Female Medical College of Pennsylvania Faculty Meeting Minutes, January-February 1856
Version: 4 (current) | Updated: 12/4/2025, 4:28:42 PM
Added description
Description
Female Medical College of Pennsylvania Faculty Meeting Minutes, January–February 1856
Overview
This collection comprises the faculty minutes of the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania for the period from December 31 1855 through February 28 1856. The material is presented as a series of scanned images (JPEG and TIFF) and accompanying OCR text files, totaling seven pages of minutes. The documents record the deliberations, appointments, financial decisions, and degree conferrals that shaped the early years of the college’s faculty governance.Background
Founded in 1850, the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania was the first institution in the world to regularly train women for the medical profession. The minutes were produced by the faculty, led by Dean Ellwood Harvey, and reflect the college’s efforts to establish clinic operations, secure facilities, and award degrees to its pioneering female students. The collection is housed in the Drexel Legacy Collections and is part of the broader “Minute book of the faculty of the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania” series.Contents
The minutes cover eight faculty meetings: December 31 1855; January 17, 18, 25; February 1, 8, 15, 22, 25, and 28 1856. Key subjects include:- Clinic management: appointment of Drs. Farsell and Harvey as clinic charge, resignation of Dr. Thomas, and financial oversight of clinic bills.
- Facility procurement: committees formed to locate a new building and secure a lecture room for public readings.
- Faculty appointments: creation of a treasurer for diploma printing, assignment of committee chairs, and the appointment of Dr. Gillingham as treasurer pro tempore.
- Student affairs: reception of inaugural theses from four female students (Collins, Hughes, Ross, Starr), assignment of advisors, and election of candidates for the M.D. degree.
- Degree conferral: resolution that degrees be conferred privately, the conferral of M.D. degrees to the four students on February 28 1856, and the formal resignation of Dr. Thomas as treasurer.
Scope
The collection documents faculty governance from late 1855 to the end of February 1856, covering administrative, financial, and academic matters within the Philadelphia campus. It excludes later years of the college’s history and focuses solely on the minutes of these specific meetings. The material is in English, dated 1856, and pertains to the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania’s faculty and its early institutional development.Entities
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Entity Relationships
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Raw Cheimarros Data
@female_medical_college_of_pennsylvania:organization {full_name: "Female Medical College of Pennsylvania", founded: @date_1850_06_25, location: @philadelphia}
@faculty_meeting_minutes_1856_01_02:document {title: "Female Medical College of Pennsylvania Faculty Meeting Minutes, January‑February 1856", creator: [@female_medical_college_of_pennsylvania, @ellwood_harvey, @edwin_fussell, @ann_preston, @emeline_cleveland], date_range: {start: @date_1856_01_01, end: @date_1856_02_28}, language: "en"}
@ellwood_harvey:person {full_name: "Ellwood Harvey", role: "Dean", lifespan: {birth: @date_1820, death: @date_1889}}
@edwin_fussell:person {full_name: "Edwin Fussell", role: "Faculty member"}
@ann_preston:person {full_name: "Ann Preston", role: "Faculty member"}
@emeline_cleveland:person {full_name: "Emeline H. Cleveland", role: "Faculty member"}
@dr_thomas:person {full_name: "Dr. Thomas", role: "Clinic Physician"}
@dr_farsell:person {full_name: "Dr. Farsell", role: "Faculty member"}
@dr_kerr:person {full_name: "Dr. Kerr", role: "Faculty member"}
@dr_gillingham:person {full_name: "Dr. Gillingham", role: "Faculty member"}
@dr_birdsall:person {full_name: "Dr. Birdsall", alt_name: "Dr. Birdsell", role: "Faculty member"}
@dr_farnell:person {full_name: "Dr. Farnell", role: "Faculty member"}
@dr_herr:person {full_name: "Dr. Herr", role: "Faculty member"}
@dr_russell:person {full_name: "Dr. Russell", role: "Faculty member"}
