Title: Wisconsin Nurses Association Records
Inclusive Dates: 1903-1970

Creator:

• Wisconsin Nurses Association

Call Number: Wis Mss 40PB; Micro 400; Micro 401

Quantity: 5.8 c.f. (13 archives boxes and 3 flat boxes) and 2 reels of microfilm (35mm)

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Records of a statewide organization of nurses founded in 1909 as the Wisconsin State Nurses Assocation, and of its sections and geographic districts. State records include the constitution and by-laws, annual and committee reports, proceedings of meetings and conventions, correspondence, and financial records for 1923 to 1948. There are similar administrative records relating to the sections or interest groups within the Association based on type of nursing performed (e.g. public health, private duty, or industrial nursing). District records also include constitutions and by-laws; minutes and reports of annual meetings, boards of directors, and committees; and financial records and correspondence.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-wis040pb

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In the summer of 1909 a group of nurses met at Milwaukee Children's Hospital to form an organization of nurses in the Milwaukee area. Late in 1909 this group met with nurses from Fond du Lac, Madison, Oshkosh, and Racine to work toward a state organization. A constitution and bylaws and Articles of Incorporation were drawn up by the end of 1909. Because it was felt that the likelihood of a quorum was greater in Milwaukee, that city was designated in the Articles of Incorporation as state headquarters even though nurses in other cities now to be part of the state association had organized earlier than the Milwaukee group.

The state Nurses Association was instrumental in drafting a legislative bill providing for the registration of nurses. Work on this bill brought about the formation of the Association's first legislative committee. In July 1911 a bill regulating nursing practice was signed by the governor. This bill aroused much interest among nurses throughout the state and served as a rallying point for them, helping to solidify the organization as a state-wide group.

In 1912 a field secretary was appointed to promote the organization of county and sectional groups. Originally, three districts, Madison, Oshkosh, and Milwaukee, were established. As the parent organization grew in member-ship, county groups formed new districts which were smaller and more accessible. From 1946 to the present (1979) there have been fifteen district affiliates. (See Appendix.)

The records are grouped into three series: General Records of the Association; Section Records; and District Records. The GENERAL RECORDS include organizational history, the Association's constitution and bylaws, annual reports, proceedings of meetings, correspondence, information about various committees of the organization, and financial records, 1923-1948.

Filed under SECTION RECORDS are the records accrued by the divisions (Sections) of the State Association in the conduct of their annual meetings, committee work, and other official business. The Sections are organized on the basis of type of nursing performed (General Duty Nurses, Industrial Nurses, Private Duty Nurses, and Public Health Nurses.)

There are at least minimal records for each of the fifteen Districts in the DISTRICT RECORDS series, with especially complete files for District 2 (Green, Jefferson, Rock, and Walworth Counties). Included are constitutions and bylaws; minutes and reports of annual meetings, boards of directors, and committees; and correspondence of varying amounts and substance for the several Districts.

The records of District 3 (Columbia., Dane, Grant, Iowa, Richland, and Sauk Counties) and of Districts 4 and 5 (Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington, and Waukesha Counties) have each been organized as separate collections.

Acquisition Information

Presented by the Wisconsin Nurses Association, 1956; District 2[?], 1957; Adele G. Stahl, 1963; District 9, 1966; and Signe S. Cooper, 1976. District 10 records loaned for filming by Marie Scheffer, Eau Claire, Wis., 1961. District 15 records loaned for filming by Priscilla Schroeder, Johnson Creek, Wis., 1962. Accession Number: M61-236, M62-135, M63-250, M66-111, M76-11

Processing Information

Processed by Amy Peterson and Joanne Hohler, June 1978.

