Home Missionary Society

The Home Missionary Society (which became known as the Inter-Church Child Care Society in 1960) was founded by a group of young men of the Union and St. George's Methodist Episcopal Church.  Although initial goals were to promote their religious beliefs, their plans were quickly altered to provide material relief for the widows, children and elderly they found living "in extreme poverty and bodily suffering." 

During the later half of the 19th century a child placement service was developed through indenture of children to farm families, including some as far away as the mid-west.  These families provided material needs and religion, discipline and skills to the children in exchange for their labor on the farms. 

Early in the 20th century when social agencies and social work became greatly influenced by psychiatry and psychology, a new professional approach to social services emerged and placement of children shifted from the indenture method to foster family placement.  The Society used free foster homes almost exclusively until 1913 when the first public funds were appropriated through the County Commissioners and payments fixed by the Juvenile Court, created in 1901, at the time of the commitment of the child. 

For some years in the earlier part of this century the agency provided adoption services.  Service funding for the Society was secured through government contracts, private foundations, churches and concerned individuals.