Records of Hanover Academy
Transcribed by Heather Haralson
Edited with Introduction by Michael J. Poor
In early nineteenth-century America, the notion of a developing West
included what today is geographically the Midwestern United States. The
Presbyterian church in America, already firmly established east of the
Appalachian Mountains, sought to gain an equally strong foothold in this
developing West. The Church was organized according to a denominational
hierarchy starting with individual congregations. Churches in a certain
area made up a presbytery, and presbyteries comprised larger units called
synods. The Church established itself in the West by organizing from the
bottom to the top of the hierarchy.
In 1823, the Presbytery of Louisville petitioned the Synod of Kentucky
to create a new Presbytery north of the Ohio River. The petition was granted,
and the Synod formed the Presbytery of Salem, which included most of Illinois
and Indiana. At its first meeting, the Presbytery appointed a committee
to look into ways to educate the "poor and pious youth" of the
West for the ministry. This committee, of which John Finley Crowe was a
member, laid the groundwork for establishing a new Presbyterian Academy
in the western United States. By late 1825, another committee, appointed
by the Presbytery to decide a location for the Academy, chose Hanover,
Indiana, as the site where young men would be educated in the West for
becoming Presbyterian ministers.
Due to the growth of the number of churches in the Presbytery of Salem,
it was divided into the three smaller Presbyteries of Wabash, Salem, and
Madison. The latter Presbytery assumed the responsibilities of promoting
the new Academy since Hanover was within Madison's jurisdiction. In the
Fall of 1826, the Madison Presbytery asked Crowe, who was minister of the
Hanover Church, to open a private school in preparation of their subsequent
action for the Academy. Crowe thus opened a small grammar school in a log
cabin on his premises on January 1, 1827. Over a year later, the Madison
Presbytery convened to discuss the acceptance of the new Academy where
Crowe had opened his school of six students.
The Records of Hanover Academy begin with the minutes from that Presbytery
meeting in April of 1828. They cover the meetings attended by the Academy's
Board of Trustees up to 1833, shortly after the school became a nationally
recognized liberal arts college. The minutes from three historical meetings,
the April 1828 meeting of the Madison Presbytery, the October 1829 meeting
of the Synod of Indiana, and the October 1830 meeting of the Board, have
been excerpted in their entirety. Other passages were selected to demonstrate
the important actions taken by Hanover College's founding generation to
establish and sustain Indiana's oldest liberal arts institution.(1)
Records of Hanover Academy
At the Spring meeting of Madison Presbytery, held in the Sand Creek Church,(2)
April 1828, the following Resolutions were proposed and adopted,
viz.
Resolved, That we deem it important to the interests of the church, that
a School should be established within our bounds, in which young men of
promising talents and good moral character, may receive such an education
as, with the blessing of God, may qualify them for usefulness in the Church;
- and whereas a School of this description has been established, at Hanover,
in Jefferson Co. under the care of the Rev. John Finley Crow, with assurance
of liberal patronage from those in the vicinity, provided it be taken under
the superintendance of this Presbytery, therefore,
Resolved further, That we take said School under our patronage, and that
Messrs.(3) Crow and Duncan be a committee
to report a plan for its organization and government.
Messrs. Crow and Duncan accordingly reported the following plan, which
was adopted, viz.
1. The School shall be known by the name of the "Hanover Academy."
2. It shall be under the care and patronage of the Madison Presbytery.
3. The ordained Ministers belonging to the Presbytery, together with
four laymen, in full communion in the Presbyterian Church, living in the
vicinity of the Academy, and elected annually by said ministers, shall
constitute a Board of Trustees for its superintendance and government,
- any seven of whom shall constitute a quorum to do business.
4. The Board of Trustees, in connection with the Teacher, or Teachers
of the Academy, shall have power to make Bye-laws for the regulation of
the School.
5. A committee of three shall be appointed by the Presbytery, at
each of its stated, semi-annual meetings, called a "Visiting Committee,"
whose duty it shall be to visit the School at least once during the progress
of the Session, to attend its examination at the close, and to report to
the Presbytery.
6. An agent shall be appointed by the Presbytery, annually, to solicit
donations to aid the funds of Hanover Academy. And it is distinctly understood
that all funds thus procured are to be at the disposal of the Trustees.
The following laymen were then appointed members of the Board of Trustees, viz.
Samuel Smock
George Logan
William Reid, and
Samuel Hanna.
Resolved, that the Visiting Committee consist of
John M. Dickey
James H. Johnston, and
Samuel Gregg -
Resolved, that Mr. Crow be appointed agent.
******
At the Fall meeting of Madison Presbytery, held at Hanover, October,
1828(4), the following Report was made by
the Visiting Committee of Hanover Academy, which was adopted, viz.
The Visiting Committee of Hanover Academy, report, that they have
attended to the business assigned them, and visited said School twice,
since their appointment. They were present at an examination of the Scholars
on the 2nd day of the present month.
They have it in their power to state that both these examinations
were very satisfactory: and afforded evidence of the fidelity of the Teacher,
and the diligence of the Students.
