The Adelphian Society was a
college literary society established in 1840 at the
Hamilton Literary and Theological Institution
Colgate University is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated un ...
( now
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theologi ...
) in
Hamilton, New York
Hamilton is a town in Madison County, New York, United States. The population was 6,690 at the 2010 census. The town is named after American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.
The Town of Hamilton contains a village also named Hamilton, the s ...
. It merged into
Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi (), commonly known as Beta, is a North American social fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. One of North America's oldest fraternities, as of 2022 it consists of 144 active chapters in the Unite ...
fraternity in 1880.
History
The Aldelphian Society was organized on October 31, 1840 at the
Hamilton Literary and Theological Institution
Colgate University is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated un ...
(later called Hamilton College, Madison University, and now
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theologi ...
).
The society was formed by 31 men led by its first president, Orrin Bishop Judd.
The Adelphian Society was founded on the same day as the Aeonian Society. The two literary societies were built on the remains of the college's first literary societies,
Gamma Phi Society and Pi Delta, established in 1833 and 1834, respectively.
Competition for members between the two societies led to faculty intervention, with the result that both seem to have been dissolved in 1840 when the Adelphian and Aeonian Societies came into existence.
The purpose of the Aldelphian Society was to “progress in literary attainments and cultivation among all the members of an undecaying friendship."
Its main activity was the presentation of original works by students.
This activity resulted in faculty approval as the group "stimulated the development of oral and written expression, which were phases of the curriculum badly in need of expansion.”
On December 10, 1880, the Adelphian Society became the ''Beta Theta chapter'' of the national
Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi (), commonly known as Beta, is a North American social fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. One of North America's oldest fraternities, as of 2022 it consists of 144 active chapters in the Unite ...
fraternity.
The Aldelphian Society's records are held at the Special Collections and University Archives of Colgate University Libraries.
Related organizations
In 1850, five members of the Adelphian Society transferred to the newly formed
University of Rochester
The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees.
The University of Roc ...
and founded the
Delphic Society
The Delphic Fraternity, Inc., also known as Delphic of Gamma Sigma Tau (), is a historic multicultural fraternity originally founded in New York State in 1871 and re-established in 1987. The fraternity can trace its origin back to the ''Delphic S ...
.
See also
*
Literary society
*
College literary societies
*
List of societies at Colgate University
*
List of college literary societies
*
List of literary societies in the United States
References
{{Reflist
*
College literary societies in the United States
1840 establishments in New York (state)