Indiana Historical Society - Manuscripts & Archives
User Information
Historical Sketch
Scope and Content Note
Box and Folder Listing
Cataloguing Information
Processed by:
Wilma Gibbs
5 June 1995
VOLUME OF COLLECTION: 8 manuscript boxes and 2 oversized folders
COLLECTION DATES: Inclusive 1915-1985; Bulk 1982-1985
PROVENANCE: Shirley Herd, Indianapolis, Indiana, 13 June 1985
RESTRICTIONS: None
REPRODUCTION RIGHTS: Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained in writing from the Indiana Historical Society.
RELATED HOLDINGS: None
ACCESSION NUMBER: 85.0622
NOTES: The National Council of Negro Women--Indianapolis Section was donated during the Black Women in the Middle West Project.
The Black Women in the Middle West Project was a collecting effort to gather primary source materials of African-Americna women in Illinois and Indiana. The project, spearheaded by Darlene Clark Hine and Patrick Bidelman at Purdue University, was conducted in three phases from 1977-1985. Project records are located at five repositories within the two states including the Indiana Historical Society (IHS) [also houses the project's administrative records], Calumet Regional Archives, and the Northern Indiana Historical Society in Indiana and the Chicago Historical Society and the Illinois State Historical Society in Illinois. (Although the implementation phase of the project was from 1984-1985, several of the collections were donated to IHS in 1986).
Additional information about the project is contained in The Black Women in the Middle West Project: A Comprehensive Resource Guide, Illinois and Indiana (E185.6 .B53 1986), edited by Hine and Bidelman, et al. and Wilma L. Gibbs's article, "In Retrospect: The Black Women in the Middle West Project at the Indiana Historical Society," In Indiana's African-American Heritage: Essays from Black History News & Notes (E185.93 .I4 B52 1993).
According to its constitution, the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW)--Indianapolis Section was established to promote unity of action among all women in matters affecting the educational, cultural, economic, social, and political life of the community; to collect, interpret, disseminate, and preserve information affecting women and girls; and to work for the complete elimination of any and all forms of discrimination and segregation based on race, religion, color, national origin, and sex. In 1979, members of the organization worked with Purdue University Professor and Vice-Provost, Darlene Clark Hine, to publish When the Truth is Told: A History of Women's Culture and Community in Indiana, 1879-1950.
The book was the impetus for the Black Women in the Middle West project, a collecting effort to gather photographs and manuscripts of African-American women in Illinois and Indiana during the 1980s.
Like its national organization founded by Mary McCloud Bethune in 1935, NCNW--Indianapolis Section performs many service activities. The organization has sponsored youth groups; a Mental Health Gift Lift; programs about weight control, alcholism, voter registration, volunteerism, and self-awareness, a Newcomer Tea for all women new to the Indianapolis area, and annual black history observances. NCNW--Indianapolis Section has also completed service projects in conjunction with other organizations including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the United Negro College Fund.
Helen Clay is the current president of the organization. Past presidents include Shirley Herd and Amanda Strong.
Source: Materials in the collection.
This collection consists of 8 manuscript boxes and 2 oversized folders of materials related to the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW)--Indianapolis Section. Boxes 1 and 2 contain the organization's constitution and by-laws, agendas and minutes, reports, directories, brochures, programs, financial records, and yearbooks. Boxes 2-4 contain specific information about various Hoosier women, some of who are/were associated with the organization. The material is in the form of correspondence, newsclippings, programs, forms, and certificates. Women organizations that are listed with the National Council of Negro Women can pay $15.00 annually and send three representatives to become recognized affiliates of the local organization. In boxes 5-7, there is material related to several Indianapolis institutions and organizations, many of which are affiliated with NCNW--Indianapolis Section. Box 8 contains an address file of the organization.
BOX 1: NATIONAL; INDIANAPOLIS SECTION
Folder:
1: Membership application
2: Elections
3: 39th National Convention
4: 40th National Convention
5: Donor forms
6: Black Woman's Voice
7: Coalition of Volunteer Advocates
8: Finances
9: Indianapolis Section-Constitition and By-laws
10: Indianapolis Section-Minutes and Agendas 1975-1981, n.d.
11: Indianapolis Section-Correspondence-to Shirley Herd 1978-1985, n.d.
12: Indianapolis Section-Correspondence-from Shirley Herd 1978-1984, n.d.
13: Indianapolis Section-Correspondence-Darlene Clark Hine to Shirley Herd
14: Indianapolis Section-Correspondence-others 1970-1982, n.d.
15: Indianapolis Section-Reports
16: Indianapolis Section-Committees 1974-1982, n.d.
