Hellmuth Ladies' College

Hellmuth Ladies' College (founded September 1869; closed 1899) was a private college for women in London, Ontario. The college was founded by Reverend Isaac Hellmuth[1] and was inaugurated by Prince Arthur. The college had no official connection with a church; but under the patronage of its founder and namesake, it was thoroughly Anglican.[2] Princess Louise became its patroness on her visit in 1878.[3] The college was devoted to the study of arts and sciences. It was located on Richmond Street North, just south of Windermere Road on the hill overlooking the Thames River. Hellmuth Ladies' College was complemented by Hellmuth College — for young men, founded 1865 — also of London, Ontario.[4] Hellmuth Ladies' College closed sometime between 1899 and 1901. The properties were acquired by the Sisters of St. Joseph and transformed into Mount St. Joseph Orphanage.

Hellmuth Ladies' College
Hellmuth Ladies' College (circa 1895)
Courtesy of The Ivey Family London Room (genealogy), London Public Library, London, Ontario
MottoGet Wisdom
TypePrivate
Active1869 (1869)–1899 (1899)
AffiliationAnglican Church of Canada
Diocese of Huron
PresidentRight Rev. Isaac Hellmuth (1819–1901)
Rev. Theodore Irving, LL.D. (1809–1880)[lower-alpha 1]
PrincipalRev. Edward Noble English (1851–1918)
Rev. Henry Faulkner Darnell (1831–1915)
Location
London
,
Ontario
,
Canada
MascotBeaver

Property
The land

In 1867, Isaac Hellmuth purchased 150 acres with a hill overlooking the Thames River, and commissioned the design and construction of Hellmuth Ladies’ College.[5]

The main building

The main building was designed by Gundry & Langley, a Toronto-based architectural firm headed by Thomas Gundry (1830–1869) and Henry Langley (1836–1907).[6][7] Since the closing of the college in 1899, the building served as a convent and orphanage. It stood until 1976, when it was demolished. Mount St. Joseph Academy for girls continued in that location until 1985. As of 2011, the building and its grounds are the official home of Windermere On The Mount, a retirement residence operated by Revera.

The main building took on a new role in 1899, when it was purchased by the Sisters of St. Joseph, a Roman Catholic order of sisters dedicated to caring for orphans and the elderly, educating young girls, and ministering to the poor. Under its new name, Mount St. Joseph Mother House, the building and property served as both an orphanage and a convent for the sisters.

The chapel

Isaac Hellmuth erected a small chapel, just a short walk from the main building, and named it St. Anne's Chapel, in honor of the then Lady Principal, Anne Mills.

Norwood House

Residence of Bishop Hellmuth.

Diplomas, certificates, medals

Hellmuth Ladies' College conferred diplomas, certificates of standing, and medals. Silver medals were awarded for general proficiency; silver and gold medals were awarded for proficiency in special subjects, including divinity, mathematics, science, and languages.[8][9]

