
Bible and Fruit Mission to the Public Hospitals of New York City Records
1877-1978
MS 59
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024
(212) 873-3400
New-York Historical Society
Collection processed by Ann Christiansen
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on January 21, 2020
Finding Aid is written in English.
using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Descriptive Summary
Creator: | Bible and Fruit Mission to the Public Hospitals of New York City |
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Title: | Bible and Fruit Mission to the Public Hospitals of New York City records |
Dates [inclusive]: | 1877-1978 (Bulk 1960-1970) |
Abstract: | The Bible and Fruit Mission to the Public Hospitals of New York City was founded in 1874 by a group of Protestant women to visit patients in New York City Hospitals. The purpose was to bring sweets, bibles, necessities, and the gospel to patients. The collection consists mostly of bills, receipts, bank statements, donation journals, custodian accounts and fiscal records of the organization. |
Quantity: | 4 Linear feet in 10 boxes and 1 oversize folder |
Call Phrase: | MS 59 |
Historical Note
The purpose of the Bible and Fruit Mission to the Public Hospitals of New York City was to distribute comfort and relief to patients in New York City's Public Hospitals and to teach them the Gospel. The charity was founded in 1874 and incorporated in 1900 to visit patients in New York City's Hospitals who had no relatives or friends to visit them. It was started by a group of Protestant women who wanted to do charity works in the New York City's Public Hospital for the holidays in 1874. In December 1875 women representing various Protestant Churches organized into this charity that would serve between 1,500-2,000 patients every year. A member of the organization would visit between 300 to 400 patients per week. They would bring sweets, basic necessities, and Christian reading material and the gospel to be distributed among the patients.
The Bible and Fruit Mission was located at 5 East 48th Street in New York City. The organization started visitation with the following hospitals: Charity Hospital, Convalescent Hospital, Bellevue Hospital, and the City Hospital. The Bible and Fruit Mission expanded into visiting the following hospitals: Homeopathic Hospital, Metropolitan Hospital, Almshouse, Hospital for Consumptives, City Home Hospital, Farm Colony, Marine Hospital, Sea View Hospital, Cancer Hospital, Welfare Hospital, Goldwater Memorial, Bird S. Coler Memorial, Elmhurst General, Cumberland Hospital, King County Hospital, Samaritan Hospital, Delafield Hospital, Coney Island Hospital, Harlem Hospital, and College View Nursing Home.
The Bible and Fruit Mission was largely run on donations and volunteers, until 1900. In 1900 the organization incorporated and started to use interest from investments to operate and hire people to visit patients. Investment money came mostly from bequests from various people in the New York area. In 1975, the Internal Revenue Service decided that the Bible and Fruit Mission no longer met the criteria for a non-for-profit foundation under the law. The Internal Revenue Service decided that the Bible and Fruit Mission was a private foundation and would have to pay taxes on its income. The charity was to pay 4% income tax on its investments, unless 10% of the charity's income came from public funds instead of investments. The East Midtown Protestant Chaplaincy Inc. offered to help the Bible and Fruit Mission reach its goal of 10% income from public funds. The Bible and Fruit Mission was able to reach its goal and did not have to pay taxes that year. In 1977, the Bible and Fruit Mission's board unanimously agreed to merge with the East Midtown Protestant Chaplaincy, Inc and dissolved the charity.
Scope and Contents Note
The records of the Bible and Fruit Mission to the Public Hospitals of New York City consist of the financial records of the charity from 1907-1978 (bulk dates 1960-1970's). The collection is made up mostly of bank statements, checks, bills, receipts, donations, custodian accounts, accounting books, and financial summaries focusing on expenditures and investments of the charity.
There is very little information on the daily activities and operations of the Bible and Fruit Mission, and of the merger with the East Midtown Protestant Chaplaincy Inc. There are a few meeting minutes from the monthly meetings and correspondence from 1920-1977. The records also include the estate records of Mabel G. Moorman Goddard who donated a large sum of money to the Bible and Fruit Mission and other charities in New York in 1970. There is no information on the organization before it was incorporated in 1900 except for multiple copies of one article from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper from 1877.
Arrangement
The collection is organized in three series: Administration Records, Financial Records, and Seals, and are arranged chronologically within each series.
Access Points
Document Type
- Account books
- Annual reports.
