German Aid Society
German Aid Society was the name of various support groups in the United States for immigrants from Europe and people with German ancestry.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8uxfTF4Lm-kC&dq=%22german+aid+society%22&pg=PA232|title=Germany and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History : a Multidisciplinary Encyclopedia|first1=Thomas|last1=Adam|first2=Will|last2=Kaufman|date=July 8, 2005|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9781851096282|via=Google Books}}{{Cite web|url=https://mki.wisc.edu/library/catalog/german-aid-society|title=Germans in Boston|first=Herbert|last=Pflanz|date=July 8, 1981|access-date=October 4, 2018|archive-date=July 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190707130154/https://mki.wisc.edu/library/catalog/german-aid-society|url-status=dead}} They were in Sandusky, Ohio, Boston, Massachusetts and Portland, Oregon, the latter including Prussian-born architect Otto Kleemann.
History
The first German Aid Society was founded{{where?|date=February 2022}} in 1764 to aid German immigrants. The one in Chicago was founded in 1854.{{Cite web|url=https://explore.chicagocollections.org/ead/uic/25/ms3t/|title=German Aid Society records, 1878-1977|website=Explore Chicago Collections}} Portland started one in 1871.{{Cite web|url=http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv65621|title=Archives West: German Aid Society records, 1871-1977|website=archiveswest.orbiscascade.org}} Boston's was active by 1885.{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/annualreport00chargoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/annualreport00chargoog/page/n78 72]|quote=german aid society.|title=Annual Report|first=German Society of the City of New|last=York|date=July 8, 1885|via=Internet Archive}}
The organizations were part of congressional hearings in the late 1800s.{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sIETAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22german+aid+society%22&pg=PA593|title=Report of the Select Committee on Immigration and Naturalization: And Testimony Taken by the Committee on Immigration of the Senate and the Select Committee on Immigration and Naturalization of the House of Representatives Under Concurrent Resolution of March 12, 1890|first=United States Congress House Select Committee on Immigration and|last=Naturalization|date=July 8, 1891|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|via=Google Books}}