Wis Mss 40PB	Series: General Records
	Organizational Records
Box   1 Folder   1	History, 1925-1943
Box   1 Folder   2	Constitution and Bylaws, 1910-1948
Box   1 Folder   3	Membership Manual, 1925, 1939, 1947-1948
Box   1 Folder   4	Annual Reports, 1926-1929, 1938-1941, 1943-1944, 1947-1948
	Proceedings of Meetings
Box   1 Folder   5	1909-1918
Box   2 Folder   1	1919-1937
Box   2 Folder   2	1938-1941, 1941-1948
	Conventions
Box   2 Folder   3	Proceedings, 1916
Box   2 Folder   4	Programs, 1914-1949
	Correspondence, 1934-1948
Box   3 Folder   1	Governor's Postwar Medical Service Committee, 1946
Box   3 Folder   2	State Medical Society of Wisconsin, 1941-1948
Box   3 Folder   3	Wisconsin State Board of Health, 1934-1948
	Committees
Box   3 Folder   4	Adda Eldridge Scholarship Fund, 1936-1947
Box   3 Folder   5	Advisory Council, 1948
	Legislation
Box   3 Folder   6	Minutes, 1942-1948
Box   3 Folder   6	Reports, 1935-1947
Box   3 Folder   7	Nominations, 1925-1948
Box   3 Folder   8	Nursing Distribution, 1931-1948
Box   3 Folder   9	Nursing Education, 1948
Box   3 Folder   10	Recruitment of Students, 1946-1948
Box   3 Folder   11	Red Cross, 1944-1947
	Service Fund, 1940-1948
Box   3 Folder   12	Annual Reports, 1940-1946
Box   3 Folder   12	Annual Reports to the American Nurses Association, 1937-1938
Box   3 Folder   12	Minutes, 1940-1945
	Special Committee to Study the Relationship of the Practical Nurse, 1944-1948
Box   3 Folder   13	Communications, 1947-1948
Box   3 Folder   13	Duties, 1944, 1948
Box   3 Folder   13	Minutes, 1945-1948
Box   3 Folder   13	Pamphlets, 1944, 1948; undated
Box   3 Folder   13	Reports, 1948
	Financial, 1923-1948, 1954
Box   3 Folder   14	Budgets, 1930-1948 (scattered)
Box   3 Folder   14	Reports, 1923, 1935-1948 (scattered)
Box   3 Folder   14	Miscellany, 1948-1954
Box   4 Folder   1	Memos, 1947-1948
Box   4 Folder   1	Speeches, (1941-1948), undated
	Subject Files
	American Nurses Association
Box   4 Folder   3-4	Structure Study, 1946-1952
Box   4 Folder   5	Bulletins, 1940-1946
Box   4 Folder   6	Convention Proceedings, 1944
Box   5 Folder   1	Midwest Division, 1936-1948
Box   5 Folder   2	American Association of Industrial Nurses, 1946-1947
Box   5 Folder   3	National League for Nursing, 1948-1952
Box   5 Folder   4	National Committee on Careers in Nursing, 1947
Box   5 Folder   5	“Professional Nursing”, 1936-1947
Box   5 Folder   6	Miscellany, 1959-1962, undated
Box   5 Folder   7	American Memorial Visit, Florence Nightingale School, 1933
Box   5 Folder   8	Economic Security Program Survey, 1949-1956
Box   6 Folder   1	Ethics, undated
Box   6 Folder   2	History of Hospitals, undated, 1936
Box   6 Folder   3	“History of Nursing in Wisconsin...”, including History of Schools of Nursing, 1925-1928, 1956
Box   6 Folder   4	Nursing Through the Ages: a Pictorial History, 1938
Box   6 Folder   5	“Teaching Methods and Materials, Examinations”, 1932, undated
	United States
	Cadet Nurse Corps
Box   7 Folder   1	Correspondence, 1943-1947
Box   7 Folder   2	Miscellaneous Files, 1943-1948
Box   7 Folder   3	Military Nursing Corps, 1925-1955
Box   7 Folder   4	“Wisconsin Nursing Pioneers”, 1967
	Wisconsin State Board of Health
Box   7 Folder   5	Organization, undated
	Board of Nurse Examiners, Examinations
Box   7 Folder   6	1916-1926
Box   7 Folder   7	1927-1937
Box   8 Folder   1	1938-1941
	Bureau of Nursing Education
Box   8 Folder   2	General, 1947-1948
Box   8 Folder   3	Annual Report, 1925-1939
Box   8 Folder   4	Miscellaneous Printed Material, 1943, 1960, 1963, undated
Box   8 Folder   5	Clippings, 1950-1951
	Scrapbooks
Box   16 Folder   1	1922-1924, 1934-1939
Box   16 Folder   2	1933-1937
Box   16 Folder   3	1939-1941
Box   17 Folder   1	1942-1948
Box   17 Folder   2	1945
	Series: Section Records	⇧
	General Duty Nurses, 1947-1948
Box   8 Folder   6	Annual Meeting, 1947-1948
Box   8 Folder   6	Personnel Policies, 1947-1948
Box   8 Folder   6	Reports, 1947-1948
Box   8 Folder   6	Surveys, 1946-1947
Box   8 Folder   6	Miscellany, 1948
	Industrial Nurses, 1944-1951
Box   9 Folder   1	Annual Meeting, 1948-1950
Box   9 Folder   1	Committees, 1947-1948
Box   9 Folder   1	Communications, 1947-1948
Box   9 Folder   1	Institutes, 1948
Box   9 Folder   1	Newsletters, 1944-1948
Box   9 Folder   1	Nominations, 1947
Box   9 Folder   1	Personnel Policies, 1946-1948
Box   9 Folder   1	Reports, 1944-1948
Box   9 Folder   1	Rules, 1945-1946
Box   9 Folder   1	Miscellaneous Printed Materials, 1946-1951
