First Unitarian Society of Wilmington (Wilmington, Del.).

The first Unitarian Society was established on April 8, 1866, at a meeting of seventeen people at the Wilmington Institute and formally organized under state law on July 7, 1866. It was the first Unitarian congregation in Delaware. Original members came primarily from the Pusey, Lea, Warner, Sisson, Sears, Felton and Wainwright families. Perhaps the most famous member in later years was the illustrator N. C. Wyeth. The first church edifice opened in the spring of 1868 on West Street near 8th.

The congregation experienced significant growth under the leadership of the Rev. John G. MacKinnon, minister from August 1946 to May 1959, and the Rev. Robert M. Doss, minister after April 1963. The congregation relocated to a new church in suburban Sharpley in March 1960. By 1990, it was the sixth largest Unitarian-Universalist congregation in the country.

The Ladies Aid & Sewing Society was formed in December 1866. It met weekly for the purpose of sewing clothing for poor children. It was renamed the Ladies Aid Society in January 1885, reflecting a growing emphasis on social activities designed to raise money to meet church expenses. On January 28, 1895, it became the Wilmington Branch of the National Alliance of Unitarian and Other Liberal Christian Women. Several members of the Women's Alliance were instrumental in the organization of the Delaware Birth Control League in the 1930s.

From the description of Records, 1866-1991. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 122459633