Guide to the Orange Memorial Hospital School of Nursing (N.J.) Records 1882-1982 MG 1381

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Descriptive Summary
Historical Note
Scope and Content Note
Arrangement
Restrictions
Access Points
Administrative Information

Series Descriptions and Container List

Series 1: Yearbooks, 1928-1982, with gaps.

Series 2: Annual Reports, 1883-1982, with gaps.

SERIES 3: Events, 1892-1982, with gaps. Grouped by event.

SERIES 4: Photographs, 1884-1982, and n.d. (bulk 1884-1930). Arranged
chronologically.

SERIES 5: Student Files, 1884-1969. Grouped by subject.

SERIES 6: History, 1932-1981, and n.d. Arranged chronologically.

SERIES 7: Alumnae Association Records, 1895-1982. Grouped by subject.

Series 8: Printed Materials, 1882-1981, with gaps. Grouped by format.

Guide to the Orange Memorial Hospital School of Nursing (N.J.) Records
1882-1982
MG 1381
The New Jersey Historical Society
52 Park Place
Newark, New Jersey 07102
Contact: NJHS Library
(973) 596-8500 x249
library@jerseyhistory.orghttps://www.jerseyhistory.org
© 2005 All rights reserved.
The New Jersey Historical Society, Publisher
Inventory prepared by Susan Chore as part of the “Farm to City” project funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Finding aid encoded by Julia Telonidis. September 2005. Production of the EAD 2002 version of this finding aid was made possible by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Finding aid written in English.

Descriptive Summary
Creator: Orange Memorial Hospital (Orange, N.J.). School of Nursing.
Title: Orange Memorial Hospital School of Nursing (N.J.)
Records
Dates: 1882-1982
Abstract: The records, 1882-1982, of the Orange Memorial Hospital School of Nursing (Orange, N.J.) document the nursing school primarily
through the papers and photographs of its students and alumnae.
Quantity: 11.5 linear ft.
Collection Number: MG 1381

Historical Note

The Orange Memorial Hospital School of Nursing (Orange, N.J.) was founded in 1882, through the efforts of Dr. Thomas W. Harvey. Originally known as the Orange Training School for Nurses, the school was established to meet staffing needs for a growing Orange Memorial Hospital. The Hospital, which had begun as the Memorial Hospital and Dispensary in a Lincoln Avenue firehouse in 1873, moved to a house with 12 beds at Lincoln and Minton Avenues in 1874. In 1882, a hospital building, able to accommodate 40 beds, was erected on Essex Avenue property donated by Joseph W. Stickler. The anticipated growth prompted Dr. Harvey and a Training School Committee to establish the school, pledging $12 each to finance the school for one year. The Committee, comprised primarily of women, managed the school’s programs and finances.

The first Supervising Nurse, Mary Baker, was a graduate of the Charity Hospital of New York City. After several months, Anna G. Clement, a graduate of the New Haven Training School, took over as Supervising Nurse. The school was incorporated on December 1, 1884. The two-year course of instruction required student nurses to serve in the hospital wards and make home visits to the poor during their first year. In their second year, students were sent out on private cases at the discretion of the Training School Committee. Students were required to be between the ages of 20 and 40, strong and healthy, of good moral character, and able to read and write well. A clergyman’s letter of recommendation was also needed. Near the turn of the century, the program was expanded to three years.

In 1895, training school graduates formed an alumnae association. One year later, the Orange Training School for Nurses Alumnae Association became one of the ten original members of the Nurses’ Associated Alumnae of the United States and Canada, now the American Nurses’ Association.

In the early 1900s, nursing students were required to spend a three-month residence at the Orange Settlement on Valley Street, as visiting nurses in the homes of the poor. For a short time, the school also operated a milk dispensary and an infirmary for contagious diseases. In 1906, the School was taken over by Orange Memorial Hospital and, in 1919, its name was officially changed from the Orange Training School to the Orange Memorial Hospital School of Nursing. In 1940, the Orange Memorial Hospital School of Nursing became the first nursing school in New Jersey to receive full accreditation from the National League for Nursing. The school was one of fifty in the nation selected to establish criteria for accreditation. In 1969, men were admitted to the nursing program for first time. The last class of the Orange Memorial Hospital School of Nursing graduated in 1982.

