Elm Hill Private School and Home for the Education of Feeble-Minded Youth records

Transcription

1 Elm Hill Private School and Home for the Education of Feeble-Minded Youth records MSS 6/ Finding aid prepared by Finding aid prepared by Charles Greifenstein. Last updated on December 19, Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia

2 Table of Contents Summary Information...3 Biography/History...4 Scope and Contents... 4 Administrative Information... 6 Controlled Access Headings...7 Collection Inventory... 9 Series 1. Administrative records... 9 Series 2. Correspondence Series 3. Financial records Series 4. Medical records Series 5. Publications...19 Series 6. Teaching records Series 7. Miscellaneous records Series 8. Photographs and engravings Page 2 -

3 Summary Information Repository Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia Creator Private Institution for the Education of Feeble-minded Youth (Barre, Mass.). Title Elm Hill Private School and Home for the Education of Feeble-Minded Youth records Call number MSS 6/ Date [bulk] Date [inclusive] Extent 26 linear feet General Physical Description note 62 boxes, 3 volumes and 6 oversize pieces Language English Abstract Elm Hill Private School and Home for the Education of Feeble-Minded Youth was founded in 1848 in Barre, Massachusetts, by physician Hervey Backus Wilbur ( ). Wilbur left Elm Hill in 1851 to establish a similar but state-sponsored school in New York. His assistant, George Brown ( ), took over the institution. The records of Elm Hill span the years The records consist of Administrative records, Correspondence, Financial records, Medical records, Teaching records, and photographs and engravings of residents and employees. - Page 3 -

4 Cite as: [Description and date of item], [/folder number], MSS 6/ , Elm Hill Private School and Home for the Education of Feeble-Minded Youth records, (Bulk ), Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Biography/History Elm Hill Private School and Home for the Education of Feeble-Minded Youth was founded in 1848 in Barre, Massachusetts, by physician Hervey Backus Wilbur ( ). Wilbur was heavily influenced by the ideas of Edward Séguin ( ), who believed in the instructability of the feeble-minded. Originally called the Institution for the Education of Idiots, Imbeciles, and Children of Retarded Development of Mind, Elm Hill was the first institution of its kind in the United States. Set in bucolic central Massachusetts, Elm Hill put Séguin's ideas, most completely put forth in his book Traitement moral, hygiène et éducation des idiots, into practice. Wilbur left Elm Hill in 1851 to establish a similar but state-sponsored school in New York. His assistant, George Brown ( ), took over the institution. Dr. Brown, a graduate of the University of New York Medical Department, had arrived in Barre in November 1850 with his wife Catherine Wood Brown. Never accepting more than 0 residents, and remaining private, Elm Hill was run by the Brown family until it ceased operation. George Artemas Brown ( ), who graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York (Columbia Medical School), was the second Brown to become superintendent. George Artemas' son George Percy Brown ( ), who went to Yale and then Harvard Medical School, took over from his father. Elm Hill closed in August Scope and Contents The records of Elm Hill span the years The collection arrived at the College with little original order remaining. No originating office was discernable, and only some records could be traced to individuals. Order has thus been imposed by the archivist, with the following series: administrative, correspondence, financial, medical, publications, teaching, miscellaneous, and photographs and engravings. Except for Series , which are ordered by bulk, and Series , which are arranged for ease of storage, first-level subseries are ordered alphabetically. Series is housed out of sequence - Page 4 -

