Mount Holyoke journal letters and notebooks
Abstract
Mount Holyoke Journal Letters and Notebooks date from 1843-1889 and were compiled by teachers at the school. They contain descriptions and discussions of events, students, teachers, visitors, donations, and improvements to buildings and grounds. Notebook VI also includes newspaper articles from 1856-1868 that provide insight into popular perceptions of Mount Holyoke. Typed transcripts are available for the 1843-March 9, 1849 and Letters from September 23, 1875-May 1, 1889 are printed. There are no letters on file for August 1849-September 1850, April 19-November 17, 1858, June-August 1859, and January 31-September 25, 1861 and the Notebooks are limited to the years 1862-1877.
Dates
- 1843 - 1889
Biographical / Historical
In 1843, Mary Lyon instituted a program by which a succession of teachers regularly recorded a wide range of information about Mount Holyoke. She modeled this practice after letters which her niece, Lucy Lyon (Class of 1840 and Mount Holyoke teacher, 1841-1846) wrote to Fidelia Fiske (Class of 1842), who was serving as a missionary in Persia. The letters were copied and sent to Fiske and other distant alumnae and former teachers as a way of reinforcing their ties to Mount Holyoke. By 1848, eighteen copies were needed to supply those abroad. Handwritten copies gave way to privately printed letters in September 1875. The final Letter covers the period March 28-May 1, 1889. Subsequent notes about events at Mount Holyoke from 1889-1891 appears in the June, 1891 issue of "The Mount Holyoke" magazine.
Extent
2.3 Linear Feet (9 boxes containing 21 volumes: 3 full Hollinger, 5 half Hollinger, and 1 specialty boxes)
Language of Materials
English
- Mount Holyoke College Record Groups Subject Source: Local sources
- Letter 5: Apr. 30-Nov. 1, 1844
- Letter 6: Nov. 6, 1844-Mar. 29, 1845
- Letter 7: Apr. 19-Aug. 2, 1845
- Letter 8: Aug. 18-Sept. 17, 1845
- Letter 9: Oct. 10-Nov. 8, 1845
- Letter 10: Nov. 19, 1845-Apr. 2, 1846
- Letter 11: Apr. 8-May 5, 1846
- Letter 13: Sept. 30, 1846-Aug. 6, 1847
- Letter 14: Sept. 1847-Aug. 3, 1848
- Journal Letter, July 22, 1850
- Notebooks I and II: Aug. 28, 1848-July 23, 1849
- Notebook III: Oct. 1850-Apr. 1851
- Journal Letter, May 9, 1851 - July 25, 1851
- Journal Letter, November 5, 1851 - January 26, 1852
- Journal Letter, January 30, 1852 - April 22, 1852
- Journal Letter, May 26, 1852 - July 8, 1852
- Journal Letter, October 27, 1852 - February 4, 1853
- Journal Letter, 1853 - 1854, Winter and Spring terms
- Journal Letter, March 23, 1853 - May 7, 1853
- Journal Letter, June 1, 1853 - August 1, 1853
- Journal Letter, September 29, 1853 - November 23, 1853 (Fall term)
- Journal Letter, 1854 - 1855, first two terms
- Journal Letter, May 28, 1855-August, 1855
- Journal Letter, October 13, 1855 - February 5, 1856
- Journal Letter, February 21, 1856 - May 8, 1856
- Journal Letter, June 2, 1856 - August 8, 1856
- Journal Letter, November 10, 1856-January 16, 1857
- Journal Letter, February 3, 1857 - August 17, 1857
- Journal Letter, October 19, 1857 - January 13, 1858
- Journal Letter, February 8, 1858 - April 19, 1858
- Journal Letter, November 17, 1858 - March 2, 1859
- Journal Letter, April 4, 1859 - May 17, 1859
- Notebook VI, September 25, 1861 - December 12, 1862
- Notebook IV, September 28, 1859 - July 27, 1860
- Notebook V, September 26, 1860 - January 31, 1861
- Notebooks VII, VIII and IX, February 1, 1863 - July 11, 1865
- Notebook X: November 15, 1865 - March 2, 1868
- Notebook XI, April 22, 1868-January 4, 1870
- Notebook XII, January 26, 1870-September 28, 1874
- Notebook XIII, October 30, 1874-June 12, 1875
- Printed Journal Letter 1: Sept. 23, 1875
- Printed Journal Letter 2: June 5, 1876
- Printed Journal Letter 3: January 1877
- Printed Journal Letter 4: June 11, 1877
- Printed Journal Letter 5: February 12, 1878
- Printed Journal Letter 6: June 8, 1878
- Printed Journal Letter 7: January 1879
- Printed Journal Letter 8: June 9, 1879
- Printed Journal Letter 9: January 1880
- Printed Journal Letter 10: June 1880
- Printed Journal Letter 11: November 1, 1880
- Printed Journal Letter 12: May 12, 1881
- Printed Journal Letter 13: May 19, 1882
- Printed Journal Letter 14: December 20, 1882
- Printed Journal Letter 16: March 31, 1884
- Printed Journal Letter 15: June 16, 1883
- Printed Journal Letter 17: December 23, 1884
- Printed Journal Letter 18: June 10, 1885
- Printed Journal Letter 19: February 10, 1886
- Printed Journal Letter 20: July 1886
- Printed Journal Letter 21: March 17, 1887
- Printed Journal Letter 22: March 5, 1888
- Printed Journal Letter 23: March 28-May 1, 1889
- Last Journal Letter: Notes on Events, May 1889-June 1891
- Letter 1: Feb. 27-Aug. 8, 1843
- Letter 2: Aug. 16-Dec. 1, 1843
- Letter 3: Dec. 5, 1843-Feb. 24, 1844
- Letter 4: Mar. 2-Apr. 29, 1844
- Notebook I
- Notebook II
- Notebook III
- Notebook IV
- Notebook V
- Notebook VI
- Notebook VII
- Notebook VIII
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections Repository
50 College Street
8 Dwight Hall
South Hadley MA 01075-6425 USA
413-538-3079
archives@mtholyoke.edu
