Open for use in Social Welfare History Archives reading room.
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Researchers interested in studying Hartley House should also review
the guide to the
The Hartley House records were permanently deposited by Gladys McPeek, the settlement's director, at the Social Welfare History Archives Center in 1969. The Center staff processed the collection during the summer of 1970.
Unpublished inventory available. Please contact the Archives for more information.
Hartley House was opened by the New York Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor on January 1, 1897, and was incorporated as an independent organization in 1903. Establishment of Hartley House was the result of a gradually increasing feeling among the managers of the Association that "if the homes of the poor could be made more comfortable and attractive, and the home lives more sufficient, there would be less cause for family dissensions and dissolutions, less seeking of the saloons by the men, less misery and wretchedness for the women, more happiness in the tenement districts, and less evil in the community."
According to the Association, Hartley House was to be a small "homemaking" school, where poor girls could be taught to make and keep an attractive, neat home - - not only for their own, but also for the benefit of their families, husbands, brothers, and friends. It was also the intention of the founders to bring the upper classes into the settlement to contribute volunteer work which, it was believed, would benefit both the poor and the wealthy. Marcellus Hartley, a New York businessman and philanthropist, donated one of the settlement's buildings in honor of this father, Robert M. Hartley, and another as a memorial to his daughter, Grace Hartley Stokes.
From its beginnings, the settlement carried on the usual range of activities, from children's classes to cooking lessons. Programs included a system of work relief, where unemployed neighbors were put to work in special industrial rooms. Hartley House's services were direct responses to the needs of its neighbors, and changing needs over the years were met by innovative programming. As the ethnic composition of the neighborhood changed from what was largely an Irish and German population in 1897 to one that reflected an even more cosmopolitan society, programs were expanded to include health services, English language classes, and additional summer activities.
Additional information is available on the
Among the noteworthy sections of the Hartley House records is the extensive correspondence between J. G. Phelps Stokes, a benefactor of and advisor to Hartley House, and the settlement's first head-worker, Helen French Greene, and her successor, May Matthews (folders 11-13). It details issues arising from the sometimes conflicting goals of head workers and benefactors. The collection is also rich in records of certain settlement clubs, particularly the Women's Club, for which there are nearly complete meeting minutes from 1904 to 1946 (folders 52-38). The collection of photographs (folders 98-112) provides visual documentation of settlement and neighborhood life, and the daily calendars kept by the staff offer an unusual record of day-by-day activities in a settlement (folders 85-97).
The corporate records of Hartley House (folders 1-5) include the certificate of incorporation and constitution, annual reports, and minutes of the board of trustees. The correspondence files (folders 6-15) contain general correspondence (folders 6-9) and correspondence with Marcellus Hartley, J. G. Phelps Stokes, the Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor, and the Wellesley Alumnae Association (folders 10-15). Treasurers’ reports, applications for assistance to the Greater New York Fund, and a ledger and staff salary lists comprise the financial section (folders 16-25). Program records (folders 26-56) contain papers of settlement clubs (folders 26-41), camp-related records from Hartley House farm (folders 42-45), nursery reports and records of children's work (folders 46-49), and anniversary material (folders 50-56).
The records also document Hartley House's interactions with national voluntary organizations (folders 57-60); local voluntary organizations, especially those on New York's West Side (folders 61-74); and New York City agencies (folders 76-77). Other items of interest include the Hartley House Cook Book and Household Economist (folder 78); studies of Hartley House and of Patterson, New Jersey (folders 79-8l); a script for a play about the price of milk (folder 82); and guest books, calendars, and photographs (folders 83-112).
The work of Hartley House was supported by the Hartley House Association, an organization composed of current and former house members and staff who raised funds and promoted house activities. Records of the Hartley House Association (folders 113-118) include minutes, correspondence, financial records, and membership lists dating from 1921 to 1927 (folders 113-115) and records of what was apparently a reactivated form of the Association dating from 1937 to 1959 (folders 116-118).
Also included in the records are legal-size folders containing financial statements, club minutes, scrapbook fragments, and Hartley House Association membership lists; and over-size material, consisting of 2 folios of photographs and 21 weekly activity ledgers. (Oversized storage boxes 13-17)
Selected publications from the Hartley House records have been removed and placed in the Social Welfare History Archives' Pamphlet Collection.
The Hartley House records are indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the University of Minnesota Libraries. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
Includes descriptions of programs and their rationale as well as a schedule of daily activities.
Kept by May Matthews, head worker, the book includes minutes of the meeting to incorporate Hartley House, annual meetings of Hartley House, budget information, and minutes of trustees meetings.
Includes correspondence with Marcellus Hartley Dodge, John Sherman Hoyt, Robert W. de Forest, J. K. Guiding, Helen F. Greene, and May Matthews on such topics as playgrounds, prostitution in New York City, child labor, an Italo-American Experimental Station, and requests to the settlement for information on neighborhood social conditions.
