Frances Elliott Mann Hall
Encyclopedia
Frances Mann Hall was one of the five founders of Sigma Kappa
sorority.
Colby College
, in Waterville, Maine
, became the first New England college to admit women along with men. Mary Caffrey Low
became the first female student at Colby, and for two years remained the only one. Eventually she was joined by four other women, and along with Elizabeth Gorham Hoag
, Ida Fuller
, Hall and Louise Helen Coburn
, Low created the Sigma Kappa
sorority at Colby on November 9, 1874.
Hall is the only member of Sigma Kappa to also be a member of the Order of the Eastern Star
.
Being the only women in the college, the five of them found themselves together frequently. In 1873-74, the five young women decided to form a literary and social society. They were instructed by the college administration that they would need to present a constitution and bylaws with a petition requesting permission to form Sigma Kappa Sorority.
They began work during that year and on November 9, 1874, the five young women received a letter from the faculty approving their petition. They sought for and received permission to form a sorority with the intent for the organization to become national.
Frances Hall was a high school teacher in Rockport, Massachusetts
prior to entering Colby College. She felt she needed better training for her profession. Hall was slightly older than the other women but was still in her early 20s.
Having to go to chapel to get a mark, Hall was late one day and had to wait for all the men to come out. It was an embarrassing moment. Hall said afterwards, all she saw was the floor, but all one young man, George Washington Hall, saw was Frances. When his friends asked him what ailed him, he replied, "I've just seen my wife." Frances had to leave college her junior year, as Ida Fuller did also, because of astigmatic headaches. She married George, and they went teaching together. Hall was the first Sigma Kappa to be married.
Frances attended the 1928 Convention in Washington, D.C.
and the Saranac Convention in 1933. At Saranac, she was a faithful attendant at all functions, even the Mission program which began at midnight.
Reportedly, her last message before her death in 1935 was, "Take my love to all the chapters. God bless them."
Sigma Kappa
Sigma Kappa is a sorority founded in 1874 at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Sigma Kappa was founded by five women: Mary Caffrey Low Carver, Elizabeth Gorham Hoag, Ida Mabel Fuller Pierce, Frances Elliott Mann Hall and Louise Helen Coburn...
sorority.
Colby College
Colby College
Colby College is a private liberal arts college located on Mayflower Hill in Waterville, Maine. Founded in 1813, it is the 12th-oldest independent liberal arts college in the United States...
, in Waterville, Maine
Waterville, Maine
Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. The population was 15,722 at the 2010 census. Home to Colby College and Thomas College, Waterville is the regional commercial, medical and cultural center....
, became the first New England college to admit women along with men. Mary Caffrey Low
Mary Caffrey Low
Mary Caffrey Low Carver was one of the five founding members of the Sigma Kappa sorority and a pioneering advocate for women's education, along with being an accomplished library scientist and writer.-Founding of Sigma Kappa Sorority:...
became the first female student at Colby, and for two years remained the only one. Eventually she was joined by four other women, and along with Elizabeth Gorham Hoag
Elizabeth Gorham Hoag
Elizabeth Gorham Hoag was one of the five founding members of Sigma Kappa sorority.Along with Mary Caffrey Low, Ida Fuller, Frances Mann and Louise Helen Coburn, Hoag helped to form Sigma Kappa at Colby College in Waterville, Maine on November 9, 1874. The five women were the only female students...
, Ida Fuller
Ida Fuller
Ida May Fuller Pierce was one of the five founding members of Sigma Kappa sorority.Fuller served as one of the co-founders of the Sigma Kappa sorority, along with Mary Caffrey Low Carver, Elizabeth Gorham Hoag, Frances Elliott Mann Hall and Louise Helen Coburn...
, Hall and Louise Helen Coburn
Louise Helen Coburn
Louise Helen Coburn was one of the five founders of Sigma Kappa sorority, a pioneer for women's education at Colby College, where she served as the first female trustee, and an accomplished scientist and writer known for writing the two volumes of "Skowhegan on the Kennebec."She was the niece of...
, Low created the Sigma Kappa
Sigma Kappa
Sigma Kappa is a sorority founded in 1874 at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Sigma Kappa was founded by five women: Mary Caffrey Low Carver, Elizabeth Gorham Hoag, Ida Mabel Fuller Pierce, Frances Elliott Mann Hall and Louise Helen Coburn...
sorority at Colby on November 9, 1874.
Hall is the only member of Sigma Kappa to also be a member of the Order of the Eastern Star
Order of the Eastern Star
The Order of the Eastern Star is a fraternal organization that both men and women can join. It was established in 1850 by Rob Morris, a lawyer and educator from Boston, Massachusetts, who had been an official with the Freemasons. It is based on teachings from the Bible, but is open to people of all...
.
Being the only women in the college, the five of them found themselves together frequently. In 1873-74, the five young women decided to form a literary and social society. They were instructed by the college administration that they would need to present a constitution and bylaws with a petition requesting permission to form Sigma Kappa Sorority.
They began work during that year and on November 9, 1874, the five young women received a letter from the faculty approving their petition. They sought for and received permission to form a sorority with the intent for the organization to become national.
Frances Hall was a high school teacher in Rockport, Massachusetts
Rockport, Massachusetts
Rockport is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,952 at the 2010 census. Rockport is located approximately 25 miles northeast of Boston at the tip of the Cape Ann peninsula...
prior to entering Colby College. She felt she needed better training for her profession. Hall was slightly older than the other women but was still in her early 20s.
Having to go to chapel to get a mark, Hall was late one day and had to wait for all the men to come out. It was an embarrassing moment. Hall said afterwards, all she saw was the floor, but all one young man, George Washington Hall, saw was Frances. When his friends asked him what ailed him, he replied, "I've just seen my wife." Frances had to leave college her junior year, as Ida Fuller did also, because of astigmatic headaches. She married George, and they went teaching together. Hall was the first Sigma Kappa to be married.
Frances attended the 1928 Convention in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and the Saranac Convention in 1933. At Saranac, she was a faithful attendant at all functions, even the Mission program which began at midnight.
Reportedly, her last message before her death in 1935 was, "Take my love to all the chapters. God bless them."