This dataset was compiled in 2020-2021 in order to make these stories more accessible for research and interpretation. The entire casebooks were scanned, transcribed, and placed online as part of the In Her Own Right project, a digitization initiative on women’s activism, 1820-1920, spearheaded by the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries (PACSCL), http://inherownright.org/. However, since entries are given in narrative form, locating patterns and comparing entries based just on the transcriptions is difficult.
This process began by identifying the major types of information conveyed by the entries, divided into five major categories: (A) background information, including details such as the woman’s name, age, occupation(s), and religion; (B) family circumstances, with information about her parents, her relationship status, and her parental status; (C) sexual history, noting whether she was a survivor of sexual assault, engaged in sex work, etc.; (D) struggles faced, including history of institutionalization or imprisonment, addiction, suicidality, and more; and lastly, (E) general notes and notes about her life after the Rosine.
The dataset also includes an identification section (ID) which consists of: a “person number” - a unique identifier assigned by the project for each woman (not the same as the number that the Rosine Association sometimes assigned upon intake, because numbers were not reliably provided for each woman in the casebooks); the entry number - this can be used to locate the transcript of the entry describing each woman (differs from the person number since some entries describe multiple women); a link to the relevant casebook in Swarthmore’s Digital Library, and the page number on which the women’s case begins, to assist the patron/researcher in viewing the original pages on which the woman’s case appears; as well as the full scan ID for that page.
Scholars such as Catherine D'Ignazio and Lauren F. Klein have drawn attention to the limitations and harmful aspects of traditional approaches to data collection and interpretation, beginning to chart new approaches under the heading of “Data Feminism.” The editorial team for the Rosine dataset immediately recognized the impossibility, and indeed the potential harm, of striving to categorize each woman based on the most painful, violent moments of her life; these challenges are compounded by historical changes in the way society has understood and talked about issues like mental health, domestic violence, and sex work. The editorial team applied a hybrid approach to compiling this dataset. Rather than strictly categorizing each woman with a simple “yes” or “no,” the compiler has instead recorded direct quotes or information in the entry that may suggest that each category may apply to each woman (or not). The team hopes that this will aid researchers in quickly identifying entries that may be pertinent given their area of study. It is equally the team’s hope that researchers will then review the evidence, perhaps reviewing the entire entry if necessary, to make their own determination as to whether or not the category should apply.
The editorial team attempted to standardize, or “normalize,” a few categories of responses, notably the occupations of women in the Rosine. In addition to listing previous occupations as recorded in the casebooks (A6a), the editorial team mapped occupations to those listed in "Table II: Occupational Background of New York City Prostitutes, 1839" in Timothy Gilfoyle’s 1992 book City of Eros (A6b) and a limited subset of additional occupations not included in that table (A6c).
The editorial team understands that the words we choose to describe others can range from respectful to hurtful. The impact of these words, no matter the intention behind them, changes over time. Therefore, we recognize that many of the words in this dataset, more commonly used in the nineteenth century, may now be painful to read and experience.
The editorial team thinks it is important for users of this dataset to be aware of the challenges inherent in this language, both as readers of it but also when presenting it to others
Brothels and related terminology. Words to describe sex work and sex workers have changed dramatically over time. In the Rosine Association casebooks, brothels were often referred to as “houses of ill fame” “assignation house.” A brothel, and/or sex work, is strongly implied by referencing a location on “Pine Alley” or “Acorn Alley,” where a high proportion of the Philadelphia’s brothels were located in the mid 19th century. Conversely, the editorial team found no evidence that the term “dance house” was used as a euphemism for brothel.
Crossdressing. The editorial team uses the term crossdressing to refer literally to two cases where a person assigned female at birth was known to wear men’s clothing, but encourages the reader to be attentive to the context. It is unclear from the available evidence whether the people in question might have identified as trans or gender non-conforming in today’s terminology. Wartime crossdressing was a strategy employed by many women historically in order to enable them to accompany a male partner in military service.
Psychological health. 19th century society had an extremely poor understanding of mental health struggles, especially as experienced by women. Terms like “deranged” and “insane” are impossible to translate to 21st century diagnoses, and in some cases may be more indicative of the subject’s resistance to conforming to societal expectations than to any true emotional or psychological disorder.
The editorial team includes Ann Upton, a Friends Historical Library volunteer who compiled the original dataset; Friends Historical Library staff archivist Celia Caust-Ellenbogen, curator Jordan Landes, and digital archivist Emily Higgs, who reviewed and revised the dataset; and Carolyn Levy, former Friends Historical Library fellowship recipient and (at the time of writing) Penn State PhD candidate in the Departments of History and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, who consulted on historical context and provided input on revisions.