Kingston Poor Relief Society

The Kingston Poor Relief Society was interchangeably referred to as the City Poor Relief Committee and the Kingston Poor Relief Association. While not an official organ of local government, much of their financial support was derived from the City Treasury, with donations from individuals, organizations and churches also contributing to their fund. The main activity of the Society seems to have been the disbursement of funds. The funds of the association were predominantly for elderly people, widows and children: the “worthy poor”, with most of the monies going to the food and fuel accounts which were covered or heavily subsidized by the Society. There were occasional expenditures for clothing or footwear. The Society was most active during the fall and winter seasons often adjourning for the summer.
The Executive of the Society was composed of many prominent women of the City of Kingston (Richardson, Oberndorffer, Machar, Corbett) who conducted visits to homes and investigated needy cases. While some claim has been made that this Society was the continuance of the Female Benevolent Society which dated back to 1821, there are also other sources which more reliably have it dating to 1867, often being called the Committee of the Poor Relief and closely related with the City Mission Association.