The committee would further state, that the condition and prospects
of the School are of a very encouraging kind. The number of students at
present is sixteen, and a considerable addition is expected next Session.
The character of the students is such in respect to talents, morality,
and a serious regard for religion, as to afford the promise that some of
them will hereafter be useful either as preachers of the gospel, or by
otherwise promoting the best interests of their fellow-men.
The committee earnestly recommend[s] the School, as highly worthy
of confidences and encouragement. They doubt not that it may be rendered
the means of lasting and extensive usefulness.
A donation of a lot for building, and the proceeds of other lots,
has been made for the benefit of the School, by Williamson Dunn Esqr. It
is in contemplation, next year, to erect a two story brick building, 40
feet by 25, for completing which the necessary materials and labour have
been subscribed.
The committee finally recommended that the constitution and regulations,
adopted at the last meeting of the Presbytery, be revised, that the number
of Trustees be increased, and that application be made to the Legislature,
next winter for an act of incorporation. . . .
******
At the Spring meeting of Madison Presbytery, held at Paris,(5)April
1829, the committee appointed at the previous meeting of the Presbytery,
to revise the Constitution of Hanover Academy, and to apply to the Legislature
for a charter, reported
That they had made application to the Legislature, and obtained a
charter, according to the provisions of which the Board of Trustees were
authorized to transfer the corporate privileges to any Body of learned
men, whom they might think proper to select.
The report was accepted, and the committee was discharged from the
other duty assigned them, i.e. of revising the Constitution.
The Visiting Committee of Hanover Academy reported, That they had
attended two examinations of the Students and found them entirely satisfactory.
No material change in the state or prospects of the School had taken place
since last report, except that a charter, with ample privileges, had been
obtained.
******
Hanover, Feb. 26th, 1829. . . .(6)
An Act of Incorporation, having been obtained, from the General Assembly
of Indiana, the same was ordered to be read, and was accepted by the Board,
And is as follows, viz.
An Act to incorporate Hanover Academy.
Whereas it has been represented to this General Assembly, that a
number of the citizens of Jefferson County, residing in the vicinity of
Hanover, in said county, have, by the aid of private contributions, established
an Academy at Hanover, by means of which a liberal education may be acquired
by the youth of that vicinity; - and whereas it is represented to this
General Assembly, that an act to incorporate the said Academy, would greatly
promote the laudable object of the Citizens aforesaid, - therefore
Section 1st. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of
the State of Indiana, That John Finley Crow, James H. Johnston, Williamson
Dunn, George Logan, John M. Dickey, Samuel G. Lowry, Samuel Smock, William
Reid, Samuel Gregg, and Jeremiah Sullivan, be, and they are hereby constituted,
and appointed a Body corporate and politic to be known by the name of the
"Trustees of Hanover Academy," and by that name shall have perpetual
succession, with permission to adopt a common seal, with power to alter
or change the same at pleasure; and as a Body corporate shall be authorized
to carry the object and designs of said Institution into complete effect,
- to increase the number of Trustees, whenever it may be deemed necessary,
- to employ or appoint Tutors and Professors, in said Academy, - and put
the same under the direction of any Body of learned men whom they may select,
- to establish a Constitution, Bye-laws, and Regulations for the government
and well-being of said Academy, the Tutors, Professors, and Students thereof,
not incompatible with the Constitution and Laws of the United States, or
of this State; - and by the name and style of the "Trustees of Hanover
Academy" may sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded, answer and be
answered unto, in any Court of Law or Equity.
Section 2nd. In case of the death, removal, or other disqualification, of any of the Trustees of said Academy, or of their successors, a majority of the remaining Trustees, shall have power to fill such vacancy, and the person or persons so appointed, shall be vested with the same power and authority as if specially named in this Act, and at any meeting of the Board of Trustees, seven shall constitute a quorum to do business.(7)
The Trustees elected and appointed according to this Act, and their
successors, shall have power, in their corporate capacity, to purchase
or receive by donation, bequest or devise, any lands, tenements, or hereditaments,
monies, rents, goods, and chattels, which may be conveyed, devised, or
bequeathed, to them for the use and benefit of said Academy, and shall
be required faithfully to apply the same; - provided however, that the
land held by said corporation, at any one time, shall not exceed one hundred
and sixty acres. The Trustee first named in this Act, or, in case of his
absence, death, or refusal to serve, the next person named, shall give
notice of the time and place of the first meeting of the Board of Trustees,
and on a majority of them attending, they shall elect a President, Treasurer
and Clerk, the two first of whom shall be members of the Board, and they
shall thereafter meet on their own adjournments, or may be convened by
the President, or any two members of the Board: - They shall have power
to erect all necessary buildings, for the use and accommodation of said
Academy, and to select a site for the same.
This Act to be in force from and after its passage.
Passed in the Senate Dec. 22nd 1828
Passed in House of Representatives Dec 30th 1828.
After the reading of the foregoing Act of Incorporation, the meeting
of the Board was opened with prayer.
The Board then proceeded to elect a President, Treasurer and Clerk.