@dr_gilfillan:person {full_name: "Dr. Gilfillan", role: "Faculty member"}
@c_d_cleveland:person {full_name: "C. D. Cleveland", role: "President of the Corporation"}
@elizabeth_collins:person {full_name: "Elizabeth Collins", gender: "female", status: "student"}
@debbie_hughes:person {full_name: "Debbie A. Hughes", gender: "female", status: "student"}
@laura_ross:person {full_name: "Laura J. Ross", gender: "female", status: "student"}
@jane_starr:person {full_name: "Jane L. Starr", gender: "female", status: "student"}
@meeting_dec_31_1855:event {date: @date_1855_12_31, location: @philadelphia, type: "faculty meeting"}
@meeting_jan_17_1856:event {date: @date_1856_01_17, location: @philadelphia, type: "faculty meeting"}
@meeting_jan_18_1856:event {date: @date_1856_01_18, location: @philadelphia, type: "faculty meeting"}
@meeting_jan_25_1856:event {date: @date_1856_01_25, location: @philadelphia, type: "faculty meeting"}
@meeting_feb_1_1856:event {date: @date_1856_02_01, location: @philadelphia, type: "faculty meeting"}
@meeting_feb_8_1856:event {date: @date_1856_02_08, location: @philadelphia, type: "faculty meeting"}
@meeting_feb_15_1856:event {date: @date_1856_02_15, location: @philadelphia, type: "faculty meeting"}
@meeting_feb_22_1856:event {date: @date_1856_02_22, location: @philadelphia, type: "faculty meeting"}
@meeting_feb_25_1856:event {date: @date_1856_02_25, location: @philadelphia, type: "faculty meeting"}
@meeting_feb_28_1856:event {date: @date_1856_02_28, location: @philadelphia, type: "faculty meeting"}
@file_pinax:file {title: "Female Medical College of Pennsylvania Faculty Meeting Minutes, January‑February 1856"}
@file_a092_001_093_jpg:file {description: "OCR of Dec 31 1855 and Jan 17 1856 meetings"}
@file_a092_001_094_jpg:file {description: "OCR of Jan 18 1856 and Jan 25 1856 meetings"}
@file_a092_001_095_jpg:file {description: "OCR of Feb 1 1856, Feb 8 1856 and Feb 15 1856 meetings"}
@file_a092_001_096_jpg:file {description: "OCR of Feb 22 1856 and Feb 25 1856 meetings"}
@file_a092_001_097_jpg:file {description: "OCR of Feb 28 1856 degree conferral and final meeting"}
@file_a092_001_093_jpg -> documents -> @meeting_dec_31_1855:event
@file_a092_001_093_jpg -> documents -> @meeting_jan_17_1856:event
@file_a092_001_094_jpg -> documents -> @meeting_jan_18_1856:event
@file_a092_001_094_jpg -> documents -> @meeting_jan_25_1856:event
@file_a092_001_095_jpg -> documents -> @meeting_feb_1_1856:event
@file_a092_001_095_jpg -> documents -> @meeting_feb_8_1856:event
@file_a092_001_095_jpg -> documents -> @meeting_feb_15_1856:event
@file_a092_001_096_jpg -> documents -> @meeting_feb_22_1856:event
@file_a092_001_096_jpg -> documents -> @meeting_feb_25_1856:event
@file_a092_001_097_jpg -> documents -> @meeting_feb_28_1856:event
@meeting_dec_31_1855:event -> present -> [@dr_farsell, @dr_kerr, @dr_thomas, @dr_gillingham, @ellwood_harvey]
@meeting_dec_31_1855:event -> ordered_payment -> @bill_harry_bill {description: "Harry's bill for the last three months", amount: "unspecified"}
@meeting_dec_31_1855:event -> resignation_accepted -> @dr_thomas {position: "Clinic Physician"}
@meeting_dec_31_1855:event -> appointment -> [@dr_farsell, @ellwood_harvey] {role: "clinic charge", authority: "Dean"}
@meeting_jan_17_1856:event -> present -> [@dr_kerr, @dr_thomas, @dr_gillingham, @dr_birdsall, @ellwood_harvey]
@meeting_jan_17_1856:event -> appointed -> @treasurer {task: "printing diplomas"}
@meeting_jan_17_1856:event -> lease_agreement -> @lecture_room {payment: "1 dollar per night", lessee: @dr_birdsall}
@meeting_jan_17_1856:event -> appointment -> [@dr_birdsall, @dr_farsell] {mission: "find suitable place to remove college property"}
@meeting_jan_17_1856:event -> appointment -> [@dr_kerr, @dr_farsell] {mission: "prepare Seventh Annual Announcement"}
@meeting_jan_18_1856:event -> present -> [@edwin_fussell, @dr_kerr, @dr_thomas, @dr_birdsall]
@meeting_jan_18_1856:event -> appointment -> @committee_vacant_chairs {members: [@edwin_fussell, @dr_kerr, @dr_thomas, @dr_birdsall]}
@meeting_jan_18_1856:event -> appointment -> @committee_building {members: [@edwin_fussell, @dr_kerr, @dr_thomas, @dr_birdsall]}
@meeting_jan_18_1856:event -> appointment -> @committee_announcement {members: [@edwin_fussell, @dr_kerr, @dr_thomas, @dr_birdsall]}
