Subseries I.1: Woman's Board of Missions
The bulk of the ACG records are those of the trustees. These include the work of their most important committees. The early records beginning in 1890 reflect the sponsorship of the college by the Woman's Board of Missions. Mary Mills Patrick, president, Florence Fensham, dean, and others provide accounts to the board of the work of the college. In the main, these reflect the day-to-day decisions necessary to develop a fledgling institution under less than ideal conditions. Important subjects covered in the early years are Patrick's efforts to secure property rights for a permanent campus, and an imperial Irade to formalize approval of the college by the Sultan. Issuance was announced in April 1895.
As early as 1893, ACG's advisory board raised the issue of separating the college from the Woman's Board of Missions so that it would stand on its own. Those who favored this believed that the college would then have broader appeal when it asked for contributions from denominations other than the Congregationalist-sponsored Woman's Board of Missions.
In addition to the ever-present matters of finances and supplies, a recurrent subject is the recruitment of faculty. Given the distance and slow means of communication between the United States and Turkey, there was necessarily much discussion of the qualifications of prospective teachers and the terms of their contracts.
Box 1
Bound Volume: General correspondence to President Mary Mills Patrick and Dean Florence Fensham from secretaries E. Harriet Stanwood and Abbie Child,, 1900-1905
Box 1
Bound Volume: General correspondence written by Sarah L. Day, treasurer, and Stanwood, secretary., 1905-1908
Box 2 Folder 1
Correspondence Fensham/Child, 1890
Box 2 Folder 2
General correspondence to Child, Ellen Carruth, and J. Augusta Smith (Mrs. Judson), 1890-1892
Box 2 Folder 3
Resignation of Caroline Borden as Secretary of the Corporation,, 1893
Box 2 Folder 4-5
General correspondence to Child, 1894-1895
Box 2 Folder 6
Correspondence to Child and Smith from Patrick and others, 1893;1895
Box 2 Folder 7
Reports to Child and Stanwood from Patrick, 1896
Box 2 Folder 8
General correspondence to Stanwood, 1896
Box 2 Folder 9
Correspondence to Child, Smith from Patrick and others, 1897
Box 2 Folder 10-11
Reports to Child from Patrick, 1898-1900
Box 2 Folder 12
General correspondence to Child, Stanwood and Smith, 1899-1900
Box 2 Folder 13
General correspondence to trustees (most relates to separation of ACG from the Board of Missions and establishment of a medical department),, 1901
Box 2 Folder 14
General correspondence to Child and Stanwood from Patrick and others,, 1902
Box 2 Folder 15
Reports to Stanwood and Smith from Patrick and Fensham, 1903
Box 2 Folder 16
General correspondence to trustees re Fensham's resignation, 1904
Box 2 Folder 17
Reports to Stanwood from Patrick (also includes letter from Robert Thomson to Stanwood re religious status of ACG),, 1904
Box 2 Folder 18
General correspondence to Stanwood (includes resignation 1905 from Day), 1905
Box 2 Folder 19
Reports to Stanwood from Patrick, 1905
Box 2 Folder 19a
General correspondence, Woman's Board of Missions, 1906
Box 2 Folder 20
Reports to Stanwood from Patrick, 1906
Box 2 Folder 21
General correspondence to Stanwood, 1906
Box 2 Folder 22
Reports to Stanwood from Patrick (much of the correspondence relates to possible purchase of the Arnavutköy property. Also see land series.),, 1906
Box 2 Folder 23
Correspondence to Stanwood from Roxana Vivian, acting president,, 1907
Subseries I.2: Report and Minutes
Minutes and reports of ACG's Board of Trustees* and its various committees, such as Finance, Nominations, Instruction, and Buildings and Grounds. There are in addition president's and treasurer's reports.
