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Frederic C. Church dance card collection, 1907-1977

Overview of the Collection

Creator
University of Idaho; ; Church, Frederic C. (Frederic Corss), 1885-1966
Title
Frederic C. Church dance card collection
Dates
1907-1977 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.5 cubic feet, (1 legal sized document box)
Collection Number
MG 477
Summary
Frederic Corss Church was a Professor of History at the University of Idaho, this collection contains primarily his dance cards and other greeting cards and letters.
Repository
University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives
Special Collections and Archives
University of Idaho Library
875 Perimeter Drive
MS 2350
Moscow, ID
83844-2350
Telephone: 2088850845
libspec@uidaho.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

Frederic C. Church (1885-1966) was the Chairman and Professor of History at the University of Idaho from the years of 1921-1955. He was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on October 3rd, 1885 and lived out the rest of his childhood in Kingston, Pennsylvania. He enrolled at Cornell University where he received his A.B. in History and Political Science in 1909, as well as his doctorate in 1916. He taught at a few other universities and colleges, before the University of Idaho offered him a job.

Aside from his teaching, he was a confirmed member of the oldest academic honor society, Phi Beta Kappa, when the University established its own chapter in 1925. He was noted as the first secretary and held the position for over 25 years. He had also served as chapter advisor, and was an honorary member in Phi Delta Theta. Church had often hosted many of the chapter’s events at his own home.

Church’s affiliation with Phi Delta Theta contributed to a major portion in this collection. Along with the correspondence (cards, letters, telegram, etc.) from Phi Delta Theta, the donation also had a generous amount of dance cards from this fraternity as well. Since a majority of this collection is made up of the dance cards from the University of Idaho’s fraternities, events, and dances, Church has a meaningful association with this specific collection.

Dance cards are said to have been around since the 18th century. They were used to write down the names of prospective dance partners at a formal event or dance. These cards were fairly common in Europe for a few hundred years but didn’t come to America until the mid-19th century. It was also around this time that dance styles were beginning to change. Longer dances, such as the minuet, were being replaced with shorter waltz-like styles of dance; meaning that there were more opportunities to dance with multiple partners. This prompted ladies to write down names of their upcoming dance partners in smaller notebooks, or on the back of their fans, to make it easier for them to remember.

Eventually, organizers of these events had these elaborate dance cards made so that you could write in your partners name next to the specified style of dance. However, the use of the dance card began to fall through in the early 20th century, when society stopped having formal, set dances. Although they might still have been around at this time, it was more likely that they would have been used for the keepsake purposes, rather than for their original intent.

The dance cards found in this collection are from events and dances held on the University of Idaho’s campus, ranging from the years 1907-1977. A large portion came from a couple of the fraternities, while the others are from the separate class dances as well as the more specified events and dances that were held on campus.

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Content Description

The University of Idaho's archived collection of dance cards and correspondence of Frederic Corss Church, span the years 1907-1977, with some of the contents being donated by M. Johnson. The following dance cards seen in the collection come from the fraternities of Phi Delta Theta, Sigma Nu, Lambda Chi Alpha and Phi Kappa Tau. There are also a collection of dance cards from Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior Dances, as well as a Military Ball and other UI Dances and Events. Within the correspondence of Frederic Corss Church, there are thank-you letters, cards, invitations, a telegram of condolence, and his Phi Delta Theta ribbon.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

[DESCRIPTION OF ITEM], Frederic C. Church dance card collection, MG 477, Special Collections and Archives, University of Idaho Library, Moscow, ID

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Materials received from M. Johnson [1999] (MA 99-04)

Related Materials

Related materials may be found in Manuscript Group 83 Frederic Corss Church papers.

Bibliography

Church, Frederic Corss. "THE INSTITUTION OF THE ALPHA CHAPTER OF IDAHO." The Phi Beta Kappa Key, vol. 6, no. 5, 1926, pp. 291. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/42912939.

"Etiquette" A History of social Dance in America – AAS Online Exhibitions. https://www.americanantiquarian.org/Exhibitions/Dance/etiquette.htm. Accessed 11 October 2019.

Hatch, Donna. "Dance Cards". Donna Hatch, 6 Nov. 2015, https://donnahatch.com/dance-cards/. Acessed 11 October 2019

"PHI BETA KAPPA CHAPTERS AND ASSOCIATIONS." The Phi Beta Kappa Key, vol. 7, no. 9, 1930, pp.619. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/42914279.

Pratt, Victoria. "Thank Goodness We Don't Have To Do That Anymore: Dance Cards." Uncommon Courtesy, 25 Oct. 2013, https://uncommon-courtesy.com/2013/10/25/dance-cards/. Acessed 11 October 2019.

"Thirty-Five Years Service Brings Merit, Memories" The Idaho Argonaut. Vol. 60, no. 62, 1 June 1956, p.1. The Argonaut Digital Collection, https://digital.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/collection/argonaut/id/269 7/rec/17

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • College students
  • Christmas Cards
  • Correspondence
  • Dance
  • Dance Cards
  • Greeting Cards
  • Invitation Cards
  • Prom

Corporate Names

  • Lambda Chi Alpha
  • Phi Delta Theta
  • Phi Kappa Tau
  • Sigma Nu

Geographical Names

  • Moscow (Idaho)

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Church, Frederic C. (Frederic Corss), 1885-1966 (fmo)

Finding Aid prepared by Victoria Zenner.
2019

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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