5 in 62 for ease of storage. Third-level subseries in Series 3 (e.g., ) are arranged by bulk. Items in all series are if possible arranged chronologically. Researchers should be aware that items may have information in them beyond their series classification. For instance, daybooks in the financial series may contain records of appointments. Researchers should check all the material from a given year in which they are interested. Confusion can arise over the identities of the three George Browns. In the finding aid, George Brown refers to the first one, G. A. Brown (George Artemas) to the second, and G. P. Brown (George Percy) to the third. Series 1 consists of administrative records. Included in this series are address books (guardians of the residents and vendors), appointment books, correspondence registers, journals containing occurrences at the school, legal papers, personnel information, printed material providing information about Elm Hill, such as brochures, and other material contains a description of the specific duties of attendants in the resident halls. The legal documents concern the competency of residents and residents' estates. Correspondence is contained in Series 2. Letters concern residents and their care, availability of employment at Elm Hill, and requests for information. Some of the letters have details of residents' histories, condition, and families. A good number concern the transfer of residents at the time of Elm Hill's closing. This series is arranged by bulk. Series 3, the largest in the collection, contains financial records. In this series are bankbooks, cashbooks, payroll books, vendor account books, and tax information. Also found are daybooks, with records of daily institutional expenses, and school account books, which are summary account books and have listings of all school expenses. Of interest are a complete household inventory done , which includes the value of all items inventoried, and account books with the costs of and payments for residents' care. The various types of account books in third-level subseries are arranged by bulk. Some receipts and invoices (from ) have been processed and put in series 3.2. Receipts and invoices from 1880 until the closing of the institution have been retained but are only roughly arranged in bundles by year. It is planned that these will be kept indefinitely but will remain unprocessed. Check at the reference desk for the latest information. Series 4 contains the medical records of residents. Of outstanding interest are the notebooks with detailed narrative case histories, in seven volumes dating from 1852 and stopping sometime in the early 20th century. These histories are complemented by a large resident register that records the admission and discharge dates of residents from ; the register has information on the medical condition and "heredity" of residents. There are case files from and a medical recipe book from One more item deserves mention: a record from of seizures experienced by residents. The publications in Series 5 are Elm Hill institutional reports (the latest from 1911), bound reports from other institutions, Proceedings of the Association of Medical Officers of American Institutions for Idiotic and Feeble-Minded Persons, and two reprints, "The Principles of Our Work" by George Brown and "The Future of the Educated Imbecile" by Mrs. Catharine W. Brown. Material related to teaching in Series 6 includes craft work by residents, drawings, writing samples, writing and mathematics workbooks, and a list of teachers with subjects taught. Also found are five diaries, four by residents and one by a teacher. Some of the some diaries contain medical information. - Page 5 -

6 Series 7 is a miscellaneous series, with items in it mainly from the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in Elm Hill either had an exhibit at the Exposition or was part of an exhibit set up by American institutions for the feeble-minded. An exhibit description is found in Series 7. Series 8 consists of photographs and engravings of residents, employees, interiors and exteriors at Elm Hill, and of George Brown. Although only a few of the images are dated, most probably date from All the photographs are prints. A number were used in the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Administrative Information Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia Finding aid prepared by Finding aid prepared by Charles Greifenstein. Sponsor The creation of the electronic guide for this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives Project. Finding aid entered into the Archivists' Toolkit by Garrett Boos. Access Restrictions This collection is open for research use. Use Restrictions Copyright restrictions may apply. Please contact the College of Physicians Historical Medical Library with requests for copying and for authorization to publish, quote or reproduce the material. Custodial History note Elm Hill's records, along with a large amount of material on the Brown family, were purchased in 1995 from Steve Finer Rare Books through a gift from the Samuel Lewis Circle (Accession ). Processing Information note The collection was processed by Charles Greifenstein from March to September Page 6 -

7 The creation of the electronic guide for this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives Project. Finding aid entered into the Archivists' Toolkit by Garrett Boos. Controlled Access Headings Corporate Name(s) Association of Medical Officers of American Institutions for Idiotic and Feeble-Minded Persons. Private Institution for the Education of Feeble-minded Youth (Barre, Mass.). World's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.). Form/Genre(s) Administrative records Correspondence Diaries Financial records Legal documents Medical records Personnel records Photographs Publications Personal Name(s) Brown, George Artemas, Brown, George Percy, Brown, George, H. B., Wilbur, (Harvey Backus), Subject(s) - Page 7 -

8 Children with mental disabilities Convulsions Institutional care Patients Special education schools Elm Hill Private School and Home for the Education of Feeble-Minded Youth records - Page 8 -

9 Series 1. Administrative records Elm Hill Private School and Home for the Education of Feeble-Minded Youth records Collection Inventory Series 1. Administrative records, Address books Guardians of the residents (4 volumes and 1 envelope) Envelope contains removed interleaved material. (See also 1.7), Guardians of the residents and vendors (1 volume), Institutions (schools and asylums) (1 volume), Page 9 -

