmond Branch of SCI. The Pennsylvania Seamen's Friend Society, which was founded in 1843, operated a small boarding house near the corner of Pine and Front Streets.
In addition to uniting existing agencies, SCI enabled the establishment of a new organization for seamen. The Maskline Clark Mariner's Home was founded in 1927 in a wing of SCI's new hotel building. It was the product of a $100,000 sum bequeathed by Maskline Clark in 1905 to establish a retirement home for seamen and SCI's ongoing fundraising campaign to continue work on the hotel building that inspired the partnership. $100,000 was, by the 1920s, considered inadequate to fulfill the last wish of Clark by itself, but it substantially advanced SCI's cause. Because Clark's bequest was always intended to help seamen, this joint venture satisfied both organizations' needs.
The hotel that housed SCI and its affiliates opened in 1925 after six years of fundraising and construction. It was built a mere two blocks from the Delaware River waterfront to provide clean and affordable lodging for seamen as well as other amenities including a restaurant, bank and library. Operations remained at this location until 1957 when SCI, having sold the Walnut Street hotel to the National Park Service, moved to a hotel at 1222 Locust Street in downtown Philadelphia. SCI relocated its headquarters again, in 1974, to an old bank building at 249 Arch Street. Approximately three blocks from the Delaware River, the move accomplished an institutional desire to physically reconnect itself with the Port. Drastic changes in the shipping industries as a result of new technologies had changed seamen's needs while on shore, forcing SCI to evolve as well. Most notably, due to shorter port layovers, the demand for overnight accommodations was reduced. By the mid 1970s, rather than a place to sleep, seamen required a venue near the wharfs for a few hours of quiet recreation, companionship, and spiritual and moral support. Though this need was satisfied prior to the purchase of the Arch Street building by the "International Seamen's Club," a venue that was operated in a trailer erected on the waterfront in the late 1960s, it became apparent that the Locust Street hotel was financially impractical. SCI moved one last time in the 1990s to 475 North Fifth Street where it continued to offer recreation and various support services to the members of the merchant marine into the twenty first century.
Since its founding, five men have led SCI in its mission to support seamen. Reverend Percy Stockman was the organization's first leader, fulfilling the dual role of Superintendent and Chaplain from 1919 to 1956. After his retirement he continued as Superintendent and Chaplain Emeritus until his death in 1968, working closely with his successor Reverend James McElroy. McElroy managed the organization from 1956 to 1973. That year Reverend Robert Peoples, who already had charge of SCI's International Seamen's Club, took the reins. Peoples held the directorship until 1985, when Father Neale Secor became director. In 1997, Father James Von Dreele took over management of the organization and its continuous efforts to serve the merchant marine.
The Seamen's Church Institute Records document the business activities of the Seamen's Church Institute (SCI) in Philadelphia from 1919 to 2000. The collection boasts a wide breadth of textual documentation that includes meeting minutes, publications and ephemera, financial records, correspondence and subject files, seamen's records and study materials for seamen's licensing exams. In addition, there are small numbers of photographs, multimedia and blueprints. Together, the records offer a complete representation of the agency and its affiliates from its founding to the late 1990s. The collection also houses records created by SCI's predecessors, the Churchmen's Missionary Association for Seamen and the Pennsylvania Seamen's Friend Society, from 1843 to 1923. Two additional Philadelphia-based seamen's organizations represented are Maskline Clark Mariner's Home and the Norwegian Seamen's Church.
Three series in the collection are particularly rich in institutional history, and to a lesser extent local and maritime history: Series II Board of Managers Records, Series IV Publications and Printed Materials, and Series VIII Seamen's Records. The first two series mentioned fully expose the history of SCI and its work in the Port of Philadelphia. Researchers interested in twentieth-century port developments and the evolution of commercial maritime activities will also be well satisfied. In particular, the Board of Managers' records include annual and general meeting minutes from 1919 to 1983 as well as assorted committee records. Similarly, in the Publications series researchers will find among other items a near complete run of SCI's newsletter "The Crow's Nest," from 1920 to 1985. Both record groups document important events and decisions in SCI's institutional history, and to varying degrees report on the organization's day to day operations. In addition, the fact that SCI paid close attention to the ebb and flow of the port community and maritime industries is evidenced in meeting minutes and especially in "The Crow's Nest." This publication offers articles on the efforts of city departments and private industry to maintain a healthy port environment. It also touches on the effects that events, such as the Great Depression and World War II, and changes in commercial transport had on the shipping industry and in turn on seamen. "The Crow's Nest" also chronicles the activities of the merchant marine schoolship "Annapolis."
