Frances Elliott Mann Hall

Who was Frances Elliott Mann Hall?

Frances Mann Hall was one of the five founders of Sigma Kappa sorority.

Colby College, in Waterville, Maine, became the first New England college to admit women along with men. Mary Caffrey Low became the first female student at Colby, and for two years remained the only one. Eventually she was joined by four other women, and along with Elizabeth Gorham Hoag, Ida Fuller, Hall and Louise Helen Coburn, Low created the Sigma Kappa sorority at Colby on November 9, 1874.

Hall is the only member of Sigma Kappa to also be a member of the Order of the Eastern Star.

Being the only women in the college, the five of them found themselves together frequently. In 1873-74, the five young women decided to form a literary and social society. They were instructed by the college administration 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. They sought for and received permission to form a sorority with the intent for the organization to become national.

Frances Hall was a high school teacher in Rockport, Massachusetts prior to entering Colby College. She felt she needed better training for her profession. Hall was slightly older than the other women but was still in her early 20s.