10 1.2 Advertising: Examples of ads placed by Elm Hill, and other advertising Advertising: Examples of ads placed by Elm Hill, and other advertising-related material, 1886-[192?] Appointment books (7 volumes), Brochures (1 folder), [191?] Business cards (1 envelope). Elm Hill and other business cards, [189?] Clothing inventory (1 volume) Inventory of residents' clothing and when it was purchased. Also contains sizing measurements of residents. (See also 4.7), Correspondence registers (8 volumes) Registers of correspondence, mainly with residents' guardians and relatives. Registers also contain addresses. (See also 1.1), Farm records (1 folder) Inventory of cattle. List of fruit and vegetables canned and pickled, 1898-[19--?] Fliers (1 folder), 1864-[189?] Government regulations (1 folder) Federal regulations for transporting fuels (printed), Instructions to staff (1 folder) Instructions left by G. A. Brown prior to his 1904 European trip. Includes itinerary and assorted notes, Invitation (1 folder) Invitation to the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Elm Hill, Journals (45 volumes, 4 envelopes) Daily records of various types of occurrences at Elm Hill, such as arrivals and departures of people and personnel assignments. Some volumes have a list of residents. 2 envelopes contain removed interleaved material, Page -

11 1.14 Insurance policies (1 folder) Policies on Elm Hill and its farm, all... 1 envelope contains 1 volume, 1 envelope contains journal notes found elsewhere, Insurance policies (1 folder) Policies on Elm Hill and its farm, all dated as in effect from 1944 February 6 to 1945 February 6, Legal records. 1. Documents regarding the competency of residents (1 folder with 4 items), Documents related to the estates of relatives of various residents (5 folders), Miscellaneous Documents (1 folder), 1893, undated. 4. Instruments (1 folder). Property agreements and notes about property ownership; agreement of agency for a resident, Licenses and inspection certificates (3 folders) Building inspection certificates and hospital licenses issued by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Personnel information. 1. Lists of personnel (1 folder) Lists of personnel, assignments, wages. (Also includes lists of patients), [1872?] Duties of workers (2 volumes) Descriptions of specific duties of attendants, [188?]. 3. Duty roster (1 folder), undated. 4. Workmen's compensation. - Page 11 -

12 1.18 Professional organization membership (1 folder) Elm Hill Private School and Home for the Education of Feeble-Minded Youth records 5. Letter of agreement between George Brown [?] and a worker (1 folder) Worker and Brown agree to wages and that the worker will improve his learning and his behavior, Professional organization membership (1 folder), Questionnaires (1 folder) Includes questionnaire from Pennsylvania Training School for Feeble-Minded Children, Register of residents (1 volume) Notebook with list of residents. Also contains lists of employees and other notes. (See also 1.16), Register, State Board of Insanity (1 volume) Register of state officials and the dates they visited Elm Hill, Reports on Elm Hill (1 folder) Drafts of reports to the [Massachusetts?] Bureau of Education describing the Elm Hill Institution. Notes for an annual report [?], 1893 June-1897 September Miscellaneous. 1. Conklin's Commercial Calculator (1 volume), Floor plan of second and third floors of main house (1 folder) Floor plan found wrapping a bundle of receipts, [ ]. 3. Notebook with food recipes (1 folder) Also contains accounts of food purchased, Notebook (1 folder) Notes on kitchen activities. Folder also contains one loose sheet with recipes on it, Page 12 -

13 Series 2. Correspondence Series 2. Correspondence, Resident-related To George Brown (1 folder) letters, To G. A. Brown (1 folder) 32 letters (See also 4.2.3), To G. P. Brown (2 folders) 57 letters, 3 postcards, To teacher Emma Tanner (1 folder) Letter regarding a resident named Porter, Personnel-related Inquiries regarding employment at Elm Hill (1 folder) 19 letters, Miscellaneous (1 folder) 4 letters, Page 13 -

