a look at the history of Wellesley College

scrapbooks

I have a pair of scrapbooks that belonged to a pair of sisters, Mary Emma McCarroll 1908 and Marion Clyde McCarroll 1914. There are several loose items as well that appear to have belonged to Jessie McCarroll 1917, who may have been another sister.

Emma's scrapbook only includes materials from her first year at Wellesley, 1904-5. Her poor book has fallen apart, and none of the pages remain hinged to the covers, but all pages are present. Many items have come loose, leaving gaps on some of the pages, but the loose materials are much easier to scan than those still adhering to the pages!

Emma kept a lot of the communications she received from the College before she enrolled, and several of these are still firmly attached to their scrapbook pages (although the pages themselves are no longer attached to the book).

One booklet of promotional material is attached in the first spread, and shown above are the pages describing the library in College Hall.

Some of the documents are related to the hygeine department and gymnasium activities, indicating some form of athletic involvement. She also kept event programs, invitations, dance cards, and other social memorabilia.

There are many photos in Emma's book, none of which bear identification. The image at right is one of many taken either during Tree Day or May Day festivities and shows College Hall in the background.

Emma entered Wellesley in 1904 as a member of the Class of 1908. Her acceptance was unconditional.

Emma's credentials
for admission to the
freshman class

Room assignment
notice from Registrar
Edith Souther Tufts

Marion's book remains fairly well preserved; only the first page has come out of the scrapbook. Thus I am unable to scan a lot of her keepsakes. Her acceptance card, which looks very much like her sister's, is glued in tight!

Marion entered Wellesley in 1909 as a member of the Class of 1913. Her acceptance was conditional, but she passed her entrance examinations and was able to have the conditions lifted.

Marion's credentials for admission
to the freshman class

Letter from Dean
Ellen Fitz Pendleton
in response to Marion's
unsatisfactory credentials

Once she matriculated, Marion appears to have had a lot of fun while working hard. Her freshman pages are filled with notes, jokes, invitations, mementos, pressed flowers, and news clippings. She wasn't involved in athletics, as her sister was, but she was definitely involved in social activities.

However, it appears that she fell ill toward the end of her first year, and instead of returning to school for her sophomore year, she spent a year out of college. Her scrapbook includes notes from this year "out," including notices of what her former roommates were up to. Her card of readmittance is signed by the acting dean in 1911, Angie Clara Chapin, and Marion returned as a member of 1914.

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