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Brass name stencil for S. C. Wolverton. The stencils in this collection likely pre-date Clara Wolverton, (possibly mid-19th century on), and their original owner is unknown, though her mother’s married initials start with S. C..

The bulk of the collection pertains to Mildred’s time at the New Jersey State Normal School at Trenton from 1913-1915. Of special note is her diary, which begins with a daily account of camping in Shawmont, Pennsylvania (now Roxborough, Northwest Philadelphia) before going off to Normal where she writes of her classroom and social activities. Her copy of the Seal yearbook is heavily signed and annotated with alumni information up to 1980. Her photograph collection documents students in their everyday lives on campus including in their dorm rooms, wearing gym uniforms, performing a Japanese Tea ceremony, and a possible inside joke of her and her friends enacting characters based on their teacher William N. Mumper (the yearbook is inscribed to indicate “Mumpers” characters). There also are several photographs of faculty members (before they were pictured in the yearbooks).

There are some additional materials from the late 1970s including Normal School alumni lists and photographs of her paintings from her post-retirement career as an artist.

Content warning: Some of the yearbooks from 1911 through the 1930s contain racist illustrations of figures in blackface and minstrel characters, as well as inaccurate, derogatory, and/or offensive depictions of Asian and Indigenous people.

The first issue of The Seal was focused on the history and activities of the Class of 1911 and included sections on “class prophecies,” “statistics” of each student, a calendar of the year’s past events, poems, ditties and songs, vignettes of events in each department and hall (dorm) life, listings of the literary societies as well as social clubs (such as “the red mice” and “the clammy six”), a group portrait of the class and some of the societies and clubs, and advertising from Trenton businesses. The seniors were listed in a directory and did not have individual portraits. The next yearbook, 1912, had a similar format, but also included a list of faculty members, as well as photographs of the campus buildings. Starting in 1915, there were individual portraits of graduating seniors (1913 had individual portraits as well, but not 1914). The format remained fairly consistent afterward, however a few issues from the 1920s also have the Juniors, or class of February of the next year listed in the book with the previous May graduates. The Yearbook Club had several name variations, including: Year-Book Club, Year Book Club, or just “Yearbook” or “Seal.”

The collection is complete from 1911 until The Seal ceased publication in 2017. No issue was printed in 1944 due to World War II restrictions.

In addition, there are a few folders of ephemera, correspondence, photographs, obituaries, and other clippings taken from books formerly belonging to Vivian Rolandelli, Kenneth Weber, and Jessie Turk.

This collection contains the literary and social critique publications of the college, with the exception of The Signal newspapers and fraternal and sororal organizations' newsletters. The collection is divided into 12 Series:
Series 1, So to Speak, 1938
Series 2, Sigma Phi Alpha Poetry Contest, 1938-1939
Series 3, Sophomore English Majors Publications, 1950-1956
Series 4, The Chimes/Chimes, 1957-1980, T.S.C. Poetry Review: Chimes, 1980-1983, Lion's Eye/The Lion's Eye, 1984-present
Series 5, The Trenton Review, 1966, The Trenton State College Review 1990-1996, The College of New Jersey Review, 1997-2005
Series 6, Utimme Umana: La Voz Oculta, 1972-1990
Series 7, Fire II, 1973-1987
Series 8, Gumption, 1980-1983
Series 9, Emanon Enizagam, 1986
Series 10, Siren, 1995-2007

The photograph shows students and faculty sitting and standing on the steps of the school. They are located in front of the main doors to the school building. In the bottom center of the photograph is a sign that reads "February Class of 1904."

The photograph shows students and faculty sitting and standing on the steps of the school. They are located in front of the main doors to the school building. In the bottom center of the photograph is a sign that reads "Normal June Class of '05." The back of the photo is inscribed with the following words: "Mr. Sauerborn will call for Wed noon 12 o'clock frame #8755 french glass $2.25."

Content warning: The materials include inaccurate, derogatory, and/or offensive depictions of people indigenous to the area and references to minstrel show performances.

The Annual Report began as a report submitted to the New Jersey State Legislature in 1855, and later to the New Jersey State Board of Education. The earliest issues contain essays and remarks by the school’s principals; descriptions of the Normal School and Model School curricula and courses; information about admissions standards; college finances; rules about student life and behavior; and lists of students, faculty and staff.

