Englishmen living in New York City founded a group in 1770, named the St. George’s Society, for Britain’s patron saint, to provide relief to any of their fellow countrymen who fell into distress. Over the years, the organization offered help to the needy in many forms: a bag of coal or pile of wood during the cold months, a winter coat, payment of a hospital stay, even ship fare to return to England for someone whose dreams had not panned out. The society continues to operate today as one of New York’s oldest charities, offering scholarships, medical assistance, monthly stipends, even interment in one of the nonprofit’s cemetery plots.
- Charles Bowring, et al., A History of St. George’s Society of New York from 1770 to 1913
- Society web history, stgeorgessociety.org/history.html