Corban Society records, 1811-1860.
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
- Corban Society (Organization)
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
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
- Corban Society (Organization)
- 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