Cowles papers

The Eunice Caldwell Cowles Papers include correspondence, writings, biographical information, Caldwell and Cowles family papers, and a photograph. Much of this material concerns Cowles's connections to Mount Holyoke Female Seminary and to Ipswich Female Seminary, where she spent most of her career. The correspondence, dating from 1833 to 1888, includes letters by and to Cowles. Some early letters in the collection are addressed to friends and family members. Other letters concern Mount Holyoke Female Seminary at its inception, including a letter, dated March 8, 1838 and entitled "Washing Day at Mount Holyoke Seminary," that describes the students' weekly cleaning routine. Later letters by Cowles are more general in nature and are addressed mainly to friends. Also included are letters written by Mary Lyon to Cowles. One letter, dated July 3, 1836, concerns Cowles's appointment as associate principal at Mount Holyoke. Another, dated November 29, 1855, concerns a student at Ipswich Female Seminary. The writings include two journals that Cowles kept while she was a student at Ipswich Female Seminary from 1831-1832. One describes her academic routine and makes reference to Mary Lyon, her teacher at Ipswich. The other journal contains Bible passages. Also included in the writings is a pamphlet by Cowles entitled "Our Maidens," from a lecture she delivered in 1879 at a meeting of the Women's Board of Missions in Boston, Massachusetts. The pamphlet discusses the training of women missionaries and Mary Lyon's role in this field. Also included are documents written by Mary Lyon but apparently copied by Cowles. These documents include spiritual writings, letters, a ledger of cash received from Mount Holyoke for furniture, and some compositions on education. The biographical information consists of an obituary and a biographical note, ca. 1903. The family papers include a notification, dated July 30, 1835, of the drowning death of Cowles's father, Captain John Caldwell. The series also includes two receipts belonging to Cowles's husband, John Cowles, as well as a short note from Mary Lyon to Cowles's mother, Eunice Caldwell. The photograph is a formal portrait of Cowles, possibly dating from the 1850s. It appears to be a copy of a photograph that was published in a newspaper or magazine.