Directors of the Orange Memorial Hospital School of Nursing: Mary Baker 1882; Anna G. Clements 1882-1883; Gertrude Deyo Student-supervised during 1884; Emma Dascombe 1885; Mrs. C.H. Pike 1886-1887; Hanna W. Baker 1887-1890; Mrs. C.H. Pike 1891-1893; Anna A. Hintze 1893-1897; Fanny S. Smith 1897-1904; Rachel Metcalfe 1904-1906; Ms. M.B. Squire 1906-1907; Laura B. Illick 1907-1909; Grace E. Stamp 1910-1915; Bessie Millman 1916-1919; Ruth G. Clark 1920-1922; Margaret Ashmun 1923-1949; Margaret B. Allen 1949-1967; Grace Marie Howard 1967-1975; Katharine Britchford 1975-1983.
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Scope and Content Note

Records, 1882-1982, of the Orange Memorial Hospital School of Nursing (Orange, N.J.) document the nursing school primarily
through the papers and photographs of its students and alumnae. The records, donated by the school’s Alumnae Association,
focus on the nursing students, through yearbooks, student newsletters, personal photographs, and alumnae event materials.
Curriculum philosophy and development, accreditation, and administration of the school are documented in the collection,
but primarily through annual reports and other printed materials, and then only peripherally.

Records are organized in eight series: Yearbooks, Annual Reports, Events, Photographs, Student Files, History, Alumnae Association Records, and Printed Materials. The records are distributed equally over the 100-year span of the collection. The formation and early years of the school are well documented, in annual reports, historical narratives and special publications, and photographs.

Yearbooks, the student newsletter The Chatterbox, and photographs, the bulk of which are from 1884-1930, are an especially
rich source of information on student life and activities. Photographs, primarily informal snapshots, show students on social
outings, at parties, and posing with groups of friends and hospital staff. The students are also shown on duty in the hospital,
and in group class photographs. Yearbooks and the student newsletter, spanning eight decades, also convey information about
women’s changing manners and customs.

The collection also includes some Orange Memorial Hospital annual reports, by-laws, and a 100th anniversary program, as well
as early by-laws and minutes of nursing alumnae associations.

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Arrangement

This collection is organized into eight series:

Series 1: Yearbooks, 1928-1982, with gaps.

Series 2: Annual Reports, 1883, 1887, 1891-189, 1898-1904, 1931, 1936, 1943 and
1982.

Series 3: Events, 1892-1982, with gaps.

Series 4: : Photographs, 1884-1982, and n.d. (bulk 1884-1930).

Series 5: Student Files, 1884-1969.

Series 6: History, 1932-1981, and n.d.

Series 7: Alumnae Association Records, 1895-1982.

Series 8: Printed Materials, 1882-1981, with gaps.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Photocopying of materials is limited and no materials may be photocopied without permission from library staff.

Use Restrictions

Researchers wishing to publish, reproduce, or reprint materials from this collection must obtain permission.

The New Jersey Historical Society complies with the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code), which
governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions and protects unpublished materials as well as published materials.

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Access Points
The entries below represent persons, organizations, topics, and forms documented in this collection.
Subject Names:
Baker, Mary.
Clements, Anna G.
Subject Organizations:
American Nurses Association.
Orange Memorial Hospital (Orange, N.J.).
Orange Memorial Hospital (Orange, N.J.). School of Nursing.
Subject Topics:
Hospitals–New Jersey–Orange.
Nursing schools–Administration–New Jersey–Orange.
Nursing schools–New Jersey–Orange.
Nursing.
Schools–New Jersey–Orange.
Subject Places:
Orange (N.J.)
Document Types:
Annual reports.
Catalogs.
Checks.
Essays.
Financial records.
Invitations.
Minutes.
Newsletters.
Pamphlets.
Photographs.
Programs.
Yearbooks.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as: Manuscript Group 1381, Orange Memorial Hospital School of Nursing (N.J.)
Records, The New Jersey Historical Society.

Acquisition Information

The records were donated by the Orange Memorial Hospital School of Nursing Alumnae Association in 1995. The item in box 24
was donated by Frances G. Ralph, RN.

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Series Descriptions and Container List

Series 1: Yearbooks, 1928-1982, with gaps.

