Female Medical College of Pennsylvania Faculty and Commencement Records, 1850-1857

Version: 10 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 4:31:43 PM

Added description

Description

Faculty Meeting Minutes and Commencement Records, 1850‑1857, Female Medical College of Pennsylvania

Overview

This archival collection comprises bound minute books and scanned images of faculty meeting minutes from the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania, together with records of commencement ceremonies held between 1850 and 1857. The materials include four complete minute books (1850‑1851, 1851, 1852, 1857) and a series of individual meeting pages, all preserved in the Drexel Legacy Collections (Accession NO. ACC‑092). Each volume measures 18.5 × 23.2 cm and contains handwritten and printed pages, many of which are accompanied by OCR transcriptions for searchable text.

Background

Founded in 1850 at 229 Arch Street, Philadelphia, the college was the world’s first institution regularly organized to educate women in medicine. The faculty—comprising physicians such as Nathaniel R. Moseley, James F.X. McCloskey, David J. Johnson, Ellwood Harvey, Edwin Fussell, Emeline H. Cleveland, and Ann Preston—governed the college’s academic and administrative affairs. These minutes document the early governance of the pioneering women’s medical school, reflecting its challenges and achievements in a male‑dominated profession.

Contents

The collection records 14 faculty meetings in 1852, four meetings in 1851, and two meetings in 1857, along with the inaugural 1850‑1851 minute book. Key subjects include faculty appointments, by‑laws and regulations, financial decisions (rent, debt settlement, printing costs), student admissions and examinations, and the organization of commencement ceremonies. The 1850‑1851 volume contains the first honorary M.D. award and the resignation of Dr. M. Glassy. The 1851 pages record the rejection of a rental agreement with the Eclectic Medical College and the appointment of Dr. Dickason as chair of chemistry. The 1852 minutes detail the resignation of Dean Moseley, the adoption of faculty regulations, and the purchase of a showcase. The 1857 pages focus on leasing arrangements, debt assumption, and faculty appointments.

Scope

The collection covers faculty deliberations and commencement activities from December 1850 through 1857, centered in Philadelphia (229 Arch Street) with a single meeting in Boston. It is limited to the specified years and does not include later faculty meetings or broader institutional records. The materials are suitable for scholars of women’s medical education, 19th‑century higher‑education governance, and the history of the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@faculty_and_commencement_records_1850_1857:collection {title: "Female Medical College of Pennsylvania Faculty and Commencement Records, 1850-1857", created_range_start: @date_1850_12_02, created_range_end: @date_1857, institution: @drexel_legacy_collections, language: "en", subjects: ["Faculty meetings","Medical education","Women in medicine","Medical colleges--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia","Women physicians","Women medical students","Medical colleges--Faculty","minutes","Women college administrators","Student Life","Medical colleges--Committees","Medical colleges--By-laws","Curriculum changes","Commencement ceremonies","Medical degrees"], description: "Collection of faculty meeting minutes and commencement records documenting discussions, resolutions, and graduation ceremonies from 1850 to 1857."}

@file_pinax:file -> creator -> [@female_medical_college_of_pennsylvania, @nathaniel_r_moseley, @james_f_x_mccloskey, @david_j_johnson, @harvey, @fussell, @cleveland, @preston]

@file_pinax:file -> documents -> @faculty_and_commencement_records_1850_1857

@faculty_and_commencement_records_1850_1857 -> includes -> [@faculty_meeting_minutes_1850_1851, @faculty_meeting_minutes_1851, @first_commencement]

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@preston -> participated_in -> @meeting_jan_16_1851

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Metadata

Title
Female Medical College of Pennsylvania Faculty and Commencement Records, 1850-1857
Type
Collection
Creator
Female Medical College of PennsylvaniaNathaniel R. MoseleyJames F.X. McCloskeyDavid J. JohnsonEllwood HarveyEdwin FussellEmeline H. ClevelandAnn Preston
Institution
Drexel Legacy Collections
Created
1850-12-02/1857
Language
en
Subjects
Faculty meetings, Medical education, Women in medicine, Medical colleges--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia, Women physicians, Women medical students, Medical colleges--Faculty, minutes, Women college administrators, Student Life, Medical colleges--Committees, Medical colleges--By-laws, Curriculum changes, Commencement ceremonies, Medical degrees
Rights
Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Additionally, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by privacy and publicity rights, licensing or trademarks. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. Please contact us at CoM_Archives@drexel.edu or 215-991-8340.
Place
Philadelphia (Pa.), 229 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Locust Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Source
PINAX

Version History (10 versions)

  • ✓ v10 (current) · 12/4/2025, 4:31:43 PM
    "Added description"
  • v9 · 12/4/2025, 4:22:29 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v8 · 12/4/2025, 4:10:11 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v7 · 12/4/2025, 4:04:32 PM · View this version
    "Reorganized into 5 groups"
  • v6 · 12/4/2025, 4:04:30 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBN1Q7GCCN0CS0DGEAYSKD6K"
  • v5 · 12/4/2025, 4:04:28 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBN1Q5FHBVWJ4MMD45GJXHCM"
  • v4 · 12/4/2025, 4:04:26 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBN1Q3HYXYWVEXTQECTYEGV0"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 4:04:24 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBN1Q1RTTM7K21SMY5XCK8ZK"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 4:04:23 PM · View this version
    "Added child entity 01KBN1Q098S76A91XXSNAVXB1F"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 4:03:27 PM · View this version
    "Alphabetical chunk 2/11 (40 files)"

Additional Components

reorganization-description.txt
# Reorganization Summary

Files were organized chronologically by year of faculty meetings, with special attention to significant events like the 1851 commencement. Each group contains both the reference JSON files and their corresponding image files (JPG/TIF) to maintain document pairs together. The organizational strategy prioritizes temporal coherence while preserving document relationships.

## Groups Created

- **Faculty_Meetings_1850**: Minutes from faculty meetings held in 1850, including discussions about resignations and administrative matters.
- **Faculty_Meetings_1851**: Minutes from faculty meetings held in 1851, covering honorary degree conferrals, room rentals, and administrative decisions.
- **Faculty_Meetings_1852**: Minutes from faculty meetings held in 1852, including resolutions about institutional support, dean elections, and faculty regulations.
- **Faculty_Meetings_1857**: Minutes from faculty meetings held in 1857, discussing faculty appointments and financial arrangements.
- **Commencement_1851**: Documents related to the first commencement ceremony in 1851, including graduate names and event details.

Parent

↑ 01KBN1DYGT4HKHTJ7FNZN9RSZP

Children (5)