Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Arminda Fix family papers, 1871-1980
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Fix, Arminda
- Title
- Arminda Fix family papers
- Dates
- 1871-1980 (inclusive)18711980
1889-1957 (bulk)18891957 - Quantity
- 5.1 linear feet, (9 boxes, 1 tube)
- Collection Number
- WCMss.004
- Summary
- The collection consists of personal and family papers of Arminda Fix, the first librarian of Whitman College.
- Repository
-
Whitman College and Northwest Archives
Whitman College and Northwest Archives
Penrose Library, Room 130
345 Boyer Avenue
Walla Walla, WA
99362
Telephone: 5095275922
Fax: 5095264785
archives@whitman.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding the finding aid was awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Arminda Fix was born October 1, 1872 in Walla Walla, Washington, the third of eight children born to early Walla Walla pioneers Andrew J. Fix and Nancy Sanders Fix. She entered Whitman Academy in 1891 and attended Whitman College from 1894-1899, receiving a B.S. in 1899. She subsequently attended library school in New York and studied at Columbia University and the University of Washington.
Fix became the first librarian of Whitman College in 1899, a post she held until 1916. Her duties included supervising academy students during study hours, running the bookstore, and day to day library operations. She later worked at the Walla Walla Public Library.
Fix had a passion for writing and oration. Her poetry was often published in programs for local events. She was renowned for her speeches given regularly at local club meetings and gatherings, and she kept a diary regularly from 1889 to 1907 and sporadically from 1933 to 1957.
Fix was active in several local organizations, including the Daughters of the Pioneers of Washington, the Narcissa Prentiss Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Walla Walla and Washington State Historical Societies, the YWCA, the Delta Gamma Sorority, the Delphian Cultural Club, and the Walla Walla Garden Club. She served as an officer in several of these organizations, and was recognized locally for her service.
Fix died March 22, 1965 in Walla Walla.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The richest sources of documentation in the collection are Fix's early diaries, which describe her life as a resident of Walla Walla and a Whitman College student and staff member from 1889-1893 and 1902-1907. In them, she describes her work, social activities and relationships with family, friends, and coworkers. Transcriptions of most of the diaries from this period are available for use.
The collection also contains a small correspondence series; of particular interest are Fix's letters to her sister. Other items include handwritten poems and poem fragments, papers from her student years at Whitman College, nearly 70 photographs, postcard collection primarily featuring images of Walla Walla, the American West and Canada, and Whitman College and Walla Walla ephemera.
Fix , Sanders, and Goodwin family papers round out the collection.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Arranged by series; diaries are organized chronologically; most other series are organized alphabetically.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
1: Correspondence, 1896-1934Return to Top
The richest documentation in this small series consists of the letters written by Arminda Fix to her sister during her time in New York.
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
1 | 1 | Correspondence, incoming |
1909-1954; undated |
1 | 2 | Correspondence, outgoing |
1896-1934; undated |
2: Diaries, 1899-1957Return to Top
Fix's early diaries describe her life as a resident of Walla Walla, a Whitman College student, and a Whitman College faculty member from 1889-1893 and 1902-1907. In them, she describes her work, social activities and relationships with family, friends, and coworkers. Transcriptions of most of the diaries from this period are available for use.
