Glasgow Dundee Association for Literary and Social Purposes

Overview

This society is a type of nineteenth-century county association. In the stricter sense, county associations were groups whose members (or whose parents) were former residents of counties across Scotland who had moved to Glasgow. This type of group incorporated elements of a benevolent society in that they could offer a combination of accommodation, advice, referrals, and general assistance to newcomers in the city when they arrived, while also offering aid to widows, unemployed members, or members undergoing financial hardship. In addition, they might offer to provide for the education of their members’ children, or money to support their higher education.

There is little currently known about this society. The information we have comes from the Glasgow Post Office Directory for 1875-1876, which only provides a list of office bearers and the address of the association’s office in the city centre:

‘President, John A. Thomson, 8 Morris Place; vice-president, John Bowers, City Chambers; secretary, Frank Y. Henderson, 28 Renfield Street; office of the association, 28 Renfield Street.’

(‘Glasgow Dundee Association for Literary and Social Purposes’, ‘Literary and Scientific Institutions’, Post Office Glasgow Directory for 1875-1876… (Glasgow: William Mackenzie, 1875) p. 111)

Date of Existence

1875?-?

Source of Information

‘Glasgow Dundee Association for Literary and Social Purposes’, ‘Literary and Scientific Institutions’, Post Office Glasgow Directory for 1875-1876… (Glasgow: William Mackenzie, 1875) p. 111

Repository

Mitchell Library

National Library of Scotland

Reference Number

Additional Notes

The Glasgow Post Office directories are available at the Mitchell Library and the National Library of Scotland. Digitised copies are available through the NLS website: https://www.nls.uk/family-history/directories/post-office/index.cfm?place=Glasgow