Female Medical College of Pennsylvania Faculty Meeting Minutes, 1854-1856

Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 4:28:45 PM

Added description

Description

Female Medical College of Pennsylvania Faculty Meeting Minutes, 1854‑1856

Overview

This collection is a bound minute book of the faculty of the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania, the world’s first medical college organized for women. The book contains 213 pages of handwritten minutes from faculty meetings held between 1854 and 1856. The pages have been digitized as high‑resolution JPEG and TIFF images, each accompanied by OCR text. The collection is housed in the Drexel College of Medicine Legacy Center Archives (Accession ACC‑092) and is available online through the PINAX portal.

Background

Founded in 1850, the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania (later renamed the Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania) was located at 229 Arch Street, Philadelphia. The faculty, led by Dean Dr. Ellwood Harvey, met regularly to govern the institution, appoint officers, revise regulations, and oversee academic and financial matters. The minutes record the deliberations of key faculty members—Harvey, Edwin Fussell (Secretary), Kersey G. Thomas (Treasurer), James F. X. McCloskey, Rebecca Johnson, Emeline H. Cleveland, and Ann Preston—among others.

Contents

The collection documents a wide range of administrative activities:
  • Faculty appointments and committee formations (e.g., appointment of Clinton Gillingham as Lecturer on Chemistry, creation of committees on regulations, donations, and vacant chairs).
  • Curricular decisions (admission policies, thesis reviews, and announcements of the Sixth Annual Announcement).
  • Financial and property matters (reports on Dean’s accounts, inventory of the late Dean’s property, lease negotiations, and liability assessments).
  • Scholarship and donation policies (resolution of scholarship certificates, sales, and appointment of donation agents).
  • Museum and specimen regulations (restrictions on removal of models and specimens).
Each page is annotated with the date, attendees, motions, and resolutions, providing a detailed view of the college’s governance during its formative years.

Scope

The collection covers faculty meetings from 1854‑1856, encompassing all minutes, committee reports, and related resolutions. It is limited to the internal deliberations of the college’s faculty and does not include external correspondence or student records. The material is in English, set in Philadelphia, and is relevant to scholars of women’s medical education, institutional governance, and 19th‑century medical history.

Entities

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Entity Relationships

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Raw Cheimarros Data

@female_medical_college_of_pennsylvania:organization {founded: @date_1850_06_25, renamed: "Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania"}

@ellwood_harvey:person {full_name: "Ellwood Harvey", title: "Dr.", role: "Dean", affiliation: @female_medical_college_of_pennsylvania}
@edwin_fussell:person {full_name: "Edwin Fussell", title: "Dr.", role: "Secretary", affiliation: @female_medical_college_of_pennsylvania}
@kersey_g_thomas:person {full_name: "Kersey G. Thomas", title: "Dr.", role: "Treasurer", affiliation: @female_medical_college_of_pennsylvania}
@clinton_gillingham:person {full_name: "Clinton Gillingham"}
@rebecca_johnson:person {full_name: "Rebecca Johnson"}
@ann_preston:person {full_name: "Ann Preston", title: "Dr.", affiliation: @female_medical_college_of_pennsylvania}
@emeline_cleveland:person {full_name: "Emeline H. Cleveland", title: "Dr.", affiliation: @female_medical_college_of_pennsylvania}
@james_f_x_mccloskey:person {full_name: "James F.X. McCloskey", title: "Dr.", affiliation: @female_medical_college_of_pennsylvania}
@kerr:person {full_name: "Kerr", title: "Dr.", affiliation: @female_medical_college_of_pennsylvania}
@mary_e_smith:person {full_name: "Mary E. Smith"}
@eliza_l_s_thomas:person {full_name: "Eliza L. S. Thomas"}
@linda_merritt:person {full_name: "Fernsha B. Merritt"}
@jane_l_reald_lincoln_me:person {full_name: "Jane L. Reald Lincoln Me."}
@hm_tracy_cutter:person {full_name: "H. M. Tracy Cutter"}
@susan_harris:person {full_name: "Susan Harris"}
@lydia_p_jacobs:person {full_name: "Lydia P. Jacobs"}
@maria_minnis:person {full_name: "Maria Minnis"}