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
1 | 3 | Diary transcript (partial) |
1889; 1903-1904 |
1 | 4 | Diary transcript (partial) |
1902-1907 |
1 | 5 | Diary |
1889 January-December |
1 | 6 | Diary |
1890 January-December |
1 | 7 | Diary |
1891 January-December |
1 | 8 | Diary |
July 1892-February 1893 |
1 | 9 | Diary |
1902 January-March |
1 | 10 | Diary |
1903 March-May |
1 | 11 | Diary |
1903 June-September |
2 | 1 | Diary |
1903 October-November |
2 | 2 | Diary |
1903 November-December |
2 | 3 | Diary |
1904 April-May |
2 | 4 | Diary |
1902 October; 1904 June-October |
2 | 5 | Diary |
1906 January-July |
2 | 6 | Diary |
July 1906-March 1907 |
2 | 7 | Diary |
1933 July-August |
2 | 8 | Diary |
1933 August-November |
2 | 9 | Diary |
November 1933-February 1934 |
2 | 10 | Diary |
May 1938-April 1939 |
3 | 1 | Diary |
1950 August-October |
3 | 2 | Diary |
circa 1953; 1957 |
3 | 3 | Diary |
1956 January-August |
3 | 4 | Diary |
undated |
3 | 5 | Diary |
undated |
Series 3: Ephemera, 1927-1964Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
3 | 6 | Bookmarks |
undated |
3 | 8 | Programs |
1928-1964; undated |
3 | 9 | Tax Receipts |
1927-1932 |
3 | 7 | Columbian Exposition illustrated booklet |
1893 |
4: Photographs, 1890-1933, undatedReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
3 | 10 | Photographs of Arminda Fix |
circa 1890-1900 |
3 | 11 | Photographs of Walla Walla and Whitman College |
1933; undated |
3 | 12 | Photographs, miscellaneous |
1911, undated |
8 | Goodwin Family Photograph Album |
undated | |
Folder | |||
9 | 1 | Photographs, oversize |
1897; undated |
5: Poems, undatedReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
3 | 13 | Poems |
undated |
3 | 14 | Poems, unfinished |
undated |
3 | 15 | Poems by other authors |
undated |
6: Scrapbook, circa 1906Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
4 | 1 | Scrapbook |
circa 1906 |
7: Speeches, 1927-1957Return to Top
Handwritten notes for speeches delivered from the 1920s through the 1950s provide insight into the proceedings of Walla Walla women's club meetings. Fix's speeches cover a wide variety of topics, ranging from book reviews to advice on gardening to didactic talks on academic subjects. In two speeches, "A Dream Come True," and "Turning the Pages," Fix discusses her career as a librarian. "The Daughter of Pioneers" speech contains useful information about Fix's childhood.
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
4 | 2 | "Advertisements" |
undated |
4 | 3 | "Airways and Highways," delivered to the Delphinian Culture Club |
1940s |
4 | 4 | "Alaska" |
undated |
4 | 5 | "The Antiquity of Flowers" |
undated |
4 | 6 | ""The Art of Walt Disney" by Robert D. Field, delivered to the Delphian Culture Club |
1944 |
4 | 7 | "As the Books Told It by Solemn 'n Serious" |
undated |
4 | 8 | "Audubon" |
undated |
4 | 9 | "Cactus and Other Desert Vegetation" |
undated |
4 | 10 | "Carl Sandberg" |
undated |
4 | 11 | "Christmas Legends and Customs in Other Lands" |
undated |
4 | 12 | "Chrysanthemums," delivered to the Walla Walla Garden Club |
1954 |
4 | 13 | "The Daughter of Pioneers" |
undated |
4 | 14 | "A Dream Come True" |
undated |
4 | 15 | "A Fantasy of the Books" |
undated |
4 | 16 | "Flower Legends" |
1940 |
4 | 17 | "Flower Legends," delivered to the Walla Walla Garden Club |
1953 |
4 | 18 | "Friendship," delivered to the Martha Circle |
1949 |
4 | 19 | "Gandhi" |
undated |
4 | 20 | "Garden Club Christmas Party," delivered to the Walla Walla Garden Club |
1946 |
4 | 21 | "Herb Cookery, " delivered to the Walla Walla Garden Club |