Correspondents include Mary Kingsbury Simkhovitch, Helen Hartley Jenkins, William P. Miller, Marcellus Hartley Dodge, New York Kindergarten Association, People’s Institute, Women’s Municipal League of New York City, Children’s Educational Theatre, and Recreation Alliance of New York City regarding such issues as playgrounds, tenement conditions, music in the settlements, delinquency, and Maude Adams (an actress).
Correspondents include Marcellus Hartley Dodge, Helen Hartley Jenkins, Boy Scouts of America, and Lillian D. Wald. Material regarding nursing and settlement efforts and programs.
Material regarding settlement housekeeping; Kate S. Chittenden, who founded and directed the Hartley House music department; and Chun-che Kao, a former resident of Hartley House who complained of U.S. use of germ warfare in China in 1952.
Material regarding administration of Hartley House and especially the establishment of a library.
Material reveals in detail the administrative aspects of running the House. Includes material on kindergartens, the Hartley House Cookbook, New York Milk Committee (Wilbur C. Phillips), nurses’ salaries, and the Society for the Prevention of Crime. Lillian Wald is a correspondent.
Historical Hartley House records and material regarding use of AICP funds by Hartley House.
Includes a tribute by May Matthews, a Wellesley graduate, about Helen F. Greene.
Hartley House received financial support from the fund. Includes annual applications which often detail programs and expenditures. Arranged by campaign years.
Hartley House received financial support from the fund. Includes annual applications which often detail programs and expenditures. Arranged by campaign years.
Includes records of receipt, contribution, and taxes paid.
A club for senior citizens. Two monthly reports presented to the New York City Department of Welfare.
Lists of members and records of events.
Ledger containing lists of members, dues, and receipts.
Two issues of "The Voice," the club publication. Contains material on militarism and armaments.
Records of members and dues paid.
Constitution and list of members
Material re a bus accident involving club members
Registration cards for the following clubs and activities: Brownie Scouts, Clovers, Club “47, Comets, Crusaders, Crusaders A.C. (Athletic Club), Dukes, Happy-Go-Luck, Hawks, Mohawk Basketball, Royals, Scouts (Gym), Spades, Stags, and Gym. The cards occasionally contain information on national origin and social class.
Material relating to Hartley House camping programs. Photographs of Hartley Farm facilities, campers and staff are located in Series 6.
Material concerning financing and programming for the farm. The Council consisted of one member from each settlement club.
Material regarding health regulations, farm hiking areas, American Camping Association inspection and standards, and staff recruitment. Also includes certificate of registration for the farm’s cow, tax bills, and architectural plans.
Analysis of types of cases treated and their disposition.
Day care health records.
Hartley House members’ work was included in the show.
Lists of participants
Program
Guest book
Dinner dance records
Anniversary brochure describing history, programs, and purposes of the House; also includes letter of appeal for funds and responses to the letter.
Contribution Pledges
Drafts of script, scenery sketches, and music written for the play, which was written and performed by House members and staff. Also includes promotional material for the play.
Brochure
House cards, songs, etc.
One letter regarding Hartley House’s civil defense program.
Copy of "The Years of Confusion," a report on Native Americans in Utah by Oliver La Farge.
Hartley House received a grant from the Federation to finance psychological consultation, an Audubon Society program, and a visiting nurse service for senior citizens. Also includes application for financial assistance and report on a project for senior citizens.
Correspondence concerning Hartley House’s proposed resignation from NFSNC for financial reasons and a study of the House, including a statement of objectives and analyses of neighborhood housing, population, numbers served, programs, and house income and expenditures.
Notes on a discussion with Daniel Carpenter, head worker of Hudson Guild, on the future of settlements after World War II.
Material regarding Greater New York Fund grant to settlements, Hartley House’s membership in UNH, ethnic groups in the Hartley House neighborhood, character of members served, etc.
Letter regarding proposed merger of the New York City Health Council and the Welfare Council and a small amount of material on services provided for member agencies by the Welfare Council.
Two membership directories and minutes of a meeting.
Membership Cards
Discussion between West Side residents and public housing administrators about proposed low-income housing. Reveals the residents’ negative attitudes toward the proposal.
Indicates demographic shifts, availability of health facilities, neighborhood industry and housing, etc.
Minutes of Council executive committee and the Council’s Committee on Elderly Neighbors, and suggested bylaws for the Council.
Report of the evaluation committee regarding Center programs.
Directories of neighborhood agencies and list of child caring agencies in the area.
History compiled by the Welfare Council of New York City
Hartley House was a member of the Dispensary, which provided dental care for neighborhood children.
Formerly the Clinton Neighborhood Planning Committee. Minutes, survey of ethnic backgrounds of neighborhood residents, and community information on schools, churches, and teen job projects.
Material regarding the Governor George Clinton housing project.
Permits and certificates issued by the city to Hartley House.
Published in response to requests for recipes from house cooking classes.
Paper written for an American Studies course.
A play about milk prices in New York City
The calendars list daily settlement activities
The calendars list daily settlement activities
Includes photographs of Hartley House.
Includes photographs of Hartley House.
Camping activities, staff and facilities.
Camping activities, staff and facilities.
Photos of former staff or house members