Papers of M. Carey Thomas in the Bryn Mawr College Archives: Author Index

              Papers of M. Carey Thomas
Author Index
1
Thomas, M. Carey.
Bryn Mawr School Papers; Correspondence.
1881 - 1888
The predominant subjects of extant Bryn Mawr
School correspondence from its earliest years are the
opening and staffing of the school. Both the earliest
and most numerous of these letters consist of
applications for teaching and administrative
positions, testimonials and credentials of applicants,
and evaluations of candidates. In addition, there are
letters to and from each member of the Board of
Managers and Eleanor Andrews about the operations
of the school and about policies and procedures
advocated and adopted.
Reel: 210
Thomas, M. Carey.
Bryn Mawr School Papers; Correspondence.
1889 - 1892
Letters regarding faculty and staff form the bulk of
correspondence on Reel 211, with the members of the
Board and the Secretary, Mary N. Colvin, being the
most frequent addressees and writers. Other subjects
discussed include gymnasium apparatus, furniture
and supplies, operating expenses and accounts, and
the John Hopkins University Medical School fund
drive (slight). Of particular note are letters of
November 1890 regarding an article in the Jewish
Exponent about the school's admissions policies.
Reel: 211
Thomas, M. Carey.
Bryn Mawr School Papers; Correspondence.
1893 - August 1895
Correspondence on Reel 212 is somewhat more
diverse in subject matter than that on the preceding
reels. Although letters regarding faculty matters
(salaries, recruitments, dismissals, etc.) remain
heavy, academic policy, examinations, scholarship
awards, school teas, library acquisitions, decoration
and furnishing of the school building, and the day to
day operations of the school are also covered. There
are a few letters from 1893 about the Columbian
Exposition in Chicago in which the Bryn Mawr
School had an exhibit. Documentation of Mary E.
Garrett's involvement in charitable organizations in
Baltimore is present. In April 1895, the first letters
regarding the appointment of Edith Hamilton as
Head-mistress appear.
Reel: 212
Thomas, M. Carey.
Bryn Mawr School Papers; Correspondence.
September 1895 - April 1897
Compared with both earlier and later periods, Bryn
Mawr School correspondence during the school
terms 1895-96 and 1896-97 is exceptionally heavy.
The increase in volume was due in part to the
decision of the Board of Managers to appoint Edith
Hamilton as headmistress, an appointment which
they foresaw as a long term one. The process of
reaching an agreement with Hamilton generated a
great deal of correspondence. From the outset there
were a number of misunderstandings and conflicts of
ideas between the prospective headmistress and the
Board which are documented in this and later
correspondence. From the time she assumed her
duties in the fall of 1896, however, most of
Hamilton's numerous letters to and from Mary
Garrett, Carey Thomas, and Mamie Gwinn seem
harmonious in tone and routine in subject matter.
They concern administrative matters, funds, staff
recruitment, pupil applications and placement, etc.In
addition to the correspondence between Edith
Hamilton and the Board of Managers, there are
scattered letters from faculty members, contractors
and suppliers, and outside examiners. (The latter
were college professors who wrote and graded
examinations of Bms students in the areas of their
specialties.) Letters to Mary E. Garrett from officers
of the Association for Improvement of Conditions of
the Poor and the Managers of the Charity
Organization Society also are present.
Reel: 213
Thomas, M. Carey.
Bryn Mawr School Papers; Correspondence.
May 1897 - 1906
Except for undated letters and fragments,
correspondence in the Bryn Mawr School Papers is
concluded on Reel 214. Most of the types of
correspondence which appeared earlier continue on
this reel. These include faculty applications,
testimonials, contracts, etc.; letters regarding Mary
Garrett's charitable activities; correspondence of
Edith Hamilton and the Board of Managers regarding
educational policy, admission of students, and the
day to day administration of the school. There are
several items of special note: M. Carey Thomas's
letter of March 22, 1897 to Edith Hamilton
congratulating her on her sister Margaret's
outstanding academic record; four April 1898 letters
from Ida H. Hyde regarding the possibility that she
might accept a teaching position at the School; a
letter of March 19, 1901 from Margaret Hamilton to
Mary Garrett reporting that Edith was ill. After 1898
the correspondence becomes sparse, and for the last
few years of the run it is very light.
Reel: 214