Summary Information
Wisconsin Correctional Service Records
1922-1971
- Wisconsin Correctional Service
Mss 280; M83-202
0.4 c.f. (1 archives box); plus additions of 14.0 c.f.
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Records of the Wisconsin division of a charitable association dedicated to the rehabilitation of former prisoners. Founded as the Society for the Friendless, the group operated as the Wisconsin Service Association beginning in 1941, and later changed its name to the Wisconsin Correctional Service. The collection consists of correspondence between Ruth Parsons Baker, superintendent of the Wisconsin division, and her father, the Reverend James Parsons, and her uncle, the Reverend Charles Parsons, both of whom were at one time head of the national organization. Also included are administrative files and individual case files.
There is a restriction on access to this material; see the Administrative/Restriction Information portion of this finding aid for details.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00280 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
The Society for the Friendless was a charitable association dedicated to the rehabilitation of former prisoners. The Reverend Edward A. Fredenhagen, the founder and first national superintendent of the Society, was born in Downers Grove, Illinois on April 7, 1860. He attended Wheaton College and the Chicago Theological Seminary, received his Ph.D. from Kansas City University and a Doctor of Divinity degree from Adrian College, Michigan. For ten years he held pastorates in various Illinois cities. At the time of his death in 1916, the organization he had founded in 1901 was operating in twelve states. His goal was to administer to discharged prisoners, and to make them aware that someone was interested in helping them to a new life in the community.
The Society for the Friendless originated in the minds of Christian ministers who believed in the practical application of Christian principles to the needs of men and women released from prison. Their approach differed from that of the social worker, and as the theory of social work developed, conflict arose between the two methods. The ministers who carried on the activities of the Society were not trained specifically for their work, while the social workers emphasized the importance of training and believed that work with released prisoners was merely another form of relief work similar to family and child welfare. The conflict was solved in some cases by special training for service in the field. The Wisconsin Division of the association adopted this solution.
In April 1901, the original Society for the Friendless was incorporated in Kansas. The national Society for the Friendless was organized in 1910. From the beginning, the Society emphasized jail and prison evangelism, finding temporary homes and employment for released prisoners, educational work for the prevention of crime, and better laws for the handling of the crime situation. The Society workers were forerunners in advocating reforms in the handling of prisoners and penal institutions.
The national Society for the Friendless continued to expand until 1931 under the superintendency of the Reverend James Parsons, who was elected to that office in 1917 following the death of Edward Fredenhagen the preceding year. Parsons was born in England on September 8, 1863, one of ten children. He came to the United States in early childhood with his parents. Parsons graduated from Wheaton College in 1888 and from the Pacific Theological Seminary in Oakland, California in 1893. He held various Congregational pastorates and in 1906 was moderator of the Missouri Conference of Congregational Churches. In 1909, he resigned his pastorate in Sedalia, Missouri to become the superintendent of the Minnesota Society for the Friendless, a position he held until his election to the national superintendency of the Society. At the death of James Parsons (circa 1944-1945), his brother, the Reverend Charles Parsons, succeeded to the superintendency. Charles Parsons, also, was born in England, on December 28, 1865, and came to the United States at the age of two years. He graduated from Wheaton College in 1891, and from the Chicago Theological Seminary in 1894. He had pastorates in Iowa, Illinois, and South Dakota before becoming superintendent of the newly organized Iowa Division of the Society for the Friendless in 1909.
During the 1930s, the state organizations, which were dependent on private philanthropy, began to decline in numbers and activities. In 1952, at the time of Charles Parsons' death, the Iowa Society was the only one still functioning under the original name. The Wisconsin Division remained active, but the name had been changed in May 1941 to the Wisconsin Service Association.
The history of the Society in Wisconsin began in November 1912, when the Reverend A.C. Petrie, a Methodist Episcopal minister, resigned his position as assistant superintendent of the Minnesota Society for the Friendless to develop a similar organization in Wisconsin. After 1918, because of Petrie's declining health, the work in Wisconsin was dormant until, in 1924, the daughter of James Parsons, Ruth (Mrs. John G.) Baker began the development of an efficient and progressive organization. Mrs. Baker continued as assistant superintendent under various superintendents including the Reverends F.L. Stacy (1928-1930) and Allen M. McIntosh (1931-1935); Walter Botsford, who came to the Wisconsin Division in 1939; and Harold D. Scott, who was appointed assistant superintendent in 1944. Mrs. Baker was herself superintendent before Botsford and again when he resigned to go into government service.