John M. Dickey(8)
was appointed President
Samuel Smock was appointed Treasurer
and Jas. H. Johnston was appointed Clerk.
Resolved, That two additional Trustees be elected, - whereupon Samuel
Hanna and Andrew Spear were duly elected.
Resolved, That John F. Crow be appointed by this Board, the principal
of Hanover Academy.
Resolved, That it is expedient to appoint, as soon as practicable,
an additional Teacher, possessing the necessary qualifications to superintend
the Students in Theology.
Resolved, That Messrs. Crow and Johnston be appointed a committee,
to correspond with such individuals as they may think proper in reference
to this object.
Resolved, That Messrs. Dickey, Crow and Lowry be appointed a committee
to prepare a Constitution, Bye-Laws and Regulations for Hanover Academy,
and report the same, as soon as practicable.
Resolved, That it is expedient to connect the "Manual Labour Scheme"(9)
with Hanover Academy, as soon as practicable, and that Messrs. Dickey,
Crow, Lowry, Logan and Smock, be appointed a committee to report on that
subject, as soon as they conveniently can do it. . . .
******
The Trustees of Hanover Academy met, at Hanover, agreeably to adjournment,
Oct 1st 1829. . . .(10)
The following resolution was adopted, viz.
Whereas it appears, that at a meeting of six members of this Board,
held on the 29th of August last, resolutions were adopted, under
the impression that six members of the Board constituted a quorum, - and
whereas the Act of incorporation requires seven members, and accordingly
those resolutions are null and void, unless adopted by a quorum, therefore,
Resolved, That the Board now adopt the several resolutions recorded
in the minutes of the meeting above named.
The Board then attended to the reading of all the minutes of Hanover
Academy, together with the Act of incorporation.
The Committee appointed to procure an additional Teacher, reported,
that they had received a letter from Dr. John Matthews, which letter was
read, whereupon it was
Resolved, That said committee be continued, and further be authorized
to bring the subject of the Academy before the Synod of Indiana, at its
meeting to be held this month, and to request said Body to take the Institution
under their care.
The committee appointed to report a plan for connecting the "Manual Labour System"(11)
with the Academy made the following report, which was adopted, viz.
The committee appointed to digest a plan for introducing the "Manual
Labour System" into Hanover Academy, beg leave to report.
That they have had the subject under consideration, and are decidedly
of opinion that the interests of the Church, the interests of the institution,
and especially the interests of the young men who may enjoy its privileges,
demand, as soon as may be practicable, the introduction of a system of
manual labour; - inasmuch as that seems to be the best way, in which, with
the blessing of God, such a degree of health of body, purity of morals,
and expansion of intellect, as promises extensive usefulness to the Church,
can be, at the same time, secured. They feel by no means prepared, however,
to present a plan which they can recommend as free from objections. On
the contrary all that they would attempt, is to recommend a few simple
regulations, which may serve as the basis of a plan, and which may be altered
or amended as circumstances may require. They propose,
1st That measures be immediately taken to erect a building
sufficiently large to accommodate a family, and at least twenty students.
2nd That this house, together with the farm, be put into
the possession of a man qualified to manage the farm, and superintend the
temporal concerns of the whole establishment.
3rd That all the students be required to board with the
Steward, except in extraordinary cases, to be determined by the Board of
Trustees.
4th That the Steward be bound to furnish all the Students,
who may be placed under his care, with boarding, viz. diet, lodging, and
candles.
5th That each student be required to pay, in advance,
to the Steward, each session, five dollars in specie, and to labour not
less than three hours, each day in the week, the Sabbath excepted, under
the direction of the Steward, at such business as he may appoint.
6th That such regulations be made that the Students may
labour, in rotation, at such specified time as not to interfere with their
recitations.
Resolved that a building committee of three be appointed to superintend
the erection of the building intended for the use of the School. Messrs.
Crow, Dunn and Logan were appointed said committee.
The Board then adjourned to meet at Hanover, on the day of the public examination in the Academy, next Spring. Concluded with prayer.
J.M. Dickey, Pres.
J.H. Johnston, Clerk
******
Resolutions of the Synod of Indiana,(12)
respecting Hanover Academy.
In the Synod of Indiana, convened at Shoal Creek, Illinois, Oct.
16th 1829.(13)
The order of the day was taken up, namely the report respecting a
Theological Seminary, and the following resolution was adopted, viz.
Whereas Hanover Academy has been incorporated, by an act of the Legislature
of the State of Indiana, according to which act, the board of Trustees
of said Academy, are permitted, by special provision, to place it under
the care of any body of learned men that they may select; and whereas the
Board, at a late meeting, appointed a committee of their body, to make
a tender of the Institution to the Synod of Indiana, that said Synod might
avail themselves of the corporate privileges granted, in founding a Theological
Seminary, in connexion with the Academy,(14)
therefore,
Resolved, that a committee be appointed, on the part of the Synod,
to confer with the committee of the Trustees of the Academy, and to report
on the subject, as soon as may be practicable. Messrs. John M. Dickey,
James Thompson, and Ashbel S. Wells, were appointed said committee.