14 2.3 Requests for information about Elm Hill (1 folder) Elm Hill Private School and Home for the Education of Feeble-Minded Youth records 2.3 Requests for information about Elm Hill (1 folder), Postcard (1 folder) Postcard from France to Mrs. Mary Carter (Elm Hill employee?) of Barre. Found in address book for 1920s-1940s by "O" page, [1945?]. 2.5 Request for assistance (1 folder) Letter from the Barre Board of Trade to G. A. Brown about creating a circular about the Barre area, Request for reference (1 folder) Letter from F. E. Marsh, plater, to Catherine Brown requesting letter of reference. Receipt for replating accompanies letter, Inspection Report (1 folder) Letter from the State Board of Insanity discussing state inspection, Series 3. Financial records, Account Books. Bankbooks: First National Bank of Barre (40 volumes), Bankbooks: Boston Safe Deposit & Trust Co. (1 volume), Bankbooks: [no bank] (2 envelopes, 5 volumes) 1 envelope contains 1 bankbook. 1 envelope contains removed interleaved material, Cashbooks: Emergency Fund (2 volumes), 1900, Cashbooks: Miscellaneous (2 volumes), , Cashbooks: [Cashbook] (1 envelope) Loose pages torn from a cashbook, Page 14 -

15 3.1 Account Books Daybooks: George Brown, G. A. Brown, and G. P. Brown (82 volumes, 5 envelopes) 2 envelopes contain 1 daybook each. 3 envelopes contain removed interleaved material, Daybooks: Susan Emily Brown (1 volumes), 1908 July Daybooks: Miscellaneous (6 volumes) 2 volumes are in envelopes, 1891, 1898, , , 1918, Inventories: Bankbooks: Household and Farm (3 volumes, 1 envelope) Extensive inventory with values of items listed, Inventories: Silverware [no values listed] (1 volume), Payroll: Help (18 volumes, 1 envelope, 1 folder) Account books labeled "Help," listing salaries and wages. Envelope and folder contain removed interleaved material, Payroll: [Help] (3 envelopes) Pages torn from payroll books, Payroll: Employees (1 volume) Earliest payroll account book, Payroll: Bookkeeper's Record (1 volume) Summary of wages and salaries, 1902 July-1907 January. 23 Payroll: Men's Time (1 volume, 1 folder) Folder contains removed interleaved material, Payroll: Wages (1 volume), Payroll: Wages (1 volume) (See also 3.2), undated. 23 Residents' accounts: Expenses (28 volumes, 2 envelopes) Necessities (such as clothing) and incidentals purchased by the school for the residents (see ). Envelopes contain removed interleaved material, Page 15 -

16 3.1 Account Books Residents' accounts: Costs and payments (11 volumes, 4 envelopes, 1 folder) Costs of care, usually including charges for necessities and incidentals. Payments by residents' families. Envelopes and folder contain removed interleaved material and a few scattered notes found elsewhere (See also 3.2.3), Residents' accounts: Allowances (3 volumes) Purchases from residents' allowance accounts, Residents' accounts: Costs (1 volume) Yearly costs of residents' care. Not listed for every year, Residents' accounts: Clothing (2 volumes, 1 envelope) Clothing purchased for residents. Few entries. Book in envelope has no date, , undated. 33 Residents' accounts: Shoes (1 volume, 1 envelope) Shoes purchased for residents. Envelope contains removed interleaved material, School Accounts (17 volumes, 3 folders, 1 envelope) Yearly summaries of institute accounts, except for residents' care (see 3.6). Number and types of entries vary among books. Two folders contain removed interleaved material; one has accounts from Envelope contains incomplete summary of (See also 3.2), Travel (3 volumes, 1 envelope, 1 folder) Expenses for beach excursions for patients, Vendors: Grocer A. G. Williams & Sons (95 volumes), Vendors: Grocer George R. Simonds (51 volumes) Vendor name varies somewhat over time. Envelope contains removed interleaved material, Vendors: Butcher F. W. Williams (13 volumes), Vendors: Druggist Harding Jenkins (11 volumes and 1 folder) Folder contains removed interleaved material, Page 16 -

