Dow, Elsie Storrs.
Biographical Statement
Elsie Storrs Dow was born in Sycamore, Illinois in 1859 to Roswell and Theresa E. Dow. Mr. Dow was a trustee of Wheaton College from 1878 to 1901 and was a well-known educator.
Dow came to study at Wheaton College in 1877 in the Classical program, usually taken by men, and graduated in 1881. After completing her studies at Wheaton she taught at Reed’s Ferry Academy in Manchester, New Hampshire. After four years of teaching she returned to Sycamore and taught for a year. During this time Dow received a Master of Arts degree from Wheaton. Afterward her year of teaching she moved again and became principal of Wasioja Academy in Minnesota until 1889.
In was in 1889 that she returned to her Alma Mater and assumed the Samuel Plumb Professorship of English Literature. She also served as Dean of Women from 1893 to 1901 and also taught courses in classics, history, and mathematics in additional to her English courses. She also served as Registrar for a time. Dow occupied the chair of the English Department for forty-six years and taught three generations of students as her teaching career spanned over five decades. Elsie Dow was known by her colleagues as an authority on Shakespeare and Browning.
At some time she took some graduate courses at Harvard University. She received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Lawrence College in 1922.
Dow died at 85 years of age on October 29, 1944 and was buried at Elmwood cemetery in Sycamore.
Citation:
Author: Wheaton College Archives & Special Collections staffFound in 9 Collections and/or Records:
Collection 187 Papers of Eleanor R. Elliott
Collection 279 Oral History Interview with Elizabeth Evans
Collection 284 Oral History Interview with Gladys Wright
Collection 293 Oral History Interview with Melvin D. Suttie
Collection 319 Oral History Interview with Jesse W. Hoover
Oral history interview with Jesse Wilbert Hoover (1908-2002) in which he discuesses his pietistic background and beliefs, his education at Messiah and Wheaton Colleges, his involvement in Mennonite relief work in Europe and the Far East and his evangelistic work in Canada. The time period covered by the interviews is 1908-1947.
Jesse W. Hoover was interviewed by Paul Ericksen on October 7, 1985 in Greenfield, Indiana.
Collection 363 Papers of Ruth M. Mellis
Collection 490 Oral History Interview with Joseph C. MacKnight
Elsie Dow Papers
The Dow papers are organized into five series (Biographical, Correspondence, Manuscripts, Publish Material and Secondary). The bulk of the collection relates to Dow’s teaching and speaking career and includes notebooks, speeches and class notes. Another portion of some significance is genealogical files located with the biographical series. The collection contains several folders of correspondence in various series.
MSS | Elsie Dow Papers
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- Type
- Collection 8
- Unprocessed Material 1
- Subject
- Evangelistic work. 6
- Missionaries -- Appointment, call, and election. 5
- Missionaries. 5
- Wheaton College (Ill.) -- Alumni. 5
- Women missionaries. 5
- World War, 1939-1945. 5
- Catholic Church. 4
- Christian education. 4
- Church and state. 4
- Conversion. 4
- Missionaries -- Training of. 4
- Missions -- Educational work. 4
- Women 4
- Women -- Religious life. 4
- Children of missionaries. 3
- China -- History -- Civil War, 1945-1949. 3
- China -- History. 3
- Church and social problems. 3
- Church work with refugees. 3
- Church work with women. 3
- College students. 3
- Evangelistic work -- China. 3
- Indigenous church administration 3
- Language in missionary work. 3
- Persecution. 3
- Refugees 3
- Wheaton College (Ill.) -- Faculty. 3
- Buddhists. 2
- China -- History -- 1937-1945. 2
- Christian education -- United States. 2
- Church development, New. 2
- Church work with children. 2
- Church work with military personnel. 2
- Church work with refugees -- China. 2
- Church work with women -- China. 2
- College students -- Religious life. 2
- Communism -- China. 2
- Communism. 2
- Depressions 2
- Depressions -- 1929 2
- Depressions -- 1929 -- United States. 2
- Dow, Elsie Storrs, 1859-1944 -- Manuscripts. 2
- Education 2
- Evangelicalism. 2
- Evangelistic work -- United States. 2
- Fund raising. 2
- International relief. 2
- Medical care 2
- Missions -- China. 2
- Missions -- Finance. 2
- Missions -- India. 2
- Missions to Buddhists. 2
- Missions, Medical. 2
- Orphans 2
- Pentecostalism. 2
- Persecution -- China. 2
- Presbyterian Church -- Missions. 2
- Presbyterian Church. 2
- Presbyterians. 2
- Refugees -- China. 2
- Rural churches. 2
- Rural missions. 2
- Sex role. 2
- Sino-Japanese Conflict, 1937-1945. 2
- Tribes. 2
- Wheaton College (Ill.) -- Religious life and customs. 2
- Animism. 1
- Armenians. 1
- Articles. 1
- Baptism. 1
- Belgium. 1
- Belgium. -- Administration. 1
- Belgium. -- Colonies 1
- Belgium. -- Colonies -- Africa. 1
- Belief and doubt. 1
- Bible -- Publication and distribution -- China. 1
- Bible -- Publication and distribution. 1
- Bible colleges 1
- Bible colleges -- Greece. 1
- Bible. 1
- Boarding schools -- Congo (Democratic Republic) 1
- Boarding schools. 1
- Buddhists -- China. 1
- Buddhists -- Taiwan. 1
- Catholic Church -- Evangelicalism. 1
- Catholic Church -- Missions. 1
- Catholic Church -- Relations 1
- Catholic Church. -- Congo (Democratic Republic) 1
- Catholic Church. -- France. 1
- Catholic Church. -- Protestant churches. 1
- Catholic Church. -- United States. 1
- Chaplains, Military 1
- Chaplains, Military -- United States. 1
- Children -- United States 1
- Children -- United States -- Conversion to Christianity. 1
- Children -- United States -- Religious life. 1
- Children of missionaries -- Education. 1
- Children. 1
- China -- History -- 1912-1937. 1
- China -- History -- 1949- 1 ∧ less