In the Synod of Indiana, Oct 17th 1829,
The committee appointed to confer with the committee of the Trustees
of Hanover Academy, reported, and their report was adopted and is as follows,
viz.
The committee appointed to confer with the committee of the Trustees
of Hanover Academy, report,
That they have conferred with said committee, and have examined the
charter of said Academy, and enquired into its present prospects, and they
believe that the interests of the churches within our bounds would be promoted
by taking said Academy under the care of this Synod. They therefore recommend
the adoption of the following resolutions: viz.
1. That this Synod adopt said Academy as a Synodical School, provided
the Trustees of the same will permit the Synod to establish a Theological
department, and appoint the Theological Professors.
2. That the Synod will take measures to establish a permanent fund,
for the support of Theological Professors, - and if, at any future time,
the Synod shall determine to establish another school, within their bounds,
the funds collected within the region, that the new school is designed
to benefit, shall be appropriated to the said new School, - and if any
new Synod shall hereafter be formed, within the present limits of the Synod
of Indiana, the amount of funds collected within the bounds of said new
Synod, shall be returned to said new Synod, as soon as they shall establish
a school.
3. That this Synod appoint a Board of Directors, to superintend The
Theological department in Hanover Academy.
4. That the Synod, at this time, appoint a Theological Professor.
5. That the Synod appoint a committee to prepare a plan of union,
to be agreed upon, by the Trustees of the Academy, and the Synod of Indiana,
and also a plan for the regulation of the Theological department, and that
this committee report at the next meeting of the Synod.
Messrs. John R. Moreland, William W. Martin, John M. Dickey, Leander
Cobb, and James H. Johnston, were appointed said committee.
After recess, the Synod proceeded, in accordance with one of the
above resolutions, to elect, by ballot, a Theological Professor, and on
counting the ballots, it was found that the Rev. John Matthews, of Shepherdstown,
Virginia, was unanimously elected.
Resolved, That the Stated Clerk be directed to inform the Professor
elect, of his appointment.
Resolved, that an Agent be appointed, in each of the Presbyteries
in the State of Indiana, to solicit funds for the support of the Theological
Professor.
Resolved, that Messrs. Wm. W. Martin, John R. Moreland, John M. Dickey,
and Saml. R. Alexander, be appointed Agents, within their respective Presbyteries,
for the purpose specified in the above resolution; - and that the Trustees
of Hanover Academy be authorized to appoint any other Agent, or Agents,
they may deem proper.
Resolved, that the Trustees of Hanover Academy be requested to give
commissions and instructions to the Agents above appointed.
******
Madison Nov. 9th 1829 - . . .(15)
The committee appointed at the last meeting, to make a tender of
Hanover Academy to the Synod of Indiana, reported,
That they had discharged the duty assigned them, and that the Synod
has agreed to take the Academy under their care, provided the Trustees
of the same would permit the Synod to establish a Theological department,
and appoint the Theological Professor, - whereupon, it was,
Resolved, That the privilege be granted, and it is hereby granted,
to the Synod of Indiana to establish a Theological department, and the
Board pledge themselves to appoint as Theological Professors, whomsoever
the Synod may elect, or may have elected, and faithfully to appropriate,
agreeably to the direction of the Synod, whatever monies may be put into
their hands by the Synod, or any of their Agents. And whereas the Rev.
John Matthews D.D.(16) has been appointed,
by the Synod, Professor of Theology, therefore, Resolved, that we hereby
appoint the same. . . .
******
Hanover April 7th 1830. . . .(17)
Resolved, That tuition in the Academy be $15 per annum - from the commencement of the next session. . . .
******
Hanover, May 24th 1830. . . .(18)
Resolved, that the clerk of the Board be authorized to correspond
with the Professor of the Theological Seminary at Princeton, for the purpose
of ascertaining from them whether they can recommend a suitable person
to be appointed by the Synod of Indiana, Teacher of Biblical Literature
in the Hanover Seminary. . . .
******
Hanover August 21st 1830. . . .(19)
A letter from Dr. Alexander, of Princeton, in answer to one addressed
to him, by the Clerk, by order of this Board, was read, in which J.W. Cunningham,
a member of the Seminary at Princeton, was recommended as a suitable person
to be appointed Teacher of Biblical Literature in Hanover Seminary.
Resolved, That this Board will recommend J.W. Cunningham to the Synod
of Indiana, this fall, as a suitable person to be appointed Teacher of
Biblical Literature in Hanover Seminary.
Resolved, That the Board are favorable to Mr. Cunningham's remaining,
agreeably to his wishes, at Princeton and Andover, for six months after
completing his course. . . .
******
The Trustees of Hanover Academy met at Madison, Oct 26th
1830(20), at the call of the President.
The meeting was opened with prayer.
Present. J.M. Dickey, J. Matthews, J.F. Crow, S.G. Lowry, S. Gregg,
T.H. Brown, Jer. Sullivan, and J.H. Johnston.
Resolved, That John W. Cunningham be, and he hereby is, appointed
by this Board, Teacher of Oriental and Biblical Literature, for one year,
in the Theological Department of Hanover Academy.