Administration and selected faculty
Principals
  • 1869–1872: Ann Mills (1810–1898) – Principal[10]
  • 1972–187?: Rev. Irwin – Principal[11]
  • 1872–1874: Rev. Ganon, B.S. Huntingdon, M.A. – Principal
  • 1874–1883: Rev. Henry Faulkner Darnell (1831–1915) – Principal
  • 1883–1899: Rev. Edward Noble English (1851–1918) – Principal[12][13]
  • 1878–1880: Rev. James Johnson Hill, M.A. (1832–1896) – Resident Principal and Chaplain for 18 months, beginning around the middle of 1878
  • 1870: Major Evans
Lady Principals
  • 1875–1882: Lucy Hannah Clinton (1846–1932) – Lady Principal
  • 1872–187?: Mrs. Irwin – Lady Principal
Lady Superintendents
  • 1875: Lucy Hannah Clinton (1846–1932)
  • 1877: Miss McLellan
  • 1882: Miss H.G. Wight, Diploma of Cambridge, England
Literary Department
  • Rev. Edward Noble English, M.A. (1851–1918) – Professor of Mental Philosophy and Physics
  • Rev. J. S. Thomas, M.A. – Professor of Classical and English Literature
  • Rev. Charles B. Guillemont, B.A., D.D., Ph.D. (1828–1910) – Professor of Modern Languages
  • 1879–1880: Rev. William Minter Seaborne (1828–1913) – Professor of Natural Sciences
  • The Rev. George Bloomfield Sage, B.A., B.D. (1856–1938)[lower-alpha 2] – Classics and Mathematics
  • 1889–1896: Miss Martha H. H. Wray (1862–1947)[lower-alpha 3][14] – teacher of German, English, and mathematics
  • Miss Henrietta B. English (1864–1946)[lower-alpha 4] – English Subjects
Academic subjects
  • Miss E. Henstridge
Music Department
  • 1883–1888: William Caven Barron, Esq. (1864–1936) – Professor of Piano, Organ, and Music History
  • 1883–1885: William Waugh Lauder (1857–1931) – Musical Director, Professor of Piano, Music Theory, and Music History[15]
  • 1885–1899: Thomas W. Martin, Esq. (1861–1943) – Musical Director, Professor of Piano, Harmony, and Music History
  • Miss Nelda J. Von Seyfried (born 1856) – Professor of Singing[16]
  • Roselle Pococke, Esq. (1859–1925) – Professor of Violin
  • 1889–1899: Waldemar Arthur Blüthner, Esq. (1862–19??) – Professor of Piano and Harmony
  • Stinson W. Wilson – Professor of Organ
  • Madame Hausch – Professor of Violin
  • Miss. K. Moore – Professor of Singing and Organ
  • 1874–1876: Kate Sara Chittenden (1856–1949) – Professor of Piano
  • 1870–188?: Lucy Hannah Clinton (1846–1932) – Musical Directress (1881), Professor of Piano,[lower-alpha 5][11] Lady Superintendent in 1875, Music Directress in 1877
  • Miss Anna M. Diller (born 1868; married Edwin D. Starbuck)[17] – teacher of piano
  • Ida Louisa English (1869–1937),[lower-alpha 6] 1900 marriage to Corvin Weld (1868–1942) – Professor of Piano, Organ, and Italian
  • Miss M. Raymond – piano
  • 1869: Frances Josephine Hatton (1840–1906), 1871 marriage to Charles Greenwood Moore, MD (1818–1886) – Composer, Professor of Composition and Singing (daughter of English composer John Liptrot Hatton)
Art Department
  • 1883–1892: Julian Ruggles Seavey, Esq. (1857–1940) – Director and Professor of Painting, Modelling, Carving, Decorative Art, and Design
  • Miss E. Burwell – Drawing and Crayon
  • Miss L. A. M. Jones – Modelling, Carving, and Decorative Art
  • Martha Justina Hardwick (née Thomas; 1854–1917), 1874 marriage to William James Anderson (died 1887), 1887 marriage to John Wesley Hardwick (1855–1923)
  • Mrs. A. Kenly, Art Needlework
  • mid-1870s: William Lees Judson (1842–1928), drawing and painting[18]
  • Caroline Farncomb (1859–1951) – painting
Elocution Department
  • Rev. Edward Noble English, M.A. (1851–1918) – Director
  • 1889–1894: Elizabeth (Libby) Alberta Oakley, B.L. (1862–1961), 1903 marriage to Walter E. Chrysler[19]
Business Department
  • William Charles Coo (1861–1950) – Professor of Shorthand
Etiquette Department, Physical Culture, Hygiene, etc.
  • Mary Stoughton English (née Mulkins; born 1851), wife of Rev. Edward Noble English – Director
  • Friend Richard Eccles, M.D. (1843–1924) – Sanitary Science[20]
Ladies' Drill, Department
  • C. Major Darnley – Department and Family
  • G. B. Dayton – Dancing
  • 1884–1999: John Fulcher (born 1850) – Riding and Driving[21]
Miscellaneous faculty
  • Frances "Fanny" Barbara Moule (1850–1917), 1880 marriage to Professor James Edward Wells, M.A., LL.D. (1838–1898); 1904 marriage to Rev. Oates Charles Symonds Wallace (1856–1947)
  • Edith Fitzgerald (née Edith Mary Jones; 1844–1928), 1864 marriage to Frederick Ardiel Fitzgerald (1840–1924)
  • Constance Meredith (1865–1967), daughter of William Ralph Meredith, wife of George Armstrong Peters
  • Maude Cloudman Hudson, married to William Hamilton Merritt, Esq., M.D., C.M., R.C.P.S., Edin (1865–1924)
  • Buzzie Gurd (aka Laurie Buzzel Gurd, née Phoebe Buzzel Gurd; 1872–1895)
  • Miss Hattie English

Notable alumnae

Publications
  • The Hellmuth World, the newspaper of Hellmuth Ladies' College
Notable contributors:
  1. "Our Summer In The Valley of the Moon," successive issues, beginning May 28, 1881; OCLC 58856350
  2. "The Lennox Library," April 2, 1881
  3. "Unconscious Plagiarisms," June 18, 1881

Student organizations

Chi Omega, a U.S. based sorority, chartered its Phi chapter at Hellmuth Ladies' College in 1899. Its one-year presence at Hellmuth stands as Chi Omega's only international expansion in the sorority's one hundred and thirty-five years of existence.[32] and Hellmuth's only Greek sorority.

