Fiske papers, 1841-1866.
General International Standard for Archival Description
Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections South Hadley, MA
Finding aid generated in MARC format from database, then encoded using Perl scripts and XSL stylesheet. 2003-05-20
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
Fiske papers
Fiske, Fidelia, 1816-1864.
Biographical History for: Fiske papers
Biographical Note Fidelia Fiske was born on May 1, 1816 in Shelburne, Massachusetts. She was the daughter of Rufus Fiske and Hannah Woodward Fiske. Fiske was educated in Shelburne district schools and spent one term at Franklin Academy. She taught in Shelburne's district schools before entering Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in 1839. Her education was interrupted in 1840-1841 while she recovered from typhoid fever. She returned in the fall of 1841 and graduated in 1842. After teaching for a year at the Seminary, she convinced her family that despite her poor health she was going to accompany Dr. Justin Perkins to Persia. She sailed from Boston on March 1, 1843. In Orumiyeh, Fiske was in charge of founding a girls' boarding school. The school continued to grow under Fiske's supervision from its opening in October of 1843 until her failing health forced her to return to United States in 1858. In the United States she was a teacher at Mount Holyoke between 1859-1864, until her death of "general inflammation of the lymphatic vessels" on July 26, 1864, in Shelburne, Massachusetts; she was forty-eight years old.
Scope and Contents of the Collection The papers of Fidelia Fiske consist of papers chiefly relating to her work as a missionary in Persia from 1843-1858, and to her later work at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary. Of particular importance are letters written by Fiske between 1843-1864. These documents describe her voyage to and overland travel in Persia, her work with her school and the villager's reactions and political resistance to her work. These sources are complemented by other writings, including her book, "Recollections of Mary Lyon" (1866). Biographical material includes an obituary published in July, 1864 in an unidentified newspaper. The biographical information is supplemented by books, articles and notes written after her death. The collection also contains a small amount of memorabilia, including a New Testament Bible in Syriac, as well as a series of photographs which includes a portrait of Fiske and photos of The Fiske Female Seminary in Persia. Material from this collection is available in an online digital format.
Missionaries - Iran - Correspondence.
lcsh
Missionaries - United States - Correspondence.
Women missionaries - Iran - Correspondence.
Teachers - Massachusetts - Correspondence.
Women - Iran - Education - History - Sources.
Transportation and travel.
Mount Holyoke College - Religious life - 1863-1864.
lcnaf
Lyon, Mary, 1797-1849.
Mount Holyoke Female Seminary.
Mount Holyoke Female Seminary - Faculty - History - Sources.
Fiske Seminary (Orumiyeh, Iran) - History - Sources.
aat
series
Correspondence, 1843-1864
This series includes Fiske's correspondence from her departure for Persia in 1843 until her death in the United States in 1864. A letter book and other letters describe her missionary work, especially with regard to the progress of her school and its pupils, her work with village women and Persia's volatile political environment. Also included are descriptions of setbacks caused by cholera epidemics and natural disasters. Correspondence written after her return to the United States focuses on her ties to Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, her desire to return to Persia and her failing health.
Unrestricted
Correspondence, 1843-1844
Correspondence, 1846-1847
Correspondence, 1848
Correspondence, 1849-1850
Correspondence, 1855-1857, 1859-1860
Correspondence, 1863-1864
Writings, 1841-1866
This series includes essays and other writings by Fiske from 1841-1866. Written in 1841,"My Sisters Dying Bed," describes the death of Fiske's sister. The series also includes Fiske's Bible selections and a journal of prayer requests by students. Of particular note is Fiske's biography of Mary Lyon, "Recollections of Mary Lyon," which was published in 1866, two years after Fiske's death.
Writings: "My Sister's Dying Bed;" notes; requests,1841; circa 1859-1864; 1863-1864
Writings: "Recollections of Mary Lyon," 1866
Biographical Information, 1864
This series contains an obituary from July, 1864 from an unidentified newspaper. This item is supplemented by books, articles, and notes concerning Fiske. Of particular significance are two biographies: "Faith Working by Love" by D.T. Fiske in 1868 and "Woman and Her Saviour in Persia," by Thomas Laurie (1863), and "Faith Working by Love" (also issued as "The Cross and the Crown; or Faith Working by Love") written in 1868 by D.T. Fiske.
Biographical Information: Obituary, 1864
Biographical Notes, Articles, and Sketches,1864-[ongoing]
Thomas Laurie, "Woman and her Saviour," 1863
D.T.Fiske, "The Cross and the Crown; or "Faith Working by Love: The Life of Fidelia Fiske,"1868
D.T. Fiske "Faith Working by Love: The Life of Fidelia Fiske,"1868
Memorabilia, 1842-1864
This series contains a lock of Fiske's hair, a New Testament Bible in Syriac that she used, which was published in 1854, and scraps of fabric bookmarks that were found in the Bible.
Lock of Hair, circa 1842-1864
New Testament Bible in Syriac, with envelope containing items found in Bible,1854
Photographs, circa 1842-1864
This series includes a formal portraits of Fiske and a drawing of the Fiske Female Seminary. These items are supplemented by a photograph of Jewish students at the school dating from about 1912.
Photographs of Fiske and the Fiske Female Seminary, circa 1842-1864
Photograph of Jewish Students at the School, circa 1912