Resolved, That the plan of Union between this Board and the Synod
of Indiana, which has already been adopted by the latter, be adopted by
this Board: it is follows, viz:
Articles of compact between the Trustees of Hanover Academy and the
Synod of Indiana.
The Trustees of Hanover Academy agree to give the Synod of Indiana
the supervision of said Academy agreeably to the provisions contained in
the following articles.
Article 1. That the Theological Seminary about to be erected by the
Synod of Indiana shall be located at Hanover Academy, or its immediate
vicinity, in Jefferson County, and in such connexion with the Academy as
is implied in the following articles, the Seminary being considered the
Theological Department of said Academy.(21)
Art. 2. The Trustees engage that the Synod and Directors appointed
by them, shall have the whole control of the Theological Department in
said Academy, without any let or hindrance from them, the Trustees or their
successors; that is to say - the Synod shall appoint their Directors, choose
their Professors, carry on their instructions, govern their pupils and
manage their funds as to them shall appear best. And the Trustees engage
to appoint as Theological Professors in said Academy whomsoever the Synod
shall elect, and to dismiss any Theological Professor or Professors, when
required so to do by the Synod or Board of Directors, and appoint any person
Professor pro. tem. whom the Directors shall recommend. And they further
engage to enact and carry into effect, all rules and regulations adopted
by the Synod or Board of Directors, in relation to the Theological Department,
and to account for all monies or property put into their hands by the Synod,
and appropriate or manage the same according to the order or direction
of the Synod.
Art. 3. The Synod shall annually appoint a committee whose duty it
shall be to visit the Academy, at least twice a year, and report to the
Synod.
Art. 4. The Synod may from time to time make such suggestions and
recommendations to the Trustees of the Academy as they shall think proper,
respecting its management.
Art. 5. The Trustees shall annually report to the Synod the state
and prospects of the Academy.
Art. 6. Any alterations may be made to these articles of compact
or additions to them, by the joint concurrence of the Synod and Board of
Trustees.
Art. 7. These articles of compact shall be binding so soon as they
shall have been concurred in by both the Board of Trustees of Hanover Academy,
and the Synod of Indiana and shall have been signed by the Moderator and
Stated clerk of the Synod, and by the President and Secretary of the Board
of Trustees.
Signed, John Matthews, Mod. Synod
October 26th 1830 - J.H. Johnston S.C. Synod
John M. Dickey Pres. T.H.A.
J.H. Johnston Sec. T.H.A.(22)
The Board then adjourned. Concluded with prayer.
John M. Dickey Pres.
Jas. H. Johnston Clerk.
******
Hanover Nov. 25th 1830(23)
The Trustees of Hanover Academy met. The meeting was opened with
prayer.
Present. J.M. Dickey, J. Matthews, J.F. Crow, T.H. Brown, J.H. Johnston,
Williamson Dunn, Saml. Smock, Wm. Reid, and Andrew Spear.
Resolved, That the following be adopted as the course of studies
to be pursued in Hanover Academy; - it being understood that such additions
and alterations may, from time to time be made as the Trustees may deem
proper.
Preparatory Course.
English, Latin, and Greek Grammars; Wair's Latin Syntax; Csar's Commentaries;
Virgil's Eclogues, Bucolics and ®neids; Cicero's Orations; Collectanea
Grca Minora; Modern Geography, and Arithmetic.
Freshman Class.
First Session.
Roman Antiquities begun; Sallust; Grca Majora, Cyropdia and Anabasis;
Algebra and English Composition.
Second Session.
Neilson's Greek Exercises; Roman Antiquities finished; Virgil's Georgics;
Horace's Odes; Grca Majora, Theophrastus, ®liarus, Polycenus and Herodotus;
Geometry and English Composition.
Sophomore Class.
First Session.
Grecian Antiquities commenced; Horace finished; Grca Majora continued;
Plain Trigonometry; Measuration of Heights and Distances; Surveying; Navigation,
Application of Algebra to Geometry and Conic Sections; English Composition.
Second Session.
Cicero de Officus, de Senectuta, and de Amicitia; Sp[h]erical Trigonometry,
Projections, Dialling, Levelling, Nautical Astronomy, First Vol. of Grca
Majora finished, Second Vol. begun; Grecian Antiquities finished; English
Composition.
Junior Class.
First Session.
Grca Majora continued; Cicero de Oratore; Rhetoric; Natural Philosophy;
English Composition.
Second Session.
Grca Majora cont.; Cic[ero] De Oratore finished; Astronomy and Chemistry;
Eng[lish] Com[position]; An[cient] and Mod[ern] History. . . .
******
Hanover June 11th 1831(24)
The Trustees of Hanover Academy, met at the call of J.F. Crow and
J.H. Johnston, and the meeting was opened with prayer.
Present - J.M. Dickey, J.F. Crow, J.H. Johnston, T.H. Brown, W. Dunn,
S. Hanna, S. Smock, and A. Spear.
Two letters from Thos. Kendall were read, stating his inability,
on account of ill health, to come, agreeably to his expectations, and introducing
to the Board Col. George Briggs, with a recommendation that said Briggs
should be appointed superintendent in his stead.
