Usher papers
Scope and Contents
The Jerusha "Jessie" Usher Papers include 14 letters written by Usher to her family in Higganum, Connecticut between October 20, 1854 and July 17, 1855. These letters primarily concern events at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary and also include notes from her sister Melissa Usher Tyler (Class of 1856). The collection contains one composition entitled "The Bower" written at West Haven Female Seminary dated March, 1858. Also included in the collection are 3 notebooks containing notes on Bible studies and lists of lesson times and other academic lists.
Dates
- Creation: 1854-1861
Conditions Governing Access
Unrestricted
Biographical Note
Jerusha "Jessie" Usher arrived from Higganum, Connecticut to enter Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in 1854, dropped out in 1855 to teach and earn money and re-entered to graduate in 1857. Usher taught in Newport, Pennsylvania (1855-1856), Oak Hill Seminary in West Haven, Connecticut (1858-1859), Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley, Massachusetts (1860-1861), Academy at Kingston, New York (1863-1864), Houghton Seminary in Clinton, New York (1864-1865) and Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York (1865-1869). She later became Assistant to the President and Registrar at Wellesley College (1877-1878). Usher died in Higganum, Connecticut in 1906.
Extent
1 boxes (Faculty/Staff)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Usher, Jessie, d. 1906; student. Mount Holyoke Female Seminary graduate, 1857. Mount Holyoke Female Seminary teacher, 1860-1861. Papers consist of fourteen letters to her family, notes from her sister, Melissa Usher Tyler, and three notebooks on Bible studies. Primarily documents her academic and social activities at Mount Holyoke.
Genre / Form
Topical
- College students -- Massachusetts -- Correspondence
- Fashion -- United States -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
- Mount Holyoke College -- Buildings
- Mount Holyoke College -- Fire -- 1856
- Mount Holyoke College -- Religious life
- Mount Holyoke College Manuscript Collections
- Mount Holyoke Female Seminary -- Curricula
- Mount Holyoke Female Seminary -- Students
- Religion -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- Massachusetts -- South Hadley
- Scholarships, fellowships, etc. -- College students -- United States
- Science -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- Massachusetts -- South Hadley
- Women -- Education -- United States -- History -- 19th century -- Sources
- Women -- Health and hygiene -- United States -- History -- 19th century
- Women college students -- Massachusetts -- Correspondence
- Title
- Usher Papers, 1854-1861
- Subtitle
- Finding Aid
- Status
- Edited Full Draft
- Date
- © 2004
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
- Sponsor
- Encoding funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
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