United States Sanitary Commission records. New England Women's Auxiliary Association archives

1861-1865

The New England Women’s Auxiliary Association (NEWAA) was established on November 28, 1861 in Boston, Massachusetts as an auxiliary branch of the United States Sanitary Commission (USSC). NEWAA worked throughout New England to solicit contributions and supplies for Union forces, and to forward those supplies to Union camps and hospitals, and to USSC supply depots, departments and relief stations that the USSC deemed most in need. In addition, NEWAA endeavored to raise public awareness of the USSC and its mission.

NEWAA’s business was conducted by four officers, initially John Ware as president, Samuel G. Howe as vice-president, Rufus Ellis as secretary, and George Higginson as treasurer, as well as three standing committees and a group of associate managers from towns throughout New England. The three standing committees were the Executive Committee, the Industrial Committee, and the Finance Committee. NEWAA's premises were located at 22 Summer Street, Boston, until the spring of 1864, when it moved to 18 West Street. At that time, the Industrial Committee took separate space at a savings bank on Temple Place.

The Executive Committee was responsible for the general management of NEWAA’s affairs, including all goods and supplies sent to the Association. The Executive Committee maintained records of all the supplies received and forwarded each day, and communicated regularly with the general and assistant secretaries of the Commission in Washington, DC, in order to determine which supplies were most needed and where to forward them. They also worked with the Executive Committee of Boston Associates from its inception in April 1863, providing supplies for their special relief services to local soldiers; Henry B. Rogers of that Committee also served as President of NEWAA from 1864-1865. Abby W. May (1829-1888), a well-known Boston philanthropist associated with NEWAA from its founding, served as chairman of NEWAA’s Executive Committee from February 1862 until the Association was dissolved in the spring of 1866.

The Industrial Committee, chaired by Mrs. Frank W. Andrews, oversaw the making of clothing and bedding for soldiers and hospitals. It provided patterns and fabric for distribution to sewing circles and soldiers aid societies throughout New England, and to women in need whose work was paid for by benefactors. The Finance Committee worked to solicit and obtain subscriptions to the Bulletin and donations for the use of the Commission.

In addition to these three committees, women in communities throughout New England were invited by the Executive Committee to become associate managers. Associate managers were asked to determine where sewing circles and soldiers aid societies existed within their districts, to encourage them to associate with the USSC, and to organize societies if none existed. The managers corresponded regularly with members of the Executive Committee and submitted monthly reports on the state of affairs in their district. Isa E. Gray handled much of this work until early 1864; eventually individual Committee members were assigned to correspond with managers of a particular state.

In 1862, NEWAA narrowed its field of operations to Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Connecticut and Rhode Island contributors sent their supplies to the USSC’s Woman’s Central Association of Relief (WCAR) in New York, since it was more efficient geographically for these states to ship to New York rather than Boston for supplies destined to go south or west. However, Katharine P. Wormeley of Newport, Rhode Island and Mrs. S.J. Cowen of Hartford, Connecticut served as associate managers for NEWAA.

The USSC was not alone in seeking individual and community support to reach its goals. Various relief organizations, such as the U.S. Christian Commission, were often canvassing in the same localities. In October 1864, NEWAA began a series of lectures throughout New England in an effort to gain more support and promote awareness about USSC activities, asking those who had worked in the field for the Sanitary Commission to speak to the general public of their experiences. NEWAA offered over 200 lectures throughout New England during the final months of the war.

When NEWAA’s supply work ended in July 1865, it shifted its efforts to meet the needs of discharged soldiers and their families by distributing clothing, food, and fuel, and assisting with rent, employment, and transportation. Abby May encouraged NEWAA’s members to circulate information about the USSC’s claim agencies, and to support efforts to employ disabled discharged soldiers. The work of the Association came to a close on April 1, 1866.