Commencement Exercises 1889, A Florentine Mosaic

I can only guess that this invitation belonged to one of the Moran girls, most likely Fannie Moran.  I know she and Ida Moran attended Mrs. M.E. Clark's Select School for Young Ladies and were probably friends with the ladies mentioned in the announcement.

Commencement Exercises

of Mrs M.E. Clark's
Select School for Young Ladies,
At Watkins' Hall, Nashville, Tenn
Wednesday Evening, June 5 1889,
8 to 9:30 o'clock.

"A Florentine Mosaic,"
By the Class of 1889

Miss Mary Porter WEAKLEY, Tenn
Miss Claribel R. TURNER, Tenn.
Miss Elizabeth P. MCDANIEL, Mo.
Miss Sara H. GLASGOW, Tenn.

Conferring of Honors by the President of the 
Board of Advisers,
Dr. Charles Forster SMITH





Mary Porter Weakley was the daughter of Thomas Porter WEAKLEY and Harriet Helen MOORE.  She is related to Robert Weakley, a politician and representative in the Tennessee House of Representatives.  Weakley County Tennessee was named after him.

Without more information I am not able at this time to discover who the other ladies might have been.

The Tennessee Centennial and Belmont College, 1897

Search for the Tennessee Centennial at Amazon!

Education has always been important to the Moran family.  From the time they were little they were attending Mrs. Evans School in Dresden TN and then as they became teenagers the boys (Jimmie and Harrell Moran) were off to a school in Elkton KY and then The Webb Bell Buckle School in of course, Bell Buckle, TN.  The girls (Fannie, Ida, and Marion) attended Mrs. M.E. Clark's Select School for Young Ladies and Miss Price's School in Nashville, TN. They went on to attend Belmont College also located in Nashville.  At the time they were attending, the ladies were housed in the Belmont Mansion which had been divided up into dormitory rooms.

The Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition took place in 1897 and there was a special pavilion just for showcasing the contributions and achievements of Tennessee women.  Among those who attended and took part in the Centennial were Fannie and Ida Moran. Fannie contributed works of poetry and writing while Ida participated in Belmont Day at the Centennial by participating in a musical recital.  She performed two solo piano pieces.

This letter from Ann Snyder (Chairman Library Cmte, Women's Board Tennessee Centennial)
was sent to Sue Mooney in Dresden, TN.  Mrs. Mooney was the principal at the Dresden Academy
where Fanny Moran was teaching. The Committee is requesting Mrs. Mooney to submit
books and other works of writing for inclusion at the Exposition. 

This is the programme from Tennessee Centennial for the musical
concert performed by students of Belmont College, May 21, 1897.

Pg. 2 of the programme.  I've underlined Ida Moran's name in red.

Page 3 of the programme.

On the back is a song called Belmont Days.  I'm assuming
it was the Alma Mater for Belmont College.

This is the cover from the Centennial Souvenir book Tennessee Centennial Poems,
written by Annie Somers Gilchrist, 1897.

This is another item from the Tennessee Centennial.  A recital
program for Miss Neva Sharon Stuart, another student from
Belmont College, School of Music.

Mrs. M.E. Clark's Select School for Young Ladies, Nashville Tenn

Young ladies from well-to-do families were often sent away to boarding schools.  Miss Fannie L. Moran was no exception.  She attended Mrs. M.E. Clark's Select School for Young ladies in Nashville, TN and also Price's School in Nashville.  Today's find from the collection of Moran papers includes the front cover of Fannie's school tablet which she signed and dated Dec 17- 1888.  On the inside of the cover she listed the date as Dec 18-1888.  The inscription shows that she was attending Mrs. M.E. Clarke's School and she also listed the names of perhaps some of her classmates and where they were from as well.

Here is a letter dated Aug. 28, 1889 from Mrs. B.A. Johnson, Principal to Fannie Moran (b. Oct 23, 1872 - d. May 3, 1955) exhorting Fannie to become a "thoroughly cultured woman" and that Fannie might be "a sincere Christian, no woman's life is complete without full communion with the church, and of course I mean the Methodist Church".  Fannie was 16 when this letter was written.  

(full transcription is at the end of this post.

Here is the backside of the letter with an explanation 

as to why Mrs. Clark located her school one mile east of the Nashville city limits.  

Transcription of the letter dated Aug 28, 1889, Nashville, TN
From Miss B.A. Johnson, Principal, Select School for Young Ladies
To Miss Fannie Moran

My dear Fannie,
I have only time to acknowledge the receipt of your sweet letter, am fully repaid if my letter re-established pleasant and friendly relations between us.  I wish you abundant success in your pursuit of knowledge.  I know your mind and what you are capable of accomplishing and shall be disappointed if you do not make a thoroughly cultured woman.  Above all I trust you may be a sincere Christian, no woman's life is complete without full communion with the Church, and of course I mean the Methodist Church.  Write me some time Fannie of your efforts in this direction (corner torn off so a word or two are missing) to your mama.  I shall certainly expect to see (missing corner) when in Nashville, telephone me 993. (then on the left side written vertically she says) Ever read Emerson's Traits of Character?  Much love from your (corner missing)
Bessie Johnson

Fannie Moran went on to become the State's first Democratic national committeewoman after serving as Tennessee legislative chairman for the American Women's Suffrage Association.  She was also active in her church and various clubs.  I'm fairly certain that Fannie Moran exceeded the expectations that Bessie Johnson expressed in her letter to Fannie.