17 3.2 Invoices and receipts Vendors: Clothier J. C. Bartholomew (11 volumes), Vendors: Miscellaneous (18 volumes) Includes vendors for butter, fish, clothing, stationery, animal care, jewelry, dry goods, groceries, meat, and crackers. (See also 3.2), Invoices and receipts General institution (5 folders) From vendors, workmen, shippers and others. Some payroll information. Some account sheets may have served as account books. (See also 3.1.7, 3.1.9), Advertising (1 folder: 13 items) For advertising Elm Hill in periodicals, Miscellaneous (1 folder: 20 items) Charitable contribution, employment agency, periodical subscriptions, dentist, horse and carriage, and resident care. Contains the oldest institutional document found in the records: a receipt from 1849 (damaged by insects), General institution, ledger-sized (1 box) Assorted vendors and others. Large, extensive invoices and receipts that probably in some cases served as account books for vendors, particularly in the 1850s and 1860s. (See also 3.1.7, 3.1.9), (62) 3.3 Taxes Town of Barre, Valuation and Taxes (printed) (11 volumes), (62) 2. Town of Barre, Annual Official Report (printed) (4 volumes), (62) 3. Tax evaluation (1 folder) Property inventory for state taxes, (62) - Page 17 -

18 Series 4. Medical records Series 4. Medical records, Case files (3 folders) Medical records of residents (18 individuals), Case histories Notebooks (7 volumes, 2 envelopes) Full descriptions of residents' histories. Envelopes contain removed interleaved material. (See also 6.4), 1852-[19--] Notes on resident Estelle Paine (1 folder), Notebook (1 volume) One notebook with notes on residents' cases. Two letters found in notebook placed in correspondence series (see 2.1.2). Small envelope contains removed interleaved material, Notes (1 folder) Notes on residents, one named Hodges, 1874, undated Notebook (1 volume) Contains notes on resident Estelle Paine, Newspaper clipping (1 folder), 1850s Recipes Recipe book (1 volume, 1 envelope) Mainly clippings for assorted medicines and cures. Folder contains removed interleaved material and photocopies of folded clippings. (Researchers: Please use photocopies where possible.), & Oversize Clippings and copied recipes (1 folder) Mainly for epilepsy. Removed from a scrapbook, Page 18 -

19 4.5 Record of seizures (1 volume) Daily record of seizures of residents 4.5 Record of seizures (1 volume) Daily record of seizures of residents, Oversize: Resident register (1 volume), "Weights of Children" (1 volume) Notebook with weights of residents. One page of entries. (See also 1.6), Miscellaneous (1 folder) Blank death certificate, [18--?]. 51 Series 5. Publications, Proceedings of the Association of Medical Officers of American Institutions for Idiotic and Feeble-Minded Persons (2 volumes), , Reports on Idiocy (1 volume) 33 assorted institution reports, legislative reports, and journal articles. Contains circulars and reports from Elm Hill for 1851 (no. 3 in the volume), 1853 (no. 8), 1855 (no. 16), and 1858 (no. 27), Reports, Elm Hill School (1 volume) Generally issued biennially, Reports, Elm Hill School, and Proceedings of the Association of Medical Officers of American Institutions for Idiotic and Feeble-Minded Persons (1 volume) Elm Page 19 -

20 5.5 Reports, Elm Hill School (8 folders) Loose copies. Use these copies fo... Hill reports from Association Proceedings from Elm Hill report from 1872 includes a plate of views of the institution, , , Reports, Elm Hill School (8 folders) Loose copies. Use these copies for photocopying, Report, Fiftieth Anniversary of Elm Hill School (1 folder) Two copies, Reprint, "The Principles of Our Work" by George Brown (1 envelope) Two copies, Reprint, "The Future of the Educated Imbecile" by Mrs. C. W. Brown (1 envelope), Series 6. Teaching records, Oversize: Arithmetic (3 items) Mounted examples and explanation (incomplete) of "unusual mathematical ability" of a resident. From the Worlds' Columbian Exposition exhibit, Craft work Stitched outlines of various objects and shapes (2 envelopes), Grid patterns of woven strips of paper (1 envelope), Stitched outlines and grid patterns, mounted on paper and loosely bound (2 envelopes), undated Oversize: Stitched outlines mounted on cardboard (1 item) From the World's Columbian Exposition exhibit, [1893] Page 20 -

21 6.3 Oversize: Drawings 6.3 Oversize: Drawings Various examples mounted in a scrapbook (1 volume) From the World's Columbian Exposition exhibit, [1893] Shoe, mounted on paper (1 item) From the World's Columbian Exposition exhibit., [1893] Diaries Residents' diaries and one teacher's diary, some containing medical information (See also 4.2.1) Howard Nichols (1 volume), J. W. Piper (1 volume), undated Allen P. Severance (1 volume), Edwin White (1 volume), Olive Russell (teacher) (1 volume), List of teachers and subjects taught (1 folder), Workbooks English and composition (6 envelopes) 22 workbooks, , undated Arithmetic (2 envelopes) 7 workbooks, , undated Page 21 -

22 6.6 Workbooks 3. Picture stories (1 envelope) Descriptions of pictures that are pasted in the workbooks. 3 workbooks, Flower calendar (1 envelope) A listing of flowers and other information about them, Geography (1 envelope) 1 workbook, The Normal Review System of Writing (5 envelopes) System designed by D. H. Farley and W. B. Gunnison. 23 workbooks, Payson, Dunton, and Scribner's National System of Penmanship (1 envelope) 1 workbook, Spencerian System of Penmanship (1 folder) 1 workbook, Drawing (1 envelope) Freehand drawing. 1 workbook, undated. 58. Motor coordination exercises (1 envelope) Freehand drawing to test motor coordination. 2 whole workbooks and 1 partial workbook, 1899, undated Miscellaneous (1 envelope) Sheets of writing and a partial workbook, undated Page 22 -

23 6.7 Oversize: Writing (1 volume) Samples of student writing, mounted in a Oversize: Writing (1 volume) Samples of student writing, mounted in a scrapbook. From the World's Columbian Exposition exhibit, Miscellaneous (1 envelope; 1 cardboard sheet) List of residents who attended a cinematograph. Oversize: Incomplete description of a resident's schooling; from the World's Columbian Exposition exhibit, [1893], undated Series 7. Miscellaneous records, Exhibit description (1 folder) Description of the World's Columbian Exposition exhibit by American institutions for the feeble-minded, [1893] Ink blotters (1 folder) Two ink blotters with advertising on them, , [1893] Personal history of George Brown, printed on cardboard (1 folder) From the World's Columbian Exposition exhibit. Very brief, [1893]. 7.4 Reports of the judges of awards (1 folder) Flier describing how to order reports on awards given to exhibits at the Centennial Exposition of 1876, Series 8. Photographs and engravings, Photograph albums Residents and employees (1 volume) Velvet-covered album with clasp. Employees may be teachers. (30 photographs), undated Residents (1 volume) Photographs are labeled with residents' names. Album in poor condition. (74 photographs), undated Page 23 -

24 8.2 Residents (24 photographs) Elm Hill Private School and Home for the Education of Feeble-Minded Youth records 8.2 Residents (24 photographs), , undated Exteriors of buildings and grounds (9 images) Includes "bird's-eye view" engraving of the Elm Hill complex, undated. 8.4 Interiors and exteriors, and residents undergoing instruction (9 photographs) Mounted on cardboard. Most are labeled as having been used in the World's Columbian Exposition exhibit, [1893] George Brown ( ) (1 photograph), undated Interiors and exteriors, and residents undergoing instruction (26 photographs) Mounted on cardboard (framing is larger than 8.4). Probably used in the World's Columbian Exposition exhibit, [1893]. 8.7 Photograph album (1 volume) Views of Elm Hill buildings. Some images missing from pages. (5 photographs), 1876, undated Oversize: Mounted photographs From the World's Columbian Exposition exhibit. 1. Elm Hill buildings (1 item) 4 photographs, [1893]. 2. Central House, Elm Hill (1 photograph), [1893]. 8.9 Oversize: Engraving of World's Columbian Exposition (1 item) Views of buildings and grounds, Page 24 -