From 1855 to 1907, the publication was named Annual Report. Then from 1908-1933, it was named Annual Report and Catalogue (or Catalog). In 1930, separate Bulletins were issued for extension courses.Then, beginning in 1933-1934, the name of the publication changed to Bulletin and no longer contained “Annual Report” in its title. This new State Teachers College Bulletin was serialized to four issues per academic year: the first issue contained the first semester extension courses, the second was the main course catalog, the third published the second semester extension courses, and the fourth contained the summer school courses. This format was fairly consistent into the 1950s until the school published graduate bulletins later in the decade. In the 1960s, separate bulletins were published for field services and guides for applicants. In the 1970s, another issue was added for continuing education courses.

Of special note, the parameters of the academic year changed many times before settling on the current format of the school year beginning in autumn and finishing in the summer of the following year. For many issues of the Annual Report, the year began in what we would now consider the second or Spring semester. Often, the Bulletin contained the summer session in the year previous or following. During both world wars, issues had combined years likely to save paper. In more recent years, the Graduate Bulletin was issued with a different volume numbering system than the others in the series.

The content of the Annual Reports during the Normal school years contained a good deal of information about faculty updates, student life and activities, as well as photographs of buildings, classrooms, and groups of students. The Bulletins were structured more like a typical course catalog, but all graduates’ names continued to be printed until 1956.

Series 1 - Faculty Registers, 1856-1961
The Payroll (spelled “Pay Roll” on cover) Register contains the monthly wages of faculty and administrators of the New Jersey State Normal School from May/June 1856, through January 1873. The register lists the faculty names and amounts due with their signature arranged in order of highest to lowest salaries per month. Beginning in 1857, there was no pay during the summer months of July and August.

The Faculty Book is a combination of a register and scrapbook. It was likely begun by Principal James Green or his secretary around 1895, to record information about faculty members. It contains a handwritten index of faculty names (all of whom appear to be employed by the school by 1902) corresponding to brief handwritten biographies. It also has pasted-in recommendation letters and clippings about faculty members up to 1907, handwritten and pasted-in clippings about Normal School trustees and officers, legislation approving new residence halls in 1890, and New Jersey State Board of Education minutes. Also included in the book was a loose copy of a memo from James Green instructing all teachers to fill out information for a registry.

The Teacher’s Register is a set of 176 cards that appear to be the registry referred to in the memo from James Green in the Faculty Book. Each card records a faculty member’s education background, credentials, and publications, created from 1902-1928. Some cards have additional annotations that date up to 1961 about deaths, name changes, or date a teacher left the Normal School.

Series 2 - Student Registers, 1855-1924
The Teacher Contracts book was signed by each student upon entrance to the New Jersey State Normal School agreeing to the following statement printed on each page:

“The undersigned, having received Certificates of admission as Pupils in the New Jersey State Normal School, hereby declare, that it is their intention to engage in the employment of Teachers in the Common Schools of this state for at least two years, and that their object in resorting to this school, is the better to qualify themselves for that responsible duty. The undersigned also hereby agree to report themselves semi-annually, in writing, for the aforesaid period of two years, to the Principal of the Normal School, in case they enjoy its privileges for one term or more.”

The student’s town and county of residence also is included with their signature. The first student to sign was Emma B. Pearson in 1855. The last signature is from 1916.

The Final Grades Books are three volumes (Volume 1 - 1871-1889, Volume 2 - 1889-1901, Volume 3 - 1901-1912) which record a student’s final set of grades in each academic subject, similar to today’s transcript. Students’ names are listed alphabetically by their last name, then chronologically by graduating year. Each entry records the student’s name, date of entrance to the school, final grade average by subject, and remarks. The grading system was either the same as or similar to the numerical scale of 100 used today, or a letter scoring system: E = Excellent, VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, P = Poor/Failure.

In the second volume, there is a list of approved schools and their details. Only students from these schools would have been accepted at the Normal School. There are additional columns for student information such as age at entrance, name of preparatory school, and date of graduation from the Normal School. This volume contains more information in the remarks field such as notations about extra work performed or additional special classes attended outside of the regular curriculum. In addition, it appears that the first page of students’ names was originally glued down, likely due to an error of starting names beginning with B on the A pages resulting in the first pages seeming to be out of order.

