Finding aid for Poinsettia Club records, 1899-2018 MVC015

Library Staff, 2011. Finding aid updated by Susana Delgadillo and Ali Phelps, 2023.
This finding aid was made possible in part through funding from the County of Ventura and the Heritage Fund at the Ventura County Community Foundation.
Museum of Ventura County
2011
100 East Main Street
Ventura, CA 93001
Business Number: (805) 653-0323 (Extension: 320)
library@venturamuseum.org


Contributing Institution: Museum of Ventura County
Title: Poinsettia Club records
Creator: Poinsettia Club
Identifier/Call Number: MVC015
Physical Description: 6.42 Cubic Feet (5 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1899-2018
Abstract: The Saticoy Poinsettia Club was incorporated in 1899 and was originally named the Saticoy Literary and Social Club until 1902. It was formed for the purpose of promoting sociality among its members and for the betterment of their recently established community in Saticoy. This collection includes their historical documents, yearbooks, scrapbooks, minutes, financial and administrative records.
Physical Location: COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE (boxes 2-5): Stored off-site and advance notice is required for timely retrieval. Please request materials 2-3 days in advance. Researchers MUST make a research appointment on the Research Library website . Please make a note of the box numbers or container you are requesting. COLLECTION STORED ON-SITE (box 1): Stored at the MVC Research Library. Requests do not have to be made in advance, but researchers MUST make a research appointment on the Research Library website .
Language of Material: English .

Conditions Governing Access

This finding aid was made possible in part through funding from the County of Ventura and the Heritage Fund at the Ventura County Community Foundation. This collection is open for research except for Box 2, Folder 1, which is restricted.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights to the physical object belong to the Museum of Ventura County. Literary rights, including copyright, have not been determined. Contact the Research Library for further information: library@venturamuseum.org

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Poinsettia Club records, (Collection MVC015), Museum of Ventura County, Research Library, Ventura, California.

Acquisition Information

Portions of this collection were contributed by Docent Betty Powell in January, 1996. Ginny Powell, gift, 2012; and Vivian Nelson, gift, 2019.

Processing Information

Processed by Library Staff, 2011. Processed by Ali Phelps under the supervision of Krystell Jimenez, 2023.
Our collections are being processed using MPLP so that we may prioritize access for users and identify potential priorities for more detailed processing. If while using our collections you think there is something that should be added or amended in the finding aid, we welcome your input. You can notify staff in the reading room or send us an email at library@venturamuseum.org. Be sure to include the collection number and name and the box number you were working with in your email.

Biographical / Historical

Saticoy is an unincorporated community in Ventura County, California. The settlement was laid out in 1887 along the railroad line that was being built from Los Angeles through the Santa Clara River Valley to the town of Ventura. The Saticoy Literary and Social Club, otherwise known as the Saticoy Poinsettia Club, was incorporated on June 14, 1899. It was established during a time when men would gather in fraternal organizations, billiard halls, saloons and at political rallies. In the isolated rural area of only eight hundred inhabitants, a group of women sought their own places of refuge in the form of a literary and social club. Initially, the club meetings were dedicated to socializing, studying the classics, and drinking tea. The first meeting was held in Anna Campbell's house and included the following women: O. Belle Arnold, Agnes B. Clark, Carrie A. Darling, Jean B. Duval, Emma B. Kellogg, Adeline A. Kelsey, Lizzie A. Kimball, Jennie Sharp and Luna Layne. Membership dues were twenty-five cents a year, members were fined five cents for missing meetings, only fifteen members were permitted at any given time, and aspiring members were accepted or rejected through a secret ballot vote of the membership. The name of the club was changed to Poinsettia Club of Saticoy on April 9, 1902, just as Poinsettias were becoming a large local crop in the region. After incorporation, meetings quickly broadened to activities designed to, "promote the civic, social and educational life of its members, for the betterment of the community in which they live". This included discussing current events, home economics, fundraising, scholarships, book clubs, educational workshops, arts and crafts and involvement in national, state and local causes. They helped fund local parks, the public library and sent aid to survivors of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake among other charitable activities.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of the official club documents of the Poinsettia Club of Saticoy, California. In addition to minutes, agendas, and financial records, the collection also contains programs and articles chronicling the club's various events and news items.

