On November 13, 1896 sixteen women of LaGrange, Wisconsin met and organized a Ladies Aid Society. The purpose of this group was primarily social, although it was also created to raise money for charitable causes. At the second meeting on November 19, 1896 a constitution and by-laws were read and adopted. The founding members were Martha Bromley, temporary chair; Sarah Bromley, president, Carrie Brooks, vice president; Mabel Ewing, secretary, and Emma Nott, treasurer. By the end of the first year twenty-three members had signed the constitution.
Meetings were held in members' homes on alternate Thursdays. A small dues was paid at each meeting and a one-time initiation fee was required for membership. The organization was not affiliated with any church, although contributions were often made toward ministers' salaries and various church functions. All of the women in the community were thus eligible to become members; their husbands automatically became honorary members.
In 1912 the name of the organization was changed to the LaGrange Aid Society.
Membership remained low and record-keeping was a low priority until 1902 when Agnes Greening was elected secretary. At her insistence, minutes of meetings were more accurately recorded. In 1905 Katherine Greening was elected president. She, too, encouraged running the organization in an orderly and progressive fashion. By the 1920's the organization had become stagnant due to a lack of local causes in need of their help. Greening felt that in addition to charitable activities the members needed to learn more about the world. Educational programs thus became an established part of each meeting, and programs included discussions of literature, history, current events, travel, homemaking, and cooking.
The society continued charitable activities throughout its history. The women sewed and quilted; sold ice cream; and held socials, food sales, and a variety of other functions in order to raise funds to distribute to the needy. A few of their charitable services included providing blankets for the poor, supporting a French orphan for a year, sending flowers to the families of deceased community members, and the purchase of a piano the local Methodist church.
In 1935, due in large part to the work of Katherine Greening, Kate E. Taylor and Ellie Brooks Lawton, the book LaGrange Pioneers was published with the financial support of the society. The sale of this local history was quite successful and a subsequent edition was published. However, a controversy over the profits from this publication divided the membership for a time.
In the 1920's and 1930's the society reached its highest membership, but during the 1950's membership began to fall. Many of the original members died; others found it difficult to attend meetings. At the same time young women in the community increasingly found they did not have time for such an organization due to the demands of their careers. Membership continued to decline until 1982, when for all practical purposes, the organization ceased operation.