Scope and Content:

Student yearbooks, for all but three years (1930, 1932 and 1975), include photographs of students, school administrators,
hospital staff, and student activities. Also, histories of the hospital, summaries of class activities, class “wills,” class
“prophecies,” and sketches of individual student personalities, emphasizing dating, study habits, hairstyles, and attitudes.
Box Folder Title Date
1 1 Yearbooks 1928-1929
1 2 Yearbooks 1931
1 3 Yearbooks 1933
1 4 Yearbooks 1934
1 5 Yearbooks 1935
1 6 Yearbooks 1936
1 7 Yearbooks 1937
1 8 Yearbooks 1938-1939
1 9 Yearbooks 1940
1 10 Yearbooks 1941
1 11 Yearbooks 1942
1 12 Yearbooks 1943
Box Folder Title Date
2 1 Yearbooks 1944
2 2 Yearbooks 1945
2 3 Yearbooks 1946
2 4 Yearbooks 1947 Feb.
2 5 Yearbooks 1947
2 6 Yearbooks 1948
2 7 Yearbooks 1949
2 8 Yearbooks 1950
Box Folder Title Date
3 1 Yearbooks 1951
3 2 Yearbooks 1952
3 3 Yearbooks 1953
3 4 Yearbooks 1954
3 5 Yearbooks 1955
3 6 Yearbooks 1956
Box Folder Title Date
4 1 Yearbooks 1957
4 2 Yearbooks 1958
4 3 Yearbooks 1959
4 4 Yearbooks 1960
4 5 Yearbooks 1961
4 6 Yearbooks 1962
4 7 Yearbooks 1963
Box Folder Title Date
5 1 Yearbooks 1964
5 2 Yearbooks 1965
5 3 Yearbooks 1966
5 4 Yearbooks 1967
5 5 Yearbooks 1968
5 6 Yearbooks 1969
5 7 Yearbooks 1970
Box Folder Title Date
6 1 Yearbooks 1971
6 2 Yearbooks 1972
6 3 Yearbooks 1973
6 4 Yearbooks 1974
6 5 Yearbooks 1976
6 6 Yearbooks 1977
6 7 Yearbooks 1978
6 8 Yearbooks 1979
Box Folder Title Date
7 1 Yearbooks 1980
7 2 Yearbooks 1981
7 3 Yearbooks 1982

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Series 2: Annual Reports, 1883-1982, with gaps.

Scope and Content:

Annual reports include by-laws, officers, committee members, treasurer’s reports, rules for pupil nurses, donations, entry
application questions, student contracts, lists of graduates and their professional positions, lecture topics, and course
of study. Also documents student nurses’ charity work (2,072 visits in 1899), residencies as visiting nurses at the Orange
Settlement, the milk dispensary and the Infirmary for Contagious Diseases. Includes photographs, beginning around 1899.
Annual reports starting in 1931 are those of the Orange Memorial Hospital; one section is devoted to the nursing school.
Box Folder Title Date
7 4 Annual reports 1883
7 5 Annual reports 1887;1991
7 6 Annual reports 1892;1898
7 7 Annual reports 1899
7 8 Annual reports 1900
7 9 Annual reports 1901
7 10 Annual reports 1902
Box Folder Title Date
8 1 Annual reports 1903
8 2 Annual reports 1904
8 3 Annual reports 1931
8 4 Annual reports 1936
8 5 Annual reports 1943
8 6 Annual reports 1982

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SERIES 3: Events, 1892-1982, with gaps. Grouped by event.

Scope and Content:

Documents Orange Memorial Hospital School of Nursing commencements and anniversary celebrations. Includes commencement invitations and programs, which list names of graduating class members. Also, correspondence, speeches, invitations, photographs, newspaper clippings, a guest register, and congratulatory letters document the 50th, 75th, 80th, 90th and 100th anniversary celebrations. Of note: the commemorative publication, “Orange Memorial Hospital School of Nursing: Fifty Years of Service” (1932), and narratives for historical pageants. Includes Alumnae Association correspondence, rental and catering agreements, menus and receipts related to the planning of the events, and congratulatory telegrams from Bill Bradley and Ronald Reagan.
Box Folder Title Date
8 7 Commencement: Programs & Invitations 1892-1918 w/gaps
8 8 Commencement: Programs & Invitations 1920-1929 w/gaps
8 9 Commencement: Programs & Invitations 1930-1939
8 10 Commencement: Programs & Invitations 1940-1949
8 11 Commencement: Programs & Invitations 1950-1959
8 12 Commencement: Programs & Invitations 1960-1969
8 13 Commencement: Programs & Invitations 1970-1976; 1982
8 14 50th Anniversary Celebration 1932
8 15 75th Anniversary Celebration 1957
Box Folder Title Date
9 1 80th Anniversary Celebration 1962
9 2 80th Anniversary Celebration 1962
9 3 90th Anniversary Celebration 1972
9 4 Photographs 1972
9 5 Photographs 1972
9 6 Photographs 1972
9 7 100th Anniversary Celebration 1982

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SERIES 4: Photographs, 1884-1982, and n.d. (bulk 1884-1930). Arranged
chronologically.

