The Harvard Law School Library is pleased to announce the digitization of the Records of the New England Watch and Ward Society.
New England Watch and Ward Seal, ca. 1933. seq. 6069
Initially established in 1878 as The New England Society for the Prevention of Vice, the Society was formed in response to concerns about the proliferation of, among other things, “impure literature” in Boston. The name was changed in 1891 to the New England Watch and Ward Society but its dedication to “remove temptations to vice and crime – to stop up sources of corruption” remained strong well into the early part of the twentieth century.
Investigator’s Report, November 17, 1932. seq. 8745
The Harvard Law School Library holds the records of the New England Watch and Ward Society which span the years 1918-1957: the bulk of the material dates from 1927 to 1957. Documents include: minutes of board of directors’ meetings, treasurer’s reports and investigative reports; membership information; incoming and outgoing correspondence; internal memoranda including lists of books suppressed; and bibliographies of gambling literature. The financial records include audit reports, charitable corporation filings for the state and federal government, stock reports and treasurer’s reports. In total the records provide a comprehensive documentation of an active non-profit organization.
Annual Address, 1943, p.2. seq. 11536
The entire collection has been digitized and can be accessed via the New England Watch and Ward Society finding aid.
Post contributed by Edwin Moloy,
Curator of Modern Manuscripts and Archives