Office of Registration records
Collection
0041-UA
The Office of Registration was an administrative office of the Maryland Agricultural College responsible for recording information about entering students and students' classroom performance. The collection contains student and entrance registers and records of recitations of the Maryland Agricultural College.
This collection is open for research.
Photocopies of original materials may be provided for a fee and at the discretion of the curator. Please see our Duplication of Materials policy for more information. Queries regarding publication rights and copyright status of materials within this collection should be directed to the appropriate curator.
7.25 Linear Feet
The Office of Registration recordss span the period 1859 to 1916. The collection consists of student registers, records of recitations, and entrance registers maintained by that office. The student registers list the students who were enrolled at the college during the period 1859 to 1907. Information found in these registers includes the names of the parents of each student, the age of the student, and an address for that student. The records of recitations were the grade books kept for each student. Information on the courses each student was taking and whether that student was working up to his potential is included. The entrance registers are similar to the student registers except that more information on the students is provided. In addition to name, name of parent, and address of each student, facts on the father's occupation, church affiliation, and educational preparation appear.
The Office of Registrations originated as the primary administrative office of the Maryland Agricultural College, established in 1859. The office was responsible for recording information about entering students, and students' classroom performance. The office also collected student fees and conducted entrance examinations.
Dr. John C. Wharton, one of the small stockholders of the college, became the first registrar, serving in that capacity from 1859-1865. It was his responsibility to collect all fees and to hold and distribute any pocket money to the students. All communications relating to money matters were to be sent to his office. The registrar also supervised the students' work on the college farm, since there were no physical training classes at this time.
Except for a brief period when the university was closed (the 1866-1867 academic year), the office of registrations was headed by a number of registrars:
E. Madison Mitchell (1870 to 1873)
Major Francis Soper (1874 to 1876)
Thomas Jones, professor of agriculture (1877 to 1885?)
Position vacant (1886 to 1887)
W. Horace Roper (1888 to 1889)
Position vacant (1889 to 1890)
Joseph Owens, M.D. (1890 to 1908)
Frank Kent (1909 to 1910)
Herschel Ford (1911 to 1915)
Upon the death of Herschel Ford in 1915, it appears that the Office of Registrations ceased to exist. Many of the functions of that office were taken over by the faculty committee on catalog, student enrollment and college entrance, formed in 1918 to facilitate the growth of student enrollment at the college.
This collection is organized as three series:
The University of Maryland at College Park Libraries received the Office of Registration records from an unknown source in the early 1970s.
Three series have been created from the Office of Registration records. The materials have been put into acid-free boxes.
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives