Faculty Meetings Minutes, 1855-1856

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 11/14/2025, 4:14:46 PM

Added description

Description

Faculty Meetings Minutes, 1855‑1856

Overview

This archival item is a collection of scanned minutes from faculty meetings held at a New York‑based college during the academic year 1855‑1856. The materials are presented as a series of 11 high‑resolution JPEG and TIFF images, each containing a page of handwritten or printed minutes. The collection also includes two ancillary documents: a “Sixth Annual Announcement” and a “Scholarship Certificate.” All items are in English and are held in the final‑drexel‑university repository, accessed through the PINAX system.

Background

The minutes were recorded by faculty members of the college, including Dr. Harvey Preston, Rev. Fussell, Dr. Ellwood Harvey, Dr. Kersey G. Thomas, and Dr. Kerr. The college, located in Somerset, New York, was a small medical‑scientific institution that operated in the mid‑19th century. The meetings were convened to discuss administrative matters such as faculty appointments, regulation revisions, property inventories, and fundraising. The collection reflects the governance practices of a 19th‑century American college, with committees appointed for specific tasks and a formal process for appointing agents to solicit donations.

Contents

The minutes cover a series of meetings from January 2, 1855 to June 8, 1856. Key subjects include:
  • Appointment of Dr. Clinton Gillingham as lecturer on chemistry and toxicology.
  • Revision of faculty regulations and by‑laws.
  • Auditing of the late dean’s accounts and inventory of the late professor of chemistry’s property.
  • Selection of candidates for vacant chairs in obstetrics, anatomy, and chemistry.
  • Appointment of committees to dispose of the college’s lease, procure new buildings, and inventory college property.
  • Establishment of agents for soliciting donations (Miss Fernsha B. Merritt, Mrs. Jane L. Reald Lincoln Me, Mrs. H.M. Tracy Cutter, Mrs. Susan Harris, Miss Lydia P. Jaroles, Miss Maria Minnis).
  • Decisions on scholarship certificates (sold for $100, redeemable until 1860).
  • Publication of a “Sixth Annual Announcement” (10,000 copies).

The ancillary documents provide a formal announcement of the 1855‑56 academic session and the wording of the scholarship certificate.

Scope

The collection documents faculty governance and administrative decisions for the 1855‑56 academic year at the Somerset, NY college. It covers dates from early January 1855 to early June 1856, geographic focus on Somerset, NY (with brief references to other locations for donation agents), and topics related to faculty appointments, regulations, property management, scholarships, and fundraising. The materials exclude any external correspondence or student records, focusing solely on faculty deliberations and institutional policy.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@file_pinax -> documents -> @faculty_meetings_1855_1856:event {description: "Series of faculty meetings held at the college during 1855‑1856 covering appointments, regulations, scholarships, and donations"}

@faculty_meetings_1855_1856:event -> includes -> [@meeting_1855_01_02:event, @meeting_1855_01_26:event, @meeting_1856_01_05:event, @meeting_1856_01_08:event, @meeting_1855_02_05:event, @meeting_1855_02_08:event, @meeting_1855_02_12:event, @meeting_1855_06_08:event, @meeting_1855_01_09:event]

#--- Persons ---------------------------------------------------------

@harvey_preston:person {full_name: "Dr. Harvey Preston", role: "Faculty member, President Pro Tem"}
@rev_fussell:person {full_name: "Rev. Fussell", role: "Faculty member, Secretary"}
@thomas:person {full_name: "Thomas", role: "Faculty member"}
@ellwood_harvey:person {full_name: "Dr. Ellwood Harvey", role: "Dean of the Faculty"}
@kersey_g_thomas:person {full_name: "Dr. Kersey G. Thomas", role: "Treasurer"}
@clinton_gillingham:person {full_name: "Clinton Gillingham", role: "Lecturer on Chemistry"}
@rebecca_johnson:person {full_name: "Mrs. Rebecca Johnson", role: "Widow of former Professor of Chemistry"}
@dr_kerr:person {full_name: "Dr. Kerr", role: "Faculty member"}
@miss_fernsha_merritt:person {full_name: "Miss Fernsha B. Merritt", role: "Agent for soliciting donations"}
@mrs_jane_lincoln_me:person {full_name: "Mrs. Jane L. Reald Lincoln Me.", role: "Agent for soliciting donations"}
@mrs_hm_tracy_cutter:person {full_name: "Mrs. H.M. Tracy Cutter", role: "Agent for soliciting donations"}
@mrs_susan_harris:person {full_name: "Mrs. Susan Harris", role: "Agent for soliciting donations"}
@miss_lydia_jaroles:person {full_name: "Miss Lydia P. Jaroles", role: "Agent for soliciting donations"}
@miss_maria_minnis:person {full_name: "Miss Maria Minnis", role: "Agent for soliciting donations"}

