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Guide to the First Class of San Jose State Normal School Research Records
MSS-2010-06-11
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Title: First Class of San Jose State Normal School Research Records
Dates: 1827-2009
Bulk Dates: 1827-1922
Collection number: MSS-2010-06-11
Creator:
Walsh, James P.
Collection Size:
1 box,
.5 linear feet
Repository:
San José State University. Library.
San José, California 95192-0028
Abstract: The First Class of San Jose State Normal School Research Records, 1827-2009 (bulk 1827-1922 ) was compiled by SJSU Emeritus
Professor of History, James P. Walsh. This research collection originated from his earlier publication One and the Same: The
History of Continuing Education at San Jose State University, 1857-2007 (SJSU 2006). During the research process for One and
the Same, Walsh discovered the history of the first graduates of the State Normal School. Walsh began the process to document
in greater detail the lives of the first sixteen graduates of the San Jose Normal School, and has since published the article
"Tadhg" Lets Change the Subject," published in Back to the Future of Irish Studies; Festschrift for Tadhg Foley, edited by
Maureen O'Conner (2009). As he notes in his book and article, the first graduating class consisted of sixteen women, fifteen
were single, and one was married. These women migrated to California during gold rush era, and several of them came from Irish
immigrant families. The State Normal School laid the foundation for public higher education in California, and the graduates
became the first credentialed teachers in the state. The records consist of correspondence, census lists, biographical and
historical articles, handwritten notes, and includes the galley proofs of the article "Tadhg" Lets Change the Subject."
Physical location: Vault 1, Range 32A
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
The collection is open for research.
Copyright is assigned to the San José State University Special Collections & Archives. All requests for permission to publish
or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the Special Collections & Archives. Copyright restrictions may apply to digital reproductions of the
original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
First Class of San Jose State Normal School Research Records, MSS-2010-06-11, San José State University Library Special Collections
& Archives.
Collection processed by Lisa Zakharova. Finding aid EAD encoded by Lisa Zakharova. Reviewed by Danelle Moon and Erin Louthen.
This finding aid was created as part of the Survey and Cataloging Project, a two-year San José State University Library grant project funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The project began in 2008. The Project Director is Danelle Moon. The Project Archivist is Erin Louthen.
In 1857 the San Francisco Board of Education established Minns' Evening Normal School for current and prospective teachers
in the city. Named after its principal, George W. Minns, the institution was formally established as the first California
State Normal School by the State Legislature in 1862. A decade later, the Legislature voted to move the Normal School to San
Jose, and the school relocated to its new home on Washington Square prior to the fall term of 1872. After a fire destroyed
the Normal School building in 1880, the Legislature authorized $200,000 to construct a new building on the same site. Completed
in 1881, the building was commonly referred to as the Second State Normal School. After several names and curriculum changes,
Minns' Normal School is now San José State University, offering more than 134 bachelor's and master's degrees with 110 concentrations,
and is recognized as one of the top public universities granting such degrees in the West
Scope and Content of Collection
The First Class of San Jose State Normal School Research Records, 1827-2009 (bulk 1827-1922 ) was compiled by SJSU Emeritus
Professor of History, James P. Walsh. This research collection originated from his earlier publication One and the Same: The
History of Continuing Education at San Jose State University, 1857-2007 (SJSU 2006). During the research process for One and
the Same, Walsh discovered the history of the first graduates of the State Normal School. Walsh began the process to document
in greater detail the lives of the first sixteen graduates of the San Jose Normal School, and has since published the article
"Tadhg" Lets Change the Subject," published in Back to the Future of Irish Studies; Festschrift for Tadhg Foley, edited by
Maureen O'Conner (2009). As he notes in his book and article, the first graduating class consisted of sixteen women, fifteen
were single, and one was married. These women migrated to California during gold rush era, and several of them came from Irish
immigrant families. The State Normal School laid the foundation for public higher education in California, and the graduates
became the first credentialed teachers in the state. The records consist of correspondence, census lists, biographical and
historical articles, handwritten notes, and includes the galley proofs of the article "Tadhg" Lets Change the Subject."
This single series collection is arranged by class ranking. The final folders contain additional research by Professor Walsh.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
San Jose State University -- History
Education, Higher -- California -- San Jose
Education -- California -- San Jose
Women--History--California
Gilbert, Benjamin F., and Burdick, Charles.
Washington Square, 1857-1979: The History of San Jose State University. San Jose, California: San Jose State University, 1980.
San Jose State University.
About SJSU. http://www.sjsu.edu/about_sjsu/
Walsh, James P. San Jose, California: San Jose State University, 2003.
San Jose State University: An Interpretive History, 1950-2000. San Jose, California: San Jose State University, 2003.
Walsh, James P.
"Tadhg: Let's Change the Subject", in Back to the Future of Irish Studies; Festschrift for Tadhg Foley, edited by Maureen
O'Conner, 2009.
San Jose, California: San Jose State University, 2009.