Scope and Content:

Group photographs for the majority of the graduating classes. Also, both formal and informal photographs of nursing students in class, in the hospital, in the children’s ward and with individual patients. Some student portraits.
Three student photo albums, two from ca. 1900-1925, document their social life and time away from studies. Includes photos
of students on the Asbury Park boardwalk (1904), eating in bed, posing with skeletons, roller skating, and playing the ukelele, as well as winter scenes of the hospital, and informal photos of doctors, staff, and students. Includes photos of World War I soldiers and one of Joe Weiss, Chicago Federal League baseball player. Also, alumnae reunion photos and memorabilia. See also Events series for additional alumnae photographs.
Box Folder Title Date
10 1 Photographs 1884-1890
10 2 Photographs 1891-1899
10 3 Photographs 1900-1906
10 4 Receipts 1907-1920
10 5 Receipts 1921-1939
10 6 Receipts 1940-1959
Box Folder Title Date
11 1 Photographs 1960-1982
11 2 Photographs n.d.
11 3 Photograph album 1900-1918
11 4 Photograph album ca. 1920-1921
11 5 Photograph album 1925-1978

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SERIES 5: Student Files, 1884-1969. Grouped by subject.

Scope and Content:

Comprised of the student newsletter, The Chatterbox, 1928-1943, 1954-1956, student rosters, attendance records, a diploma, a report card, notes from teachers to students, student notebooks outlining treatment procedures, “Rules for the Pupil Nurses,” the course of study, an operating room schedule, and the school song.
Bound volumes of The Chatterbox document school activities, such as field trips to a dairy and a Goodwill mission, extracurricular activities such as dances, alumnae and faculty news, nurses’ conventions, poetry and notes on affiliated hospital Greystone Park.
Box Folder Title Date
11 6 “The Chatterbox” School Newsletter 1929-1931
11 7 “The Chatterbox” School Newsletter 1933-1934
Box Folder Title Date
12 1 “The Chatterbox” School Newsletter 1934-1935
12 2 “The Chatterbox” School Newsletter 1935-1936
12 3 “The Chatterbox” School Newsletter 1936-1937
12 4 “The Chatterbox” School Newsletter 1937-1938
12 5 “The Chatterbox” School Newsletter 1938-1939
12 6 “The Chatterbox” School Newsletter 1939-1940
12 7 “The Chatterbox” School Newsletter 1940-1941
Box Folder Title Date
13 1 “The Chatterbox” School Newsletter 1941-1942
13 2 “The Chatterbox” School Newsletter 1942-1943
13 3 “The Chatterbox” School Newsletter 1954-1956
13 4 Class list 1906-1912
13 5 Graduate lists 1884-1969 w/gaps
13 6 Graduate lists 1884-1969 w/gaps
13 7 Graduate lists 1884-1969 w/gaps
13 8 Application n.d.
13 9 Report card 1887
13 10 Student notebooks 1925, 1927
13 11 Teacher Notes and Operating Room Schedule 1930-1933
13 12 Registered Nurse Certificate and Diploma 1947-1948
13 13 “Student’s Record of Nursing Skills” booklet (blank) n.d.
13 14 School Song/Chapel Prayer 1925, 1930-1933

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SERIES 6: History, 1932-1981, and n.d. Arranged chronologically.

Scope and Content:

Includes essays and personal reminiscences on the history of the Orange Memorial Hospital School of Nursing, including “Night Duty During the Blizzard of March 1888,” excerpts from early meeting minutes, and speeches.
Box Folder Title Date
15 3 History 1932-1981

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SERIES 7: Alumnae Association Records, 1895-1982. Grouped by subject.