The Seamen's Records series houses significantly different information than the Board of Managers or Publications series. Comprised of multiple card files, the record group documents the individuals who utilized the various services of SCI from 1929 to 1973. The cards are useful individually as genealogical resources and they present a collective biography of seamen in the twentieth century. In addition to perusing the Seamen's Records, researchers interested in the life and work of the merchant marine may also wish to review the documents that make up Series XII Study Materials. This series houses study guides and other records designed to help seamen prepare for various licensing exams.
The remaining nine series in the collection greatly augment the above described series, with the exception of Series XIII Military Order of the World Wars, which addresses the work of a patriotic organization in the 1960s, rather than SCI. Series V Financial Records and Series VII Correspondence and Subject Files offer the most in terms of abundance of documentation. Among the financial records researchers will be pleased to find year-end audit reports, or annual reports, dating from 1922 to 1999. In the Correspondence and Subject Files researchers will find information on just about any topic related to SCI and its work. Records produced between 1920 and 1940 that are similar in nature to the records housed in the Correspondence and Subject Files are maintained separately in Series VI Early Records.
Please review individual series descriptions and folder lists for more detailed information.
The Seamen's Church Institute Records is divided into thirteen series that are based on creative body, type of record or informational content. A majority of the series are based on original order.
Series I Records of Predecessor Organizations, which dates from 1843 to 1922, houses the earliest records in the collection. They were created by the Churchmen's Missionary Association and the Pennsylvania Seamen's Friend Society, organizations that amalgamated with SCI in the 1920s.
The remaining series in the collection are presented in order of organizational relevance. Series II through V house the official records of SCI's governing bodies, institutional publications and financial reports. Series II and III contain meeting minutes and other records of the Board of Managers and Women's Auxiliaries. Following, in Series IV Publications and Printed Materials, is a set of SCI's newsletter "The Crow’s Nest." Series V Financial Records includes a near complete set of year-end audit reports and daily account records.
Series VI, VII and VIII house records produced through the day to day operations of SCI. Series VI Early Records brings together correspondence and subject files from 1920 to 1940. Series VII Correspondence and Subject Files picks up chronologically where VI leaves off, providing a wide assortment of alphabetically arranged documentation created by the staff after 1940. Series VIII Seamen's Records is comprised of chronologically and alphabetically arranged card files maintained to document credit extended by SCI to seamen for various loans and services as well as their usage of the hotel.
Next, Series IX Photographs and Multimedia was brought together during processing. It is comprised of a small group of photographic snapshots, and sound and moving picture film. The materials were found throughout the collection, offering images of buildings, people and events. Many of the sound and motion picture recordings contain public service announcements of which SCI is the subject.
Series X, XI and XII house materials created by affiliated organizations. X and XI contain the records of the Maskline Clark Mariners Home for Disabled and Retired Seamen and the Norwegian Seamen’s Church. XII houses materials created by Wooters Navigation Company and other institutions that designed study materials to help seamen prepare for licensing exams.
The final group in the collection Series XIII Military Order of the World Wars has little to do with SCI. The records are part of this collection presumably due to an SCI staff member's affiliation with the organization.
"See also" references are presented at the series, subseries and folder levels as needed to denote the presence of related materials housed elsewhere within the collection. Please note, that there are a number of instances where a sequence of related folders share one "see also" reference. In these cases, the reference is always attached to the first record in the sequence.
Please refer to individual series descriptions and folder lists for more details.
- Publisher
- Independence Seaport Museum, J. Welles Henderson Archives and Library
- Finding Aid Author
- Finding aid prepared by Courtney Smerz, Judy Stevenson
- Finding Aid Date
- June, 2008
- Sponsor
- Processing was made possible by a generous grant from the Albert M. Greenfield Foundation.