Box 3 Folder 1
Miscellaneous organizational notes re trustees and faculty, 1900s
Box 3 Folder 2
Minutes of the first meeting of the Advisory Committee in New York,, 1904-1906
Box 3 Folder 3
List of original trustees, 1907
Box 3 Folder 4
Secretary's report on the organization of trustees, 1908
Box 3 Folder 5
First Annual Report of the secretary of the trustees, 1909
Box 3 Folder 6
Tribute to the memory of Professor Borden P. Bowne, president of the board,, 1910
Box 3 Folder 7
Acknowledgement of John D. Rockefeller's gift, 1912
Box 3 Folder 8
Minutes of trustees' meetings [A complete set of trustees minutes is in the Vital Documents Series],, 1912
Box 3 Folder 9-12
Minutes of trustees' meetings, 1915-1920
Box 3 Folder 13
Reports and minutes of trustees' meetings kept by Walter B. Walker (bound volume),, 1910-1922
Box 3 Folder 13A
Minutes of Committee Meetings, Special Meetings and Trustee Meetings,, 1910-1929
Box 3 Folder 14
"Information in Regard to ACG…Including Trustees, 1916-. Property, Attendance, Curriculum, Faculty and its Training, the Financing of the College, and Future Plans",, 1916-1917
Box 3 Folder 15-16
Correspondence, reports, minutes, 1910-1919
Folder 16 has correspondence from 1919 and 1924
Box 3 Folder 17
Committee meetings, minutes, miscellaneous, 1919
Box 3 Folder 18
Miscellaneous (includes unidentified letters) 1915, 1919, 1915, 1919
Subseries I.3: General Correspondence
The general correspondence files contain many letters from Mary Mills Patrick that are richly detailed, not only for their description of college activities, but also for the information they convey about Istanbul in the early 20th century.
Box 4 Folder 1
Reports to Samuel Darling from Patrick, 1908-1909
Box 4 Folder 2
Reports to Darling from Vivian, 1908-1909
Box 4 Folder 3
Reports to Darling from Patrick and general correspondence, 1910
Box 4 Folder 4
Reports to Darling from Patrick and Eleanor Burns, 1911
Box 4 Folder 5-7
Reports to Darling from Patrick, 1912-1914
Box 4 Folder 8
General correspondence to Darling, 1915
Box 4 Folder 9
Correspondence to Charles Crane from Patrick, 1915
Box 4 Folder 10
Correspondence to Darling from Patrick, 1920
Box 4 Folder 11
General correspondence to Darling, 1920
Box 4 Folder 12
Correspondence to Crane from Patrick, 1921-1924
Box 4 Folder 13
Correspondence to Crane from Kathryn Adams, 1923-1925
Box 4 Folder 14
Correspondence to Grace Dodge from Patrick; includes 1912-1913 letters re medical department and increasing tuition, 1912-1913, 1912-1913, 1912-1913
Box 4 Folder 15
Correspondence to Dodge from Patrick, 1914
Box 4 Folder 16
Grace Dodge; obituary and correspondence re memorial service, 1915
Box 4 Folder 17
General correspondence to Dodge, 1914-1915
Box 4 Folder 18
Correspondence to William Adams Brown, chairman of Search 1915 Committee. Contains description of Adams's qualifications to succeed Patrick, 1915, 1915, 1915
Box 4 Folder 19
Clippings on Bowne, 1906
Box 4 Folder 20
Copy of Henry Morgenthau's letter to Olivia Slocum Sage (Mrs. Russell), 1914
Box 4 Folder 21
General correspondence to trustees, 1915-1923
Box 4 Folder 22
Report to trustees on trip to Turkey and visit to ACG by Albert B. Hart, [undated]
Box 4 Folder 23
Report by Hart on visit to ACG [made between 1900 and 1914], [undated], 1900
Box 4 Folder 24
Reports on visits to various colleges in the Near East [Staub?],, 1920s
Box 4 Folder 25
Report on visit to Turkey by Philip Brown titled, "American Educational Institutions in Turkey",, 1933
Box 4 Folder 26
"Laws for Private Schools," document issued by the Turkish Government,, 1922
Subseries I.4: Papers of Caroline Borden
Caroline Borden was one of the most active of the trustees and her papers fill four boxes documenting her activities on behalf of the college. Her warm friendship with Mary Mills Patrick is reflected in their correspondence, and Patrick writes in considerable detail about life at the college with a sprinkling of comments on the political climate in Istanbul. Many administrative issues are discussed, principally the proposed moving of the campus from Uskudar to Arnavutköy.