Further communications were read, whereupon it was
Resolved, That a Committee be appointed to confer with Col. Briggs,
and report articles of agreement to be adopted by the Board and himself
as Steward of Hanover Academy. Messrs. Crow, Smock and Spear were appointed
said committee.
The above named committee presented their report which was amended
and adopted and is as follows, viz.
Regulations for the Students of Hanover Academy
1. All Students connected with the Institution, are required to board
with the Steward, excepting those cases in which they can board with their
parents, and extraordinary cases, to be determined by the Board of Trustees.
2. The price of boarding in the Refectory, viz. dieting, shall be
one dollar per week.
3. Each student connected with the Institution shall be required
to labour at least two hours each day in the week, the Sabbath excepted.
4. Those Students over sixteen years of age, that labour in the garden
or on the farm, shall be entitled individually to five cents per hour,
which shall be taken out of the price of their board; with the privilege
of working as much as will cover the whole expense of their board, at the
same rate, provided they continue to maintain a respectable standing in
their class; and all Students under the age above named shall be allowed
pay at such rate per hour as may be agreed on by the Steward and parents
or guardians.
5. Those Students that labour at some mechanical art, shall have
the privilege of making their own arrangements respecting their work; provided
they labour the above named period of two hours per day and pay the Steward
the stipulated sum for boarding.
The Steward will be required
1. To board all the Students who may wish to place themselves under
his care and are willing to submit to the regulations of the establishment;
furnishing a sufficiency of good and wholesome diet at one dollar per week.
2. To exercise a paternal care over the morals and habits of all
the Students committed to his care.
3. To direct and superintend the operations of those who work on
the farm, or in the garden, during the hours of labour.
To open an account with each student, giving him credit for every
hour he may labour, at the rates specified in a preceding article, to any
amount not exceeding the full amount of his board. . . .
Resolved, That the Steward shall be required to report from time
to time respecting the manner in which the students comply with the above
regulations, and if it shall appear that any student does not labour to
the satisfaction of the Steward his compensation shall be reduced to such
an amount as the Trustees shall decide. . . .
******
Hanover July 14th 1831 . . .(25)
Resolved, That the resolution adopted at the last meeting authorizing
the Building Committee to erect Dormitories for the accommodation of the
Students be rescinded.
Resolved, That the Building Committee be directed to have eight or
more rooms prepared, in the Steward's house about to be built, for the
accommodations of Students as rooms for lodging and study. . . .
Resolved, That the rooms to be prepared in the Steward's house for
the accommodation of the Students be subject to the rent of two dollars
per session, on each room. . . .
******
Hanover December 10th 1831 - . . .(26)
Resolved, That a memorial to the Legislature of this State, praying
for an enlargement of the Charter of the Academy, be prepared and signed
by the President and Clerk of the Board and forwarded to Indianapolis.
. . .(27)
******
South Hanover(28)
Jan. 21st 1832. . . .
Resolved, That the course of studies to be pursued in Hanover Academy as adopted by this Board on the 25th of November 1830, be rescinded and in lieu thereof the course of Miami University(29)
be adopted verbatim. . . .
******
South Hanover May 8th 1832. . . .(30)
The Committee appointed to petition the Legislature for an enlargement
of the Charter of the Academy, reported that they had attended to the duty
assigned them, and had succeeded so far as to obtain the removal of the
restriction as to the amount of land, but had failed of securing the power
of conferring degrees. . . .(31)
Resolved, That the Building Committee be authorized and instructed
to procure the erection of a Seminary Building, of Brick, eighty feet by
forty, four stories high, to be so far completed as to afford the necessary
rooms for the accommodation of students on the 1st day of November
1832. . . .
Mr. Crow tendered his resignation of the office of Principle of Hanover
Academy, which was accepted.
Resolved, That Rev. James Blythe D.D.(32)
be appointed President of Hanover Academy.
Resolved, That Rev. John F. Crow be appointed Vice President of Hanover
Academy.
Resolved, That Dr. Blythe be appointed Agent for this Board, to solicit
aid in money and Books for Hanover Academy and Theological Seminary.
Resolved, That the President elect, provided he should accept of
the office, be allowed six hundred dollars per year, to be paid semiannually,
- the Vice President, five hundred, per year, - and the assistant Teachers,
two hundred dollars, each, from the funds of the Board, as a compensation
for their services.
Resolved, That the Students of the Academy be required hereafter
to pay their tuition Bills to the Treasurer of the Board, - and that seven
dollars and fifty cents per session be required, if paid in advance, or
ten dollars if not paid before the middle of the session.
Resolved, That the Treasurer be required to present a full report
of the state of the funds at the next meeting.
Adjourned to meet June 2nd 1832. 9 o'clock A.M.
Concluded with prayer.
John Matthews Char.
Jas. H. Johnston Clk.
******
South Hanover September 24h 1832. . . .(33)
Resolved, That Dr. Blythe, the President of the academy, be appointed
Professor of Moral Science, Chemistry, and Natural Philosophy, - and Mr.
