The Nancy Niles Bird Papers include two short journals, a bound volume containing the minutes of a Civil War "Soldiers Aid Society" and household accounts, over fifty speeches and notes for speeches given between 1859 and 1911, some printed materials, including two of her own publications, and a photograph of Nancy taken when she was an old woman.

The two journals were kept by Nancy while she was teaching school in 1850 and 1851, but she wrote more about her own religious life and efforts to save the souls of the young folks than her attempts to teach them grammar. She taught at North Springfield for one term, and then returned to her birthplace, Halifax, Vermont, for the next term. She still had many relatives in the town, and spent a good deal of time getting reacquainted.

The bound volume includes the minutes of "The Soldiers Aid Society," active in Smithfield from October 8, 1862 to August 2, 1864. As Secretary of the Society, Nancy Bird kept careful record of all supplies sent to the Sanitary Commission and transcribed all letters received from the appreciative Commission agents. After the war, the volume was used to keep detailed household accounts, including eggs and butter sold, expenses, and wages for hired help (1866-1890).

There are about fifty of Nancy's speeches preserved in this collection, many with her carefully dated docketing, noting where she gave the speech. Most of the addresses relate to the temperance movement, and were given to groups of W.C.T.U. members. As an avid supporter of Sunday school and missionary work, she often addressed Sunday School Conventions and Missionary Societies. Her topics also included the history of the town and early settlers in the area.

The printed materials include two of Nancy's three publications: a history of Sunday school work in the town (1901), and a history of the Baptist Church of East Smithfield (1910). There are also programs for the annual Baptist Sunday School Conventions, 1870-1905, the Bradford County Sunday School Association Report for 1902, programs for the annual Bradford County W.C.T.U. Conventions in 1905 and 1907, and seven N.W.C.T.U.-related pamphlets, as well as some newspaper clippings.

Subject index:

Baptism

Bible--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bradford County (Pa.)

Halifax (Vt.)

Home economics--Accounting--Pennsylvania

Missions--Congresses

Smithfield (Pa.)

Speeches, addresses, etc., American--Women authors

Sunday schools--Congresses

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Civilian relief

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Societies, etc

United States Sanitary Commission

Vermont--Description and travel

Woman's Christian Temperance Union

Women and religion

Women orators

Women social reformers--Pennsylvania

Women teachers--Pennsylvania

Women teachers--Vermont

Provenance:

Acquired, 1991.

M-2711
cat. 6/98 rko

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