Nightingale, Frances Nicolau, 1871-1948
Person
Biography
Founder of Miss Nightingale's Classes, Miss Nightingale's School, and the Nightingale-Bamford School. Head of School, 1904-1939.
Frances Nicolau Nightingale was born September 20, 1871 in Savannah, Georgia to William and Ellen (Hazelhurst) Nightingale, a descendant of diplomat Rufus King and of Revolutionary War hero Major General Nathaniel Greene. Her father was a planter and had a rice plantation near Cumberland Island, Georgia.
Miss Nightingale moved north to New York, where she had relatives. She is listed in the 1904 Social Register (NY) under her aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. George D.L. Harison (Elisabeth Nightingale). In 1906, Miss Nightingale began teaching the Bartlett children at the request of their mother. The next year, she taught eight girls. By 1918, Miss Nightingale had acquired a separate space for teaching, calling it Miss Nightingale's Classes.
In the spring of 1919, Miss Nightingale was introduced to Maya Stevens Bamford, and that fall, Miss Bamford joined Miss Nightingale's Classes as junior headmistress. The next year, two townhouses at 20-22 East 92nd Street were purchased and the school later became known as Miss Nightingale's School. In 1929, the townhouses were replaced with a new building and the school renamed the Nightingale-Bamford School. Miss Nightingale served as headmistress until her retirement in 1939.
Frances Nightingale passed away in Petersborough, New Hampshire on November 14, 1948.
See Nightingale-Bamford School magazine, Fall 1995, p. 29 for a feature article on Miss Nightingale.
Found in 66 Collections and/or Records:
Commencement speech, 1929 May 29
Item — Box: 06001
Identifier: 006 001 000 07 0006
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
While the records surviving Miss Nightingale's tenure as head of school are not numerous, there are some key records that give a glimpse of her leadership style and intentions for the school. Records from Miss Nightingale's files are supplemented by documents and photographs that shed light on her background and school presence. Records include several early commencement speeches, minimal correspondence, compiled biographical information, and photographs of Miss Nightingale. Also of note...
Dates:
1929 May 29
Commencement speech, 1927 May
Item — Box: 01020
Identifier: 001 003 000 07 0001
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
Commencement Records include commencement ceremony invitations, programs, scripts, and transcriptions of speeches given. Each year, a commencement guest speaker is invited to deliver words of wisdom and inspiration to the graduating senior students; correspondence with prospective guest speakers and the speaker's biographical information and or curriculum vitae may be in this record series. Also of note are sheet music and lyrics for a Nightingale commencement song. Invitations include the...
Dates:
1927 May
Commencement speech, 1925
Item — Box: 01020
Identifier: 001 003 000 07 0003
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
Commencement Records include commencement ceremony invitations, programs, scripts, and transcriptions of speeches given. Each year, a commencement guest speaker is invited to deliver words of wisdom and inspiration to the graduating senior students; correspondence with prospective guest speakers and the speaker's biographical information and or curriculum vitae may be in this record series. Also of note are sheet music and lyrics for a Nightingale commencement song. Invitations include the...
Dates:
1925
Commencement speech for the Class of 1925. Accompanied by typescript, 1925
Item — Box: 06001
Identifier: 006 001 000 07 0003
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
While the records surviving Miss Nightingale's tenure as head of school are not numerous, there are some key records that give a glimpse of her leadership style and intentions for the school. Records from Miss Nightingale's files are supplemented by documents and photographs that shed light on her background and school presence. Records include several early commencement speeches, minimal correspondence, compiled biographical information, and photographs of Miss Nightingale. Also of note...
Dates:
1925
Compilation of quotes from interviews conducted by Marea Adams '74 for NBS oral history project, 1987
Item — Box: 01095
Identifier: 001 004 000 10 0021
Scope and Contents
From the Record Group:
In 1984, based on a determination that Nightingale's archives were inadequate in revealing the school's history, Head of School Joan McMenamin and the Alumnae Association initiated an oral history project. Alumna Marea Adams '74 conducted interviews of former faculty and staff, heads of school, trustees, parents, and alumnae (some interviewees represent more than one of these roles). This project continued through 1986. Some oral histories pre-date the project; there are also several oral...
Dates:
1987
Correspondence between Frances Nightingale and Max Lerner regarding commencement speaking engagement, 1939
File — Box: 01018
Identifier: 001 003 000 09 0019
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
Commencement Records include commencement ceremony invitations, programs, scripts, and transcriptions of speeches given. Each year, a commencement guest speaker is invited to deliver words of wisdom and inspiration to the graduating senior students; correspondence with prospective guest speakers and the speaker's biographical information and or curriculum vitae may be in this record series. Also of note are sheet music and lyrics for a Nightingale commencement song. Invitations include the...
Dates:
1939
Correspondence seeking information on school founders, 1993
File — Box: 04086
Identifier: 004 002 002 06 0004
Scope and Contents
From the Record Group:
The External Relations Record Group is comprised of records related to the Nightingale-Bamford School's communications and relations with outside groups, such as students' parents, alumnae, media and the general public. These include records from the Institutional Advancement office related to the Alumnae Association and fundraising, Parents Association records, and Communications office records including those relevant to the school's branding and image, such as school news publications,...
Dates:
1993
Correspondence with Johanna Jennsen regarding employment, 1928 - 1929
File — Box: 01021
Identifier: B01021_F23
Scope and Contents
From the Sub-Group:
Faculty and Staff Records consist of records mainly pertaining to Nightingale employees (excepting administration) and their roles within the school. Included are newsletters by and/or for faculty members, biographical information and news clippings about faculty/staff, photographs and video recordings featuring faculty/staff, correspondence, lists of faculty and staff members, faculty handbooks, minutes from faculty meetings and summaries or notes from such meetings, and curriculum-related...
Dates:
1928 - 1929
Draft announcement relating to retirement of Frances Nightingale, c. 1939
Item — Box: 06001
Identifier: 006 001 000 01 0001
Scope and Contents
From the Series:
While the records surviving Miss Nightingale's tenure as head of school are not numerous, there are some key records that give a glimpse of her leadership style and intentions for the school. Records from Miss Nightingale's files are supplemented by documents and photographs that shed light on her background and school presence. Records include several early commencement speeches, minimal correspondence, compiled biographical information, and photographs of Miss Nightingale. Also of note...
Dates:
c. 1939
Electronic mail message : to Lala Wood, et al. / Dorothy Hutcheson, relating to Frances Nightingale's Georgia roots, 1996 Jul 22
Item — Box: 06012
Identifier: 006 006 000 02 0020
Scope and Contents
From the Sub-Group:
Heads of School records consist of records created by or under the purview of the various heads of Nightingale-Bamford School from its founding to present, as well as photographs, clippings, and biographical records with the head of school as subject. Records include correspondence and announcements, memoranda, reports from the heads of school to the Board of Trustees, speeches given by heads of school, and related records created and received in the course of business as well as records...
Dates:
1996 Jul 22
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