- Bankbooks
- Checkbooks
- Checks
- Financial records
- Insurance policies
- Ledgers (account books)
- Minutes (administrative records)
- Receipts
Subject Organizations
- East Midtown Protestant Chaplaincy, Inc. (New York, N.Y.)
Subject Topics
- Charities -- New York (State) -- New York.
- Hospitals, Convalescent -- New York (State) -- New York.
- Women in charitable work
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
One folder restricted until 2050. The rest of the collection is open to qualified researchers.
Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to twenty exposures of stable, unbound material per day. (Researchers may not accrue unused copy amounts from previous days.)
Use Restrictions
Permission to quote from this collection in a publication must be requested and granted in writing. Send permission requests, citing the name of the collection from which you wish to quote, to
Library Director, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024
Preferred Citation Note
This collection should be cited as the Bible and Fruit Mission to the Public Hospitals of New York City Records, MS 59, The New-York Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Mrs. Peter S.P. Dimsey, 1984.
Processing Information
The collection was first processed in 1985, with refinements and finding aid completed by Ann Christiansen in 2012. Two oversize documents were added to the finding aid in 2020.
Container List
Series 1: Administration Records, 1924-1978
Scope and Contents NoteSeries 1 consists of documents related to the management of the Bible and Fruit Mission. This includes one article, correspondence, meeting minutes, annual reports and the records of the merger with East Midtown Protestant Chaplaincy Inc.
Arrangement NoteAdministration Records are arranged chronological from 1877-1978 |
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Container 1 | Container 2 | Title | Date | |
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Folder: Oversize-Small | Article from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper
Scope and ContentsFormerly in Box 1, Folder 1, but removed to an oversize container. |
1877 May 5 | ||
Folder: Oversize-Small | Certificate of Incorporation from the New York State Board of Charities |
1900 May 29 | ||
Box: 1 | Folder : 2 | Correspondence |
1920-1970 | |
Folder: Oversize-Small | Correspondence, Oversize
Scope and ContentsOne letter from the General Secretary of the New York Bible Society to the Bible and Fruit Mission confirming that the Society's Board of Managers resolved to retain the Mission at the Society's 48th street building. Matted. |
1950 April 25 | ||
Box: 1 | Folder : 3 | Annual Reports |
1921-1968 | |
Box: 1 | Folder : 4 | Meeting Minutes |
1927-1940 | |
Box: 1 | Folder : 5 | Meeting Minutes |
1941-1949 | |
Box: 1 | Folder : 6 | Meeting Minutes |
1953-1957 | |
Box: 1 | Folder : 7 | Meeting Minutes |
1957-1970 | |
Box: 1 | Folder : 8 | Correspondence |
1970-1972 | |
Box: 1 | Folder : 9 | Records of the Merger with East Midtown Protestant Chaplaincy Inc. |
1975-1978 | |
Box: 1 | Folder : 10 | Records of Merger with East Midtown Protestant Chaplaincy Inc. |
1977 | |
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Series 2: Financial Records, 1907-1977 1960-1970
Scope and Contents NoteSeries 2 consist of documents related to the financial records of the Bible and Fruit Mission that includes fiscal records, checkbooks, custodian accounts, bank statements, donations, bills, payroll, insurance policy, and estate records of Mabel G. Moorman Goddard.