@meeting_jan_25_1856:event -> present -> [@edwin_fussell, @dr_kerr, @dr_thomas, @dr_birdsall]
@meeting_jan_25_1856:event -> report -> @committee_building {status: "use of building until 7 March; summer storage of college property"}
@meeting_jan_25_1856:event -> audit_assignment -> [@dr_birdsall, @ellwood_harvey] {task: "audit Treasurer accounts"}
@meeting_feb_1_1856:event -> present -> [@ann_preston, @dr_herr, @dr_birdsall, @dr_farnell]
@meeting_feb_1_1856:event -> payment_order -> @bill_birnbacher {amount: "$27.81", service: "janitorial services Jan 1‑Feb 1"}
@meeting_feb_1_1856:event -> report -> @dr_thomas {topic: "diseases treated in clinic", count: 110}
@meeting_feb_8_1856:event -> present -> [] {note: "No business before the meeting"}
@meeting_feb_15_1856:event -> present -> [@dr_farnell, @ann_preston, @dr_thomas, @dr_birdsall]
@meeting_feb_15_1856:event -> inaugural_theses_received -> [@elizabeth_collins, @debbie_hughes, @laura_ross, @jane_starr]
@meeting_feb_15_1856:event -> thesis_assignment -> @elizabeth_collins {advisor: @dr_gillingham, topic: "Oxygen"}
@meeting_feb_15_1856:event -> thesis_assignment -> @debbie_hughes {advisor: @dr_herr, topic: "Carcinoma"}
@meeting_feb_15_1856:event -> thesis_assignment -> @laura_ross {advisor: @dr_farnell, topic: "Phthisis Pulmonalis"}
@meeting_feb_15_1856:event -> thesis_assignment -> @jane_starr {advisor: @dr_birdsall, topic: "Scarletina"}
@meeting_feb_15_1856:event -> payment_order -> @bill_glass {amount: "$11.55"}
@meeting_feb_22_1856:event -> present -> [@ann_preston, @dr_russell, @dr_kerr, @dr_thomas, @dr_gilfillan, @dr_birdsall, @ellwood_harvey]
@meeting_feb_22_1856:event -> election_results -> @elizabeth_collins {votes_white: 61, votes_black: 9}
@meeting_feb_22_1856:event -> election_results -> @debbie_hughes {votes_white: 57, votes_black: 13}
@meeting_feb_22_1856:event -> election_results -> @laura_ross {votes_white: 61, votes_black: 9}
@meeting_feb_22_1856:event -> election_results -> @jane_starr {votes_white: 62, votes_black: 8}
@meeting_feb_22_1856:event -> recommendation -> @corporators {candidates: [@elizabeth_collins, @debbie_hughes, @laura_ross, @jane_starr], degree: "M.D."}
@meeting_feb_22_1856:event -> resolution -> @degree_confer_privately {status: "adopted"}
@meeting_feb_25_1856:event -> present -> [@dr_russell, @ann_preston, @dr_kerr, @dr_thomas, @dr_birdsall]
@meeting_feb_25_1856:event -> appointment -> @janitor {task: "fill diplomas"}
@meeting_feb_25_1856:event -> degree_confer_location -> @faculty_room {date: @date_1856_02_28, time: "3 P.M."}
@meeting_feb_25_1856:event -> committee_beneficiaries -> [@dr_russell, @ellwood_harvey, @ann_preston]
@meeting_feb_28_1856:event -> degree_conferred -> [@elizabeth_collins, @debbie_hughes, @laura_ross, @jane_starr] {date: @date_1856_02_28, location: @faculty_room, conferee: @c_d_cleveland}
@meeting_feb_28_1856:event -> resignation_acknowledged -> @dr_thomas {role: "Treasurer", acknowledgment: "faithful and efficient manner"}
@meeting_feb_28_1856:event -> resolution_presented_to -> @dr_thomas {by: @ellwood_harvey}
@meeting_feb_28_1856:event -> appointment -> @dr_gillingham {role: "Treasurer pro tempore"}
@meeting_feb_28_1856:event -> adjourned -> @date_1856_02_28 {status: "sine die"}Metadata
Files (10)
OCR Text
December 31st, 1855. Present: Farsell, Kerr, Thomas, Gillingham and Harvey. It was ordered that Harry's bill for the last three months should be paid by the Treasurer. The resignation of Dr. Thomas as Clinic Physician was accepted, and Drs. Farsell and Harvey were appointed to take charge of the clinic, with power to appoint clerks and assistants. The resolution, passed Sep. 26th, 1854 in relation to the management of the clinic, was revoked. Ellwood Harvey; Sec. Friday, January 17th, 1856. Present: Kerr, Thomas, Gillingham, Birdsall & Harvey. The Treasurer was appointed to the duty of having diplomas printed. It was agreed that Mr. Gunderson should have the use of a lecture room for a public reading by payment of one dollar per night. Drs. Birdsall and Farsell were appointed to find a suitable place to remove the property of the College to at the close of this session; and to select a suitable building for the future use of the College. Drs. Kerr and Farsell were appointed to prepare the Seventh Annual Announcement.