@file_pinax:file {title: "Female Medical College of Pennsylvania Faculty Meeting Minutes, 1854-1856"}
@file_a092_001_071_jpg:file {title: "Minute page Jan 2 1855"}
@file_a092_001_072_jpg:file {title: "Minute page Jan 26 1854"}
@file_a092_001_073_jpg:file {title: "Minute page Jan 5 1856"}
@file_a092_001_074_jpg:file {title: "Minute page Jan 8 1856"}
@file_a092_001_075_jpg:file {title: "Minute page – Scholarship certificates resolution"}
@file_a092_001_077_jpg:file {title: "Minute page – Scholarship agents list"}
@file_a092_001_078_jpg:file {title: "Minute page – Donation agents list"}
@file_a092_001_079_jpg:file {title: "Minute page Jan 9 1855 – Museum model policy"}
@file_a092_001_080_jpg:file {title: "Minute page Feb 5 & 8 1855 – Announcements & Chemistry appointment"}
@file_a092_001_081_jpg:file {title: "Minute page Feb 12 1855 – Thesis reports & expenses"}

@meeting_1855_01_02:event {date: @date_1855_01_02, location: @philadelphia, attendees: [@ellwood_harvey, @edwin_fussell, @kersey_g_thomas, @clinton_gillingham, @rebecca_johnson]}

@meeting_1855_01_02 -> appointed -> @clinton_gillingham:person {position: "Lecturer on Chemistry", term: "remainder of session"}
@meeting_1855_01_02 -> appointed -> @rebecca_johnson:person {role: "Provider of chemical apparatus", property: "college inventory"}
@meeting_1855_01_02 -> created -> @committee_chemistry_inventory:concept {members: [@ellwood_harvey, @kersey_g_thomas, @rebecca_johnson]}

@meeting_1854_01_26:event {date: @date_1854_01_26, location: @philadelphia, attendees: [@ellwood_harvey, @edwin_fussell, @kersey_g_thomas, @rebecca_johnson]}

@meeting_1854_01_26 -> elected -> @ellwood_harvey:person {position: "Dean"}
@meeting_1854_01_26 -> appointed -> @kersey_g_thomas:person {position: "Treasurer"}
@meeting_1854_01_26 -> appointed -> @committee_regulations_by_laws:concept {task: "revise regulations & By‑Laws"}
@meeting_1854_01_26 -> appointed -> @committee_donations_alcohol:concept {task: "solicit donations of alcohol & drugs"}

@meeting_1856_01_05:event {date: @date_1856_01_05, location: @philadelphia, attendees: [@ann_preston, @edwin_fussell, @kersey_g_thomas, @ellwood_harvey]}

@meeting_1856_01_05 -> expanded -> @committee_vacant_chairs:concept {duty: "select candidates for Hysteries, Demonstrator of Anatomy, Chemistry"}
@meeting_1856_01_05 -> appointed -> @committee_history_writing:concept {members: [@ellwood_harvey, @edwin_fussell, @ann_preston]}
@meeting_1856_01_05 -> resolved -> @admission_policy:concept {criteria: "only colleges teaching all branches in reputable manner"}

@meeting_1856_01_08:event {date: @date_1856_01_08, location: @philadelphia, attendees: [@ellwood_harvey, @ann_preston, @edwin_fussell, @kersey_g_thomas]}

@meeting_1856_01_08 -> reported -> @committee_dean_accounts:concept {status: "progress reported"}
@meeting_1856_01_08 -> reported -> @committee_vacant_chairs:concept {status: "progress reported"}
@meeting_1856_01_08 -> appointed -> @committee_building_lease:concept {authority: "dispose of lease & procure new building"}
@meeting_1856_01_08 -> appointed -> @committee_inventory_liabilities:concept {task: "inventory property & ascertain liabilities"}
@meeting_1856_01_08 -> resolved -> @agents_for_donations:concept {commission: "10 % of collections", authority: "signed by all professors"}

@meeting_1855_01_09:event {date: @date_1855_01_09, location: @philadelphia, attendees: [@ellwood_harvey, @edwin_fussell, @kersey_g_thomas, @kersey_g_thomas, @ann_preston]}

@meeting_1855_01_09 -> policy -> @museum_model_policy:concept {restriction: "no removal without Treasurer permission"}

@meeting_1855_02_05:event {date: @date_1855_02_05, location: @philadelphia, attendees: [@ellwood_harvey, @edwin_fussell, @kersey_g_thomas, @kersey_g_thomas]}