Arrangement NoteFinancial Records are arranged chronological from 1907-1977 |
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Container 1 | Container 2 | Title | Date | |
Box: 2 | Folder : 1 | Donation Journal |
1907-1928 | |
Box: 2 | Folder : 2 | Donation Journal |
1911-1915 | |
Box: 2 | Folder : 3 | Thank You and Donation Notes |
1920-1940 | |
Box: 2 | Folder : 4 | Donation Journal |
1928-1938 | |
Box: 2 | Folder : 5 | Visitation Log Book, Reimbursements |
1928-1939 | |
Box: 3 | Folder : 1 | Expenditure Book and Balance Sheets |
1928-1940 | |
Box: 3 | Folder : 2 | Donation List |
1935-1940 | |
Box: 3 | Folder : 3 | Employee and Expenditure Book |
1939-1955 | |
Box: 3 | Folder : 4 | Custodian Accounts |
1938-1961 | |
Box: 3 | Folder : 5 | Investments Accounts and Financial Statements |
1930-1960 | |
Box: 3 | Folder : 6 | Receipts |
1940's | |
Box: 3 | Folder : 7 | Donation List |
1942-1956 | |
Box: 4 | Folder : 1 | Monthly Bank Statements/Balance Sheets |
1948-1949 | |
Box: 4 | Folder : 2 | Fiscal Records |
1954-1956 | |
Box: 4 | Folder : 3 | Fiscal Records |
1957 | |
Box: 4 | Folder : 4 | Correspondence on Donations and Investments |
1950-1960 | |
Box: 4 | Folder : 5 | Donation List |
1960 | |
Box: 4 | Folder : 6 | Payroll and Deposits |
1960-1965 | |
Box: 4 | Folder : 7 | Fiscal Records |
April 1, 1960-March 31, 1961 | |
Box: 4 | Folder : 8 | Fiscal Records |
April 1, 1961-March 31, 1962 | |
Box: 5 | Folder : 1 | Fiscal Records |
April 1, 1962-March 31, 1963 | |
Box: 5 | Folder : 2 | Fiscal Records |
April 1, 1963-March 31, 1964 | |
Box: 5 | Folder : 3 | Fiscal Records |
April 1, 1964-March 31, 1965 | |
Box: 5 | Folder : 4 | Insurance Information for Bible and Fruit Mission |
1964-1968 | |
Box: 5 | Folder : 5 | Financial and Custody Statements |
1964-1974 | |
Box: 6 | Folder : 1 | Fiscal Records |
April 1, 1965-March 31, 1966 | |
Box: 6 | Folder : 2 | Checkbook |
1965-1968 | |
Box: 6 | Folder : 3 | Fiscal Records |
April 1, 1966-March 31, 1967 | |
Box: 6 | Folder : 4 | Fiscal Records |
1968 | |
Box: 7 | Folder : 1 | Fiscal Records |
April 1, 1968-March 31, 1969 | |
Box: 7 | Folder : 2 | Fiscal Records |
1968-1970 | |
Box: 7 | Folder : 3 | Fiscal Records |
1969-1971 | |
Box: 7 | Folder : 4 | Estate Records of Mabel G. Moorman Goddard |
December 1, 1970-December 15, 1971 | |
Box: 7 | Folder : 5 | Payroll |
1970-1974 | |
Box: 7 | Folder : 6 | Checking Account Statements |
1970-1974 | |
Box: 8 | Folder : 1 | Bills |
1970-1974 | |
Box: 8 | Folder : 2 | Investments |
1971-1972 | |
Box: 8 | Folder : 3 | Monthly Bank Statements |
1971-1973 | |
Box: 8 | Folder : 4 | Checkbooks |
1971-1975 | |
Box: 9 | Folder : 1 | IRS tax forms and information for the Bible and Fruit Mission |
1972-1973 | |
Box: 9 | Folder : 2 | Blue Cross/Blue Shield Insurance Claims and Policies |
1972-1976 | |
Box: 9 | Folder : 3 | Insurance Policy/Claims |
1974-1975 | |
Box: 9 | Folder : 4 | Custodian Accounts |
1974-1975 | |
Box: 9 | Folder : 5 | Deposit Slips |
1974-1975 | |
Box: 9 | Folder : 6 | Thank You and Donation Notes |
1974-1975 | |
Box: 9 | Folder : 7 | Monthly Bank Statements |
1974-1976 | |
Box: 9 | Folder : 8 | Payroll |
1974-1976 | |
Box: 9 | Folder : 9 | W2 and W4 Forms for Employees (Restricted until 2050) |
1974-1976 | |
Box: 9 | Folder : 10 | Bills |
1974-1977 | |
Box: 9 | Folder : 11 | Fiscal Records |
1975-1977 | |
Box: 9 | Folder : 12 | Financial Transfer to East Midtown Protestant Chaplaincy Inc. |
1976-1977 | |
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Series 3: Seals, undate
Scope and Contents NoteSeries 3 consists of the tools to make stamps and seals for the Bible and Fruit Mission. |
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Container 1 | Title | Date | ||
Box: 10 | Stamp of the State Board approval of Bible and Fruit Mission as a Charity |
1896 | ||
Box: 10 | Stamp of the women working for the Bible and Fruit Mission |
Undated | ||
Box: 10 | Tool to make the seal of the Bible and Fruit Mission |
Undated | ||
Box: 10 | Tool to make the seal of the Bible and Fruit Mission |
Undated | ||
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