History

On the very last day of the Year of Our Lord, 1866, a group of gentlemen met in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, to organize "The St. George's Society," the purpose of which was "to afford relief and advice to indigent natives of England or Wales and the British Colonies or to their wives, widows or children; and to promote social intercourse amongst its members." The meeting had been called by British Vice Consul, Mr. Stewart Darrell, presumably at the request of Mr. George H. Williams, who is described as the "father of the Society" in the notes of Secretary, Mr. James Belden, from the first dinner celebrating St. George’s Day. ^[1]

The impetus for the founding of the Society is identified in the Secretary's First Annual Report submitted at the meeting held on 20 January 1868, which states:

"The two orphan children, C___ and H___ F___ R___, who were the immediate incentive to the formation of this Society, and who were 8 and 9 years of age [when] placed in asylums even before the Society was formed, are well and happy. They are occasionally visited and cared for by one or more members." The Secretary's Report of 1872 identifies the father of these children as C___ R___, a chemist (pharmacist?). It further states that the boy, after leaving the Stricker Street Orphan Asylum, was sent to the Manual Labor School. As was the custom then, he probably was apprenticed to a tradesman with whom he lived. The girl was placed in the Christ Church Orphan Asylum. Unfortunately, the records of the Society contain no further information about the subsequent lives of these children. ^[2]

^References:

^{"Moore, Vice-Admiral Stephen St Leger, (1884–13 Feb. 1955)"}^,^{Who Was Who}^{, Oxford University Press, 2007-12-01, retrieved 2025-07-15}
^{St. George’s Society of Baltimore.}^{Annual Meeting Minutes}^{, 20 Jan. 1868. Recorded by Secretary James Belden. Society Archives, Baltimore, MD.}