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Conditions Governing Access:

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Preferred Citation:

Cerulean Society Minute Book, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.

Historical Note:

Information about this individual or organization may be available in the Special Collections Research Center Wiki: .

Scope and Contents

Minutes, 1842 March 16-May 3, of meetings of the Cerulean Society of Williamsburg, Virginia which was a literary club formed by three women who inducted male "knights" into the group. A "knight" read a poem or thesis at each meeting and his talk was recorded in the volume. The book was kept by Mary Greenhow Lee while on a visit to Williamsburg and contains a list of people she visited. It also includes diary entries, 16 March-3 May 1842, concerning her visit in Williamsburg and 20 September-17 December 1842, concerning a visit in Winchester, Virginia.

This document was conserved with support from the Pulaski Club.

Related Material

Phipps, Shelia Rae, " 'I Feel Quite Independent Now:'The Life of Mary Greenhow Lee." (Ph. D. Dissertation, College of William and Mary, 1998).

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Clubs--Virginia--History--19th century
• Literature--Societies, etc
• Manners and customs--Southern States
• Minutes
• Williamsburg (Va.)--History--19th century
• Winchester (Va.)--History--19th century