Borden's own letters demonstrate her active role in the campaign to secure an act of incorporation for ACG from the Massachusetts legislature. In later years she worked to raise funds for the new campus and was supportive of the college in a variety of ways. Caroline Borden was also interested in preserving the history of ACG. Her papers contain notes and chronologies for her manuscript history of the college which is a separately bound volume in the archives.
Box 5 Folder 1-9
Correspondence to Borden from Patrick, 1890-1906
Box 5 Folder 10
Correspondence to Borden from Patrick and Vivian, 1907-1910
Box 5 Folder 11-12
Correspondence to Borden from Patrick, 1908-1910
Box 5 Folder 13-18
Correspondence to Borden from Patrick, 1911-1912
Box 6 Folder 19-24
Correspondence to Borden from Patrick, 1913-1920
Box 6 Folder 25-31
General correspondence to Borden, 1890-1907
Box 6 Folder 32
General correspondence to Borden (includes letters from Vivian),, 1908
Box 6 Folder 33-38
General correspondence to Borden, 1909-1921
Box 7 Folder 39-43
Correspondence to Borden from Susan Olmstead, 1895-1921
Box 7 Folder 44-50
Correspondence to Borden from Ida Prime, 1902-1921
Box 7 Folder 51-52
Correspondence to Borden from William Peet, 1898-1920
Box 7 Folder 53
Correspondence to Borden from Morgenthau, 1914-1916
Box 7 Folder 54-57
Copies of correspondence; general, 1905-1914
Box 7 Folder 57a
Correspondence to Borden from Dodge, 1908-1915
Box 8 Folder 58-60
Copies of correspondence; general, 1915-1921
Box 8 Folder 61
Copies of general correspondence to Patrick (from Peet, Ramsay, Borden and others),, 1908-1921
Box 8 Folder 62
Copies of general correspondence to George Plimpton (from Borden, Root, Patrick, Wallace and others),, 1908-1921
Box 8 Folder 63
Copies of Borden's correspondence to Samuel Dutton and Talcott Williams,, 1901-1921
Box 8 Folder 64
Copies of Borden's correspondence to Walter Walker, 1914-1921
Box 8 Folder 65
Copies of Borden's correspondence to Edward Haskell, 1920
Box 8 Folder 66
Borden's summary notes of important events; many notes taken from the record book of Darling, secretary,, 1908-1913
Box 8 Folder 67
Extracts from letters re buildings on campus, 1908
Box 8 Folder 68
Borden's notes for history of ACG, 1889-1920
Box 8 Folder 69
Borden's notes; chronological history, 1907-1917
Box 8 Folder 70
Background information; origin and sketch of ACG prepared by Borden,, 1875-1908
Box 8 Folder 71
Paper by Borden on negotiations for Arnavutköy property. Also, copy of letter from Sir Edwin Pears to U.S. Minister Oscar Straus,, 1908
Box 8 Folder 72
Copies of letters re acquisition of Arnavutköy property, 1908-1910
Box 8a
Scrapbook containing clippings, invitations, letters (Appears to belong to Caroline Borden), 1880s-ca.1907 Fragile (Just one item in this box), 1880s-ca.1907
Subseries I.5: Records Relating to Land Acquisition
The acquisition of property for a foreign school was an intricate and difficult process under the Ottoman Empire. In December 1905 a fire completely destroyed Barton Hall. The disaster set in motion an effort to establish a new and larger campus. The process involved attempts to enlist the aid of the U.S. Government, which included a meeting between President Theodore Roosevelt and an American delegation from ACG. Ultimately the Arnavutköy property was purchased and later the Deli Bedros property. The central figure in these efforts was William W. Peet, a trustee of ACG (Boxes 9-10).
