Virginia Old Papers, 1889-1932 | Sargeant Memorial Collection

By Ella Frances Swain

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Collection Overview

Title: Virginia Old Papers, 1889-1932

ID: 001/01/MSS 0000-195

Primary Creator: Old, Virginia (1877-1953)

Extent: 7.0 Folders

Arrangement: Arranged by record type.

Date Acquired: 11/24/2014

Subjects: Education--1890-1900, Epworth United Methodist Church (Norfolk, Va.), Norfolk (Va.), Norfolk (Va.)--History, Norfolk (Va.)--Social life and customs--19th century, Norfolk (Va.)--Social life and customs--20th century, Norfolk College for Young Ladies (Va.), Women--History--United States, Women--Societies and clubs

Forms of Material: Clippings (information artifacts), Correspondence, Prints (visual works), Programs, Report cards, Ticket stubs

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Personal school records and correspondence of Virginia Old and memorabilia relating to the Norfolk College for Young Ladies and the Granby Street Chapter of the Epworth United Methodist League in Norfolk, Virginia.

Biographical Note

Virginia Old was born in Norfolk, Virginia on May 24, 1877. Her parents, Kedar Hollowell Old and Mary Elizabeth Nimmo, were both natives of Princess Anne County, Virginia.

Virginia attended the Norfolk College for Young Ladies from 1888 to 1894. She served as secretary for her senior class and graduated in June 1895 with certifications in distinction for English, mathematics, Latin, science, and history. After receiving her education, Virginia became a teacher for Norfolk public schools like her younger sister, Mary Elizabeth Old. After her time as a second-grade instructor at Holt Street Public School, Virginia taught English at Maury High School from the school’s opening in 1910 to her retirement in 1946. In the late 1920s, she was appointed head of Maury’s English department, a position she held until retirement. During her career, Virginia served as president of the Norfolk Teachers Association and state president of Delta Kappa Gamma, a national honorary fraternity. She was also a charter member of Epworth Methodist Church, having transferred from Granby Street Church in 1893.

Virginia died on March 7, 1953. She is buried alongside her parents in a family plot in Elmwood Cemetery in Norfolk, Virginia. Her grave stone reads, “SHE TAUGHT THE GOOD AND THE RIGHT.”

Subject/Index Terms

Education--1890-1900
Epworth United Methodist Church (Norfolk, Va.)
Norfolk (Va.)
Norfolk (Va.)--History
Norfolk (Va.)--Social life and customs--19th century
Norfolk (Va.)--Social life and customs--20th century
Norfolk College for Young Ladies (Va.)
Women--History--United States
Women--Societies and clubs

Administrative Information

Repository: Sargeant Memorial Collection

Access Restrictions: This collection is open to all researchers.

Use Restrictions: The status of copyright for these materials is governed by Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U. S. C.). Copyright restrictions may apply.

Acquisition Source: Unknown

Preferred Citation: Virginia Old Papers, MSS 0000-195, Sargeant Memorial Collection, Norfolk Public Library, Norfolk, Virginia.

Processing Information: Processed February 23, 2018.

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Box:

[Box 1],
[All]

Box 1

Folder 1: Report Cards for Virginia Old, 1888-1894: Miss Old’s report cards during her attendance at Norfolk College for Young Ladies. The report card for the first quarter of the 1889-1890 school year is addressed to her mother, “Mrs. M. E. Old” and several report cards include handwritten inscriptions indicating that Virginia frequently received the top marks of her class.
Folder 2: Correspondence, Norfolk College for Young Ladies Staff to Virginia Old, 1895 July 23: Letter concerns the status of Virginia’s application for employment as a teacher at the college.
Folder 3: Recital and Concert Souvenir Cards and Souvenir Program, 1886-1889: Two recital cards dated October 22, 1886 and a concert program card dated January 21, 1887; all three feature the work of Philadelphia lithographic printer and artist George M. Hayes. A souvenir program for “exercises by pupils in elocution” dated April 26, 1889.
Folder 4: Souvenir Programs and Entrance Ticket, 1889-1893: Entrance ticket and souvenir program for annual joint celebration of the Delta and Athenaeum Literary Societies of the Norfolk College for Young Ladies on June 14, 1889. Souvenir program for annual celebration of the Pi Lambda Kappa and Alpha Pi Literary Societies of the Norfolk College for Young Ladies on June 13, 1893.
Folder 5: Personal Membership Card for the Granby Street Chapter of the Epworth United Methodist League, 1893
Folder 6: Commencement Souvenir Programs, 1893-1894: Souvenir program for “Class Night Exercises” at the Academy of Music in Norfolk, Virginia on June 14, 1893. Two souvenir programs for commencement exercises at the Academy of Music in Norfolk, Virginia on June 15, 1893 and June 14, 1894.
Folder 7: Clipping, Article on the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Alumna Association of the Norfolk College for Young Ladies, 1932 May 29: The Virginian-Pilot/Norfolk Landmark.