The Organizational Structure of the Lincoln Institution

The Lincoln Institution was set up in 1865 with a two-level organizational structure with a Board of Council and a Board of Managers. The President of the Board of Council was General George Meade. The Board of Council was a male protective shield that allowed Mary McHenry Cox and her lady colleagues to run the orphanage through the Board of Managers in the aura of Victorian Society. The Board of Council was all male, with a treasurer and separate financial accounts from the Board of Managers, whose members were all female, including a treasurer who documented the Board’s financial accounts. There were many committees associated with each Board, and the members of each committee were either all male or all female¹.

The situation then became more confused in 1871 with the donation of the property that became the Educational Home. The Home was set up a separate legal organization from the Lincoln Institution for unknown reasons. Separate annual reports were then written for the Lincoln Institution and the Educational Home, starting in 1873. For this year there were 3 financial accounts, the 2 standard accounts and a third account by the Treasurer of the Board of Council in account for the ‘Educational Home for boys.’ In the years after the creation of the Educational Home there were 4 financial accounts, one for each Board of the 2 separate legal entitities.²

The younger boys resided at the Lincoln Institution while the older boys resided at the Educational Home.

In 1885, with the arrival of the first Indian students an Indian Department was set up. The Girl’s department bank accounts were set up, these were reported in the Board of Council accounts. No separate accounts for either the Girl’s or Ponemah site have been found. A department for the orphans was called the Soldiers’ Home.

The Indian girls resided at the Lincoln Institution while the boys resided at the Educational Home.

In 1899 the Indian School downsized. The remaining students together with a few remaining orphans all resided at the Lincoln Institution. The Educational Home site was sold in 1903.

1911 - The Board of Council (still all male) and a Board of Managers (still all female) structure remained with two treasurers and financial accounts. The Institution was still receiving rents from Houses and also Ground Rents as well as holding many mortgages.

1915 - The Lincoln Institution and Educational Home legal entities were merged under the name Lincoln Educational Institution.

1922 - The Lincoln Educational Institution was merged with the Big Brothers Institution.

References

1. The first Lincoln Institution Annual Report, 1867 and subsequent reports
2. The first Educational Home Annual Report, 1873 and subsequent reports

Document History

• Created by MB 2025-06