References
Notes
  1. Rev. Theodore Irving, LL.D. (1809–1880) was a nephew of Washington Irving ("Washington Irving's Nephew," New York Times, December 21, 1880)
  2. George Bloomfield Sage (1856–1938) was married 1884 to Jessica Olivia English (1860–1938), a half-sister of Rev. Edward Noble English
  3. Martha Holmes Hamilton Wray (1862–1947); 1896 marriage to Nathaniel Hobson (1846–1929)
  4. Henrietta B. English (1864–1946) was a half-sister of Rev. Edward Noble English
  5. Lucy Hannah Clinton (1846–1932) had studied piano with Clara Schumann and held certificates from William Sterndale Bennett and Cipriani Potter.
  6. Ida Louisa English was a half-sister of Edward Noble English
  7. Dufferin Medals were the forerunner to Governor General's Awards. They were introduced in 1874 by the Earl of Dufferin, Canada's third Governor-General who served from 1872 to 1878, as an award to students for academic or athletic excellence ("The Dufferin Medal," by Stuart P. Kenning, The Canadian Numismatic Journal, Vol. 9, No. 7, July 1964, pps. 287–288; OCLC 0008-4573)
  8. Lucile Dora (née Lucile James "Cutey" Dora; 1869–1959) earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Christian College in Columbia, Missouri in 1898, a Master of Arts degree from Hellmuth Ladies' College in 1901, and a Doctorate from the University of Montpellier in 1922. Dr. Dora had a long career (from 1908 to the mid-1940s) in various roles as an academician at the University of Oklahoma. But in 1894, she had served as Preceptress at Christian College ("Christian and Stephens Colleges," The News Boy, Benton, Missouri, September 8, 1894)
  9. Evelyn Johnson was as sister of Pauline Johnson, a 19th century writer. (Paddling Her Own Canoe: The Times and Texts of E. Pauline Johnson, by Veronica Jane Strong-Boag & Carole Gerson, University of Toronto Press, 2000, pg. 53; OCLC 288098079)
Inline citations
  1. Hellmuth Ladies' College: Founded by the Right Rev. I. Hellmuth, D.D., D.C.L., Lord Bishop of Huron, A.D., 1869; OCLC 18054192
  2. Dictionary of Canadian Biography, 1901–1910 Vol. 13, Ramsay Cook & Jean Hamelin (eds.), University of Toronto Press (1994), pg. 463; OCLC 256662906
  3. Report of the Minister of Education, Ontario Department of Education (1882), pg. 414
  4. "Hellmuth College, Ontario," The Canada Farmer (Toronto), Vol. 1, No. 20, March 19, 1870, p. 316; OCLC 1553010
  5. "VII. Educational Intelligence: The Hellmuth Ladies' College," by Reverend Adolphus Egerton Ryerson, John George Hodgins, & Adam Crooks, The Journal of Education for Ontario, Vol. 21, No. 9, September 1868, pps. 141–142; OCLC 9871704
  6. "Hellmuth Ladies College, Near Proof Line Road Overlooking the Thames River, 1868," London Evening Advertiser (London, Ontario), December 15, 1868
  7. Toronto Architect Edmund Burke, by Angela Kathryn Carr, PhD, McGill-Queen's University Press (1995), pg. 77 (illustration); OCLC 43286788
  8. "From The Archives: Pins and Medals," Archived 2014-11-29 at the Wayback Machine by John H. Lutman, archivist, Anglican Diocese of Huron Church News, September 2012, pg. 10; ISSN 0018-7917
  9. "The Most Accomplished Lady Rider Medal of Hellmuth Ladies' College," by Ted Leitch, London Numismatic Society, Ontario Numismatist, Vol. 42, January/February 2003, pg. 51; ISSN 0048-1815
  10. "Mrs. Ann Mills Dead," The Daily Mail and Empire, April 8, 1898, pg. 1
  11. "London—Its Educational Institutions," The Journal of Education for Ontario, Vol. 25, No. 7, July 1872, pg. 110; OCLC 9871704