@meeting_1855_02_05 -> instructed -> @dean:person {task: "consult candidates for graduation"}
@meeting_1855_02_05 -> admitted -> @eliza_l_s_thomas:person {status: "early examination"}
@meeting_1855_02_05 -> resolved -> @announcement_publication:document {copies: 10000, type: "Sixth Annual Announcement"}

@meeting_1855_02_08:event {date: @date_1855_02_08, location: @philadelphia, attendees: [@ellwood_harvey, @edwin_fussell, @kersey_g_thomas, @kersey_g_thomas]}

@meeting_1855_02_08 -> recommended -> @clinton_gillingham:person {position: "Chair of Chemistry and Toxicology"}
@meeting_1855_02_08 -> resolved -> @announcement_draft:document {purpose: "session 1855‑56"}

@meeting_1855_02_12:event {date: @date_1855_02_12, location: @philadelphia, attendees: [@ellwood_harvey, @ann_preston, @edwin_fussell, @kersey_g_thomas, @kersey_g_thomas]}

@meeting_1855_02_12 -> appointed -> @committee_announcement_draft:concept {members: [@ann_preston, @ellwood_harvey]}
@meeting_1855_02_12 -> reported -> @thesis_review:concept {theses: [{author: @eliza_l_s_thomas, reviewer: @kersey_g_thomas}, {author: @mary_e_smith, reviewer: @ann_preston}, {author: "Miss Kivison", reviewer: @kersey_g_thomas}, {author: @emeline_cleveland, reviewer: @edwin_fussell}]}
@meeting_1855_02_12 -> authorized -> @faculty_treasurer:person {expense: "carpet $16.75", "gas bill $16.00"}

@meeting_1855_02_13:event {date: @date_1855_02_13, location: @philadelphia, attendees: [@ellwood_harvey, @edwin_fussell, @kersey_g_thomas, @ann_preston]}

@meeting_1855_02_13 -> resolved -> @scholarship_certificate:concept {price: "$100", courses: "two or more", issue_deadline: @date_1855_08_01, redemption_deadline: @date_1860_01_01}
@meeting_1855_02_13 -> resolved -> @scholarship_certificate:concept {price: "$100", issue_deadline: @date_1855_08_01, redemption_deadline: @date_1860_01_01}

@meeting_1855_02_13 -> resolved -> @scholarship_sales:concept {agents: [@linda_merritt, @jane_l_reald_lincoln_me, @hm_tracy_cutter, @susan_harris, @lydia_p_jacobs, @maria_minnis], commission: "10 %"} 

@meeting_1855_02_13 -> resolved -> @donation_agents:concept {agents: [@linda_merritt, @jane_l_reald_lincoln_me, @hm_tracy_cutter, @susan_harris, @lydia_p_jacobs, @maria_minnis], commission: "10 %"} 

@meeting_1855_01_09 -> resolved -> @museum_model_policy:concept {enforcement: "Treasurer permission required"} 

@meeting_1855_02_05 -> resolved -> @announcement_publication:document {copies: 10000, type: "Sixth Annual Announcement"} 

@meeting_1855_02_08 -> resolved -> @faculty_recommendation:concept {candidate: @clinton_gillingham, position: "Chair of Chemistry and Toxicology"}

@meeting_1855_02_12 -> resolved -> @faculty_expenditure:concept {item: "carpet", amount: 16.75, item: "gas bill", amount: 16.00}

@meeting_1855_02_13 -> resolved -> @scholarship_policy:concept {no_certificates_after: @date_1855_08_01, redemption_until: @date_1860_01_01}

@meeting_1855_02_13 -> resolved -> @scholarship_sales:concept {price: "$100", courses: "two or more"}

Metadata

Version History (4 versions)

  • ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 4:28:45 PM
    "Added description"
  • v3 · 12/4/2025, 4:17:57 PM · View this version
    "Added knowledge graph extraction"
  • v2 · 12/4/2025, 4:07:54 PM · View this version
    "Added PINAX metadata"
  • v1 · 12/4/2025, 4:04:18 PM · View this version
    "Reorganization group: 1855_Administrative_Records"

Additional Components (22)

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Parent

01KBN1NDR3H5FDANVBZ4D0234Q

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