Box 9 Folder 1
Notes and outline of events on property acquisition, "Constantinople Controversy",, 1907-1908
Box 9 Folder 2-5
Peet's correspondence re land acquisition, 1907-1908
Box 9 Folder 6-7
Peet's statements (in the form of a detailed account) of the purchase of Arnavutköy property,, 1907-1908
Box 9 Folder 8
Peet's correspondence, 1912
Box 9 Folder 9
"American College for Girls at Constantinople The Story of the Purchase of the Property at Arnautkeuy for the College Site," by Peet (bound ms.),, 1912
Box 9 Folder 10
Correspondence between trustees and Mrs. Alexandrian re purchase of her property,, 1902-1903
Box 9 Folder 11
American College Land Fund in account with Peet, 1904-1910
Box 9 Folder 12-13
Correspondence and memos pertaining to acquisition of land at Arnavutköy,, 1905-1906
Box 10 Folder 14
Correspondence to Borden and trustees from Patrick re acquisition of land at Arnavutköy,, 1907
Box 10 Folder 15
Materials pertaining to acquisition of Arnavutköy property (includes chronology prepared by Borden),, 1907
Box 10 Folder 16
Action of Executive Committee on transfer of Uskudar property. Correspondence to Woman's Mission Board,, 1908-1909
Box 10 Folder 17
Copies of correspondence pertaining to acquisition of Arnavutköy property (includes Patrick's memorial sent to Roosevelt prior to conference),, 1908
Box 10 Folder 18
General correspondence pertaining to land acquisition (includes an account of meeting between Roosevelt and American delegation),, 1908
Box 10 Folder 19-20
Correspondence re negotiations between U.S. and Turkey for purchase of Arnavutköyproperty,, 1908-1912
Box 10 Folder 21
Correspondence to Patrick and Dutton from Peet re Greek claim to Arnavutköy property,, 1912-1914
Box 10 Folder 22
Alexandrian file: correspondence re claim on college property,, 1922-1925
Box 10 Folder 23-24
Correspondence re Musurus Property, Arnavutkoy, 1917-1946
Box 10 Folder 25
Correspondence re property tax and war damage claims, 1913-1938
Box 10 Folder 26
Correspondence and memos re "Tract A" property, Arnavutkoy, 1922-1933
Box 10 Folder 27
Correspondence re property (Arnavutkoy) connected with college,, 1920-1930
Subseries I.6: The Committee on Instruction, 1905-1924
In the absence of extensive faculty records, the trustees' Committee on Instruction has useful material including various proposals to expand the curriculum by adding an education department, a medical department, and an agricultural program. There is considerable correspondence concerning the hiring of teachers, courses offered, and the scholarly propensities of the faculty.
Samuel Train Dutton of Columbia University served as chairman from 1903-1919. After his death, his successor was Talcott Williams, also of Columbia. Both men carried on an extensive correspondence with Mary Patrick and each played a significant role in the other activities of the Board of Trustees.
Box 11 Folder 1-16
Correspondence Patrick/Dutton, 1903-1919
Box 11 Folder 17-18
Correspondence to Dutton from Borden and Hart Borden, 1910-1912
Box 12 Folder 19-22
General correspondence to Dutton from Borden, 1914-1917
Box 12 Folder 23-24
General correspondence to Dutton, 1911-1919
Box 12 Folder 25-27
General correspondence to Williams, 1917-1922
Box 12 Folder 28-30
Correspondence to Williams from Patrick, 1912-1924
Box 12 Folder 31-34
Correspondence to Williams from Olmstead, 1919-1924
Box 12 Folder 35
Reports prepared by Williams, 1917-1923
Box 12 Folder 36
Report to Williams (includes alumnae list), 1922
Subseries I.7: The Committee on Finance, 1907-1933
The Committee on Finance was under the direction of George Plimpton from 1907-1932. In addition to the usual financial records there is correspondence that details the difficulties involved in keeping the college open during World War I. Patrick pays tribute to the efforts of U.S. Ambassador Henry Morgenthau in helping the College cope with wartime pressures. Also included here is Patrick's postwar article entitled "Fourteen reasons for an American Mandatory over Turkey."
