George Felch papers
Scope and Content
The majority of the George C. Felch papers are diaries. Several volumes are journals that contain biographical stories and notes on music theory and piano tuning that were likely written by George when he was a student in Boston. The diaries describe jobs performed, cash received, records of tax payments, births and deaths, investments, and descriptions of business and personal affairs. For instance:
Electric lights coming on in St. Johnsbury for the first time in 1891.
The Fairbanks Museum's grand opening in 1892.
Fairbanks scales going to the World's Fair in 1893.
Talking through the telephone in 1896.
Welcoming in the 20th Century on Tuesday, January 1, 1901.
War between Russia and Japan in 1904.
The Titanic sinking in 1912.
Small pox quarantine from February through March of 1912.
The abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936.
The Hindenberg disaster in 1937.
Controversy swirling around the opening of an establishment that served alcohol in 1937.
From his diaries, it is evident that George was very politically active. He always voted the Republican ticket. He held numerous offices within the church. His diaries describe the different jobs he did. George Felch's legal and financial transactions are detailed. He describes paying property taxes, doctor's fees, and telephone bills, when the time arose, as well as church services. The volumes are arranged sequentially by date. A list of personal names that appear in the first three volumes has been compiled. The George Felch papers bear the accession numbers 5404, 5405, 5406, and 5407.
Dates
- 1880-1937
Language of Materials
English
Access:
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights:
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium Archives.
Biographical Note
George Felch was a resident and long-time contributor to his community. George was born on February 24, 1870 and died on March 20, 1939 in the town of St. Johnsbury, Vermont. His father was Carlton Felch, a Fairbanks Scale Company employee and Civil War soldier. Being an avid diarist, an avocation he appears to have acquired from his father, he wrote almost continually from the age of ten. As a young man, he attended the New England Conservatory in Boston where he studied piano tuning, a skill he developed into a lifelong career. He played the piano, the flute, and the piccolo. He wrote short stories, studied French politics, and learned to speak German. He was the director and a member of the St. Johnsbury Town Band, participated in the Volunteer Fire Department, and was an active member of the Universalist Church. He traveled frequently and his job as a piano tuner took him through most of the Vermont-New Hampshire region.
Extent
2 Linear Feet (33 volumes)
Abstract
George Felch was born of February 24, 1870 and died on March 20, 1939 in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. The collection is primarily comprised of diaries, which begin in George's young adulthood and continue up until two years prior to his death.
Physical Location
For current information on the location of these materials, please contact the Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium Archives.
- Title
- Guide to the George Felch papers, 1880-1937
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processor: Members of the Community High School of Vermont/Caledonia Community Work Camp, including Nate Hill, James Tennant, and Avery G. Cary, under the direction of Tom Woods.
- Date
- 2001
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the The Fairbanks Museum and Planetarium Archives. Repository
1302 Main Street
St. Johnsbury Vermont 05819
802-748-2372
