Arminda Fix family papers, 1871-1980

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Fix, Arminda
Title
Arminda Fix family papers
Dates
1871-1980 (inclusive)
1889-1957 (bulk)
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.

Acquisition Information

Donated to the Whitman College and Northwest Archives by Mrs. Dorothy Cassen in 1980 and added additional materials in 1988. The accession number is retro-0002.

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