Crow, the vice President, Professor of Logic, Belles Letteres, History
etc. . . .
******
South Hanover, November 27th 1832. . . .(34)
Resolved, That the Legislature be requested merely to amend the present
charter, by giving to the Institution the name of a "College,"
instead of an "Academy," and by granting the power to confer
literary degrees.(35)
The Committee appointed to prepare Bye-Laws for the regulation of
the proceedings of the Board, reported the following which were adopted;
viz.
Art. 1. There shall be two stated meetings of the Board, in each
year, one in the Spring, and one in the Fall, on the Tuesdays immediately
before the close of the sessions respectively.
Art. 2. There shall be an Executive committee appointed at each stated
meeting of the Board, who shall have power to appoint agents, to manage
the funds of the Board, to make contracts for Buildings etc., to appoint
Teachers pro tempore, and do such other business as may be necessary for
the prosperity of the Institution. They shall keep a record of their proceedings,
and submit the same to each stated meeting of the Board, for their approbation
or disapprobation.
Art. 3. When any business shall demand the attention of the Board,
before the time to which it stands adjourned, the President, or any two
members of the Board, may call a meeting, by specifying the particular
business to be transacted, which notice must be given by depositing a letter
in the post office, to each member of the Board, not otherwise as early
informed, at least fourteen days previous to the intended meeting; and
at said meeting, thus called, no business shall be transacted but such
as shall have been specified in the notice given.
Art. 4. At any regular meeting, if the President be absent, the Board
shall choose a chairman and proceed to business.
Art. 5. When any Professor or Tutor, having received a permanent
appointment, shall wish to resign his office, he shall be required to give
three months notice of his intention to the Executive Committee, and it
shall be the duty of the committee to give information of it to the other
members of the Board. And the Board shall have power to dismiss any Professor
or Tutor, by giving him three months notice. And every Professor or Tutor,
upon entering on the duties of his office, shall signify his assent to
the provisions of this article.
Art. 6. No alterations, or amendments shall be made to these Bye-Laws,
unless by a concurrence of two thirds of the members present, at a stated
meeting of the Board.
At the suggestion of the Faculty some slight alterations, additions
and amendments were made to the Laws of the Academy, adopted at a former
meeting, and the same were committed to Mr. Johnston for publication.
Resolved, That 500 copies of said System of Laws be published and
the expense be paid from the funds of the Board. . . .
Resolved, That the Inauguration of the President and Professors of
the Institution take place, at South Hanover, on the 1st day
of Jan. 1833. . . .
******
South Hanover Jan. 1st 1833.(36)
The Trustees of Hanover Academy, met agreeably to adjournment.
The meeting was opened with prayer.
Present, J.M. Dickey, J. Matthews, J.F. Crow, J.H. Johnston, G. Logan,
V. King and S. Smock.
The arrangements for the Inauguration adopted by the Executive Committee
were approved and in accordance with the same, the Trustees attended upon
the ceremonies of that occasion.
After prayer by the President of the Board, and public addresses
from Dr. Blythe, President of the Academy, Mr. Niles, Prof. of Languages,
and Mr. Harney, Prof. of Mathematics, these Gentlemen, together with Mr.
Crow, Professor of Belles Lettres etc. severally assented, in public, to
the following formula, viz:
"In the presence of God, and the Trustees of this Institution,
I do solemnly, examine, promise obedience to the laws and regulations already
adopted, or that may hereafter be adopted by the Board for the government
of the Institution, while I may continue connected with it. And I further
pledge myself faithfully to discharge, to the best of my abilities, the
duties of my office as professor; as well as to promote by all proper means
the general interests of the Institution." The Laws, the Key etc.
were delivered the President of the Academy by the President of the Bd.
The exercises were then closed with prayer by the Professor of Theology,
in the Theological Seminary. . . .
End Notes
1. a Two secondary sources were used for
the introduction and the annotations throughout the Minutes. They are:
William Alfred Millis, The History of Hanover College from 1827 to 1927
(Greenfield, Ind.: W.M.. Mitchell Printing, 1927; and A.Y. Moore, History
of Hanover College (Indianapolis: Hollenbeck Press, 1900).
2. The Sand Creek Church was in present-day Kingston, Ind., in Decatur County. pp. 3-5 of "Records."
3. Plural form of the title "Mr."
5. Located in Jennings County. p. 9.
7. Of the provisions of the Academy's charter, Millis commented, "It is interesting to note that this charter was granted in response to a petition of the presbytery and that it was drafted by the committee to express the will of that body. The gentlemen named in the act were members of the presbytery, and by the original 'plan of organization' already trustees of the school. It was the judgment of these men that was expressed in the provisions that the Board of Trustees should be a close corporation, electing their own successors without the supervision of Presbytery or Synod, and having permission to increase their number when in their judgment this might seem desirable. Thus Hanover Academy is the creation of Madison Presbytery but incorporated free from ecclesiastical control; Presbyterian in fact, but legally independent. Subsequent charters have preserved the principle of this relationship."
