mnsss280 Charlotte Norris diaries, 1886-1956 Finding Aid Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College

Northampton, MA

Finding aid exported into EAD from InMagic DB/Textworks 7.01. Encoded by Margaret Jessup and Jennifer Smar. 2006-04-07 Finding aid written in English. Sophia Smith CollectionSmith College Charlotte Norris diaries, 1886-1956 Finding Aid MS 115 2005 Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Collection Overview Norris, Charlotte, d. 1957 Charlotte Norris diaries1886-1956 MS 115 2 boxes (1 linear ft.) English Sophia Smith Collection

Smith College Northampton, MA

Teacher. Forty-four volumes of diaries (1886-1890, 1916-1956) containing brief entries (for the most part) beginning at age 14 in Little Compton, Rhode Island circa 1880s through her career as a public high school teacher in Andover and Holyoke, Massachusetts. Biographical Note

Tintype of Charlotte Norris from her diary, 1886

Born in Little Compton, Rhode Island, November 29, 1871 to Prudence (Wilcox) Norris and George Norris. Her parents died when she was young and she was raised by her aunt, Arabelle Hyde. She was academically prepared to enter college at age 14 and traveled until she was old enough, graduating from Smith College in 1893. She taught high school in Massachusetts for forty-one years, first at Andover High School (1895-1898), then for thirty- six years at Holyoke High School. In the course of her career, she taught Latin, Greek, Astronomy, Botany, German, French, and Spanish, her specialty being modern languages. She was a member of the Holyoke Smith Club, the Westminster Club of Holyoke, the French Clubof Holyoke, and the American Association of University Women. She was also local church and community organizations. Charlotte Norris died on May 1, 1957.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The collection consists of forty-four volumes of diaries (1886-1890, 1916-1956) containing brief entries (for the most part) beginning at age 14 in Little Compton, Rhode Island circa 1880s through to her career as a public high school teacher in Andover and Holyoke, Massachusetts. Included are descriptions of daily activities and events in Rhode Island and Western Massachusetts, travels in Europe (circa 1890s), and a small amount from her Smith College years. Some of the diaries have inserts such as letters, photographs, and memorabilia.

NOTE: The container list for this collection is available in the Sophia Smith Collection. Please contact us to request a copy.

Information on Use Terms of Access and Use

The papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection.

This collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use.

Copyright to unpublished materials may be owned by the creator, or their heirs or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights. Permission to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use" must also be obtained from the Sophia Smith Collection as owners of the physical property.

Preferred Citation

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

Charlotte Norris diaries, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.

Search Terms Education, secondary--Massachusetts--History Teenagers--United States--History--19th century--Sources High school teachers--Massachusetts--Biography--Sources Smith College--Students--History Holyoke (Mass.)--History--Sources Rhode Island--History--19th century--Sources Norris, Charlotte, d. 1957