The official publication of the national Society for the Friendless was The First Friend, which was issued quarterly for nearly fifty years.
The above information for the history of the Society for the Friendless has been taken from: Haynes, Fred B., The Society for the Friendless, 1900-1952. Iowa City, Iowa: State University of Iowa, 1954, 30pp.
Arrangement of the Materials
This collection was received in multiple parts from the donor(s) and is organized into 2 major parts. These materials have not been physically interfiled and researchers might need to consult more than one part to locate similar materials.
Administrative/Restriction Information
The case files in accession M83-202 are subject to the same restrictions on access which apply to case files of the Division of Corrections.
Presented by Mrs. Ruth Parsons Baker, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 29, 1973; and Wisconsin Correctional Service via Stephen Swigart. Accession Number: M64-334, M65-098, M73-167, M83-202
Original Collection processed by Joanne Hohler, January 15, 1974.
Contents List
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Mss 280
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Part 1 (Mss 280): Original Collection, 1924-19540.4 c.f. (1 archives box) The records of the Wisconsin Correctional Service consist of correspondence, mainly between Ruth Parsons Baker and her father, the Reverend James Parsons, and between Ruth Baker and her uncle, the Reverend Charles Parsons. Although some of the letters are personal, nearly all deal with administrative details of the Society for the Friendless in Wisconsin, including raising money, acquiring and training superintendents and case workers, and logistical considerations, e.g. railroad passes. Because James and later Charles Parsons were national superintendents of the Society, and superintendents of state organizations other than Wisconsin (Kansas-Missouri, California, and Iowa), the papers are of a broader scope than the Wisconsin Division alone. Included in the collection also is a copy of Fred B. Haynes' The Society for the Friendless, 1900-1952, a thirty-page study of the Society published in 1954.
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Correspondence
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James Parsons
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Box
1
Folder
1
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1924, October-December
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Box
1
Folder
2
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1925
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Box
1
Folder
3
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1926
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Box
1
Folder
4
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1927
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Box
1
Folder
5
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1928
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Box
1
Folder
6
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1929
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Box
1
Folder
7
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1930
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Box
1
Folder
8
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1931
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Box
1
Folder
9
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1932
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Charles Parsons and James Parsons
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Box
1
Folder
10
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1933
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Box
1
Folder
11
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1934
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Box
1
Folder
12
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1935
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Box
1
Folder
13
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1936
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Box
1
Folder
14
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1937
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Box
1
Folder
15
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1938
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Box
1
Folder
16
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1939
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Box
1
Folder
17
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1940
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Box
1
Folder
18
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1941
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Box
1
Folder
19
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1944, November 6 - December 1945
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Box
1
Folder
20
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1950, June
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Box
1
Folder
20
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Haynes, Fred B., The Society for the Friendless, 1900-1952. Iowa City, Iowa: State University of Iowa, 1954
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M83-202
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Part 2 (M83-202): Additions, 1922-197114.0 c.f. (14 record center cartons) Additions of administrative and case files, 1922-1971, from the Wisconsin Correctional Service. Includes evaluations of local correctional facilities, fundraising correspondence, and some papers of James Parsons (head of the national organization and father of Ruth Baker, who was superintendent of the Wisconsin division). The majority of this collection is made up of the case files for individual offenders, which include detailed histories of the organization's contact with the prisoner, and correspondence with them, their advocates, and families. The case files are listed in the list by number; this number is internal and not that assigned by the state. : The case files are subject to the same restrictions on access which apply to case files of the Division of Corrections.