8. In August of 1819, John M. Dickey became the first installed Presbyterian minister in the state of Indiana. Upon the death in 1821 of Thomas C. Searle, Hanover Presbyterian Church's first pastor, Dickey occasionally preached at the church and moderated its session. As moderator in 1823, he issued the call to John Finley Crowe to become the church's next pastor.
9. Also called the "Manual Labor System." The minutes from the meeting on October 1, 1829 explain the system as it was incorporated into the Academy.
11. The manual labor system was a plan of organization for the Academy that was developed in the Fellenberg-Pestalozzi schools of Germany, and employed in the Oneida Institute of New York. Implemented as a means for students to support themselves, the system was an experiment at the Academy for combining liberal and trade education. It only lasted until 1839, when it was abandoned because of its financial liability.
12. The Synod of Indiana included the presbyteries from Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. pp. 25-30.
13. The October 16 meeting, only the fourth in the synod's history, was held in present-day Bond County, Illinois, 40 to 45 miles east of St. Louis. Members of the Madison Presbytery who went to the meeting were Dickey, Crowe, Lowry, Gregg, Johnston, and Smock. The journey to western Illinois took eight days by horseback As they traveled, they were joined by members of other presbyteries who were also going to the Shoal Creek meeting.
14. The idea for a theological seminary in the West was first proposed at the first meeting of the Synod of Indiana in October of 1826. Moore stated that the primary reason the Synod gave for wanting to establish a western seminary was "to supplement the work of Princeton Seminary in providing ministers for the rapidly growing West."
16. Matthews received the call from the Academy's new Theological Department soon after this meeting. He was at first hesitant to leave his church in Virginia and was urged by his friends not to accept the call. He went to New York and Philadelphia early in 1830 to solicit funds for a salary of an additional Professor for the Department. He succeeded in his campaign and, seeing it as an act of Providence supporting Christian work in the West, agreed to remove to Hanover. He arrived in May of 1830.
21. The Theological Seminary operated alongside the Hanover Academy for ten years. It became an independent institution upon a contract between the Synod and the Trustees but remained affiliated with the Academy under the name of the Indiana Theological Seminary. In 1840, the Seminary's board of directors decided to remove it to New Albany, Indiana. It was moved again in 1857 to Chicago and called McCormick Theological Seminary.
22. Interestingly, many of the individuals involved in securing this Compact shared responsibilities between both the Synod and the Academy. John Matthews, Professor of Theology of the Academy and a Trustee was also Moderator of the Synod. John M. Dickey represented the Synod in formulating the contract but signed it as "President of Trustees of Hanover Academy." James H. Johnston signed it as Stated Clerk of Synod and as Secretary of the Trustees. All three men were Trustees of the Academy, the ministerial party of Presbytery, and the majority party of Synod.
27. The Board petitioned the Legislature for this enlarged charter to make the Academy a standard liberal arts college with the power to confer degrees. See n. 30.
28. In 1819, the Rev. Thomas C. Searle accepted a call to become pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Madison, Indiana. On March 4, 1820, Searle organized a new congregation on a plot of land owned by Judge Williamson Dunn and built a stone meeting house. He named the new church the Hanover Church after Hanover, New Hampshire, the birthplace of his wife and the seat of his alma mater, Dartmouth College. The nearby Academy adopted the name of the church after it was established in 1828. A new village emerged around the school and church soon after. When a post office came to the village in 1830, it was called South Hanover in order to distinguish it from a post office in Shelby County, Indiana, called Hanover. This latter post office eventually became extinct, and the village in Jefferson County became Hanover. Thus, in order, the name "Hanover" was taken first by the church, then the school, and finally the town. p. 95.
29. For a complete list of the Miami University curriculum as it was adopted, see Millis, pp 158-59. See also n. 30.
30. pp. 101-102, 104, 106-107.
31. The petition of the Board of Trustees for an enlargement of the Academy's charter was acted on favorably by the State Legislature's Committee on Education. However, the President of the Board of Trustees of Indiana College, now Indiana University, reversed the committee's decision with the argument that the state's population would never sustain more than one college. He contended that, by granting a college charter to Hanover, his college's rights in equity would be transgressed. John Finley Crowe wrote a letter to the chairman of the committee to counteract the petition of Indiana College. His letter did not successfully secure favorable action before the close of the session, but by the next session the charter was granted. Although neither Millis nor Moore allude to it, it is probable that Hanover's Board of Trustees adopted the Miami University curriculum to show the State Legislature that the Academy was ready for college status. Crowe, in his "Succinct History of Hanover College," stated, "The Board at their meeting September 24, 1832, having resolved to give the Academy the grade of College, passed the following resolution [to adopt the Miami University curriculum]."
32. Blythe came from Lexington, Kentucky, where he had been a professor of chemistry at Transylvania University and later its president. John Finley Crowe, who had been an undergraduate at Transylvania and a member of Blythe's congregation, nominated him for the presidency of Hanover Academy.
35. The Trustees made this resolution after the State Legislature granted the enlarged charter. The "Act to amend the Act entitled 'an Act to incorporate Hanover Academy'" was read and approved in a meeting on January 10, 1833.