Oberlin Maternal Association, 1835-1932, undated | Oberlin College Archives

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Series 1. Minute Books, 1835-1866

Series 1 consists of three (3) volumes of minutes of meetings, 1835-1866. The minutes give detailed accounts of meeting discussions on such topics as Oberlin Perfectionism, conversion, and child rearing, such as opinion on diet, dress, and corporeal punishment. Some meeting conversations include Christian witnessing and sharing experiences and ideas for raising Christian children. Rosters of members and their children are also contained in the minute books.

Series 2. Printed Materials, 1855, 1932, n.d.

This series includes one folder of printed materials relating to the Oberlin Maternal Association, including copies of its constitution, copies of printed annual reports, and an Oberlin Alumni Magazine article regarding the transfer of the association records to the Oberlin College Library.

ADMINISTRATIVE HISTORY

The Oberlin Maternal Association was formed in 1834 with the purpose of having women help each other carry out their sacred duty as parents "to train up their children for God." Meetings opened and closed with prayer, and members read scripture and participated in conversation for the success of converting children to God and a Christian life. Children of members were allowed to attend quarterly meetings of the association to engage in activities to instill the feelings of the Holy Spirit.

Esther Raymond Shipherd, wife of John Jay Shipherd, was the first superintendent of the association. Other prominent members included Elizabeth Capen Stewart, Alice Welch Cowles, Lucretia Fletcher, Minerva Dayton Penfield (later Cowles), Elizabeth Atkinson Finney, Lydia Andrews Finney, Mary Dix Mahan, and Marianne Parker Dascomb. Many association members were also members of the Women's Board of Managers, and married to founders, early presidents, trustees, and professors of Oberlin College.

SOURCES CONSULTED

Baumann, Roland M., ed. Guide to the Women’s History Sources in the Oberlin College Archives, 85. Oberlin, Ohio: Gertrude F. Jacob Archival Publications Fund, Oberlin College, 1990.

Lasser, Carol, and Oberlin College Students. “How Did Oberlin Women Students Draw on Their College Experience to Participate in Antebellum Social Movements, 1831-1861?” Women and Social Movements 6, no. 1 (2002). https://documents.alexanderstreet.com/c/1000636325.