17: Indianapolis Section-Membership
18: Indianapolis Section-Program 1971-1983, n.d.
19: Indianapolis Section-Elections 1979-1982, n.d.
BOX 2: INDIANAPOLIS SECTION; INDIVIDUALS (A-D)
Folder
1: Indianapolis Section-Directory 1976-1977
2: Indianapolis Section-Publicity 1982
3: Indianapolis Section-Newsletters 1979-1984, n.d.
4: Indianapolis Section-Brochures
5: Indianapolis Section-Yearbooks 1978-1981
6: Indianapolis Section-State activities 1980
7: Indianapolis Section-Black Women Middle West Project-Recipts
8: Indianapolis Section-Black Women Middle West Project-Photos
9: Indianapolis Section-Mary McLeod Bethune
10: Indianapolis Section-Careers Unlimited
11: Indianapolis Section-Finances
12: Indianapolis Section-Book orders
13: Indianapolis Section-Tickets
14: Indianapolis Section-Receipts
15: Indianapolis Section-Stationary
16: Indianapolis Section-Photographs
17: Indianapolis Section-Clippings 1976-1983, n.d.
18: Other sections
19: Black Women's History Project-Questionaires
20: Juanite Watkins Alexander
21: Sue Artis
22: Emma Baker
23: Crystal Leora Ballard
24: Henrine Ward Banks
25: Verna Luemma (Davis) Banks
26: Mrs. Ernest Battles
27: Louise Terry Battles
28: Ruth Hamlin Bell
29: Rosemarie Gore-Bigbee
30: Geraldine H. Bradford
31: Billie Breaux
32: Alice Glover Brokenburr
33: Beatrice Brown
34: Cherry Brown
35: Dorothy Brown
36: Juanita White Brown
37: Alfreda Buckner
38: Mary Ellen Cable
39: Otelia Champion
40: Olivia Cole
41: Harriette Bailey Conn
42: Mattie Coney
43: Jeffrey Cox
44: Veanie Dawson
45: Virtea Downey
46: Shirley Graham Dubois
47: Oleatha Duvalle
BOX 3: INDIVIDUALS (E-I)
Folder
1: Pauline Eans
2: Anne Edwards
3: Elizabeth Enix
4:( OM 280) Elizabeth Enix (folder 1)
5: Flora B. Evans
6: Grace Wilson Evans
7: Shirley Richardson Evans
8: Bernice Fraction
9: Floyd Quartet
10: Nancy Gaddie
11: Flo Garvin
12: Mrs. Henri Gibson
13: (OM 280) Mrs. Henri Gibson (folder 2)
14: Lillian Goens-Correspondence
15: Lillian Goens-Programs
16: Lillian Goens-National Council of Negro Women
17: Lillian Goens-Federation of Associated Clubs
18: Lillian Goens-Republicans
19: Lillian Goens-Barnes United Methodist Church
20: Lillian Goens-United Methodist Women
21: Lillian Goens-Finances
22: Lillian Goens-Clippings
23: Naomi T. Gray
24: Teresa Greenwood
25: Nola Griffin
26: Ernestine Arrabelle (Standard) Grundy
27: Rita Guynn
28: Phyllis Hall
29: Sarah Virginia Hampton
30: Mamie Haskins
31: Shirley Herd-Correspondence 1976-1985, n.d.
32: Shirley Herd-Personal
33: Shirley Herd-Transcript
34: Shirley Herd-Certificates
35: Shirley Herd-The "her" Dimension
36: Martha Hill
37: Darlene Clark Hine
38: Lulah Roxie Hodge
39: Tommie Beatrice Holland
40: Mrs. Millard Hughes
41: Louise Ingram
BOX 4: INDIVIDUALS (J-W); SCRAPBOOK
Folder
1: Jessie Jacobs
2: Emma O. Johnson
3: Ada Abrams Jones
4: Harriet Clark Kelly
5: Nettie Scott King
6: Ethel Kuykendall
7: Janet Langhart
8: Anna Bell Lewis
9: Flora Bell Lewis (Evans)
10: Mother Mary Lively
11: Daisy R. Lloyd
12: Lucretia Lawson Love
13: Millie Hoffman Lyda
14: Bertha McDonald
15: Ella B. Meriwether
16: Ellen Thomas Merriweather
17: Mayme White Miller
18: Marieta Taylor-Morrison
19: Emarita Murphy
20: Maenell H. Newsome
21: Dr. Hattie Rose Williams Olateru-Olagbegi
22: Marjorie C. Parker
23: Blanch Patterson
24: June Evelyn Payne
25: Zellie M. Peoples (Mrs. R.H.)