Collection Inventory
Early on, SCI amalgamated two existing Philadelphia based seamen's agencies, the Pennsylvania Seamen's Friend Society and the Churchmen's Missionary Association for Seamen. The records in this series, which date from 1843 to 1923, document the work of both of these organizations as independent entities prior to uniting with SCI in the 1920s. The series is divided into two subseries, each representing one of the above named organizations.
The records of the Pennsylvania Seamen's Friend Society date from 1843, the year of its founding, to 1906. Researchers will find a near complete run of Board of Managers' meeting minutes for those years as well as an annual report for the year 1883, a lease for property at 422 South Front Street and other documents.
The records of the Churchmen's Missionary Association for Seamen date from 1852 to 1913. There are Board meeting minutes from the years 1878 to 1923, however they are not complete. Researchers will find general correspondence, especially letters from the City of Philadelphia from 1852 and 1853 requesting the removal of the Floating Chapel of the Redeemer from the wharf at Spruce and Dock Streets, an 1860 to 1883 service record book, and other records. The records are presented in chronolgical order.
Please review the folder lists for more details.
Series II. Board of Managers / Subseries c. Committee Records / Joint Committee Representing the PSFS and SCI. 1930-1943 (four files).
Series VI. Early Records / Churchmen's Missionary Association for Seamen. Re: merge with SCI. 1923-1925, 1936 (two files).
Series VI. Early Records / Churchmen's Missionary Association for Seamen. Re: Ten Year Anniversary of merge with SCI and Chapel of the Redeemer. 1922-1935, n.d.
Series VI. Early Records / Pennsylvania Seamen's Friend Society. 1930-1934.
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject Files / Churchmen's Missionary Association. Typescript transcription of meeting minutes (1879-1913), charter and by-laws. n.d.
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject Files / Churchmen's Missionary Association. History file. 1947, 1951, n.d.
Physical Description1.0 Linear feet
Series II Board of Managers contains the official records of SCI's administrative body and its committees. It is divided into three subseries: a. Charter and by laws, b. Board meetings and c. Board Committee records.
Subseries a. Charter and by laws is a small file group, consisting of three folders. Researchers will find a printed version of SCI's 1920 charter and by laws as well as multiple revisions of the by laws dating to as late as 1991.
Minutes from the annual and general meetings of the Board of Managers are housed in Subseries b. Board Meetings. The subseries opens with a run of official meeting minutes from 1919 to 1984, 1997, and 2000. 1943, 1950 to 1953, and 1955 to 1956 are not present. Following official meeting minutes for annual and general meetings are various staff members' copies of annual meeting minutes from 1962 to 1996. These files differ from the previous set of minutes as they contain correspondence and other records related to planning the meetings. Originally filed under the headings "Board of Managers" or "Annual Meetings," they were removed from Series VII Correspondence and Subject Files during archival processing to facilitate access. Records in Subseries b. Board Meetings are arranged chronologically.
The final group in this series, Subseries c. Committee Records, houses meeting minutes, correspondence and other planning materials related to the work of the Board of Managers' many committees from 1929 to 1998.
Board committees were formed to tackle specific aspects of SCI's administration. Some, like the Executive and Operating Committees were permanent sub-groups of the Board. Others, such as the 25th Anniversary or Building Committees, were ephemeral, existing to plan particular projects or events. The records of the Building Committee detail the planning and construction of SCI's Walnut Street Hotel, which was built in the early 1920s. The Operating Committee records are also notable, dating from 1922 to 1985. This committee kept income and expenditure reports related to running the hotel as well as other aspects of SCI's operations.
Committee Records are arranged alphabetically by committee name and then chronologically within those groups.
Physical Description3.75 Linear feet
Series VI. Early Records / Building. Walnut Street Hotel. 1921-1945 (multiple files).
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject Files / Buildings. Walnut Street Hotel. Retail spaces rental agreements. 1950-1956.
Series IX. Photographs and Multimedia / Buildings. Walnut Street Hotel, exterior and interior. ca. 1925, 1930, 1940 (multiple files).
Series V. Financial Records / Subseries c. Book keeping and other financial records / Monthly reports. 1988-1995 (multiple files)
Series V. Financial Records / Subseries c. Book keeping and other financial records / Operating reports. 1940-1973 (not inclusive) (multiple files).
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject File / Chaplain's Reports (multiple files).
