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Overview of the Collection
Creator:	First Wielkie Oczer Sick and Benevolent Society (N.Y.)
Collection Title:	Records of the First Wielkie Oczer Sick and Benevolent Society
Dates:	1915, 1939-1984
Abstract:	These are the records of the First Wielkie Oczer Sick and Benevolent Society, a landmanshaft or benevolent association. Upon the dissolution of the society, the records were collected by the New York State Department of Insurance. Although many of these societies were founded around the turn of the twentieth century, the records collected in this way primarily date from the second half of the century (1950-2000). The landsmanshaftn collections generally include constitutions, by-laws, minutes, correspondence with members, financial ledgers, deeds to graves, cemetery maps, and membership lists. For details on this particular collection, see the scope and content note.
Language of Materials:	English, Yiddish
Physical Description:	1.88 linear feet
Identification:	RG 1806
Repository:	YIVO Institute for Jewish Research

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Administrative History

Organized in 1903 by immigrants from Wielkie Oczy (Vilkatch), in the province of Galicia, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire (today, Poland). Incorporated in New York in 1908. The Society provided sick and death benefits, purchased graves, and functioned as a burial society. Its constitution also included a provision for emergency welfare relief. The cemeteries used by the Society were Mount Zion, Mount Hebron, and Beth Israel. Dissolved in 1984.

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Scope and Contents

This finding aid is a collection-level record. Box and folder list, if any, are found here in the scope and content note.

Box 1: Cashbook, including records of membership dues receipts, 1956-1973. Membership dues receipt book, 1973-1983. Burial receipts, 1960-1974. Burial society records, including grave reservations, 1965-1978. Correspondence with members, 1965-1979. Society “Bulletin,” 1969-1978. Miscellaneous receipts, notes, publications, 1966-1979. Cemetery maps. Box 2: Minute book, in English and Yiddish, 1958-1982. Draft minutes, 1978-1980. Constitution and amendments, 1953-1979. Cemetery deeds, 1939, 1957. Membership list, 1973. Membership dues ledger, 1979-1983. Balance sheets, 1955-1958, 1967-1978. Audit report, 1978. Box 3: Bankbooks, 1945-1984. Check stubs, 1968-1984. Cancelled checks, 1971-1984. Box 4: Membership list, ca. 1940s. Membership dues ledger, 1939-1959. Box 5: Membership dues ledger, 1959-1979. Certificate of Incorporation (1908), certified copy, 1915. Box 6: Minute book, in Yiddish and English, 1934-1957, accompanied by digitized version (2 DVDs). Papers of Leo Weiss, recording secretary, including photographs, financial reports, and minutes, ca. 1947-1957. Oversized cemetery maps (Mount Zion, Mount Hebron) stored in map drawer.

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Access Points

This Collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.

• Geographic Terms

  • United States

• Topical Terms

  • Benevolent Societies
  • Burial Societies
  • Cemeteries
  • Charitable Societies
  • Immigrant Societies
  • Landsmanshaftn
  • Mutual Aid Societies

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