Elizabeth Powell Bond Papers
Scope and Contents
The collection includes correspondence (1860-1926), diaries and journals (1856-1925), business papers, speeches and articles, pictures, and memorabilia relating to the personal and profession life of Elizabeth Powell Bond, first Dean of Swarthmore College. Having associated with Massachusetts literary and abolitionist circles, Dean Bond was familiar with such prominent personalities as William Lloyd Garrison, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Susan B. Alcott, and Bronson Alcott. She spent some time in the Garrison household before her marriage, and her brother, Aaron Macy Powell was active in the Anti-Slavery Society. Correspondents include Louisa M. Alcott, Ellen Emerson, Hannah Clothier Hull, William Lloyd Garrison, and others.
Dates
- Creation: 1856-1958
Creator
- Bond, Elizabeth Powell, 1841-1926 (Person)
- Swarthmore College (Contributor, Organization)
- Bond, Elizabeth Powell, 1841-1926 (Contributor, Person)
- Alcott, Louisa May, 1832-1888 (Contributor, Person)
- Hull, Hannah Clothier, 1872-1958 (Contributor, Person)
- Garrison, William Lloyd, 1805-1879 (Contributor, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Some of the items in this collection may be protected by copyright. The user is solely responsible for making a final determination of copyright status. If copyright protection applies, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder or their heirs/assigns to reuse, publish, or reproduce relevant items beyond the bounds of Fair Use or other exemptions to the law. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/UND/1.0/.
Biographical / Historical
Elizabeth Powell Bond (1841-1926) was the first Dean of Women at Swarthmore College, a position she held from 1890 to 1906. A birthright Quaker and lifelong member of the Society of Friends, she played an important role in the development of coeducation at the College.
Elizabeth Macy Powell was born on January 25, 1841, in Dutchess County, New York, the daughter of Townsend and Catherine Macy Powell. When she was four years old, the family moved to Macy homestead in Ghent, New York. She attended the State Normal School in Albany and became an instructor in calisthenics at Vassar College. While working in Florence, Massachusetts, she met her future husband, Henry Herrick Bond. Henry H. Bond. a lawyer in from Northampton, Mass., was not a Quaker. They had two sons, Edwin Powell Bond, born in 1874, and Herrick Tyler Bond, born in 1878 and died in infancy. Henry Herrick Bond died Oct. 22, 1881.
In 1886, Swarthmore College appointed Elizabeth Powell Bond Matron of the College. In 1890, she was named Dean. After her retirement in 1906, she was named Dean Emeritus. A member of Swarthmore Monthly Meeting, Dean Bond died at the Jeanes Home in Germantown, Philadelphia, PA, on March 29, 1926.
Much loved and respected by the College community, Dean Bond was an avid gardener, and when the old tennis courts were removed, a rose garden was established in her honor. A College guest room was also named in her honor. She was the author of two books and in her retirement, continued her interests in peace, women's rights, and racial justice. She lectured frequently and contributed poetry and prose to periodical publications.
Extent
5 linear ft. (10 box)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Elizabeth Powell Bond (1841-1926) served for four years as Matron of Swarthmore College and was appointed as its first Dean of Women in 1890. She retired in 1906. 1906. A birthright Quaker and lifelong member of the Society of Friends, she played an important role in the development of coeducation at the College. (1860-1926), diaries and journals (1856-1925), business papers, speeches and articles, pictures, and memorabilia. Correspondents include Louisa M. Alcott, Ellen Emerson, Hannah Clothier Hull, William Lloyd Garrison, and others.
Arrangement
The collection is divided into seven series:
- Elizabeth Powell Bond's diaries and journals
- Elizabeth Bond's personal business papers, primarily financial
- Bbiographical and genealogical papers
- Correspondence
- Dean Bond's writings and speeches
- Personal memorabilia
- Photographs
Physical Location
For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donors: Estate of Elizabeth Powell Bond and Hannah Clothier Hull, 1935(?)-1958 (?)
1 letter, gift of LaVerne Forbush, 1964
1 letter, gift of Elizabeth Lippincott, 1969
ca. 50 letters, gift of Philip Radley, 1972
ca. 10 items (letters, verse, pictures, etc.) gift of Wm. C. Coles, Jr., 1974
1906 Commencement speech, gift of Thomas V. Hodges, Acc. SCA 1998-007
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Papers which became the nucleus of the collection were found in Dean Bond's furniture after her death, date unknown. Subsequently, related papers concerning Dean Bond from Philip Radley, and others were added to the collection, 1964-1974. The Radley letters reflect Elizabeth Bond's correspondence with the Radley family, friends who lived in England and were introduced through Rachel Hillborn, another friend and member of the Board of Managers of Swarthmore College, 1887-1913. A letter to John M. Moore at Friends Historical Library from Philip Radley (copy), included with an earlier checklist and stored with the collection, explains more about this group of papers.
In 1998, a manuscript copy of Dean Bond's 1906 Commencement speech was added to the collection. According to the donor, Thomas V. Hodge, S.C. Class of 1949, it was given to his father, Thomas V. Hodge, S.C. Class of 1906, who was befriended by Dean Bond and urged to transfer to Swarthmore College from the University of Maine for his junior and senior years.
Separated Materials
The following materials were removed from the collection and recatalogued as indicated:
- Words by the Way, by Elizabeth Powell Bond -BX7616.B71W8
- Words by the Way, by E.P.B., Second Series. -BX7616.B71W82
- Life and Labors of Elias Hicks, by Henry W. Wilbur. - BX7795.H62W7, Introduction by Elizabeth Powell Bond.
- Dean Bond of Swarthmore, by Emily Cooper Johnson -BX7796.B7J6
- Relics #'s 98 & 98a transferred to relic collection; original bible discarded after pages with notes were photocopied.
General
- Johnson, Emily Cooper. Dean Bond of Swarthmore, a Quaker Humanist. (1927) BX 7796.B7 J6
Processing Information
Papers which became the nucleus of the collection were found in Dean Bond's furniture after her death, date unknown, and were processed prior to 1958. Papers relating to her brother, Aaron Macy Powell, were made into a separate collection. Subsequently, related papers concerning Dean Bond from Hannah Clothier Hull and others were added to this collection, 1964-1974. About fifty letters were given to FHL in 1972 by the Radley Family. This group of letters reflects Elizabeth Bond's correspondence with the Radley family, friends who lived in England.
- Title
- An Inventory of the Elizabeth Powell Bond Papers, 1856-1958
- Author
- SKM
- Date
- 1997
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
- Sponsor
- Encoding made possible by a grant by the Gladys Kriebel Delmas Foundation to the Philadelphia Consortium of Special Collections Libraries
Find It at the Library
Most of the materials in this catalog are not digitized and can only be accessed in person. Please see our website for more information about visiting or requesting repoductions from Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College Library