Series III. Women's Auxiliaries.
From its founding years in the early 1920s and throughout its history, many of SCI's successes could not have been realized without the help of its devoted network of Women's Auxiliaries. Women's Auxiliaries throughout the Delaware Valley played an integral role in fundraising, especially during the construction of the Walnut Street Hotel, initiated book drives for libraries and entertained seamen at SCI sponsored events. Auxiliaries were also leaders in the annual ditty bag program, knitting scarves and sweaters, and collecting other items to give to seamen during the winter holiday season.
The Women's Auxiliaries series houses meeting minutes, correspondence, financial reports, and other related materials that describe the auxiliaries and their many projects at SCI. Researchers should note that there are correspondence files for individual auxiliary members throughout Series VII Correspondence and Subject Files.
Series III is arranged alphabetically by auxiliary name, subject or type of record and then chronologically within those subgroups.
Physical Description0.5 Linear feet
Series III. Women's Auxiliaries / "Wool."
Series III. Women's Auxiliaries / Knitting Committee.
Series IV Publications and Other Printed Materials, is comprised of newsletters and ephemera produced by SCI from 1919 to the 1990s. There are also non-SCI produced printed materials, but very few. The series is divided into two subseries; a. Publications and b. Ephemera.
Subseries a. Publications, offers a near-complete run of SCI's newsletter, "The Crow's Nest," from 1920 to 1985, providing a thorough and succinct accounting of the organization's history. In it SCI reported on all of its work and on other important maritime related topics. Many issues detail the activities and developments of the Port of Philadelphia and maritime commerce as well as assorted other subjects pertaining to seamen or seamen's rights. The subseries also contains the 1997 issue of SCI's later publication, "The Anchor," as well as miscellaneous non-SCI created publications. The materials are arranged in chronological order with all publications not created by SCI filed at the end.
Subseries b. Ephemera contains a wide assortment of printed materials dating from 1919 to the 1990s. A substantial number of documents are not dated, however approximate dates have been assigned due to a majority of the ephemeral items relating to the construction of the seamen's hotel in the 1920s. Materials are presented in chronological order, with materials produced by other agencies filed at the end.
Physical Description2.0 Linear feet
Series V Financial Records houses account books, audit reports, monthly reports, bank statements, donor files, records of the business office and other materials that together evidence SCI's finances from 1920 to 2000 [bulk: 1922-1999]. The different components of the series were brought together during archival processing to facilitate access. It is divided into six subseries.
Subseries a. Audit Reports contains official year end financial reports for the years 1922, 1928, 1929, and 1960 to 1996. Many years, especially files for the 1980s and 1990s are augmented with working papers and monthly reports. The subseries is arranged chronologically.
Bank and Investment Statements comprise Subseries b. Researchers will find monthly and quarterly statements for savings accounts and other investments from 1969 to 1996. There are no checking account statements. Additional bank statements are housed in Subseries c within the monthly reports files. The subseries is arranged chronologically.
Subseries c. Bookkeeping and Other Financial Records houses various documents and account books maintained by staff members to track institutional finances from 1940 to 1996. Researchers will find account books, records of bank deposits, cash receipts and disbursements, budget planning, petty cash receipts, and, finally, an account book for the Seamen's Savings Bank. The largest file categories in the subseries are the operating and monthly reports, which collectively cover the years 1940 to 1973 and 1988 to 1995. Monthly reports are extremely detailed, offering documentation of multiple bank accounts and investments, and other streams of revenue, including the store. The records are arranged alphabetically by record type, and then chronologically within these groups. Researchers interested in monthly financial reports should also consult Series II Board of Managers / Subseries c. Committee Records, where additional operating reports are housed.
The fourth subseries, d. Hotel Records, consists of a small cache of receipts and cash statements, arranged monthly, that relate to the operations of SCI's Locust Street Hotel in the 1960s and 1970s. The subseries houses two outliers at the end, cash register balance sheets that date from the 1990s—long after SCI vacated the building on Locust Street and ceased its hotel operations.