  12. A Cyclopædia of Canadian Biography, George Maclean Rose (ed.), Toronto: Rose Publishing Company (1886), pps. 682–683; OCLC 43742301
  13. The Canadian Album: Men of Canada, Vol. 1, Rev. William Cochrane, DD, (ed.), Brantford, Ontario: Bradley, Garretson & Co. (1891), pps. 398–399; OCLC 587486
  14. Diary of John J. Elder, Ashgrove, County Donegal and Toronto, Ontario, Canada,
        PRONI T.1264/6; CMSIED 8811020
        DIPPAM (Documenting Ireland: Parliament,
          People and Migration)
        CMSIED (Center for Migration Studies,
          Irish Emigration Database)
  15. "Domestic Harmonies: Musical Activity in Southwestern Ontario, 1880-1920" (thesis), by Madelaine Morrison, PhD, Carleton University (2013)
  16. Plouffe, Helene; Allison, Doreen R. (January 20, 2014). "Music at Ladies' Colleges and Convent Schools". The Canadian Encyclopedia (online ed.). Historica Canada.
  17. "International Who's who in Music and Musical Gazetteer" (1st ed.) César Saerchinger (ed.), Current Literature Publishing Company, (1918), pg. 612; OCLC 17708931
  18. "Making a Living: Florence Carlyle and the Negotiation of a Professional Artistic Identity," (masters thesis), by Susan Barbara Butlin, Carleton University (1995); OCLC 654200974, 290475522
  19. Leading Greeks: An Encyclopedia of the Workers in the American College Fraternities and Sororities, William Collin Levere (ed.) (1915), pg. 55; OCLC 612415185
  20. Canadian Almanac and Repository of Useful Knowledge, Toronto: The Copp, Clark Company (Limited)
        1870, Vol. 23, pg. 121
        1871, Vol. 24, pg. 62
        1872, Vol. 25, pg. 129
        1873, Vol. 26, pg. 133
        1889, Vol. 42, pg. 98
        1890, Vol. 43, pps. 151–152
        1891, Vol. 44, pg. 166
        1892, Vol. 45, pg. 129
        1893, Vol. 46, pg. 153
        1894, Vol. 47, pg. 213
        1895, Vol. 48, pg. 238
        1896, Vol. 49, pg. 248
        1897, Vol. 50, pg. 251
        1898, Vol. 51, pg. 327
        1899, Vol. 52, pg. 334
        1900, Vol. 53, pg. 345
        1901, Vol. 54, pg. 340
  21. History of the County of Middlesex, Canada, W.A. & C.L. Goodspeed (1889), pg. 21; OCLC 5072050
  22. Reaney, James Stewart (2005). "Blackburn, Victoria Grace". Dictionary of Canadian Biography. University of Toronto/Université Laval. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
  23. The University of Oklahoma: A History, 1890–1917 Vol. 1, by David W. Levy (born 1937), University of Oklahoma Press (2005), pg. 193; OCLC 171287730
  24. "Everyone's French Teacher," Sooner Magazine, Vol. 17, No. 4, December 1944, pps. 3–4
  25. Johnson, Sheila M.F. (1997). Buckskin and Broadcloth: A Celebration of E. Pauline Johnson. Dundurn. p. 47. ISBN 9781554881123.
  26. Kimball, Bruce A. (2009). The Inception of Modern Professional Education. University of North Carolina Press. p. 250. ISBN 9780807832578.
  27. "Overview: Madge Macbeth". Oxford Reference. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  28. "Canadian Poets: Marian Osborne," The Public Health Journal, Vol. 7, No. 7, July 1916, pps. 356–359; ISSN 0319-2652
  29. "Marian Osborne, Aurthur," New York Times, September 7, 1931
  30. "The School Gathers in 1895". Andover-Harvard Theological Library. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  31. "Out of the Shadows Louise Clappe's Life and Early California Writing," by Marlene Smith-Baranzini, California History, Vol. 78, No. 4, Winter 1999/2000, pps. 238–261
  32. "Many Memories: 1899," Eleusis of Chi Omega, Spring/Summer 2013, pg. 63; ISSN 0887-6096

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