The records consist of administrative materials including correspondence and probate records; materials pertaining to the court cases including correspondence, court records, and exhibits; and annual reports from orphanages, including names of orphans.
The ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS, 1900-1943, consist primarily of probate records, 1900-1931; correspondence, 1899-1943; and a few of the Board's annual reports and meeting minutes from 1903-1909. Probate records and correspondence are each arranged roughly alphabetically. The alphabetical arrangement scheme, particularly in the case of the correspondence, is somewhat idiosyncratic. Materials appear to have been filed sometimes by correspondent and sometimes by subject. The correspondence only consists of a few files, however, making it easy for researchers to browse through the materials. Correspondence is primarily from the 1920s-1930s, and pertains to routine business and financial transactions. The correspondence also includes letters from heirs, routine correspondence with orphanages regarding annual reports and monetary distribution, and correspondence between trustees regarding annual meetings and other administrative matters. This series also includes correspondence regarding the Board's Supreme Court cases and overlaps significantly with the Supreme Court series. Meeting minutes only exist for the years 1903-1904, though there is evidence that the Board continued to meet yearly. Annual reports of the Board are also quite sparse, dating from 1903-1904, 1907, and 1909. Probate records are far from complete, consisting of a single file folder. These were interfiled with other financial and administrative files, including bank books, bank statements, and investments. These routine financial documents were discarded, along with routine and duplicate correspondence.
The WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT CASES, 1931-1935, document the Board's legal troubles, and are grouped according to case. Three cases are present: the Payne case in 1932, the Bulewicz case, 1931-1935, and the Board's appeal of the Payne case in 1935 (State of Wisconsin vs. Trustees of the Milwaukee County Orphans Board). This series consists of incoming and outgoing correspondence; relevant probate records for the Payne and Bulewicz cases; copies of appeals statements and other court records; and Photostat copies of exhibits from the Bulewicz Case, including a marriage certificate and photographs of the married couple. Much of the correspondence is between the president of the Board and various orphanages and public officials regarding the court's original decision to force the Orphans Fund and its beneficiaries to return a large portion of its funds to the state of Wisconsin. Also included is a comprehensive list of estates that provided funds to the Orphans Board between 1871 and 1932. The official documents provide an excellent narrative history of the court cases as well as providing a good overall picture of the early activities and functions of the Orphans Board itself. The correspondence reveals the impact that the cases had on both the Board and the orphanages that received its funds. The correspondence also documents the relationships between the Board and the various orphanages it funded. The list of estates is an excellent summary of the probate cases associated with the Board. There is significant overlap between this series and the Administrative Records. Materials regarding the Bulewicz case in particular appear in the Correspondence and Probate files.
The ANNUAL REPORTS FROM ORPHANAGES, 1907-1931, consist of annual reports from each orphanage receiving funds from the Board; reports were required in order for orphanages to receive funds. Reports list each orphan's name, age, and number of days in the institution that year. Beginning in 1915, reports also include whether any parents were living, as well as the date of entry. The 1914 report includes a narrative typed summary of the living conditions at each orphanage. Orphanages covered by the reports include the St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum, St. Aemilian's Orphan Asylum, St. Rose's Orphan Asylum, St. Vincent's Infant Orphan Asylum, St. Joseph's Home, St. Joseph's Home of St. Raphael, The Lutheran Children's Home, The Milwaukee Orphan Asylum, and The Milwaukee Jewish Orphan Home. These files are arranged chronologically.