1952 |
4 | 22 | "Hodge-Podge, or Rambling Ruminations" |
undated |
5 | 1 | "Indian Legends" |
undated |
5 | 2 | "Indian Legends and Myths" |
undated |
5 | 3 | "Kentucky Is My Land" |
undated |
5 | 4 | "Latin America" |
undated |
5 | 5 | "Let's Keep Christmas" |
undated |
5 | 6 | "The Lion and the Throne" by Catherine Drinker Bower |
undated |
5 | 7 | "Little America" |
undated |
5 | 8 | "The Littlest Angel" by Charles Tazewell |
undated |
5 | 9 | "Mothers' Day" |
1957 |
5 | 10 | "Nova Scotia" |
undated |
5 | 11 | "One of My Dreams" |
undated |
5 | 12 | "Our Yankee Heritage" |
1955 |
5 | 13 | "Over the Garden Fence" |
undated |
5 | 14 | "Pioneer History," Delivered to the D.A.R. |
1955 |
5 | 15 | "Pioneer Park of Walla Walla," delivered to the Walla Walla Garden Club |
1957 |
5 | 16 | "Rain Making," delivered to the Delphian Culture Club |
1952 |
5 | 17 | "Research [on Whitman Mission]" |
undated |
5 | 18 | "Reveries of an Old Maid" |
undated |
5 | 19 | "This Is the Centennial Year of the Great Migration of 1843 into the Northwest" |
1943 |
5 | 20 | "Thoughts on the Seasons" |
undated |
5 | 21 | "Time for Tapioca" by Charlotte Stryker |
undated |
6 | 1 | "Tumwater 1845-1945" |
undated |
6 | 2 | "Turning the Pages" |
undated |
6 | 3 | "We Lived with Peter" |
undated |
6 | 4 | "Weather," delivered to the Delphian Culture Club |
1951 |
6 | 5 | "Whitman College Library" |
undated |
6 | 6 | "Youth Evangelism" Delivered to the Rachel Circle |
1953 |
6 | 7 | Untitled, delivered to the Walla Walla Garden Club |
1956 |
6 | 8 | Untitled, delivered to the Walla Walla Pioneer and Historical Society |
1953 |
6 | 9 | Untitled, delivered to the Walla Walla Pioneer and Historical Society |
1957 |
6 | 10 | Untitled, delivered to the Walla Walla Pioneer and Historical Society |
undated |
6 | 11 | Untitled, delivered to Whitman College audience |
undated |
6 | 12 | Untitled, on the Topic "Friendly Chats" |
1927 |
6 | 13 | Untitled, Miscellaneous |
undated |
8: Whitman College Related Materials, circa 1890-1920Return to Top
Includes papers completed while at Whitman Academy and Whitman College, as well as her diploma and Whitman College ephemera.
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
6 | 14 | Bible with list of classmates' names |
1896 |
9 | 2 | Charter of the Oratorical Association of Whitman College |
1895 |
9 | 3 | Diploma |
1899 |
7 | 1 | Essays and Orations, A-N |
circa 1890-1899 |
7 | 2 | Essays and Orations, O-Z |
circa 1890-1899 |
7 | 3 | Programs, Invitations, and Promotional Materials |
1894-1959 |
7 | 4 | Report Cards |
1892-1920 |
9: Family Papers, 1871-1980Return to Top
The bulk of the family records document land ownership and include patents, abstracts of title, deeds, and property tax receipts. The family papers also include final settlement of the will of Andrew J. Fix, clippings about members of the Fix and Sanders family, and genealogical research notes created by Arminda Fix and her cousin Lillie White of Bloomington, Indiana.
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
7 | 5 | Clippings |
1913-1980 |
9 | 3 | Diplomas |
1906-1924 |
tube | |||
1 | Fix Farm map |
undated | |
Box | Folder | ||
7 | 6 | Funeral Cards |
1890-1923 |
7 | 7 | Genealogical Notes |
circa 1930-1949 |
9 | 4 | Property Records |
1871-1933 |
7 | 8 | Property Tax Receipts |
1892-1926 |
7 | 9 | School Land Lease Documents |
1891-1905 |
10: Postcards, undatedReturn to Top
Container(s): Box 8
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Personal Names
- Fix, Arminda
Corporate Names
- Whitman College