	Private Duty Nurses, 1923-1948
Box   9 Folder   2	Annual Meetings, 1923-1948
Box   9 Folder   2	Officers; Committees, 1925, undated
Box   9 Folder   2	Institutes, 1939-1948
Box   9 Folder   2	Personnel Policies, 1944-1948
Box   9 Folder   2	Registry, 1939-1945
Box   9 Folder   2	Reports, 1923-1948
Box   9 Folder   2	Miscellany, 1943-1945
Box   9 Folder   3	“Portfolio of Information”, 1947
	Public Health Nurses, 1923-1950
Box   9 Folder   4	Minutes, etc., 1923-1948
Box   10 Folder   1	Institutes, 1942-1950
	Series: District Records	⇧
Box   10 Folder   2	General
Box   18 Folder   2	Scrapbook, 1942-1945
Box   10 Folder   3	District 1
	District 2
Box   10 Folder   4	Southern Wisconsin District Association, 1913-1919
Box   10 Folder   5	Constitution and Bylaws, 1909-1957
Box   10 Folder   6	Correspondence, 1922-1956
Box   10 Folder   7	Minutes, 1923-1940
Box   10 Folder   8	Officers and Committee Members, 1945-1948
Box   10 Folder   9	Programs, 1934-1950
Box   10 Folder   10	Reports, 1923-1940
Box   10 Folder   11	Sections, 1944-1948
Box   10 Folder   12	WSNA Committee on Constitution and Bylaws, 1940-1941
Box   10 Folder   13	Wisconsin State Organization for Public Health Nursing Manual, undated
Box   10 Folder   14	Wisconsin Bureau of Nursing Education Reports, 1918-1950
Box   11 Folder   1	National Nursing Council for War Service, Program, 1945
Box   11 Folder   2	International Council of Nurses Proceedings, Reports, 1949
Box   11 Folder   3	Scrapbook, 1952
Box   18 Folder   1	Scrapbook, 1943-1945
Box   14 Folder   1	Clippings, 1949-1950
Box   14 Folder   1A	Miscellaneous Printed Material, 1949
	District 3, 4, and 5 Note: The records of these districts, previously in Box 11, Folder 6 through Box 13 of this collection now are cataloged as separate collections.
	District 6, 1919-1953
Box   14 Folder   2	Constitution and Bylaws, 1946
Box   14 Folder   2	Correspondence, 1943-1945
Box   14 Folder   2	Minutes, 1942-1948
Box   14 Folder   2	Officers, 1942-1948
Box   14 Folder   2	Programs, 1941-1949
Box   14 Folder   2	Reports, 1919-1944
	Sections, 1944-1953
Box   14 Folder   2	Industrial Nurses, 1953
Box   14 Folder   2	Private Duty, 1944-1946
	District 7, 1920-1948
Box   14 Folder   3	Officers, 1948
Box   14 Folder   3	Reports, 1920-1944, undated
Box   14 Folder   3	Sections, 1930-1932
Box   14 Folder   4	Sister Florina, 1935-1941
	District 8, 1922-1949, undated
Box   14 Folder   5	Constitution and Bylaws, undated
Box   14 Folder   5	Correspondence, 1946
Box   14 Folder   5	Officers and Committees, 1947
Box   14 Folder   5	Programs, 1941-1948
Box   14 Folder   5	Reports, 1922-1943
Box   14 Folder   5	Sections - Private Duty, 1946-1949
	District 9, 1912-1961
Box   14 Folder   6	Constitution and Bylaws, 1942-1948
	Finances, 1923-1951
Box   14 Folder   7	Account Books, 1932-1946
Box   14 Folder   8	Paid Members, 1923-1934, 1940-1942, 1944-1951
Box   14 Folder   9	Minutes, 1912-1939, 1950-1961
Box   14 Folder   9	Officers and Committee Members, 1947
Box   14 Folder   9	Programs, 1946-1949
Box   14 Folder   9	Sections, 1946
	District 10, 1910-1949
Box   15 Folder   1	Constitution and Bylaws, 1948
Box   15 Folder   1	Correspondence, 1947-1948
Box   15 Folder   1	Officers, Committees and Membership, 1944, 1948
Box   15 Folder   1	Programs, 1941, 1946
Box   15 Folder   1	Sections, 1946-1949
Micro 400	Records
Reel 1	History of District, 1910-1935
Reel 1	Minutes, 1923-1944
Reel 1	Minutes of the Board of Directors, 1923-1945
Wis Mss 40PB	District 11, 1935, 1942, 1946-1947
Box   15 Folder   2	Correspondence, 1942, 1946-1957
Box   15 Folder   2	Programs, 1946
Box   15 Folder   2	Reports, 1935, undated
Box   15 Folder   3	District 12, Constitution and Bylaws, 1944, undated
	District 13, 1942-1946
Box   15 Folder   4	Correspondence, 1944-1946
Box   15 Folder   4	Officers and Committee Members, 1942-1946
Box   15 Folder   4	Programs, 1946
Box   15 Folder   4	Sections, 1943, 1946
	District 14, 1938, 1941-1947
Box   15 Folder   5	Constitution and Bylaws, 1938; 1946
Box   15 Folder   5	Programs, 1941-1948
Box   15 Folder   5	Reports, 1945-1947
	District 15, circa 1920, 1924, 1927, 1946-1953
Box   15 Folder   6	Constitution and Bylaws, 1946, undated
Box   15 Folder   6	Officers and Committees, 1947-1948
Box   15 Folder   6	Programs, 1946-1947
Box   15 Folder   6	Miscellaneous Printed Materials, circa 1920, 1924, 1927
Box   15 Folder   6	Miscellany, 1948
Micro 401 Reel   1	Minutes, 1946-1953

