Information
Sheet
R Mothers and Patrons Club of Flat
River, Missouri.
70 Record book, 1907-1937 (bulk
1907-1924).
One volume, 298 pages.
MICROFILM
The first meeting of the Mothers and
Patrons Club of Flat River was held at the home of Mrs. Oliver M. Bilharz, the
club’s first president, on March 23, 1907.
The stated aims of the club were social and civic improvements in the
Flat River mining district. The local
schools were the objects of its first efforts, and members visited the schools
and sponsored improvements in the classrooms and playgrounds. Members also paid regular visits to the
county jail, infirmary, and hospitals, and became increasingly involved with
aiding the indigent and sick of Flat River, especially those suffering from tuberculosis. With the financial help of the club, a
number of patients were sent to the state sanitarium at Mount Vernon,
Missouri. In 1913, the club hired a professional
nurse to make home visits and treat cases of tuberculosis in Flat River.
The club’s active membership remained
relatively constant at approximately thirty, although the rolls indicate a
larger membership. Regular meetings
were held every third week, and usually included speakers or readings on
selected topics. Speakers were often doctors
and professional people who traveled, expense paid, to address the club. Soldiers stationed in the mining district
during World War I were occasional guests, and were entertained by club members
on holidays.
The record book includes minutes of
meetings beginning with the first meeting on 23 March 1907 and continuing
through 14 March 1924. Also included
are lists of officers and members, 1907-1924.
Enclosed at the end of the volume is a congratulatory letter by Mrs. Oliver
M. Bilharz, 2 April 1937, written on the occasion of the club’s 30th
anniversary.
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