The third volume is similar to the others except the grades change to the letter scale and there are more remarks about students’ personal situations, such as leaving to be married, leaving with discipline, or leaving due to “double failure.”

The Grade Books and Reports are four volumes (Volume 1 - June 1895-February 1902, Volume 2 - June 1902-June 1909, Volume 3 - 1910-1915, Volume 4 - February 1916-Feburary 1922) that record graduating students’ grades in teaching practice, style, and form; the school grades or subjects for which they would be qualified to teach; and comments about their performance. The lists are arranged chronologically by class graduating year, then alphabetically by name. At the time, grading was described in Time the Great Teacher by Rachel M. Jarrold and Glenn E. Fromm, “...School marking of the pupils was an elaborate process, which would lead teachers of today to rise in rebellion.”

The grading system in these volumes was made up of three different scales: a set of numbers from 1 to 5 (1 being the highest) for style and form, 1 to 100 for academic achievement, and the letter system described in the Final Grades Books (E = Excellent, VG = Very Good, G = Good, F = Fair, P = Poor/Failure) for teaching practice. The comments about a student’s performance were for both academic work and as a student teacher. These remarks ranged from “...unsympathetic, due to lack of facial expression,” and “...teaching is superficial, sometimes inaccurate…,” to “...not very intelligent, but manages fairly well….”

The first volume lists a students’ names and grades in Discipline, Originality, Intelligence, Manner, Teaching, Practice (academic work), Music, and grade level qualified to teach. The second volume adds a student’s home address and the subject areas of Kindergarten, Vocal or Instrumental Music, History, Mathematics, Nature Study, Psychology, English, Latin, German, and French. It drops “Originality” as an assessment. In June 1908, a column was added for “State Teaching Center,” which was the school where the student began their required teaching assignment. The fourth volume adds a column for the student’s age.

The Appointments Registers are two volumes (Volume 1 - June 1909-June 1916 and
Volume 2 - February 1917-June 1923) that list Normal School students' teaching appointments to schools throughout New Jersey. After graduating, students were required to teach at appointed schools in the state for at least two years. Arranged alphabetically by graduating class year, this register contains the student's name; home or permanent mailing address; school’s address; grade taught; salary; and memoranda which might include name change due to marriage, death information, number of years teaching, and other pertinent information.

Series 3 - Visitor Register, 1918-1925
The Visitors Register lists guests to the New Jersey State Normal School between March 4, 1918, and March 18, 1925. The register includes the guest's name, address, class year if an alumnus, and remarks for reason of visit. Types of visits include school administrators seeking new teachers, club reunions at the Normal School, and friendly visits to former teachers.

Content warning: The illustration and description of the mural (in Box 1, Folder 3) includes inaccurate, derogatory, and/or offensive depictions of people indigenous to the area.

The Mildred Duncan Warnecke Collection contains student group photographs; photo albums depicting family life, sports and leisure activities, rural scenes, and Normal School students; newsletters and student activities of the class of 1907; and reunion materials related to Gamma Sigma Nu sorority. The collection also contains copies of The Seal yearbook and The Signal newspaper. Warnecke came to acquire the photo albums created by Louise Woodruff Bush, likely through meeting Bush (older Gamma Sigma Nu member) at the sorority annual reunions. The collection spans 1906-2000, with most of the materials created between 1906-1969.

Plate 29 of 48 in the 1930 edition of Franklin Survey Company's Real Estate Plat-Book of the City of Trenton and Borough of Princeton, Mercer County, New Jersey. This plate depicts the Coalport/North Clinton neighborhood of Trenton, where the Normal and Model School campus was located--the school buildings are located on the lot at the corner of Clinton Avenue and Perry Street, while the dormitories are situated along Model Avenue, across from the main campus. By the end of the 1930s, the college had moved to the Hillwood Lakes Campus, and by the end of the 1950s most of this neighborhood had been razed in the name of "urban renewal." The site of the Normal and Model Schools is currently occupied by the U.S. Grant Intermediate School.

Note that this volume is not considered part of the same physical collection as the State Normal and Model Schools collection, instead being part of Trentoniana's historical maps.