Table of Contents
- Collection Summary
- Biographical Note
- Scope and Content Note
- Subject Headings
- Related Material
- Administrative Information
- Access and Use
- Encoding Information
- Container List
Collection Summary
| Repository: | Archives and Special Collections Library, Vassar College Libraries |
|---|---|
| Creator: | Jewett, Milo P. |
| Title: | Milo Parker Jewett Papers |
| Inclusive Dates: | 1828-1913 |
| Bulk Dates: | 1856-1882 |
| Quantity: | 1.1 cubic feet (4 boxes) |
| Abstract: | Papers related to Jewett's involvement with the founding of Vassar College and its early operation, as well as biographical and Jewett family materials |
Biographical Note
Milo P. Jewett, first president of Vassar College, was born in St. Johnsbury, VT in 1801. He attended Dartmouth College and Andover Theological Seminary. In 1839 he founded the Judson Female Institute in Alabama, which was known as one of the best schools for women in the ante-bellum south. A few years later he was ordained in the Baptist ministry, having changed his views on baptism. In 1855 Jewett purchased the Cottage Hill Seminary in Poughkeepsie. There he met Matthew Vassar and is credited with suggesting to Vassar that he use his fortune to establish a women's college. Jewett was one of the original trustees of Vassar College and was elected president in 1861. Disagreements with other board memebers and ultimately with Matthew Vassar forced Jewett's resignation in 1864. In spite of his short tenure he did much to shape the early years of the college, arranging for the purchase of land and the construction of buildings which still serve the college. In 1867 Jewett moved to Milwaukee, where he lived out the rest of his life as an active participant in educational, philanthropic, and religious affairs. Jewett died in 1882.
Note: Additional biographical information is available in the Vassariana Biographical File.
TopScope and Content Note
Papers primarily concern women's education and Vassar College and include his letters to Matthew Vassar, Nathan Bishop, Martin B. Anderson, and others relating to the proposed female college, staff and teaching appointments, his resignation, and other college affairs, 1856-1864; letters and essays from educators in response to Jewett's circular letter about the organization of Vassar Female College, 1861-1863; Jewett's essays and statements on the organization and curriculum for Vassar Female College, 1856-1864; other letters received on college business, his essay on Vassar College, and the benefits of teaching applied science (cooking), 1861-1880; his report on a trip to Europe, 1863; photocopy and typescript of his Origin of Vassar ; obituaries of Jewett, 1882, and his wife, 1889; a Vassar family letter, 1828; and letters to James Monroe Taylor about Jewett, 1888-1913.
TopAccess and Use
Access
This collection is open for research according to the regulations of the Vassar College Archives and Special Collections Library without any additional restrictions.
Restrictions on Use
Permission to quote (publish) from unpublished or previously published material must be obtained as described in the regulations of the Vassar College Archives and Special Collections Library.
Related Material
- See also the Benson J. Lossing Papers as well as the Sarah J. Hale Papers, Vassar College Library
Subject Headings
Names:
- Anderson, Martin B.
- Bishop, Nathan, 1808-1880
- Taylor, James Monroe, 1848-1916
- Vassar family
- Vassar, Matthew, 1792-1868
Organizations:
- Vassar College--Employees
- Vassar College--Faculty
- Vassar College--Presidents
- Vassar Female College
Subjects:
- College presidents
- Cookery--Study and teaching
- Family--New York (State)--Poughkeepsie
- Women's colleges--New York (State)--Poughkeepsie
- Women--Education
Places:
- Europe--Description and travel
VCL Categories
- Vassar College Presidents
Location of Originals
Some originals are located at University of Rochester and at Dartmouth College.
TopAdministrative Information
Preferred Citation
Milo Parker Jewett Papers, Archives and Special Collections Library, Vassar College Libraries.
Processing Information
Original processing date unknown. Last updated November 1999.
Acquisition Information
Gift of various donors and purchase.
Container List
| Folder 1.1 | Letters to Matthew Vassar, Nathan Bishop, and others, 1856-1882 (15 letters) |
| Folder 1.2 | Positive photocopies of 10 Jewett letters to Martin B. Anderson, from the University of Rochester Library, 1861-1866 (10 photocopies) |
| Folder 1.3 | Letters to Jewett, (7 letters) |
| Folder 1.4 | Manuscript documents by Jewett with related correspondence. |
| Folder 1.5 | Publications: Vassar Female College: Report on Organization, 1863 |
| Folder 1.5 | Publications: Vassar Female College: The President's Visit to Europe, 1863 |
| Folder 1.5 | Publications: In Memoriam: Milo Parker Jewett, 1882 |
| Folder 2.1 | Correspondence with James Monroe Taylor relating to Jewett, 1888-1913 (6 letters) |
| Folders 2.2-2.3 | Photocopies of materials relating to Jewett, 1828-1882 |
| Folder 2.4 | Photocopies of Jewett materials in Dartmouth College Archives. |
| Box 3 | Handwritten copies of Jewett's manuscript, Origin of Vassar College. |
| Folder 4.1 | Handwritten copy of Jewett’s manuscript, Origin of Vassar College, originally given to Mrs. Mary Jameson and bound with a copy of Catalogue of the Trustees, Officers and Students of the Judson Female Institute: Marion, Perry County, Alabama (Marion, AL, 1855) and Memorial of Milo Parker Jewett, LL.D. (Milwaukee, 1882), as well as several letters providing the provenance of the bound manuscript. |
| Folder 4.2 | Typescript of Origin of Vassar College, (in binder) |
| Folder 4.3-4.4 | Miscellaneous negative photostatic copies |
Return to the Table of Contents
Details
Papers related to Jewett's involvement with the founding of Vassar College and its early operation, as well as biographical and Jewett family materials