Subseries e. Donor Records is comprised of two separate document groups that evidence donor giving from 1950 to 2000. The first is an unbound volume called "Donor Master Record," which records a history of donor giving from as far back as 1950 to 1982. Following are a series of files for individual donors dating from 1964 to 1999; a majority of these records date from the 1990s. Donor files typically house correspondence and copies of receipts, though some contain biographical or anecdotal tidbits. Mary Bond's file, for example, is especially noteworthy. It records her reminisces of SCI from when she was a child. This more-than-ninety-year-old woman was involved with SCI out of respect for her mother, who was a founding member. A majority of correspondence found in the donor records is signed by either Business Manager Daniel Charter or Neale Secor. Donor records are filed alphabetically by the donor name. Researchers should also consult Series VII Correspondence and Subject Files for similar records. It is not clear why, but a number of donor files from the 1990s were found interfiled in this larger record group.
By the 1980s, SCI had formally established a Business Office to manage its financial matters and institutional development. This office took charge of budgeting, operating, investments, membership, strategic planning and the annual appeal, among other tasks. Subseries f. Business Office houses files created during the day to day activities of this department in the 1980s and 1990s. The subseries' primary creators were SCI's Business Manager Captain Daniel Charter and Director Neale Secor. The files are arranged alphabetically by name or subject. Other records produced by the Business Office such as monthly reports, donor, estate, events and fundraising records are filed elsewhere. Monthly reports and donor files are housed in other subseries within Series V, while estate, events and fundraising records can be found in Series VII Correspondence and Subjects, under those headings.
Physical Description11.6 Linear feet
Series II. Board of Managers Records / Subseries c. Committee Records / Operating Committee. 1922-1985 (multiple files).
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject File / Chaplain's Reports, 1962-1969 (multiple files).
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject Files / Personnel (multiple files).
Series V. Financial Records / Subseries f. Business Office / Petty cash log.
Series VII. Correspondence and Subjects / Events(multiple files).
Series II. Board of Managers / Subseries c. Committee Records / Finance Committee (multiple files).
Series II. Board of Managers / Subseries c. Committee Records / Planning Committee (multiple files).
Series II. Board of Managers / Subseries c. Committee Records / Planning Committee (multiple files).
Series V. Financial Records / Subseries b. Bank and Investment Statements (multiple files).
Series V. Financial Records / Subseries c. Book keeping and other financial records / Petty cash receipts.
Series VI Early Records is comprised of subject and correspondence files on a variety of topics from 1920 to 1940. In particular, researchers will find documents relating to the Walnut Street Hotel, SCI's merges with the Churchmen's Missionary Association and Pennsylvania Seamen's Friend Society, state appropriations and other subjects. A majority of the records were created by SCI Superintendent and Chaplain Percy Stockman. Files are arranged alphabetically.
Please review the folder list for more details.
Physical Description0.75 Linear feet
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject File / Estates (multiple files).
Series II. Board of Managers Records / Subseries c. Committee Records / Building Committee. 1920-1932 (multiple files).
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject Files / Buildings. Walnut Street Hotel. Retail spaces rental agreements. 1950-1956.
Series IX. Photographs and Multimedia / Subseries a. Portraits and Snapshots / Buildings. Walnut Street Hotel, exterior and interior. ca. 1925, 1930, 1940 (multiple files).
Series II. Board of Managers / subseries c. Committee Records / Building Committee.
Series VII. Correspondence and subjects / Buildings
Series II. Board of Managers / Subseries c. Committee Records / Operating Committee (multiple files).
Series V. Financial Records / Subseries c. Book keeping and other financial records / Monthly Reports and Operating Reports (multiple files).
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject File / Chaplain's Reports (multiple files).
Series V. Financial Records.
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject Files / Port Cruise.
Series II. Board of Managers / Subseries c. Committee Records / Operating Committee (multiple files).
Series V. Financial Records / Subseries c. Book keeping and other financial records / Monthly Reports, and Operating Reports (multiple files).
Series VI. Early Records / Chaplain's Reports.
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject File / Chaplain's Reports (multiple files).
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject File / Pennsylvania Seamen's Friend Society (multiple files).
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject File / Personnel (multpile files).
Series VI. Early Records / Churchman's Missionary Association.
Series VI. Early Records / Real Estate. Cambria Street, Northeast Philadelphia, titles, indentures, deeds (two files).
Series VI. Early Records / Port Richmond Branch.
