The collection is comprised of Board meeting minutes and various records of the Home of the Friendless, later renamed the Charless Home, from its founding in 1853 until its sale in 2006. It is divided into two series:Board of Trustees and Subject Files. The Board of Trustees series, 1853-2006, consists primarily of meeting minutes and board meeting documents arranged chronologically. The Subject Files series, 1850-2006, contains various financial, residents, property, and other administrative records arranged alphabetically. The bulk of the collection dates from 1991 to 2006.

There are large date gaps in the collection. For example, records on residents cover two periods, 1853-1899 and 2000-2005. The bulk of the Subject Files series, from 1991 to 2006, reflects the records actively used by the Home at the time of its sale in 2006. In his book, St. Louis’ Hidden Treasure , Executive Director Sluyter explained that a cabinet of early records was found in the Home’s basement in July 2000 (p.45). This discovery explains the presence of the 19th and early 20th century record books and documents and the subsequent time period gaps in the collection.

The Board of Trustees series spans 1853 to 2006 and has two gaps in the meeting minutes, 1898-1913 and 1969-1972. In addition to the meeting minutes, there are six folders of records relating to the Board’s administration such as guidelines, member lists, and meeting notes (B1/f.1-2, B7/f.8-11). The earliest meeting minutes are in volumes dating 1853-1897 and 1914-1968. All of the minute books are recorded by hand except for the final two volumes, 1944-1956 and 1956-1968, which are typed. Meeting minutes beginning with 1973 are not bound and are sporadic through 1998, often including only meeting documents from the Home’s annual meetings which were held in November and published as its Annual Report (MHS Library, St.L. 362 H752a).

The meeting records spanning from November 1999 to June 2006 include not only minutes but also agenda, documents discussed and generated by the Board of Trustees, and some correspondence relating to meetings. These files, as do many files in the Subject Files series, coincide with the administration of Gary V. Sluyter, who served as the Home’s acting Executive Director in 1999, before being hired permanently in 2000.

The Subject Files series is arranged alphabetically and is comprised of files relating to the administration of the Home, such as the articles of incorporation, admission policies and personnel records. There are also files relating to two members of the Advisory Board, Samuel Copp and Samuel C. McCluney. Mr. Copp’s file contains a few letters regarding his association with Lindenwood College in 1886 (B7f.22). Mr. McCluney’s files pertain to the history of the Home when the State Historical Society of Missouri researched historic homes in Missouri for a publication in 1962. There is correspondence with Dan H. Spies of the State Historical Society and with Swiss officials concerning the original owners of the building at 4431 South Broadway. Mr. McCluney also kept a binder scrapbook about the Home of the Friendless (B9/f.9-11). The scrapbook has been removed from the binder and news clippings copied for preservation.

There is a small amount of correspondence in the collection (B7/f.23-24, B8/f.1). Most notable is a letter from Charlotte Charless to Mrs. Tiffany dated 13 November 1902 in which she corrects information in her letter of November 1st. The Board of Trustees asked Mrs. Charless to write a letter about founding the home which they planned to read at the annual meeting. Her letter of 1 November 1902 is published in the 50th Annual Report (1903); however, it is not part of the collection. Most of the correspondence is administrative and dates from 2000 to 2005.

Financial records include meeting minutes, investment documents, a volume of annual journal entries, and correspondence from the Advisory & Investment Committee dating from 1918 to 1956 (B8/f.7-13). There is also information on donations, foundation grants, and loan documents (Box 9). A donor book, 1853-1881, lists the names of donors along with the amount of money or the goods given to the Home (B8/f.5).

Clippings cover an array of topics about the Home, healthcare, residents, and appear in several of the subject files. There are also brochures for the home, many of which are not dated (B7/f.15), a few newsletters (B7/f.17), data on general events (B8/f.6), and files about the Home’s oldest tradition, the annual Strawberry Festival (Box 11). The sesquicentennial files reveal fundraising and activities related to the Home’s 150th anniversary, including information and research on the book written by Gary V. Sluyter and the monument purchased by the Charless Home for the grave of Charlotte Blow Charless at Bellefontaine Cemetery (Box 11).

Files relating to personnel matters include monthly payroll books, 1923-1940, which record employee names and amount paid, but not the position held by the employee. The remainder of the personnel records date from 1988 to 2000, and includes data on the final search for an executive director, some job descriptions, and safety guidelines.

Most of the information about residents of the Home dates from 1853 to 1899. Please note that it was common in the 19th century to refer to residents of institutions as “inmates.” There are two record books which provide comprehensive personal information about the earliest residents of the Home of the Friendless. The first record book lists residents in alphabetical order and dates from 1888 to 1899 (B10/f.14). The second record book lists the residents in chronological order, i.e. in the order in which they entered the home, and dates from 1853 to 1897. Both books provide personal data on the residents, their background, and families. Other 19th century documents relating to the residents include a Register of Deaths dated 1855-1869 (B10/f.10) and papers relating to accounts, most notably of Mary Wash (B10/f.6-7).

More recent records relating to residents include memorial announcements for deceased residents and some corresponding personal information sheets (from which social security numbers have been redacted for privacy concerns). There are a few clippings about residents at the home and files about fee structures and admission policies.

The property files contain deeds, floor plans, and repair proposals for the Home itself. The earliest plan dates from 1898 and was done Whipple’s Agency for city blocks 2705 and 2706. It is a fire insurance plat showing all the structures on the lots, their building material, and their use. There are two watercolor renderings, interior and exterior, of the 1963 chapel addition. There is also one file which contains data on property in other parts of the city acquired by the home through bequests.