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Laurenus Clark Seelye was born on September 20, 1837, in Bethel, Connecticut. He was the youngest child of Abigail Taylor Seelye and Seth Seelye, who married in 1817. Seth Seelye was a merchant, farmer, and deacon. Seelye's sisters, Hannah and Elizabeth, were not educated. L. Clark and his brothers, Thomas, Samuel, Julius, and Henry, were all educated. Three of the sons, Samuel, Julius, and L. Clark, went on to become ministers, Thomas became a physician, and Henry a farmer and later an attorney. Julius served as the president of Amherst College. Seelye most likely attended the Center District School in Bethel. He was schooled in Woodbury, attended the Old Hadley Academy, and afterwards spent some time in Danbury to complete his education. At the age of twelve he started home schooling under his brother Samuel. He entered Union College at the age of sixteen where he received a B.A. and graduated as valedictorian with highest honors. After Union, he attended Andover Seminary but left due to ill health. He traveled throughout the Mediterranean and across Europe in hopes of getting well; while in Germany, he decided to complete his education in Heidelberg.
The Laurenus Clark Seelye Papers cover 1820 - 1995. The majority of the materials are from 1875 - 1924, when Seelye did most of his work. The bulk of the material is correspondence and written sermons and lectures. Other types of materials represented in this collection include news articles, photographs, manuscripts and published works, notebooks, scrapbooks, journals, and memorabilia.
The correspondence ranges in date from 1860 - 1934, and is divided by family and professional life. The family correspondence is mostly from the 1860s between various members of the family. The professional correspondence is divided into the following sections: Smith College (1872-1934), Non-Smith College (1876-1924), and Employment opportunities (1862-1872). The Smith College correspondence consists of familiar names, including President Marion LeRoy Burton, Harry Norman Gardiner, Arthur L. Gillett, John M. Greene, Mary Augusta Jordan, William H. Lanning, Alice (Lord) Parsons, and Herbert A. Wilder. The correspondence provides a good record of the early days of Smith College, as well as a look at the people after whom Smith College buildings and monuments are named. Names of note in the Non-Smith College correspondence are Andrew Carnegie, President William McKinley, and John D. Rockefeller, Jr. The letters in this segment cover everything from money to religion. One weakness of the correspondence is that quite a few of the first names of correspondents are not apparent or are completely unknown.
The series of lectures comprises the largest portion of history in this collection. All of these works were written by Seeleye and give incredible insight into his religious and secular views. The sermons range from 1859-1910 and include the city in which the sermon was given. Speeches are divided into religious, Washington's Birthday, and secular categories. Seeleye's lectures are divided into subject. His lectures on English Literature were given between 1864 - 1875.
This collection is organized into six series:
The are open to research according to the regulations of the Smith College Archives. Single photocopies may be made for research purposes.
Permission to publish material from the Laurenus Clark Seelye Papers must be requested from the Smith College Archives. Official Smith correspondence and documents is copyrighted by the Smith College Archives. Provenance and copyright ownership of family materials is unknown and researchers are responsible for determining any question of copyright.
Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:
Laurenus Clark Seelye Papers, Box #, Smith College Archives.
Images from this collection are also available online as part of the
Processed by Brigid Byrne, '99.
This series covers Seelye's life in terms of his family history, Union College, Smith life and memorabilia (including inauguration and retirement), his life achievements and opinions, and his death. The folders are arranged alphabetically. Most of the material is newspaper articles. Other materials include a scrapbook, class notebooks, publications, and various memorabilia.
This series is divided into four subseries. The correspondence from Family members is arranged alphabetically by the first name of the person to whom the letter was sent. Correspondence that has to do with Seelye's professional life at Smith College is arranged alphabetically by last name. Each folder classifies the person as an alumna, a parent, or an associate. Correspondence from Non-Smith College people are also arranged alphabetically by last name and cover his outside activities, notable people, and parishioners. The subseries Employment opportunities contain correspondence that Seelye received from various institutions asking him to consider working for them.
This series is the largest in the collection. It covers Seelye's numerous SERMONS/SPEECHES/LECTURES from the time he was a pastor to the last years of his life. The dated Sermons are arranged chronologically and include the city in which the sermon was given. The undated sermons are arranged alphabetically by title or the first sentence of the sermon. Seelye traveled throughout the country giving sermons, including to Chicago; Bethel, CT; Albany, NY; Springfield; Amherst; Brookline; Northampton; Norwich; Brooklyn; Easthampton; and Boston. Speeches are further divided into subseries of religious, Washington's Birthday, and secular. Both the religious and secular speeches are arranged alphabetically by title and/or subject; Washington's Birthday speeches are arranged chronologically. Lectures are divided into English Literature and the History of Education. The English lectures cover the years when Seelye was an English professor at Amherst College. Most of the lectures are about the history of education at women's colleges. Both subseries are arranged alphabetically by title and/or subject. The majority are handwritten by Seelye; the rest are typed with various handwritten corrections.
This series is arranged alphabetically by title and/or subject. The materials are both manuscripts and published works, from editorials to magazine articles to books. The main subseries is Seelye's Early History of Smith College. (The original letters can be found in Series II. CORRESPONDENCE, Box 5 Folder 13.) The Drafts make up the bulk of the material.
Most of the Photographs in this series are of Seelye himself. These are arranged chronologically. Other photographs are arranged alphabetically, and include photographs of Seelye's cow, the Old North Church, publication photographs, Round Hill (the President's House), and Mrs. Henrietta Chapin Seelye. The portraits are arranged chronologically. This subseries includes depictions of Seelye in his public and private life. Photographs of Seelye's family are located in the folder identified as Henrietta Chapin Seelye's photographs.
This series is arranged alphabetically by subject, and when necessary, by date. The subseries are Correspondence, Family, and Journals. The correspondents are mostly family members. The Family papers cover both business and family matters. The Journals cover the years from 1859 - 1913 and are an excellent source for understanding Smith College during the years of Seelye's presidency. Other materials include photographs, manuscripts, publications, and a scrapbook.