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject Files / Port Richmond Branch (multiple files).
Series VII Correspondence and Subject Files is by far the largest and most varied record group in the collection. Dating from 1814 to 1999 [bulk: 1950 to 1997], the series is reminiscent of a traditional "central file," housing intermingled correspondence and subject files, financial papers, development records, and a wide assortment of miscellaneous materials that are arranged in one continuous alphabetical system. Presumably, it began with SCI Superintendent and Chaplain Percy Stockman's "permanent file," however at some point it appears to have been considered a depository or "archive" for staff members' non-current records. Unfortunately, any specific procedure employed in the creation of the record group is not apparent. Its principal creators were SCI administrators Percy Stockman and James McElroy. Secondary creators include SCI Directors Robert Peoples and Neale Secor, Business Manager Daniel Charter and others.
The series represents sixty years of SCI's activities and complements other series in the collection, often providing a more personal perspective. More specifically, researchers will find files on topics such as SCI's buildings, including the Port Richmond Branch and the International Club, the ditty bag program, estates, events, fundraising campaigns, and personnel. There are also newspaper clippings and, especially unique, two volumes of arrest records that were maintained by the hotel staff from 1949 to 1971. Detailing relationships SCI maintained with other maritime and religious organizations are records of the Coast Guard League, International Council of Seamen's Agencies, SCI chapters in other cities and the Pennsylvania Schoolship Association.
Series VII also maintains an abundance of correspondence with corporations, individuals and seamen. Correspondence is housed in either general correspondence files, that contain alphabetically arranged letters to and from multiple individuals, or in individual files. Individuals' files contain letters from, to, or about a single person. Researchers will note that many of these folders contain correspondence with members of the Board of Managers as well as the Women's Auxiliaries and should be cross referenced with those series. A majority of files that date from the 1980s and 1990s are development files containing donor records and thank you letters signed by Neale Secor or Daniel Charter. These are similar in content and format to files housed in Series V Financial Records, Subseries e. Donor Records.
Seamen's letters are intermingled in the general correspondence files, individual files, or under the headings "Letters from Seamen" and "Letters from Grateful Seamen." The latter two headings were created by Stockman and McElroy to collect "thank-you" notes. Correspondence with seamen is especially revealing. Notes written on prison letterhead and by seamen's families fully uncover the important role SCI played as advocate for seamen, and how much the men depended on its services. Advocacy extended to seamen as a population as well as to individual men who for countless reasons were down and out. Seamen that are especially well documented include Heinrich (Henry) Eckes and Hoyt McCormick. The processing team made every effort to denote files that pertain to seamen or board members however, this was not always possible.
The series is arranged alphabetically by name or subject. Correspondence and subject files are commingled. Researchers should note that many files were brought together during processing based on their subject matter. For example, files related to special events are filed first under the heading "event," then alphabetically by event name. Likewise, researchers will find records pertaining to SCI "buildings," "estates" and "fundraising" filed under those headings. Estate files generally deal with deceased seamen's and private citizens' estates that included bequests to SCI.
Please review the folder list for more details.
Physical Description17.3 Linear feet
Series II. Board of Managers Records / Subseries c. Committee Records / Building Committee. 1920-1932 (multiple files).
Series VI. Early Records / Building. Walnut Street Hotel. 1921-1945 (multiple files).
Series IX. Photographs and Multimedia / Buildings. Walnut Street Hotel, exterior and interior. ca. 1925, 1930, 1940 (multiple files).
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject File / Carrol, Grisdale, and Van Alen, Architects (multiple files).
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject File / International Seamen's Club (trailer) (multiple files).
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject File / Buildings. 1222 Locust Street (multiple files).
Series II. Board of Managers / Subseries c. Committee Records / Operating Committee (multiple files).
Series V. Financial Records / Subseries c. Book keeping and other financial records / Monthly report files and Operating report files (multiple files).
Series III. Women's Auxiliaries.
Series VII. Correspondence and Subjects / Ditty Bags (multiple files).
Series VII Correspondence and Subject Files / Whitlock, Margay.
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject Files / Fundraising. Corporate Campaign. (multiple files).
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject Files / Convocation of South Philadelphia.
Series VII. Correspondence and Subjects / Newspaper Clippings (multiple files).
