Finding aid for the Lethia Cousins Fleming Papers


Repository: Western Reserve Historical Society
Creator: Fleming, Lethia Cousins
Title: Lethia Cousins Fleming Papers
Dates: 1903-1963
Extent: 0.41 linear feet (1 container and 1 oversize folder)
Abstract: Lethia Cousins Fleming (1876-1963) was a teacher from West Virginia who became a social worker for the Division of Child Welfare in Cuyahoga County, Ohio (1931-1951). She and her husband, Cleveland city councilman Thomas W. Fleming, were active in local civic and charitable organizations. The collection consists of teaching certificates, certificates of recognition, testimonials, curriculum vitae, real estate account books, travel souvenirs, and newspaper clippings relating to Mrs. Fleming, and records of the Cleveland Home for Aged Colored People, its Men's Auxiliary, the Phillis Wheatley Association, and other charitable organizations.
MS Number MS 3525
Location: closed stacks
Language: The records are in English

Biography of Lethia Cousins Fleming

Lethia Cousins Fleming (1876-1963) was born in Virginia to Archibald and Fanny Taylor Cousins. She taught school in Virginia and West Virginia where she was also an active suffragist. In 1912 she married Thomas W. Fleming (1874-1948) and the couple moved to Cleveland, Ohio. Lethia Fleming chaired the women's board of the Cleveland Home for Aged Colored People (Eliza Bryant Center) while her husband held a seat on Cleveland City Council. From 1931-1951, Lethia Fleming worked as a social worker for the Cuyahoga County Child Welfare Board and was active in Republican Party politics. She directed national campaign efforts among African Americans on behalf of presidential candidates Warren G. Harding, Herbert Hoover, and Alfred Landon. She was active locally and nationally in the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World and was a charter member of the Traveler's Aid Society and the Cleveland Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. She also served on the boards of the Phillis Wheatley Association and the precursor organization to the Urban League of Cleveland.

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for Lethia Cousins Fleming

click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for Thomas Wallace Fleming


Scope and Content

The Lethia Cousins Fleming Papers, 1900-1963 and undated, consist of teaching certificates, certificates of recognition, testimonials, curriculum vitae, real estate account books, travel souvenirs, and newspaper clippings relating to Mrs. Fleming, and records of the Cleveland Home for Aged Colored People, its Men's Auxiliary, the Phillis Wheatley Association, and other charitable organizations.

This collection will be useful to researchers studying the history of Cleveland, Ohio, and the African American community there in the twentieth century. Those studying women's history, the history of social work, the history of education, and the history of charity and philanthropy will find this collection useful.


Statement of Arrangement

The collection is arranged by document type and then chronologically.

Restrictions on Access

None.

Related Material

The researcher should also consult PG 142 Lethia Cousins Fleming Photographs; MS 3532 Eliza Bryant Home for the Aged Records; and MS 4421 Eliza Bryant Home for the Aged Records, Series II.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

African American women -- Ohio -- Cleveland.
African Americans -- Ohio -- Cleveland -- Charities.
Fleming, Lethia Cousins, 1876-1963.
Social workers -- Ohio -- Cleveland.

Preferred Citation

[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 3525 Lethia Cousins Fleming Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio

Detailed Description of The Collection

Lethia Cousins Fleming Papers 1903-1963 undated

Box Folder
1 1 Teacher's certificate, marriage certificate, recognition certificates, and testimonials 1908-1960 undated
1 2 Handwritten account of conversion to Baha'i 1936
1 2 Curriculum vitae undated
1 2 Miscellany dates vary
1 3 Programs and reports of charities, church clubs, the Elks, and the National Association of Colored Women 1903-1924
1 4 Cleveland Home of Aged Colored People, constitution, bylaws, annual reports, and accounts 1903-1924
1 5 Cleveland home for Aged Colored People Men's Auxiliary, "official records" 1909-1919
1 6 Loose items found in Folder 5 1909-1919
1 7 Diary, passport, itinerary, receipts, and souvenirs from a trip to Europe 1927
1 8 The City Record 1916
1 8 Newspaper clippings 1927-1963
1 9 Real estate account book and loose accounts of Lethia Fleming 1913-1919
1 10 Real estate account book and loose accounts of Lethia Fleming 1918-1926 1952
1 11 Real estate account book and loose accounts of Lethia Fleming 1929-1943
Folder
12 Oversize Folder 1: Certificates from the Urban League of Cleveland 1953