26: Clara M. Phillips
27: Faye H. Price
28: Zerah Priestly
29: Roselyn Richardson
30: Senovia Robinson
31: Nellie B. Rogers
32: Bertha Ross
33: Patricia Russell
34: Sallie W. Stewart
35: Yetteva Teresa Stiggars Sanders
36: Hessie and Bessie Siler
37: Barbara Sizemore
38: Mary Southern
39: Sister Demetria (Catherine Smith)
40: Osma Sprulock
41: Lillian Stevenson
42: Sallie Wyatt Stewart
43: Mary Stokes
44: Frances Stout
45: Cassie Swarn
46: Jocelyn Tandy
47: Nellie Taylor
48: Willa Thomas
49: Francesca Thompson
50: Alice D. Tinsley
51: Mamie L. Townsend
52: Bessie Turner
53: Mary Van Buren
54: Mary Venerable
55: Hattie Hodge Wadsworth
56: Phyllis Wheatley Waters
57: Judy Waugh
58: Jesse White
59: Betty Wilson
60: Emma Wilson
61: Florabelle Wilson
62: Stella Woodall
63: Naomi Wortham
64: Scrapbook-musicians
BOX 5: CLIPPINGS; ORGANIZATIONS (A-N)
Folder
1: Clippings 1915-1984, nd.d
2: Organizations
3: Alpha Home
4: Alpha Kappa Alpha
5: Alpha Sigma Philos
6: J. Bailey Company
7: Bethel Home for Happy Children-Korea
8: Debonaire Civic Club
9: Delta Sigma Theta
10: Federation of Associated Clubs
11: Flamingo Club
12: Freetown Village
13: Four Leaf Clover Club
14: Girls Club of America
15: Happy Gardener's Club
16: Harrison County
17: Indiana Association of Business Communicators
18: Indiana Federation of Colored Women's Clubs
19: Indiana State Symphony Society
20: Indianapolis Music Promoters
21: International Girl Aid League
22: International Welcoming Committee
23: Lewis Business College
24: Lockfield Gardens
25: Methodist Churches
26: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
27: National Association for the Advencement of Colored People-Miami County
28: Northwest Civic Association
BOX 6: ORGANIZATIONS (O-T)
Folder
1: Old Settlers Social and Civic Club
2: Phyllis Wheatley Home
3: Rain or Shine Club
4: Republican Party
5: St. Pierre Ruffin Club
6: School of Christian Mission
7: Sigma Gamma Rho
8: Society of American Archivists
9: Three Sistes Nursing Home, Inc.
10: Top Ladies of Distinction-Correspondence 1981-1985, n.d.
11: Top Ladies of Distinction-Agendas 1984-1985, n.d.
12: Top Ladies of Distinction-Constitution; Protocol
13: Top Ladies of Distinction-Officers
14: Top Ladies of Distinction-Committees
15: Top Ladies of Distinction-"Status of Women" Committee 1981-1982, n.d.
16: Top Ladies of Distinctio -Top Teens 1985, n.d.
17: Top Ladies of Distinction-Activities 1984-1985, n.d.
18: Top Ladies of Distinction-Cotton Ball
19: Top Ladies of Distinction-Membership
20: Top Ladies of Distinction-Newsletters 1984-1985
21: Top Ladies of Distinction-Other Chapters
22: Top Ladies of Distinction-The Crown Paper
23: Top Ladies of Distinction-Certificate
24: Top Ladies of Distinction-Finances 1983-1984
25: Top Ladies of Distinction-Clippings
BOX 7: ORGANIZATIONS (T-W); MISCELLANEOUS
Folder
1: Twelve of Us
2: United Auto Workers
3: United Negro College Fund
4: Volunteer Action Center
5: The Women's Council
6: Woman's Improvement Club
7: Programs-Churches
8: Programs-Miscellaneous
9: Miscellaneous Correspondence
10: Walk Along With Us
11: Walk Along With Us
12: Miscellaneous Receipts
BOX 8: ADDRESSES
Folder
1: Addresses (A-G)
2: Addresses (H-M)
3: Addresses (N-W)
4: Addresses (A-M)
5: Addresses (Mc-W)
MAIN ENTRY: National Council of Negro Women. Indianapolis Section
SUBJECT ENTRIES: National Council of Negro Women. Indianapolis Section
Black Women in the Middle West Project
Top Ladies of Distinction
Goens, Lillian Marie, d. 1984
Herd, Shirley M.
Afro-American women--Indiana--Indianapolis--Societies and clubs
Women--Indiana--Indianapolis--Societies and clubs
Afro-Americans--Indiana--Indianapolis--Social conditions
Clubs--Indiana--Indianapolis
Civil rights--Indiana--Indianapolis
END