Tuesday, February 25, 2014

1880s Autograph Album of Elizabeth A. Sutton, Class of 1881 at Normal College of New York City


Autograph album given to Elizabeth A. Sutton, "Lizzie", on December 24, 1879 by "Mother" and "The Boys".

Lizzie collected the autographs of many of her fellow members of the Class of 1881 at the Normal College of New York City, now Hunter College, as well as those of other students at the Normal College and other institutions.


The album is approximately 8-1/4" x 7" and contains the sentiments of 57 of Lizzie's relatives, friends, schoolmates and pastor.  An alphabetical list of the signers appears at the end of this post.


From online research, hopefully correct:  [corrections and additions welcome!]

Elizabeth A. Sutton was born about May 1861 in New York or New Jersey, the daughter of John and Matilda A. (Hopkins) Sutton, who were born in England and New York, respectively.   I imagine Lizzie taught a few years after her 1881 graduation from the Normal College, but I don't know for sure.

Here's a link to a New York Times article in the issue of July 1, 1881 that lists the 1881 graduates of the Normal College of New York City.

Lizzie's uncle and aunt, A. H. Hopkins and E. R. R. Hopkins of Syracuse, New York, signed a page on August 21, 1883.


Two other people named Sutton signed pages in the album, but didn't indicate a family relationship with Lizzie, though they most likely had one.  Susie F. Sutton signed on December 29, 1879.


E. M. Sutton signed a page on September 10, 1884.


Lizzie's pastor, Rev. Samuel Dickinson Burchard signed a page and its overleaf on October 25, 1881.



On March 5, 1889 at Manhattan, Lizzie married Alexander McLean Jeffrey, son of William and Jane (Sheliff) Jeffrey of Ireland.  Alexander was born in Ireland about February 1850; he graduated from New York University Medical College in 1896.  The couple lived at New York City, where Dr. Jeffrey had his medical practice.   The couple raised, I think, four children:

  1. Laura McLean Jeffrey, born about March 1890.  She may be the Laura Jeffrey who attended Columbia University, became a doctor and, sadly, died 1918
  2. William Harold Jeffrey, born 25 March 1897 at New York, New York; was attending Williams College when he completed his WWI draft registration card
  3. George Kenneth Jeffrey, born 3 April 1900 at New York, New York; was attending Pawling Academy when he completed his WWI draft registration card
  4. Ruth Elizabeth Jeffrey, born 30 April 1904 at New York, New York
Dr. Jeffrey died at his summer residence at Mount Kisco, New York in 1918.

If you have corrections and/or additions to the information above, or information on any of the signers listed below, please leave a comment or contact me directly.  Thanks!

One page was signed by Elina Francfort.  During my efforts to decipher her surname, I found an article in the New York Times of April 4, 1906 about the deaths of Elina and her older sister Clara.


Surnames in the album  [Some appear multiple times.]

Acker
Allason
Beckwith
Bellis
Berghold
Breakell
Broderick
Burchard
Campbell
Clifford
Colman
Constantine
Cook
Curry
Deans
Dolan
Dunphy
Ebecke
Flood
Francfort
Fraser
Garvin
Grey
Griffin
Hight
Hopkins
Johnson
Kidwell
King
Knight
Lassing
Loper
McCort
McGregor
Merrill
Morgan
Murphy
Newport
O'Reilly
Price
Rich
Roxbury
Russell
Schlegel
Sodler
Spence
Strauss
Sutton
Washburn
Whitelaw
Williams
Woods

Signers in the album  [Note: given names within a specific surname may not be in alphabetical order.]