OCR Text
It was agreed that the Faculty should meet every Friday at 1/2 P.M. until differently ordered. Ellwood Harvey, Dean. Friday Jan. 18th 1856 Present: Fussell, Kerr, Thomas and Birdsell. Dr. Thomas reported that he had attended to printing diplomas. Twelve would cost $8.00. Dr. Fussell and Harvey were appointed a committee to obtain suitable persons to fill the chairs of surgery and chemistry about to be vacated. Ellwood Harvey, Dean. Friday Jan. 25th 1856 Present: Fussell, Kerr, Thomas & Birdsell. Committee on vacant chairs reported progress and was continued. Committee on procuring a building etc. reported that we can have the use of this building until the 7th of March; and that we may store the property of the college during the summer in parts of the building. Committee on Announcement reported progress and was continued. Birdsell and Harvey were appointed to audit the accounts of the Treasurer. Ellwood Harvey, Dean.
OCR Text
Feb 1st, 1856 Present: Preston, Herr, Birdsell, Farnell. A Bill from H. Birnbacher, Janitor for services from Jan. 1st to Feb. 1st and sundries, amounting to $27.81 was ordered to be paid. Dr. Thomas reported the number of different diseases treated in the clinic during the past year to be one hundred and ten. Ellwood Harvey, Dean, Feb. 8th, 1856. No business before the meeting. Ellwood Harvey, Dean. Feb 15th, 1856 Present, Farnell, Preston, Thomas, and Birdsell. Inaugural theses were received from Miss Collins, Miss Hughes, Miss Ross and Miss Starr. Dissertation on Oxygen by Miss Collins was referred to Prof. Gillingham. One on Carcinoma by Miss Hughes was referred to Prof. Herr. One on Phthisis Pulmonalis by Miss Ross referred to Prof. Farnell. One on Scarletina by Miss Starr was referred to Prof. Birdsell. A bill for glass of $11.55 was ordered to be paid by the Treasurer. Ellwood Harvey, Dean.
OCR Text
February 22nd, 1856. Present, Preston, Russell, Kerr, Thomas, Gilfillan, Birdsell and Harvey. The theses having been all favourably reported on the candidates were ballotted for with the following result. Miss Elizabeth Collins received 61 white, 9 black. Miss Debbie A. Hughes 57 13 Miss Laura J. Ross 61 9 Miss Jane L. Starr 62 8 It was accordingly announced that they were all elected as worthy to be recommended to the corporators for the degree of M.D. It was resolved that the degrees should be conferred privately. Ellwood Harvey, Dean. Feb. 25th, 1856. Present, Russell, Preston, Kerr, Thomas and Birdsell. The janitor was appointed to attend to filling up the diplomas. It was agreed that the degrees should be conferred in the faculty-room in the presence of the officers and faculty on Thursday 28th inst at 3 P.M. Russell, Harvey and Preston were appointed a committee on Beneficiaries. Ellwood Harvey, Dean.
OCR Text
The Degree of M.D. was conferred on the following named Ladies on Thursday Feb. 28th in the Faculty-Room by Prof. C. D. Cleveland, President of the Corporation. Miss Elizabeth Collins, Bucks Co. Pa. Miss Debbie A. Hughes, Philadelphia Pa. Miss Laura J. Ross, Acton Me. Miss Jane L. Starr, Utica N.Y. After the ceremonies attending the conferring the degrees, a Faculty Meeting was held, all the members being present. Dr. Thomas paid to the Dean the balance in his hands as Treasurer, and took his leave of the Faculty, having previously resigned his Professorship, the resignation to take effect at the close of the session. The following resolutions were passed. Resolved, that the Faculty of the Female Medical College of Pennsylvania express their acknowledgement of the faithful and efficient manner in which Dr. Thomas has performed his duties as Treasurer of the faculty. Resolved, that a copy of these resolutions be presented to Dr. Thomas by the Dean. Prof. Gillingham was appointed Treasurer pro tempore. Adjourned sine die. Ellwood Harvey, Dean.
Version History (4 versions)
- ✓ v4 (current) · 12/4/2025, 4:28:42 PM
"Added description" - v3 · 12/4/2025, 4:18:29 PM · View this version
"Added knowledge graph extraction" - v2 · 12/4/2025, 4:07:45 PM · View this version
"Added PINAX metadata" - v1 · 12/4/2025, 4:04:22 PM · View this version
"Reorganization group: 1856_January_February_Meetings"
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