District 1 -- headquarters in Racine

Racine and Kenosha counties are in the district.

District 2 -- headquarters in Janesville

Originally organized as the Southern Wisconsin Graduate Nurses Association in 1913, the group merged into the Third District Association in the 1919 reorganization of the State Association and during yet another reorganization in 1923 became District 2. Green, Jefferson, Rock, and Walworth Counties are in this district. Lafayette and the south half of Dane Counties were part of this district until they became part of the Third District in 1945. The west half of Waukesha County, earlier part of District 2, became part of District 4 in 1945.

District 3 -- headquarters in Madison

Columbia, Dane, Grant, Iowa, Richland, and Sauk Counties are in this district. Lafayette County came into the district after 1945.

District 4 and 5 -- headquarters in Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Ozaukee, and Washington Counties are in this district, and all of Waukesha County was included after 1945.

District 6 -- headquarters in Appleton

Outagamie, Waushara, Waupaca, Winnebago Counties are in this district. Fond du Lac and Marquette Counties were part of this district until 1945 when these counties became part of District 14. Part of Dodge County was in this district until it joined District 3 in 1945.

District 7 -- headquarters in La Crosse

Crawford, southern half of Buffalo, Juneau, La Crosse, Monroe, Vernon, and Trempealeau Counties are in this district.

District 8 -- headquarters in Wausau

Adams, Lincoln, Marathon, Oneida, Portage, Taylor, Wood Counties, with Langlade County added in 1945, are in this district.

District 9 -- headquarters in Green Bay

Brown, Door, Florence, Forest, Kewaunee, Marinette, Oconto, and Shawano Counties are in this district. Langlade County transferred to District 8 in 1945.

District 10 -- headquarters in Eau Claire

Barron, north half of Buffalo, Clark, Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, and St. Croix Counties are in this district.

District 11 -- headquarters in Ashland

Ashland, Bayfield, Iron, Oneida, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, and Vilas Counties are in this district. Burnett, Douglas, and Washburn Counties withdrew from District 11 to form District 13 in 1942.

District 12 -- headquarters in Sheboygan

Calumet, Manitowoc, and Sheboygan Counties are in this district.

District 13 -- headquarters in Superior

Burnette, Douglas, and Washburn Counties are in this district.

District 14 -- headquarters in Oshkosh alternating with Fond du Lac

Fond du Lac, Green Lake, Marquette, and Winnebago Counties are in this District.

District 15 -- headquarters in Beaver Dam

Dodge County forms this district.