Series IV. Publications and Printed Materials / Subseries b. Ephemera.
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject Files / Chinese Christian Church and Center. (multiple files).
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject File / Speiss, Madeleine (multiple files).
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject File / Spirit of the Port Award.
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject File / Filipino Project (multiple files).
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject File / Events. Friends of Filipino Seamen Dinner Dance (multiple files).
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject Files / Corporate memberships.
Series III. Women's Auxiliaries.
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject Filess / Speiss, Mrs C. William. Memorial Fund.
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject Filess / Estates. Spiess, Madeline T.
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject File / Buildings (multiple files).
Series II. Board of Managers / Subseries c. Committee Records / Women's Committee.
Series III. Women's Auxiliaries / Central City Auxiliary.
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject Files / International Council of Seamens Agencies. (multiple files).
Series XI. Norwegian Seamen's Church.
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject File / Buildings (multiple files).
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject File / Estates. Spiess, Madeline T.
Sereis VII. Correspondence and Subject File /
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject Files / Choudhury, Braja Gopal.
SCI maintained several card file systems from 1929 to 1973 that tracked seamen's credit history and use of hotel services. There are 24 such card files in the collection, which are divided into two subseries within the "Seamen's Records" series. A third subseries in Seamen's Records, c. Guest Registers, houses multiple volumes in which seamen recorded their own names and assorted personal information to document their stays. Volumes date from 1925 to 1995; however those dates are not inclusive.
One of the collection's gems is Subseries a. 1929-1973. This extensive, alphabetically arranged card file documents individual seaman's use of SCI's services, providing for thousands of sailors who passed through Philadelphia over nearly fifty years. What makes the subseries so special is both the bounty of information and consistency with which it was collected. "1929-1973" paints a comprehensive and collective portrait of the men who patronized SCI as well as of the organization itself.
In terms of personal information, a majority of the cards provide date of birth, permanent address, nearest living relative, rank or job title, citizenship and place of birth, parentage, and, for earlier years, a record of employment. Occasionally, cards comment on the complexion of the men, especially in the case of black seamen, detail sporadic personal tidbits, and in rare instances a photograph is attached. Periodically, letters written by seamen or their wives requesting additional aid or agreeing to repayment of money owed are also appended. The card file was maintained as a record of money owed for overnight accommodations, telephone usage, baggage storage, cash loans, meal tickets, repayment for damages to SCI property and any number of other services rendered. As evidenced by their files, some came to SCI over and over again and are represented for many years with particularly robust files, while others are noted only once.
Following the general alphabetical run is a separate alphabetically arranged system of cards marked "deceased." It is not clear when or why these cards were separated from the rest of the file group, as they do not represent the entire body of deceased seamen; there are other cards marked "deceased" that can be found in the main file.
Unfortunately, almost every card is marked with the seamen's social security number, which means that access and use restrictions for cards not in the "deceased" file are in place until 2033. The archivist will handle reference requests on a case by case basis.
Subseries b. 1950-1973, houses single year card files that provide only what is believed to be a record of overnight accommodation. The cards record the name of the sailor, their certificate number and a calendar with specific dates marked. The dates are presumed to be the days or nights they stayed at the hotel facility. Later years do record minimal information on money owed and received. It is not known if similar card files were kept prior to 1950 and did not survive, or if 1950 was the first year such a file was created. A card file dating before 1929 is mentioned in subseries a. 1929-1973, but its whereabouts and informational contents are currently unknown. There are no cards for 1956. Cards are arranged chronologically by year. Each year is arranged alphabetically.
"AR," which is marked on several cards throughout the series, means accounts receivable.
Researchers should note that there are inconsistencies in the way names are filed within this series. For instance the name "Le Blanc" may be found under "L" in one year and under "B" in another.
Series V. Financial Records / Subseries d. Hotel Records.
Physical Description17.5 Linear feet
Series VII Correspondence and Subject Files / International Seamen's Club (trailer). Guest Book. (Multiple files).
Series IX. Photographs and Multimedia, houses photographic prints and negatives, and assorted media created to promote SCI. The series is divided into two subseries, a. Portraits and snapshots, and b. Multimedia.
