Finding aid for Children's Home Society of California (CHS) records, 1954-1993. MVC031
Finding aid created by Isabel Cline, 2022.
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
2022
100 East Main Street
Ventura, CA 93001
library@venturamuseum.org
Contributing Institution:
Museum of Ventura County
Title: Children's Home Society of California (CHS) records
Creator:
Children's Home Society of California
Identifier/Call Number: MVC031
Physical Description:
1.28 Cubic Feet
(1 box)
Date (inclusive): 1954-1993
Abstract: Children's Home Society of California has been providing adoption services and child welfare programs since 1891. Beginning
as a Los Angeles based foundation, CHS has expanded its services throughout the state of California, including Ventura County.
This collection contains one notebook and three scrapbooks donated by the Santa Paula/Fillmore Auxiliary of the Children's
Home of California and details the foundation's activities between the years of 1954 and 1993. The notebook consists of a
record of by-laws, membership, minutes, etc. The scrapbooks contain news clippings and photographs which provide a detailed
historical record of the society's endeavors in Ventura County throughout the second half of the 20th century.
Physical Location: Stored at the MVC Research Library. All requests to access special collections can be made in advance by emailing the Research
Library reference desk.
Language of Material:
English
.
Conditions Governing Access
COLLECTION STORED ON-SITE: Open for research. Advance requests can be made to Research Library staff via email.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
Property rights to the physical object belong to the Museum of Ventura County. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained
by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue
the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where the museum does not hold the copyright.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Children's Home Society of California (CHS) records (Collection MVC031), Museum of Ventura County,
Research Library, Ventura, California.
Provenance/Source of acquisition
Santa Paula-Fillmore Auxiliary of the Children's Home Society of California; gift; unknown date of donation.
Processing Information
Processed by Library Staff in 2011.
Biographical / Historical
The Children's Home Society of California (CHS) was founded by Dr. and Mrs. J.R. Townsend in 1891. The foundation was created
with the intent of finding permanent homes for children experiencing homelessness. Originally serving children in the Los
Angeles area, CHS expanded to the Bay Area in 1892. By 1904, CHS had successfully found homes for 568 children. In 1925, CHS
built a shelter for both mothers and babies. In 1949, a training program established by CHS was added to the graduate programs
of UC Berkeley and USC. By 1966, CHS was established as the largest private adoption agency internationally. Throughout the
1970s and 1980s, CHS implemented a broad range of child welfare services, reflecting the decrease in adoptions. By the 1990s,
CHS was primarily focused on providing various child care services to families. Within Ventura County, CHS Oxnard continues
to provide child welfare services and assists children and families throughout the area.
Scope and Content Note
The notebook contains records of by-laws, membership, minutes, etc. The scrapbooks contain news clippings and photographs
which provide a historical record of the society's activities in Ventura County, from 1954 to 1993.
Organization and Arrangement
This collection does not have series and has been described at the item level.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Adoption
Group homes for children
Child care services
Children's Home Society of California -- Archives
Children's Home Society of California -- History
Box 1
Notebook
circa 1981 - 1993
Box 1
By-laws of Santa Paula/Fillmore Auxiliary of Children's Home Society
undated
Box 1
Definition of services and terminology
undated
Box 1
Recap of services rendered by the districts
undated
Box 1
Minutes of meetings
1981 September - 1993 June
Box 1
History of CHS 1891-1976
undated
Box 1
Scrapbook (Press book), Santa Paula/Fillmore
1954 July - 1977 September
Box 1
Scrapbook, Santa Paula/Fillmore Auxiliary (including Gull Wings Children's Museum, Oxnard)
April 1987 to May 1993
