Nichols, Bethiah A. Miller,
Nichols Papers,
1837-1838.
Manuscript Collection: MS 0677
1
box
Agency History/Biographical note:
Bethiah Avery Miller was born in Heath, Massachesetts on February 14,
1815 to The Reverend Moses Miller and Bethiah Ware Miller. She came
to Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in 1837 and remained at the school
for one year. She is considered a non-graduating member of the Class
of 1839. She married the Reverend Washington Adams Nichols in 1838.
She died in Lake Forest, Illinois in 1865.
Scope and Content:
The Bethiah Miller Nichols Papers consist of a letter, lecture notes,
biographical information, and a photograph. The material primarily
relates to her year at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, 1837-1838, and
her opinions on religion and education. Nichols wrote the letter to
Pricilla Maxwell on January 16, 1837, and it describes Mary Lyon's
visit to Heath, Massachusetts. During this visit, Lyon persuaded the
residents of Heath to donate $1,200 in support of Mount Holyoke
Female Seminary. Nichols' letter conveys surprise at Lyon's ability
to bolster support for the Seminary from the people Heath. The
letter also discusses death of a mutual friend from consumption
(tuburculosis), and Nichols' religious beliefs have a heavy influence
on all issues discussed in the letter. Notes on the history of
ancient Greece, entitled "Abstracts from general history," taken on
December 7, 1837, "Items from Miss Lyon's lectures on education,"
taken in 1838, and an undated set of notes from a lecture entitled,
"Of Intellectual Habits" are included in the collection. The notes
depict how Mount Holyoke Female Seminary students were taught in
several subjects during the first year the seminary was open. The
biographical information consists of a page of brief notes about
Nichols, 1865, and one photograph of her husband, Reverend Washington
Adams Nichols.
Cite as: Bethiah A. Miller Nichols Papers, Mount Holyoke
College, Archives and Special Collections, South
Hadley, MA.
Access Restrictions: Unrestricted
Series List:
|