Box 13 Folder 1
Correspondence to George Plimpton, chairman of the Committee on Finance from Patrick,, 1907-1912
Box 13 Folder 2
Copies of Plimpton's correspondence to Patrick and Borden, 1909-1912
Box 13 Folder 3-7
Correspondence to Plimpton from Patrick, 1913
Box 13 Folder 8
Copies of Plimpton's correspondence to Patrick, 1914-1919
Box 13 Folder 9
Correspondence to Plimpton from Patrick, 1920
Box 13 Folder 10
Copies of Plimpton's correspondence to Patrick, 1920
Box 13 Folder 11-12
Correspondence to Plimpton from Patrick, 1921-1922
Box 13 Folder 13
Copies of Plimpton's correspondence to Patrick, 1921
Box 13 Folder 14
Correspondence to Plimpton from Patrick, 1923
Box 13 Folder 15
Copies of Plimpton's correspondence to Patrick, 1923
Box 13 Folder 16-17
Correspondence to Plimpton from Patrick, 192-1933
Box 13 Folder 18
Copies of Plimpton's correspondence to Patrick, 1930-1933
Box 13 Folder 19-22
General correspondence to Plimpton, 1905-1914
Box 13 Folder 23-24
Copies of Plimpton's correspondence, 1907-1914
Box 14 Folder 25
General correspondence to Plimpton, 1915
Box 14 Folder 26
Copies of Plimpton's correspondence, 1915
Box 14 Folder 27
General correspondence to Plimpton, 1916
Box 14 Folder 28
Copies of Plimpton's correspondence, 1916
Box 14 Folder 29-33
General correspondence to Plimpton, 1917-1919
Box 14 Folder 34
Copies of Plimpton's correspondence, 1919
Box 14 Folder 35
General correspondence to Plimpton, 1920
Box 14 Folder 36
Copies of Plimpton's correspondence, 1920
Box 14 Folder 37
General correspondence to Plimpton, 1921
Box 14 Folder 38
Copies of Plimpton's correspondence, 1921
Box 14 Folder 39
General correspondence to Plimpton, 1922
Box 14 Folder 40
General correspondence to Plimpton, 1923
Box 14 Folder 41
Copies of Plimpton's correspondence, 1923-1924
Box 14 Folder 42
General correspondence to Plimpton, 1924-1925
Box 14 Folder 43
Correspondence Plimpton/Adams, 1924-1930
Box 14 Folder 44
General correspondence to Plimpton, 1927
Box 14 Folder 45
General correspondence to Plimpton, 1930
Box 14 Folder 46
Copies of Plimpton's correspondence, 1930
Box 14 Folder 47
General correspondence to Plimpton, 1932
Box 14 Folder 48
Copies of Plimpton's correspondence, 1932
Box 14 Folder 49
Correspondence Plimpton/Staub, 1932
Subseries I.8: The Building Committee, 1908-1921
Designs and layouts for buildings at the Arnavutköy campus can be found in these records. The chairmen of this committee, Albert Wiley and later Walter B. Walker, each made occasional visits to Istanbul allowing them to view the results of their committee's labors. There is an address by Walker at the dedication of Gould Hall.