#--- Place -----------------------------------------------------------

@college:place {name: "College", location: "Somerset, NY"}

#--- Meetings ---------------------------------------------------------

@meeting_1855_01_02:event {when: @date_1855_01_02, where: @college, description: "Faculty meeting called to order; appointments of President Pro Tem and Secretary; recommendation of Clinton Gillingham as Lecturer on Chemistry; inventory of late Professor of Chemistry’s property with Mrs. Rebecca Johnson"}
@meeting_1855_01_02:event -> present -> [@harvey_preston, @rev_fussell, @thomas]
@meeting_1855_01_02:event -> appointed -> @harvey_preston {role: "President Pro Tem"}
@meeting_1855_01_02:event -> appointed -> @rev_fussell {role: "Secretary"}
@meeting_1855_01_02:event -> recommended -> @clinton_gillingham {position: "Lecturer on Chemistry"}
@meeting_1855_01_02:event -> appointed committee -> [@harvey_preston, @thomas] {task: "inventory of property of late Professor of Chemistry with Mrs. Rebecca Johnson"}

@file_a092_001_071_jpg -> documents -> @meeting_1855_01_02:event

@meeting_1855_01_26:event {when: @date_1855_01_26, where: @college, description: "Committee to revise Regulations & By‑Laws; Dr. Kerr tasked to solicit donations of alcohol & drugs; audit of accounts of the late Dean"}
@meeting_1855_01_26:event -> present -> [@harvey_preston, @rev_fussell, @dr_kerr, @thomas, @ellwood_harvey]
@meeting_1855_01_26:event -> appointed committee -> [@harvey_preston, @rev_fussell, @dr_kerr, @thomas, @ellwood_harvey] {task: "revise Regulations & By‑Laws"}
@meeting_1855_01_26:event -> appointed -> @dr_kerr {task: "solicit donations of alcohol & drugs"}
@meeting_1855_01_26:event -> appointed committee -> [@thomas, @rev_fussell] {task: "audit accounts of the late Dean"}

@file_a092_001_072_jpg -> documents -> @meeting_1855_01_26:event

@meeting_1856_01_05:event {when: @date_1856_01_05, where: @college, description: "Committee duties extended to fill vacant chairs (Obstetrics, Demonstrator of Anatomy, Chemistry); history‑writing committee; admission‑list policy for colleges teaching all branches"}
@meeting_1856_01_05:event -> present -> [@ellwood_harvey, @rev_fussell, @dr_kerr, @thomas, @harvey_preston]
@meeting_1856_01_05:event -> appointed committee -> [@ellwood_harvey, @rev_fussell, @dr_kerr, @thomas, @harvey_preston] {task: "select persons for vacant chairs"}

@file_a092_001_073_jpg -> documents -> @meeting_1856_01_05:event

@meeting_1856_01_08:event {when: @date_1856_01_08, where: @college, description: "Reports on Dean’s accounts, vacant chairs, begging‑alcohol committee; lease‑disposal committee; inventory & liabilities committee; agents appointed for soliciting donations"}
@meeting_1856_01_08:event -> present -> [@harvey_preston, @rev_fussell, @dr_kerr, @thomas, @ellwood_harvey]
@meeting_1856_01_08:event -> appointed committee -> [@rev_fussell, @thomas] {task: "dispose of lease on college buildings and procure new building"}
@meeting_1856_01_08:event -> appointed committee -> [@rev_fussell, @thomas, @harvey_preston] {task: "inventory of college property and ascertain liabilities"}
@meeting_1856_01_08:event -> appointed -> [@miss_fernsha_merritt, @mrs_jane_lincoln_me, @mrs_hm_tracy_cutter, @mrs_susan_harris, @miss_lydia_jaroles, @miss_maria_minnis] {role: "agents for soliciting donations", commission: "10 % of collections"}

