Collection Guide
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Guide to the Oneira Women's Club Records
MS 174
MS 174
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Table of contents
Title: Oneira Women's Club Records
Identifier/Call Number: MS 174
Contributing Institution:
San Diego History Center Document Collection
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
9.0 Linear feet
(15 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1915-1980
Abstract: The collection contains records related to the activities of the Oneira Women’s Club of San Diego.
creator:
Oneira Women's Club.
Collection processed by Lauren Rasmussen on July 20, 2012.
Collection processed as part of grant project supported by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) with generous
funding from The Andrew Mellon Foundation.
This collection is open for research.
The San Diego History Center (SDHC) holds the copyright to any unpublished materials. SDHC Library regulations do apply.
Oneira Women's Club Records, MS 174, San Diego History Center Document Collection, San Diego, CA.
Biographical / Historical Notes
During World War I, a group of women from Normal Heights organized a social club for Red Cross volunteers. When the war ended
in November 1918, the women decided to continue on as a formal organization in order to pursue their philanthropic work. The
first meeting of the Women’s Club of Normal Heights was held in February 1919. Later, the club changed their name to the Oneira
Women’s Club; ‘oneira’ being a Greek word meaning “dreams or visions realized or come true,” accurately depicting the Club’s
goal of civic advancement and community service. The word also contained all the letters common to the three names of the
districts from which the Club drew its members: Normal Heights, Kensington Park, and Bonnie Brae. A charter of the San Diego
Chapter of the Federated Women’s Club, Oneira had many active sections, including departments for music, gardening, literary
study, and arts and crafts. The Club met for sixty years until interest waned; the organization was officially disbanded in
1980.
The collection is arranged into ten series:
Series I: Oneira Club History
Series II: Administration
Series III: Finances
Series IV: Membership
Series V: Correspondence
Series VI: Oneira Club Garden Department
Series VII: Oneira Club Orchestra and Choral Departments
Series VIII: Federated Women’s Club
Series IX: Newspaper Articles
Series X: Miscellanea
Items in each series are arranged by subject.
The collection contains records of the Oneira Women’s Club from its inception as a Red Cross volunteer organization in 1915
through the club’s disbandment in 1980. The records consist of meeting ledgers, financial materials, membership details, and
club correspondence. The meeting minutes include the general Club meetings as well as those of the Club’s Executive Board
of Directors and the individual Club departments. There are also scrapbooks detailing the history of the Oneira Club. In addition,
materials related to the activities of the Club’s Gardening Department and the Orchestra and Choral Department are present.
For the Gardening Department, this primarily consists of subject files related to specific gardening topics. For the Orchestra
and Choral Department, a large selection of sheet music and musical programs are present. There are records regarding chapter
meetings and activities of the Federated Women’s Club. Additionally, there are photographs and negatives and newspaper clippings
related to Oneira Club events and members.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Mold found on phonographs (Box 15 folder 7); phonographs have been wrapped and sealed until later date when they can be treated
properly.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
American Red Cross.
Babcock, May
Federation of Women's Clubs.
Himmelman, Ella P.
Ireland, Hattie
Oneira Women's Club.
Reese, Fannie M.
Worden, Ella
Gardening
Music
Normal Heights (San Diego, Calif.)
Plants
San Diego (Calif.)
Sheet music
Women -- Societies and clubs