mshm193 Byfield Seminary Collection, 1818-[present] (bulk 1818-1822) Finding Aid Encoding funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections
South Hadley, MA
© 2004

Mount Holyoke College. All rights reserved.

 Finding aid generated in MARC format from database, then encoded using Perl scripts and XSL stylesheet. 2004-04-06 Finding aid written in English. 2005-09-23 mshm193 converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02-5c.xsl (sy2003-10-15). Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections Byfield Seminary Collection, 1818-[present] (bulk 1818-1822) Finding Aid MS 0516 Encoding funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

© 2004 Mount Holyoke College. All rights reserved.

 Collection Overview Byfield Seminary Collection 1818-[present] 1818-1822 MS 0516 LD 7093.38 B9 1 box (2.5 linear in). Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections
South Hadley, MA
Byfield Female Seminary. Founded in Byfield, Massachusetts in 1806; moved to Saugus, Massachusetts in 1822 while Rev. Joseph Emerson was the principal. Collection contains catalogs of students, historical information, and a photograph of the school; materials date primarily from 1824 to 1827. English. Biographical Note

Byfield Female Seminary opened in 1806 in Byfield Massachusetts. The Reverend Joseph Emerson, a Congregational pastor and teacher, was Principal of the Seminary from 1818-1821, when he moved the school to Saugus, Massachusetts. Pupils at Byfield Female Seminary included Mary Lyon, the founder of Mount Holyoke College, and Zilpah P. Grant Banister.

 Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Byfield Seminary Collection consists of catalogues, historical information and a photograph. The materials briefly document the founding of the institution and its evolution from a seminary into a private residence. They also emphasize the influence of the school's principal, Joseph Emerson, and his educational principles on Mary Lyon, who attended Byfield in 1821. The catalogues dated 1818-1822 and 1821 list the names of students and their residences. Also included in the collection are a newspaper article dated 1966 and a magnet listing the activities celebrating the tercentenary of Byfield Church in 2002. The photograph is a picture of the Byfield Building dated circa 1900.

 Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into three series:

Catalogues Historical Information Photograph Information on Use Terms of Access and Use

Unrestricted.

 Preferred Citation

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

Byfield Seminary Collection, Mount Holyoke College, Archives and Special Collections, South Hadley, Massachusetts

 Search Terms Emerson, Joseph, 1777-1833. Lyon, Mary, 1797-1849. Byfield Seminary. Byfield Seminary. Young women - Education - Massachusetts - History - 19th century - Sources. Education - Massachusetts - History - 19th century - Sources. Schools - Massachusetts - History - 19th century - Sources. Photographs.