A
  • Susy M. Acker, signed at Normal College, Class of 1881
  • Clara Allason, signed on November 16, 1883
B
  • E. R. Beckwith, signed at Normal College on November 3, 1881
  • Ida Bellis, signed on Sunday, November 16, 1884
  • Joseph H. Bellis, signed on November 16, 1884
  • Eliza Berghold, signed at Normal College on June 30, 1881; Elizabeth'
  • Susie Breakell, signed at Normal College, New York, on May 23, 1881.  She was apparently a member of the Phi Mu sorority as she drew the symbols.
  • K. G. Broderick, signed on December 2, 1880
  • S. D. Burchard, signed a page and its overleaf on October 25, 1881; Elizabeth's pastor
C
  • James H. Campbell, signed at New York, on December 4, 1885
  • Maggie E. Clifford, signed at Normal College; shared the page with S. H. Russell
  • L. M. Colman, signed at Normal College on June 28, 1881
  • Frederica G. Constantine, signed on October 31, 1881
  • Mazie E. Cook, signed at Normal College at New York, on June 27, 1881. She was apparently a member of the Phi Mu Sorority, as she drew the symbols
  • Mamie E. Curry, signed on July 19, 1884; shared the page with Mamie E. Johnson; Lottie E. Strauss; and Joseph C. Johnson
D
  • Effie Deans, signed at Normal College on June 24, 1881
  • Henriette L. Dolan of June 24, 1881, signed at Normal College, Class of 1881
  • Annie M. Dunphy, signed at Normal College on July 1, 1881
E
  • Pauline M. Ebecke, signed at Normal College on November 1, 1881
F
  • Christabel Flood, signed at Normal College, on October 7, 1881
  • Elina Francfort, signed on February 15, 1880.    http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F1061EFC3A5A12738DDDAD0894DC405B868CF1D3
  • I. Fraser, signed at New York, on June 23, 1881
G
  • J. F. Garvin, signed at Union Theological Seminary on May 1, 1882
  • M. E. Grey, or M. E. Guy, signed on November 8, 1883
  • Annie M. Griffin, Class of 1881, signed on June 24, 1881
H
  • Carrie E. Hight, signed at Normal College on June 2, 1881
  • Elizabeth's Aunt and Uncle, E. R. R. Hopkins and A. H. Hopkins, signed at Syracuse, New York, on August 21, 1883
J
  • Kate E. Johnson, signed on June 24, 1881
  • Mamie E. Johnson, signed on July 19, 1884; shared the page with Mamie E. Curry; Lottie E. Strauss; Joseph C. Johnson
  • Joseph C. Johnson, signed on uly 21, 1884; shared the page with Mamie E. Johnson; Mamie E. Curry; Lottie E. Strauss
K
  • M. Kidwell or M. Kidnell, signed on May 22, 1881
  • George J. King, signed facing pages on April 1882
  • E. G. Knight, signed at Tr. Dept, Normal College, on May 27, 1881
L
  • J. M. Lassing signed facing pages on March 6, 1882
  • May Loper, signed at Normal College, New York, on June 24, 1881
M
  • Mary McCort, signed on June 1, 1881, "Class of '81"
  • Jessie McGregor, signed on June 2, 1881
  • Jennie B. Merrill, signed at Normal College on June 15, 1881
  • Helen G. Morgan, signed on June 2, 1881
  • Minnie E. Murphy, Class of 1881, signed on June 24, 1881
N
  • Lawrence Newport, signed at New York in June 1886
O
  • Maggie O'Reilly, signed at Normal College, on June 30, 1881
P
  • Maud Price
R
  • Alys Rich, signed at Normal College, New York, on June 28, 1881
  • Sarah E. Roxbury, signed on June 24, 1881; Elizabeth's schoolmate
  • S. H. Russell at 9 Winthrop Place; shared the page with Maggie E. Clifford
S
  • Charles A. Schlegel, signed at Normal College, in June 1881
  • George H. Sodler, signed on September 12, 1885
  • Annie Spence, Class of 1881, signed at New York, on September 26, 1881
  • Lottie E. Strauss, signed on July 19, 1884; shared the page with Mamie E. Johnson; Mamie E. Curry; Joseph C. Johnson
  • Elizabeth A. Sutton, album owner; she was presented the album on December 24, 1873 by "Mother" and "The Boys".  Mother was Matilda A. (Hopkins) Sutton.
  • Susie F. Sutton, signed on December 29, 1879
  • E. M. Sutton, signed on September 10, 1884
W
  • Emma A. Washburn, Class of 1881, signed on June 26, 1881
  • Jennie Whitelaw, signed at Normal College on Octoer 19, 1880
  • Mrs. Williams, signed at New York, on December 10, 1882
  • Eliza Woods, signed on May 19, 1881
Hunter College

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