Related Materials

See also COLLECTION MVC001, BOX 8 and BOX 9, for other records of the Poinsettia Club.

This collection has been arranged in the following series:

  • Series 1: Minutes, attendance and financial records, 1899-2009
  • Series 2: Scrapbooks and yearbooks, 1932-2018

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Ventura (Calif.) -- Women's Organizations
Women -- Societies and clubs
Saticoy (Calif.) -- History, Local
Scrapbooks
Poinsettia Club
Campbell, Anna
Arnold, Belle
Clark, Agnes B.
Darling, Carrie A.
Duval, Jean B.

 

Series 1: Minutes, attendance and financial records 1899-2009

Scope and Contents

This series includes club administrative documents dating from 1899 to 2009. The Poinsettia Club appointed a secretary each year to transcribe detailed minutes of meeting proceedings. These minutes are recorded by hand in notebooks that include a list of attendees and budget information. This series also includes club by-laws and other administrative documents.

Related Materials

See MVC001, Box 8 for a summary of early club minutes. Document: Saticoy Literary and Social Club, Organized June 14, 1899, Name changed to POINSETTIA CLUB OF SATICOY, April 9, 1902; researched and written by Mary Alice Orcutt Henderson 1986
Box 1

Constitution and By-laws (June, 1899) and Minutes 1899-1901

Box 1

Minutes, attendance, financial records 1902-1907

Box 1

Minutes, attendance, financial records 1907-1914

Box 1

Minutes, attendance, financial records 1915-1919

Box 1

Attendance records and minutes 1921 April to 1929 April

Box 1

Records 1929-1932

Box 1

Records 1933-1939

Box 1

Records 1939-1946

Box 1

Records 1946-1949

Box 1

Records 1949-1961

Box 1

Records 1961-1969

Box 1

Records 1969-1970

Box 1

Minutes 1975 September to 1979 May

Immediate Source of Acquisition note

[Contributed by Docent Betty Powell in January, 1996.]
Box 1

Minutes 1979 September to 1983 November

Immediate Source of Acquisition note

[Contributed by Docent Betty Powell in January, 1996.]
Box 1

Minutes 1983 December to 1988 May

Immediate Source of Acquisition note

[Contributed by Docent Betty Powell in January, 1996.]
Box 1, Folder 1

Minutes and administrative files 1956-2009

 

Series 2: Scrapbooks and yearbooks 1932-2018

Scope and Contents

This series includes chronological scrapbooks of club events from 1973 to 2018. Earlier scrapbooks included newspaper clippings highlighting news relevant to the club in Saticoy, Santa Paula and Ventura. Many of the clippings are related to farming in the area. Every year the Poinsettia Club published a yearbook which detailed the events of the year and provided a directory of the members. These yearbooks are small paper pamphlets common to clubs that began in the early and mid-twentieth century. The yearbooks in this collection date from 1933 to 2018.

Related Materials

See MVC001, Box 8 for club yearbooks prior to 1933.
Box 2, Folder 1

Scholarships 2009-2011

Conditions Governing Access

Access to folder restricted due to the presence of personal private information (PPI).
Box 2, Folder 2

Correspondence 1976-2010

Box 2, Folder 3

Club history 1949-1996

Box 2

Yearbooks 1933-1975

Box 2

Yearbooks 1975-2018

Box 3

Scrapbook 2016-2018

Box 3

Scrapbook 2008-2012

Box 3

Scrapbook 2006-2008

Box 4

Scrapbook 1994-1995

Box 4

Scrapbook 1992-1993

Box 4

Scrapbook 1991-1992

Box 4

Scrapbook 1990-1991

Box 5

Scrapbook 1989-1990

Box 5

Scrapbook 1975-1985

Box 5

Scrapbook 1973-1974