Elizabeth Lathrop Rowell was born on January 28, 1882 in Warren, Massachusetts to Timothy Bryant Rowell and Bessie Champion Lathrop Rowell. She attended West Springfield High School then went to Mount Holyoke College between 1899 and 1904, majoring in French. In 1906 Rowell took a year of teacher training at Westfield Normal School (Massachusetts). She taught at the Riverdale Street School (Westfield, Massachusetts) from 1907-1911 and worked in the Westfield assessor's office from 1911 until her retirement in 1951. She died at age 103 in West Springfield, Massachusetts on September 29, 1985.

The Elizabeth L. Rowell Papers consist of course records, biographical information and photographs. The material in the collection relates mainly to her years as a Mount Holyoke College student, 1899-1904. These papers primarily consist of notebooks, notes and examinations. The majority of these records are for English language and literature, history and physics courses. Other records relate to courses in astronomy, Biblical history and literature, chemistry, French, German, Latin, mathematics, philosophy and zoology. The biographical information consist of notes about Rowell, ca.1920, two newspaper clippings concerning her birthday celebrations in 1982 and 1983, and her obituary, 1985. The photographs are those taken on her hundred and third birthday, January 28, 1985.

This collection is organized into three series:

• Course Records
• Biographical Information
• Photographs