Box 15 Folder 1
Summary Report, "Action of the Trustees in the Matter of Layout and Buildings",, 1908-1910
Box 15 Folder 2
Correspondence to Charles Rutan from Patrick, 1908-1909
Box 15 Folder 3-4
General correspondence to Albert Wiley, chairman, Building Committee,, 1911-1914
Box 15 Folder 5-15
General correspondence Walker, 1914-1920
Box 16 Folder 16-20
General correspondence Walker, 1920-1921
Box 16 Folder 20a
Correspondence to Walker re Otis Elevator, 1921
Box 16 Folder 21
Address by Walker "On the Occasion of the Dedication of the Administration Building" (Gould Hall), [no date]
Box 16 Folder 22
Miscellaneous correspondence re Building Committee, 1909-1912
Box 16 Folder 23
Building Committee Record Book (Bound volume with minutes and reports),, 1914-1921
Box 16a Folder 24
Reports and minutes of Building Committee's meetings (bound volume),, 1910-1913
Box 16a Folder 25
Building Committee reports, 1913-1916
Box 16a Folder 26
Building Committee; miscellaneous correspondence (includes estimates of building costs),, 1910-1914
Subseries I.9: The Committee on Medical Education
The attempt to establish a medical school forms a particularly interesting chapter in the pioneering efforts of ACG. The suffering produced by World War I highlighted the need for modern medical facilities and under Mary Patrick's leadership, funds were raised to build and equip a medical school for women in 1923. But the cost of operating the facility combined with the new government regulations reserving professional education to Turkish institutions compelled the closing of the medical school in 1924. The records of the Committee on Medical Education reflect the dream and the initial implementation of that vision. The chairman of the committee was Edward Haskell who served from 1919-1924.
Box 16a Folder 27
Committee on Medical Education; minutes of Medical Committee, 1818-1922
Box 16a Folder 28
Estimated budget, Bingham Medical Building, 1922-1923
Box 16a Folder 29-30
Miscellaneous correspondence re expenses, 1922-1923
Box 16a Folder 31
Reports issued by the Medical Committee, 1919-1924
Box 16a Folder 32
Report of the Medical Department for the second semester, 19231-1924
Box 16a Folder 33
Medical Department; general, includes student transcripts, 1920-1923
Box 16a Folder 34
Committee on Medical Education; includes publications re American Hospital,, 1920
Box 16a Folder 35-37
Committee on Medical Education; includes correspondence re the American Hospital, reports of the American School for Nurses, and summary data for in-patient and out-patient departments,, 1920-1922
Box 17 Folder 38-42
Correspondence Haskell/Olmstead, 1919-1922
Box 17 Folder 43-46
Correspondence Haskell/Olmstead, 1923-1924
Box 17 Folder 47-50
General correspondence to Haskell, 1919-1922
Box 18 Folder 51-54
Correspondence between Olmstead and Lester Briggle, assistant treasurer,, 1923-1924
Box 18 Folder 55
Correspondence to Haskell from Alden R. Hoover, 1919-1923
Box 18 Folder 56-59
General correspondence to Haskell, 1922-1923
Box 18 Folder 60
American Red Cross; copies of Livingston Ferrand's correspondence; chairman, Central Committee,, 1920
Box 18 Folder 61
Correspondence to Haskell from Harold Keyes, secretary, Committee on Medical Education,, 1919-1923
Box 18 Folder 62
General correspondence to Keyes, 1920-1923
Box 18 Folder 63
Copies of Haskell's correspondence to Hoover, 1920-1921
Box 18 Folder 64
Copies of Hoover's correspondence, 1920-1921
Box 18 Folder 65
Correspondence to Haskell from William Bingham, 1920-1923
Box 18 Folder 66
Copies of Haskell's correspondence to Bingham, 1919-1923
Box 18 Folder 67
General correspondence to Bingham, 1920-1923
Box 18 Folder 68
Copies of Haskell's general correspondence, 1919-1923
Box 18 Folder 69-70
Copies of Haskell's correspondence to Patrick, 1919-1923
Subseries I.10: General
Jane Page: correspondence regarding the merger proposal of ACG and RC
Box 18 Folder 71
Jane Page: correspondence re merger proposal of ACG and RC Boards of Trustees and endowment funds,, 1956-1958