Scope and Content:

Documents the activities of the Alumnae Association. Includes by-laws, correspondence, minutes, annual reports, committee
reports and financial records. Some correspondence concerns the controversy over a Central Registry of Nurses, 1902-1908.
Also, alumnae newsletter, the Bulletin, and an agreement with Orange Memorial Hospital.
Box Folder Title Date
15 4 Constitution and By-Laws 1895-1937
15 5 Constitution and By-Laws 1951-63 & n.d.
15 6 Minutes 1895-1801
15 7 Minutes 1901-1906
Box Folder Title Date
16 1 Minutes 1906-1911
16 2 Minutes 1912-1919
16 3 Minutes 1919-1932
16 4 Minutes 1932-1936
16 5 Minutes 1936-1945
Box Folder Title Date
17 1 Minutes 1946-1955
17 2 Minutes 1956-1965
17 3 Minutes 1966-1975
Box Folder Title Date
18 1 Minutes 1967-1973
18 2 Minutes 1976-1981
18 3 Correspondence 1897-1974 w/gaps
18 4 Correspondence re: Central Registry of Nurses 1902, 1907-1908
18 5 Agreement with Orange Memorial Hospital 1949
18 6 Annual Reports 1965-1970
18 7 Annual Reports 1971-1975
18 8 Committee Reports 1966-1972
18 9 Officers and Committees 1973-1974, 1981-1982
Box Folder Title Date
19 1 Bulletin 1931-1941
19 2 Ledger 1932-1936
19 3 Ledger 1933-1964
19 4 Ledger 1937-1941
19 5 Ledger 1941-1949
Box Folder Title Date
20 1 Ledger 1950-1956
20 2 Ledger 1956-1964
20 3 Treasurer’s Reports 1956-1964
20 4 Checkbook 1935-1939
20 5 Checkbook 1941-1945
Box Folder Title Date
21 1 Cancelled Checks 1945-1951
21 2 Miscellaneous 1969-1978
21 3 Miscellaneous 1892, 1928, 1939,
1953-1954 & n.d.

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Series 8: Printed Materials, 1882-1981, with gaps. Grouped by format.

Scope and Content:

School of Nursing catalogues and fliers, Orange Memorial Hospital materials, and nursing alumnae association materials. School catalogues include lists of faculty members, administrators, medical staff, associates and assistant medical staff, historical sketches, school goals, description of clinical facilities, affiliates, accreditation, residences, recreation, student government, pre-entrance health requirements, financial aid, entry requirements, graduation policies, hours of duty, course descriptions, and the curriculum philosophy and objectives. Also, “Some Account of the Orange Training School for Nurses” (1899), an early history of the school, and newspaper clippings. Orange Memorial Hospital items include early by-laws and annual reports, and a 100th anniversary program. Also, by-laws and minutes, primarily from the late 1880s, of the American Nurses’ Association, and other national and state alumnae associations. Also of note, “Why a Cap,” a booklet that explains the meanings of different types of nursing caps. Miscellaneous items include affiliation contracts with Essex County Hospital and the New Jersey State Hospital Greystone Park, and resolutions of tribute.
Box Folder Title Date
21 4 Catalogues 1930s-1951
21 5 Catalogues 1952-1961
21 6 Catalogues 1961-1968
Box Folder Title Date
22 1 Catalogues 1969-1973
22 2 Catalogues 1973-1978
22 3 Catalogues 1978-1981
22 4 Pamphlets 1950s-1976
22 5 “Some Account of the Orange Training School for Nurses” 1899
22 6 Clippings 1886-1973 & n.d.
22 7 Orange Memorial Hospital: By-Laws and Annual Reports 1882, 1890, 1972
22 8 “Memorial Hospital House Regulations” for Patients n.d.
22 9 Hospital 100th Anniversary Program 19731973
22 10 American Nurses’ Association: By-Laws, 50th Anniversary Program 1920, 1936, 1946
22 11 Associated Alumnae of Trained Nurses of the U.S. and Canada: Minutes, Report 1898-1999
22 12 National League of Nursing Education: “A List of Schools of Nursing Meeting Minimum Requirements…” 1931
Box Folder Title Date
23 1 N.J. State Nurses’ Association: Constitution and By-Laws, Meeting Program 1920-1945 & n.d.
23 2 Nurses’ Associated Alumnae of the United States: By-Laws, Minutes 1902-1903
23 3 Nurses’ Associated Alumnae of the U.S. and Canada: Constitution & By-Laws 1896-97 & n.d.
23 4 St. Luke’s Hospital: “An Historical Sketch of the Funds of the Alumnae Association of St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing” 1942
23 5 Trained Nurses’ Associated Alumnae of the U.S.: Minutes 1901
23 6 “Why a Cap” 1940 1931
23 7 Contracts of Affiliation (Essex County Hospital & N.J. State Hospital Greystone Park) 1927-1944
23 8 Resolutions of Tribute 1973, 1981
23 9 Miscellaneous n.d.
Box Title Date
24 Orange Memorial Hospital nurse’s procedure book belonging to Frances G. Ralph, RN 1949-1952

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