Skip to main content

Corban Society records, 1811-1860.

 Collection
Identifier: RG0721

Scope and Contents

This collection includes records of the board of directors, the office of secretary, office of treasurer, printed materials and also correspondence to the Corban Society.

Dates

  • 1811-1860

Creator

Restrictions on Access

Access to this collection is unrestricted and open to the public.

Restrictions on Use

Items in this collection are subject to U.S. Copyright Law. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine the copyright status of collection items and to secure any permissions necessary for their reproduction and publication. Requests for permission to publish material must be discussed with the archivist or librarian.

Biographical / Historical

Founded in 1811, the Corban Society was an all-female benevolent society that provided clothing and funds to local theological school students, most notably Andover Theological Seminary in Andover, Massachusetts. The birth of this society reflects the growth of charitable institutions in New England between the latter part of the 18th-century and the first part of the 19th-century. During this period, the number of Bible societies, missionary societies, Masonic lodges, orphanages and other charitable organizations in New England grew from approximately 50 to approximately 2000. These organizations were significant in women's history, since they allowed women to serve in management and leadership roles that were otherwise not permitted to them. Many of the women in the Corban Society were married to or related to founding members of the Boston Society for the Moral and Religious Instruction of the Poor. In 1831 the Corban Society absorbed the Graham Society, another Boston, Massachusetts women's benevolent group. Despite this growth, however, the Corban Society's membership decreased by 1848 and the financial resources dwindled. Although the records indicate that the organization was disbanded in 1848, there is some correspondence dating to 1850.

The 1811 founding officers were: Mary Bowers, president; Dorcas Homes, vice president; Elizabeth Haskins, secretary; Martha Colhoun, Mary Ingraham, Mary Perry, Susan Huntington, Sarah Parker, Elizabeth Devens, Lucy M. Ingalls and Mary Webb, assistants. The annual meeting was held the last Monday in September of each year.

Officers for 1812, 1815-1818

Mary Bowers
President
Dorcas Homes
Vice President
Elizabeth Haskins
Secretary
Harriet Moore
Treasurer

Officers for 1813-1814

Mary Bowers
President
Martha Calhoun
Vice President
Elizabeth Haskins
Secretary
Harriet Moore
Treasurer

Officers for 1819

Mary Bowers
President
Isabella Homes
Vice President
Elizabeth Haskins
Secretary
Harriet Moore
Treasurer

Officers for 1820

Mary Bowers
President
Isabella Homes
Vice President
Charlotte Lane
Secretary
Eliza J. Ruspell
Treasurer

Officers for 1821-1822

Mary Bowers
President
Isabella Homes
Vice President
Eliza Clap
Secretary
Eliza J. Rupsell
Treasurer

Officers for 1823-1827

Mary Bowers
President
Isabella Homes
Vice President
Eliza Clap
Secretary
Maria Odiorne
Treasurer

Officers for 1828-1830

Mary Bowers
President
Isabella Homes
Vice President
Eliza Clap
Secretary
Sarah Snow
Treasurer

Officers for 1831

Mary Bowers
President
Isabella Homes
Vice President
Mrs. David Green
Secretary
Sarah Snow
Treasurer

1832-1833

Mary Bowers
President
Isabella Homes
Vice President
Nancy Brown
Secretary
Susan Gore
Treasurer

Officers for 1834-1836

Mary Bowers
President
Isabella Homes
Vice President
Nancy Brown
Secretary
Mrs. William A. Scott
Treasurer

Officers for 1837

Mary Bowers
President
Isabella Homes
Vice President
Nancy Brown
Secretary
Miss Mary Ann Scott
Treasurer

Officers for 1838

Isabella Homes
President
Mrs. John C. Proctor
Vice President
Eudora Nickerson
Secretary
Mrs. Samuel Davis
Treasurer

Officers for 1839

Isabella Homes
President
Mrs. John C. Proctor
Vice President
Eudora Nickerson
Secretary
Mrs. Nancy Brown
Treasurer

Officers for 1840

Isabella Homes
President
Mrs. John C. Proctor
Vice President
Eudora Nickerson
Secretary
Elvira Nickerson
Treasurer

Officers for 1841

Isabella Homes
President
Mrs. John C. Proctor
Vice President
Eudora Nickerson
Secretary
Mary Proctor
Treasurer

Officers for 1842

Isabella Homes
President
Mrs. John C. Proctor
Vice President
Miss M. Quincy
Secretary
Mary Proctor
Treasurer

Officers for 1843

Mrs. John C. Proctor
President
Mrs. Daniel Safford
Vice President
Sophia Crocker
Secretary
Mary Proctor
Treasurer

Officers for 1844-1848

Mrs. John C. Proctor
President
Mrs. Daniel Safford
Vice President
Mary Proctor
Secretary and Treasurer

Extent

1.09 Cubic Feet (1 case)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Founded in 1811, the Corban Society was an all-female benevolent society that provided clothing and funds to local theological school students, most notably Andover Theological Seminary in Andover, Massachusetts. The birth of this society reflects the growth of charitable institutions in New England between the latter part of the 18th-century and the first part of the 19th-century. During this period, the number of Bible societies, missionary societies, Masonic lodges, orphanages and other charitable organizations in New England grew from approximately 50 to approximately 2000. The Corban Society's membership decreased by 1848 and the financial resources dwindled. Although the records indicate that the organization was disbanded in 1848, there is some correspondence dating to 1850. This collection includes records of the board of directors, the office of secretary, and office of treasurer, printed materials and also correspondence to the Corban Society.

Arrangement

This collection is separated into three series and three subseries. Each one is further arranged chronologically.

Series 1: Board of Directors, 1811-1850

Subseries 1: Office of the Secretary, 1811-1842

Subseries 2: History of the Corban Society, 1811-1849

Subseries 3: Office of the Treasurer, 1811-1850

Series 2: Printed Material, 1811, 1860

Series 3: Correspondence to the Corban Society, 1830-1850

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection has no accession number and its source of acquisition is unknown.

Bibliography

Wright, Conrad Edick. Transformation of Charity in Postrevolutionary New England. (Boston, Mass.: Northeastern University Press, 1992), p.5.

Dexter, Franklin Bowditch. Biographical Sketches of the Graduates of Yale College. Volume 4, September 1805-September 1815. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 1912.

Processing Information

Collection was originally processed in 1995 and was updated for ArchivesSpace by William McCarthy in December 2017.

Creator

Title
Corban Society records, 1811-1860.
Status
Completed
Author
William McCarthy
Date
2017-12-6
Description rules
Dacs2 2013
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Congregational Library & Archives Repository

Contact:
14 Beacon Street
Suite 200
Boston MA 02108
617-523-0470