Unfortunately, the Seamen's Church Institute Records does not house many photographic images. Subseries a. Portraits and snapshots maintains those photographs and negatives that were not specifically affiliated with a file. Images are described according to their subject matter, and are arranged alphabetically by title. Researchers will find some photographs of various SCI buildings, events and services, seamen, and women's auxiliaries. Images of Percy Stockman and Neale Secor can be found in this subseries as well. Researchers should note that there are photographs located throughout the collection, especially in Series VII Correspondence and Subject Files. The processing team made every effort to note folders that contain photographic materials.
Subseries b. Multimedia, contains cassette tapes, and reel to reel sound and film recordings created for promotional purposes.
Physical Description0.75 Linear feet
Series II. Board of Managers Records / Subseries c. Committee Records / Building Committee. 1920-1932 (multiple files).
Series VI. Early Records / Building. Walnut Street Hotel. 1921-1945 (multiple files).
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject Files / Buildings. Walnut Street Hotel. Retail spaces rental agreements. 1950-1956.
Series VII. Correspondence and Subjects File / Coast Guard League (multiple files).
The Maskline Clark Mariner’s Home was a retirement home founded in 1927 in a wing of SCI’s new hotel building. It was the product of a $100,000 sum bequeathed by Maskline Clark in 1905 and SCI’s ongoing fundraising campaign to continue work on the hotel building that inspired the partnership.
Series X houses meeting minutes, correspondence and legal documents related to the founding and administration of the retirement home from 1927 to 1993. Please review folder list for further details.
Physical Description0.2 Linear feet
Series XI houses meeting minutes from 1929 to 1958 of the Board of Trustees of the Norwegian Seamen's Church, which was located on South Third Street in Philadelphia. There is also a guest register and an account book.
Please review the folder list for further details.
Series VII. Correspondence and Subject Files / Norwegian Seamen's Church, 1977-1993. (two files).
Physical Description0.2 Linear feet
The Seamen's Study Materials series houses an assortment of records created to help seamen prepare for licensing exams and other professional development opportunities. It is not clear how the records were acquired or used by SCI, however, it is likely that they were made available to seamen in fulfillment of an important aspect of the organization's mission: education. Materials date from 1946 to 1972. The series is divided into two Subseries a. Wooters Navigation Company, and b. Other Study Materials.
Subseries a. houses study guides created by the Wooters Navigation Company, which was located near Philadelphia’s waterfront at 321 Chestnut Street. Wooters administered examinations for all forms of mariners' licensing and raises in grade. The subseries is comprised of study materials geared towards specific license exams (e.g. first assistant engineer's license, Chief mate's license, or River routes pilotage license) as well as subject based materials. Types of subject materials that researchers may encounter include boilers, navigation, or refrigeration. For any category, folders contain a combination of practice exercises, terms and definitions, and diagrams. Materials are filed alphabetically by license or subject title. Wooters also houses a card file that documents several seamen and their progress with license exams from 1952 to 1961. Cards are divided by year and arranged by type of license. Within those groups cards are arranged alphabetically by student name. Due to the presence of social security numbers the card file is restricted. The archivist will handle research requests on a case by case basis. Restriction lifted in 2033.
Subseries b. Other Study Materials houses similar records to subseries a. It is distinguished from Wooters' study materials in that it contains mostly articles, essays, and manuals. It dates from the mid 1940s to the early 1970s. Folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.
Physical Description3.0 Linear feet
Series XIII houses records of the Philadelphia chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars (MOWW), a national patriotic organization of United States military officers that was founded in 1919. The records in the series date from 1960 to 1974. It is unclear how this record group became part of SCI's institutional archives; however, as evidenced by the records, at least two persons affiliated with SCI were also affiliated with MOWW: SCI Director Robert Peoples and Board President A.J. Drexel Paul. The series contains meeting minutes, reports, correspondence, memos and newsletters. A majority of the correspondence is that of MOWW commanders Lt. John T. Root (1970-1971), Capt. Charles E. Hires (1971-1972), Col. Joseph H. Barber (1972-1973), and Lt. Col. J. K. Lee Smith (1973-1974). The MOWW series maintains original order; records are arranged in an indexed numerical system. The index is included at the beginning of the series.
Physical Description1.25 Linear feet