mnsss270 Elizabeth Parker McCollester Diaries, 1878-1925 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 Elizabeth Parker McCollester diaries, 1878-1925 Finding Aid MS 231 2005 Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Collection Overview McCollester, Elizabeth Parker, 1865-1928 Elizabeth Parker McCollester Diaries1878-1925 MS 231 3 boxes (.5 linear ft.) English Sophia Smith Collection

Smith College Northampton, MA

Civic leader; President, Twentieth Century Club; President, Boston Smith Club; Intellectual. Diaries, 1878-1925 record Smith College life, women's clubs, Claremont (NH), Detroit, and Medford (Mass.). Biographical Note

Inside cover of Elizabeth Parker McCollester's diary, 1878

Lizzie Southgate Parker McCollester was born in Claremont, NH 17 May 1865, daughter of Lovisa Southgate of Bridgewater, VT, the daughter of a textile mill owner who taught for several years before marriage and Hosea W. Parker of Lempster, NH, the son of a subsistence farmer who went on to be a lawyer active as a Democrat in NH state politics, serving two terms in Congress. Lizzie Parker graduated from Stevens High School in Claremont in 1884 and received her A.B. from Smith College in 1888. The following year she married Lee McCollester, a Universalist minister and the young couple moved to Detroit where McCollester served as pastor in that city's Universalist Church. In Detroit Lizzie McCollester was a founder of the Twentieth Century Club; helped organize in the Michigan Smith College Club; and was a charter member of the Fine Arts Society of Detroit. In 1912 Lee McCollester became Dean of the Crane Theology School at Tufts College and the family then moved to Medford, Massachusetts. Lizzie McCollester continued to be active in her new home where her organizational skills were put to use in many settings including the Boston Smith College Club and the Medford Shakespeare Club. Lizzie Parker McCollester gave birth to three children, one of whom died in infancy. She died in Medford, Massachusetts of cancer 1 April 1928.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

Diaries kept from 1878 to 1925 (some gaps) are all "line-a-day"s. While there is little in the way of introspective prose, the diaries do record the activities of an involved club woman and include some description of Smith College life, Claremont (NH), Detroit, and Medford (Mass.) Each diary also includes a financial record in back and a few inserts including photographs and notes.

NOTE: NOTE: There is no container list for this collection. Contact the Sophia Smith Collection for more information.

Information on Use Terms of Access and Use

The collection is open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection.

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:

Elizabeth Parker McCollester diaries, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.

Search Terms Claremont (N.H.)--History--19th century--Sources Detroit (Mich.)--History--Sources Smith College--Students--History--Sources Tufts University--History--Sources McCollester, Elizabeth Parker, 1865-1928 Massachusetts--History--20th century--Sources