The ladies of Tatnuck Village, Worcester, Mass., met on 27 May 1847 to organize a society for benevolent purposes. The society was first called the Tatnuck Female Benevolent Society. Its purpose was to aid "the distressed in sickness and to assist any who have not the means of clothing their families." The society gradually became a sewing circle and social organization with much of its charitable effort directed toward the Worcester Children's Friend Society and the Tatnuck Congregatinal Church. It is not clear when its name changed from the Tatnuck Female Benevolent Society to the Tatnuck Ladies' Sewing Circle, although the latter name begins to appear in the records in the early 1860s.
Abby Kelley Foster (1810-1887) was a member the first year and her name appears infrequently in the minutes through the 1860s. Evidently she spurred the society to make donations to the Worcester Freedmen's Aid Society and to a "Miss Holly"--probably Sallie Holley (1818-1893). Abby's sister-in-law, Sarah Bradley Eastman Foster (1805-1893), was a very active member and she served for several years as president of the society.
From the description of Records, 1847-1950. (American Antiquarian Society). WorldCat record id: 191259798