@file_a092_001_074_jpg -> documents -> @meeting_1856_01_08:event

@meeting_1855_02_05:event {when: @date_1855_02_05, where: @college, description: "Consult candidates for graduation; admit Mrs. Eliza L.S. Thomas to early examination; publish Sixth Annual Announcement; recommend Clinton Gillingham for Chair of Chemistry & Toxicology"}
@meeting_1855_02_05:event -> present -> [@harvey_preston, @rev_fussell, @dr_kerr, @thomas]
@meeting_1855_02_05:event -> appointed -> @clinton_gillingham {position: "Chair of Chemistry & Toxicology"}
@meeting_1855_02_05:event -> produced -> @sixth_annual_announcement:document {copies: 10000, purpose: "Annual announcement"}

@file_a092_001_080_jpg -> documents -> @meeting_1855_02_05:event

@meeting_1855_02_08:event {when: @date_1855_02_08, where: @college, description: "Publish 10,000 copies of the Sixth Annual Announcement; recommend Clinton Gillingham for Chair of Chemistry & Toxicology"}
@meeting_1855_02_08:event -> present -> [@harvey_preston, @rev_fussell, @dr_kerr, @thomas]
@meeting_1855_02_08:event -> reaffirmed recommendation -> @clinton_gillingham {position: "Chair of Chemistry & Toxicology"}

@file_a092_001_080_jpg -> documents -> @meeting_1855_02_08:event

@meeting_1855_02_12:event {when: @date_1855_02_12, where: @college, description: "Draft announcement for 1855‑56 session; thesis referrals; payment of carpet and gas bills"}
@meeting_1855_02_12:event -> present -> [@harvey_preston, @rev_fussell, @dr_kerr, @thomas, @ellwood_harvey]
@meeting_1855_02_12:event -> appointed committee -> [@harvey_preston, @ellwood_harvey] {task: "draft announcement for 1855‑56 session"}

@file_a092_001_081_jpg -> documents -> @meeting_1855_02_12:event

@meeting_1855_06_08:event {when: @date_1855_06_08, where: @college, description: "Committee reports on Dean’s account, inventory, vacant chairs, solicitation of donations, lease disposal; agents appointed for donations"}
@meeting_1855_06_08:event -> present -> [@harvey_preston, @rev_fussell, @dr_kerr, @thomas, @ellwood_harvey]
@meeting_1855_06_08:event -> appointed -> [@miss_fernsha_merritt, @mrs_jane_lincoln_me, @mrs_hm_tracy_cutter, @mrs_susan_harris, @miss_lydia_jaroles, @miss_maria_minnis] {role: "agents for soliciting donations", commission: "10 % of collections"}

@file_a092_001_076_jpg -> documents -> @meeting_1855_06_08:event

@meeting_1855_01_09:event {when: @date_1855_01_09, where: @college, description: "Model, preparation, drawing, specimen removal policy; Dispensary committee chaired by Dr. Fussell"}
@meeting_1855_01_09:event -> present -> [@harvey_preston, @rev_fussell, @dr_kerr, @thomas, @ellwood_harvey]
@meeting_1855_01_09:event -> appointed committee -> @rev_fussell {role: "Chair of Dispensary committee"}

@file_a092_001_079_jpg -> documents -> @meeting_1855_01_09:event

#--- Documents ---------------------------------------------------------

@sixth_annual_announcement:document {title: "Sixth Annual Announcement", copies: 10000, purpose: "College-wide announcement"}

@scholarship_certificate:document {price: "$100", courses_included: "two or more", issue_deadline: @date_1855_08_01, redemption_deadline: @date_1860_01_01, validity: "until August 1 1855; redeemable through October 1 1860"}

@file_a092_001_075_jpg -> documents -> @scholarship_certificate:document

#--- Agents ------------------------------------------------------------

@faculty_meetings_1855_1856:event -> appointed agents -> [@miss_fernsha_merritt, @mrs_jane_lincoln_me, @mrs_hm_tracy_cutter, @mrs_susan_harris, @miss_lydia_jaroles, @miss_maria_minnis] {commission: "10 % of all money collected", authority: "written authority signed by all Professors"}

#--- Additional File References -----------------------------------------

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#--- End of Knowledge Graph -------------------------------------------------

Metadata

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 11/14/2025, 4:14:46 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 11/14/2025, 4:05:30 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 11/14/2025, 3:58:40 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 11/14/2025, 3:56:48 PM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: Faculty_Meetings_1855"

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01KA1H99AHHMBQBG6Z60YHP0NT

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