Oberlin Female Moral Reform Society Records, 1835-1857
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Administrative/Biographical History
The Oberlin Female Moral Reform Society was formed in 1835 as an auxiliary to the New York Female Moral Reform Society (founded in 1834). The latter’s first directress was Lydia Andrews Finney (1804-47) before she moved to Oberlin. The society's purpose was to battle "the sin of licentiousness, in all its forms and with all its horrors… sustain moral purity among the virtuous, …and reclaim all those who have wandered from the path of virtue." Members of the society especially concentrated on setting an example of modest dress and behavior for the colony of Oberlin. The first officers were Alice Welch Cowles (1804-43), Elizabeth M. Leonard (d. 1873), and Esther Raymond Shipherd (1797-1879). Other members (many of whom were married to the leaders of Oberlin) included Minerva Dayton Penfield (Cowles 1800-80), Marianne Parker Dascomb (1810-79), Lydia Root Andrews Finney (1804-47), Caroline Mary Rudd Allen (d. 1892, A.B. 1841), Sarah Blachly Bradley (d. 1893, A.B. 1845), Mary Dix Mahan (d. 1863), Elizabeth Ford Atkinson Finney (1799-1863), Lucy Stone (1818-93, A.B. 1847), and Ruth H. Pease (1802-59). By 1840, society membership totaled 380. The society held its meetings at a variety of locations on the Oberlin College campus.
In many ways the Oberlin Female Moral Reform Society was a microcosm of the larger Female Moral Reform movement of the antebellum era. At the annual meetings that were regularly convened in May society members frequently presented “original essays” on a variety of vices present in the community and the nation, as well as the importance of educating children against them. The group also resolved to collect and circulate papers and pamphlets that promoted the cause of moral reform.
On July 31, 1839 the society changed its name from the auxiliary of the New York Moral Reform Society to the American Moral Reform Society to be in accord with the parent society. With its formation in 1835, the Oberlin Female Moral Reform Society competed with the Woman’s Anti-slavery Society for funds and members. The disbanding date of the Oberlin Female Moral Reform Society is not known; however, by 1857 membership had dwindled.
Sources consulted
Roland M. Baumann, editor, Guide to the Women’s History Sources in the Oberlin College Archives (Oberlin: Oberlin College, 1990).
Catherine M. Rokicky, “Lydia Finney and Evangelical Womanhood,” Ohio History 103, Summer-Autumn 1994, 170-189.
Wendy Kaminer, “Volunteering in Recent History: Summary History of Volunteering and the Status and Image of Women in America, from the 1830s through the 1920s,” in Women Volunteering. (Anchor Press, 1984), www.cis.vt.edu/ws/wsmodules/service_learning/assign3.pdf
Janet Zollinger Giele, Source of below: Two Paths to Women's Equality : Temperance, Suffrage, and the Origins of Modern Feminism (Social Movements Past and Present), (Twayne Publishing, 1995), http://www.information-engineer.com/giele/2paths.htm
Author: Marian Schlotterbeck Administrative InformationFor additional information in the Oberlin College Archives see the papers of Robert S. Fletcher, 30/24. See also the papers of Charles G. Finney contained in record group 2, in which can be found some of the correspondence and papers of his three wives. All three of Finney's wives were active in various women's organizations in Oberlin. Lydia, and after Lydia's death, Elizabeth, reported on the religious state of communities through their correspondence. All three led the Maternal Association, the Infant School, and the Oberlin Female Moral Reform Society. Lydia was involved in the formation of five organizations, including the Ohio Ladies Anti-Slavery Society.
Additionally, a portion of the volume in this collection was transcribed as part of Professor of History Carol Lasser’s course History 266: Women and Social Movements in Antebellum America. These include Document 6A, 1840 Annual Report, and 6B 1855 Annual Report, and may be accessed at the site of Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1775-2000: http://womhist.binghamton.edu/oberlin/doclist.htm
The records of Westwood Cemetery, Oberlin, Ohio contained in Westwood: A Historical and Interpretive view of Oberlin’s cemetery, Oberlin, Ohio, published by O.H.I.O., 1997 contains brief entries on Elizabeth Ford Atkinson Finney (1799-1863) and Lydia Root Andrews Finney (1804-1847). These records may be accessed on-line at:
www.cc.oberlin.edu/~EOG/westwood/westwood.pdf
Additionally the Special Collections of Oberlin College holds several books and periodicals published by Female Moral Reform Societies.
The single volume of detailed minutes of the meetings provides a record of the discussions held and opinions expressed by members. Resolutions passed comprise a substantial part of the minutes. The 1835 constitution and annual reports also are included in the notebook.
The dates covered by the volume are 1835 to 1857.
A copy has been made for public access.