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Series: Administrative Files
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Correspondence by region, funding requests, 1929-1969
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Box
1
Folder
1
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Baldwin, St. Croix
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Box
1
Folder
2
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Black River Falls, Jackson
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Box
1
Folder
3
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Beloit, Rock
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Box
1
Folder
4
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Berlin, Green Lake
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Box
1
Folder
5
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Burlington, Racine
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Box
1
Folder
6
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Chippewa Falls, Chippewa
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Box
1
Folder
7
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Columbus Community and War Chest
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Box
1
Folder
8
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Fontana
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Box
1
Folder
9
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Delavan Community Chest
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Box
1
Folder
10
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Fort Atkinson Community Chest
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Box
1
Folder
11
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Hartford United Fund
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Box
1
Folder
12
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Janesville
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Box
1
Folder
13
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Janesville United Givers Fund
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Box
1
Folder
14-15
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La Crosse, La Crosse
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Box
1
Folder
16
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Madison, Dane
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Box
1
Folder
17-18
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Manitowoc, Manitowoc
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Box
1
Folder
19
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Marinette, Marinette
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Box
1
Folder
20
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Marshfield, Wood
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Box
1
Folder
21
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Mayville Community Fund
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Box
1
Folder
22
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Merrill, Lincoln
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Box
1
Folder
23-24
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Monroe, Green
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Box
1
Folder
25
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Mukwonago
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Box
1
Folder
26
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New Holstein Community Chest, Calumet
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Box
1
Folder
27
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Oconomowoc United Fund
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Box
1
Folder
28
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Port Washington, Ozaukee
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Box
1
Folder
29-30
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Racine, statistical reports
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Box
1
Folder
31
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Racine Community Chest, Incorporated
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Box
1
Folder
32
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Ripon, Fond du Lac
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Box
1
Folder
33
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Sheboygan
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Box
1
Folder
34
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Stevens Point, Portage
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Box
1
Folder
35
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Sturgeon Bay, Door
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Box
1
Folder
36
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United Way of South Wood County, Wisconsin Rapids
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Box
1
Folder
37
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Waukesha Community Chest
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Box
1
Folder
38
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Waupaca
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Box
1
Folder
39
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Waupun Area United Fund
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Box
1
Folder
40
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Watertown Community Chest, Jefferson
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Box
1
Folder
41
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West Bend Community Chest
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Box
1
Folder
42
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Miscellaneous
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Box
1
Folder
43
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Wisconsin State Prison
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Box
1
Folder
44
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Walworth STEP program, 1970
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Box
1
Folder
45
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Waukesha Boys' School
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Box
1
Folder
46
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Women's jail
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Box
1
Folder
47
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Audit, 1964-1966
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Box
1
Folder
48
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Wisconsin Home for Women
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Box
1
Folder
49
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Wisconsin Council of Safety, Inc.
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Box
1
Folder
50
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Wisconsin Juvenile Court reports
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Box
1
Folder
51
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Wisconsin School for Boys, Wales
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Box
1
Folder
52
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Wisconsin Correctional Institution, Fox Lake
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Box
1
Folder
53
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Final report, preliminary study, casework services to families of boys at Wales and Waukesha, 1960, 1962
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Box
1
Folder
54
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Uniform Crime Reports, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
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Box
1
Folder
55
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Walworth Pre-Release Center, Elkhorn, Wisconsin
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Box
1
Folder
56
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Wisconsin State Reformatory
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Box
1
Folder
57
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Testimonials
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Box
1
Folder
58
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True Revolving Fund
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Box
1
Folder
59
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Notes
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Box
1
Folder
60
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James Parsons, correspondence, 1922-1924
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Box
1
Folder
61
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James Parsons, miscellaneous
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Box
1
Folder
62
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Miscellaneous
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Series: Case Files (non-inclusive)
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Box
2
Folder
1-61
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#79-1517, 1929-1956
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Box
3
Folder
1-55
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#1524-2231, 1938-1960
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Box
4
Folder
1-60
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#2232-2634, 1942-1966
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Box
5
Folder
1-69
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#2643-3092, 1946-1953
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Box
6
Folder
1-112
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#3095-3236, 1949-1952
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Box
7
Folder
1-86
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#3237-3425, 1949-1956
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Box
8
Folder
1-55
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#3431-3493, 1954-1956
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Box
9
Folder
1-82
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#3494-3578, 1956-1967
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Box
10
Folder
1-121
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#3579-3655, 1958-1964
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Box
11
Folder
1-143
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#3656-3805, 1963-1969
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Box
12
Folder
1-156
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#3806-4042, 1950-1971
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Box
13
Folder
1-123
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#4043-5069, 1964-1968
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Box
14
Folder
1-122
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#5070-6099, 1967-1971
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