Frances Elliott Mann Hall (October 6, 1853 – February 6, 1935) was an American educator, school administrator, and one of the five founders of

Sigma Kappa Sigma Kappa (, also known as SK or Sig Kap) is a sorority founded on November 9, 1874 at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. The sorority has initiated 226,000 members, has 119 collegiate chapters, and has over 98 alumnae chapters. It is offic ...

sorority. She opened and operated the Hall-Noyes School in Washington, D.C.

Early life

Frances Elliott Mann was born on October 6, 1853, in

Yarmouth, Maine Yarmouth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, twelve miles north of the state's largest city, Portland, Maine, Portland. When originally settled in 1636, as North Yarmouth, Maine, North Yarmouth, it was part of the Massachusetts ...

. She was a high school teacher in

Rockport, Massachusetts Rockport is a seaside New England town, town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,992 in 2020 United States census, 2020. Rockport is located approximately northeast of Boston, at the tip of the Cape Ann peninsula. ...

. She felt she needed better professional training and enrolled in

Colby College Colby College is a private liberal arts college in Waterville, Maine, United States. Founded in 1813 as the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, it was renamed Waterville College in 1821. The donations of Christian philanthropist Gardner ...

when she was in her early twenties. Colby College was the first New England college to admit women along with men. While at Colby, Mann was a founder of the

sorority. However, she had to leave college in her junior year because of astigmatic headaches.

Sigma Kappa

Mary Caffrey Low Mary Caffrey Low Carver (March 22, 1850 - March 4, 1926) was an American librarian and educator. She was one of the five founding members of the Sigma Kappa sorority and a pioneering advocate for women's education, along with being an accomplished ...

was the first female student at Colby College. After two years, she was joined by four other women, including Frances Elliott Mann. Being the only female students in the college, the five found themselves together frequently. In 1873–74, the five students decided to form a literary and social society. The college administration instructed them that they would need to present a constitution and bylaws with a petition requesting permission to form Sigma Kappa Sorority. They began work during that year and on November 9, 1874, the five young women received a letter from the faculty approving their petition. Hall continued to be active with the sorority. She attended the 4th national convention of Sigma Kappa in

Waterville, Maine Waterville is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States, on the west bank of the Kennebec River. A college town, the city is home to Colby College, a New England Small College Athletic Conference, NESCAC college, and Thomas College. As ...

in 1924. She attended the 1928 Sigma Kappa Convention in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

and the Saranac Convention in 1933.

Career

Hall taught Latin at the Central High School in Washington, D.C. for 40 years. She worked with her husband who was also a teacher. Starting around 1904, she ran the Hall-Noyes School, a private school that prepared youths and adults for college and entrance exams for civil service, the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

, and the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

. The school operated until the mid-1920s.

Personal life

Mann married George Washington Hall, another Colby student. She was a member of the

Order of the Eastern Star The Order of the Eastern Star (OES) is a Freemasonry, Masonic List of fraternal auxiliaries and side degrees, appendant Masonic bodies, body open to both men and women. It was established in 1850 by lawyer and educator Rob Morris (Freemason), R ...

. After her husband died, she replaced him as president of The Maine Association of Washington, D.C., also known as the Maine Society. This was a club for individuals from the state of Maine. She died on February 6, 1935, in the Emergency Hospital in Washington, D.C. Reportedly, her last message before her death was, "Take my love to all the chapters. God bless them." She was buried in the Ledge Cemetery in

. The George Washington University chapter and Vanderbilt chapter of Sigma Kappa each held a memorial service to eulogize Hall.

References

External links

Sigma Kappa Sorority official site

Find A Grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Frances Elliott Mann 1853 births 1935 deaths Colby College alumni People from Rockport, Massachusetts Sigma Kappa founders 19th-century American educators