{"value"=>"<p>Reports from aid societies consist primarily of letters from aid society representatives and completed financial forms sent in response to General Secretary John S. Blatchford’s circular dated January 19, 1866. Some societies also forwarded their wartime records and correspondence. These may include printed reports, minutes, supply records, letters from USSC branches, and appreciative letters from those who received their supplies or handiwork.</p> <p> The circular (an example of which is found in the Dorchester, Massachusetts file) solicited information and materials from aid societies throughout the county as a record of their contribution to the war effort, with the aim of supplementing branch records already on deposit with the Historical Bureau. Aid societies were asked to provide an account of the founding, membership and activities of their group, with the amount and value of supplies contributed. A separate form to report monetary contributions was also enclosed. In addition, aid societies were encouraged to submit letters written by soldiers who had received their supplies, and to note any incidents of special interest illustrating the value of their efforts.</p> <p>Materials received from societies, disbound from nine letterbooks, are arranged alphabetically by state and locality within. At the time of binding, a title page and index was supplied for each state, with additional title pages provided for each locality (or multiple localities having one aid society). A locality’s records may contain reports from more than one aid society. Any reports from unidentifiable localities or loose letters were placed at the end of a state’s records. Additionally, some reports were glued to title pages pertaining to adjacent localities, and could not be detached. In such cases, the localities are individually identified and grouped together in their physical entirety.</p>"}