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Mary Haynes was born in Townsend, Massachusetts on July 11, 1841 to Samuel Haynes and Eliza Spaulding Haynes. She attended public and private schools in Townsend and Groton, Massachusetts, then taught in Townsend and New Ipswich, New Hampshire. In 1861 she entered Mount Holyoke Female Seminary and graduated in 1864. She taught at Mount Holyoke from 1864-1868. She married the Reverend John William Lane, a Congregational minister, on August 26, 1868. They had eight children, three of whom died in infancy. She and her husband also took two Chinese children into their home and educated them along with their own children. From 1868-1877 they lived in Whately, Massachusetts and later moved to North Hadley, Massachusetts where her husband took charge of a congregation. Upon her husband's death in 1911, she went to live with her daughter, Mrs. Amy Powell in Springfield, Massachusetts. She remained there until her own death on June 25, 1922, at the age of eighty.
The Mary Haynes Lane papers include correspondence, writings, memorabilia, biographical information, and photographs dating from 1861-1922. Of particular note are letters that she wrote as a student at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary from 1861-1863. These letters are written to her brothers, Charles T. and John Haynes. Lane discusses many aspects of her life at the Seminary, including the rules, her course work in botany, domestic work on campus, and prayer meetings. These letters also include references to the Civil War and its impact on students. Also included in the papers are two essays by Lane written in 1889 and 1907 which discuss the history of Mount Holyoke and her experiences as a student. Biographical material includes notes and obituaries concerning Lane. Included in the memorabilia is a United States Christian Commission pin worn by her husband, John William Lane, during the Civil War and letters by Charles T. Haynes. The photographs consist of two formal portraits of her taken in 1868.
This collection is organized into five series:
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Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:
Mary Haynes Lane Papers, Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections, South Hadley, MA
Arranged chronologically.
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This series contains letters written by Lane in 1861-1863, 1910, and 1912. Of particular note are letters dating from 1861-1863 while she was a student at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary. These nine letters are addressed to her brothers Charles T. Haynes, a student at Amherst College, and John Haynes, a soldier with Union forces during the Civil War. Lane discusses many aspects of her life at the Seminary, including the rules, her course work in botany, domestic work on campus, and prayer meetings. These letters also include references to the war and its impact on students. For example, she mentions the death of a student's father in the war and another student's decision to go south to teach freed slaves. Typed transcripts for three of these letters (circa September 1861, circa April 1862, and April 2, 1863) are part of this series.
Arranged chronologically.
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This series contains a newspaper article, 1889, and an essay, 1907 by Lane. The newspaper article, from the "Hampshire Gazette," July 9, 1989, is a printing of a paper read at the meeting of the "National Alumnae Association at the late Commencement." It discusses the history of her alma mater, Mount Holyoke College, and focuses on the school's transformation from a Seminary to College. The 1907 essay, entitled "Mount Holyoke's Golden Age," was read by Lane at a meeting of the Hampshire County Mount Holyoke Alumnae Association. It describes her time at the school 1861-1868, and the changes that occured between 1857 and 1867.
Arranged chronologically.
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This series contains excerpts of letters, 1861 and a pin. The letters were written by Lane's brother, Charles T. Haynes, to their brother, John Haynes on September 26 and October 18, 1861. They discuss visits to Lane while she was a student at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary. The pin was worn by her husband, John William Lane, when he was a chaplain associated with the United States Christian Commission during the Civil War.
Arranged chronologically.
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This series consists of notes, clippings, and articles, chiefly relating to Lane's life and dating from about 1908-1922. This material contains copies of articles concerning her death. The series also include notes about her and clippings concerning her husband, John William Lane.
Arranged chronologically.
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This series consists of two formal photographs of Lane taken in July 1868 while she was at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary.