Fairbanks Family Papers, 1798-1953 MSC 134-140 Introduction The
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Fairbanks Family Papers, 1798-1953 MSC 134-140 Introduction The Fairbanks Family Papers consist of the miscellaneous papers of five generations of the family who founded E. & T. Fairbanks & Co., manufacturers of scales in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Most of the collection relates to William Paddock Fairbanks (1840-1895), son of Joseph P. Fairbanks, and William’s son, Joseph (1881-1964). The papers include personal and business correspondence, photographs, scrapbooks, diaries, genealogy, postcards, newspaper clippings, and ephemera. The papers are housed in seven document boxes, two oversize folders, and two oversize volumes (7.5 linear feet). Philip Merrill Fairbanks (1913-1997), son of Joseph, gave the papers to the Vermont Historical Society in 1965. Use of the papers was restricted until Philip Fairbanks’ death in 1997. Biographical Sketches Erastus Fairbanks (1792-1864), the eldest son of Joseph and Phebe Paddock Fairbanks, was the first of the family to move to Vermont, leaving his Brimfield, Massachusetts, birthplace in 1811; the rest of the family followed in 1815. While Erastus operated a store in Barnet, Vermont, his father and brother, Thaddeus (1796-1886), built and operated a gristmill and sawmill, and built carriages in St. Johnsbury. In 1823 Thaddeus built an iron foundry and Erastus joined him to establish E. and T. Fairbanks, to manufacture stoves and plows. Thaddeus, an inventor and mechanic, perfected and patented a design for a platform scale in 1830 and three years later Erastus, Thaddeus, and their youngest brother, Joseph P. (1806-1855), formed E. & T. Fairbanks & Company to manufacture and sell the scales. Erastus and Joseph managed the business while Thaddeus provided the mechanical expertise. Because of the size of the scales and the relative remoteness of St. Johnsbury, the Fairbanks contracted with agents and mechanics who were given defined territories to sell, assemble, and repair the scales. The company was successful and the scales became renowned nationally and internationally. E. & T. Fairbanks & Company continued in business until 1916 when it was purchased by Fairbanks, Morse and Company of Cincinnati and Chicago (originally an agent of E. & T. Fairbanks & Company). Ownership has changed several times but scales continue to be made in St. Johnsbury (as of 1996). While serving as president of E. & T. Fairbanks & Company, Erastus was also active in civic affairs and politics. A member of the Congregational Church in St. Johnsbury, he was president of the Vermont Domestic Missionary Society, and a member of the American Board of Foreign Missions, and was active in the temperance movement. He was elected to the legislature in 1836 and was chosen presidential elector in 1844 and 1848 for the Whig party. He was elected governor of Vermont in 1852 and again in 1860. Vermont Historical Society • Montpelier 05609-0901 Fairbanks Family Papers 2 As one of six men to be granted a charter for the Connecticut and Passumpsic Railroad in 1835, Erastus supported the railroad project through its third charter and was named president when the company finally organized in 1846. He held that position until 1854. Erastus Fairbanks married Lois Crossman (or Crosman) of Peacham, Vermont, in 1815 and they had nine children: Jane (1816-1852, m. Ephraim Jewett); George (1819- 1843); Horace (1820-1888); Charles (1821-1898); Julia (1824-1884, m. John H. Paddock); Franklin (1828-1895); Sarah (1831-1858); Emily (1833-1859, m. Charles Stone); Ellen (1836-1843, m. Constans Goodel). Thaddeus Fairbanks was born in Brimfield, Massachusetts, in 1796 and moved to St. Johnsbury, Vermont, in 1815. He was an inventor with many patents including a cast iron stove and plow. In 1830 he and Erastus became interested in the raising and processing of hemp, and Thaddeus patented a hemp dresser (and was for a time manager of the St. Johnsbury Hemp Company). His most successful invention was the platform scale in 1830. He married Lucy Peck Barker in 1820 and they had a son, Henry (1918- 1830), and daughter, Charlotte (1837-1869, m. George Webber). Thaddeus Fairbanks died in 1886. Joseph Paddock Fairbanks was born in 1806. He studied law from 1828 to 1833 and had a law practice in Vermont before joining his brothers in the platform scale business. He was elected to the legislature in 1845 and fought for improvements in education, temperance, and spoke out against slavery and against the Mexican War. Together with his brothers he founded St. Johnsbury Academy. He married Almira Taylor in 1845 and had two children: Edward Taylor (1836-1919), and William Paddock (1840-1895). Horace Fairbanks (1820-1888), son of Erastus, became president of the E. & T. Fairbanks & Co. after his father’s death. He was governor of Vermont from 1876-1878. He gave the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum (1871) and Art Gallery (1873) as well as the North Congregational Church (1878) to the town of St. Johnsbury. Edward Taylor Fairbanks (1836-1919) son of Joseph P., and a graduate of Yale University and Andover Theological Seminary, was pastor of the St. Johnsbury Center Church (1868-1874) and the South Congregational Church (1874-1902). He was librarian of the Athenaeum from 1902-1918. He is the author of The Town of St. Johnsbury, Vt., a review of one hundred and twenty five years. William Paddock Fairbanks (1840-1895), brother of Edward Taylor Fairbanks, was secretary and treasurer of the E & T. Fairbanks &Co. until 1888 when he moved to New York City. He married Rebecca Pike (1841-1928) in 1861. Their mansion, Brantview, built in 1884, is now part of St. Johnsbury Academy. The three children from the marriage were, Almira Taylor (1865-1902), Mabel (1871-1955), and Joseph (1881- 1964). Sometime after 1888 William divorced Rebecca and married Flora Sylvester. There were no children from this marriage. Vermont Historical Society • Montpelier 05609-0901 Fairbanks Family Papers 3 Joseph Fairbanks (1881-1964), the youngest child of William P. and Rebecca Fairbanks, was educated at St. Johnsbury Academy, Yale (class of 1903), and Harvard Law School (class of 1906). He practiced law in St. Johnsbury and, in 1917, volunteered for duty in World War I. He was given a lieutenant’s commission and promoted to rank of major, and eventually to colonel, serving in the Judge Advocate and War Departments. After his discharge in 1919, he became an attorney for the War Claims Board until 1920, and for the U.S. Shipping Board until 1923. He then entered private practice in Washington, D.C., where he and his family had resided since 1919. In 1908, Joseph married Luella Merrill, a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music. Their children were: Edward Joseph (1910-1979) and Philip Merrill (1913-1997). Philip Merrill Fairbanks (1913-1997), donor of this collection, was born in St. Johnsbury and raised in Washington, D.C. He graduated from Yale (class of 1935) and the George Washington University Law School (class of 1938). Judge Fairbanks’ distinguished legal career culminated in his appointment to the Maryland Circuit Court where he served from 1973 until his retirement. In addition to the genealogy folders, further genealogical information is in Folder 0. Organization The papers are organized in 10 series. Series II through VI correspond to the generations of the Fairbanks Family in St. Johnsbury, beginning with Joseph (1763- 1846). Members of each generation are represented by a sub series. I. Genealogy (Fairbanks and Pike families) II. 1st Generation Joseph Fairbanks (1763-1846), and Phebe Paddock (1760-1853) III. 2nd Generation A. Erastus (1792-1864) and Lois Crosman (1792-1866) B. Thaddeus (1796-1886) and Lucy Peck Barker (1799-1866) C. Joseph Paddock Fairbanks (1806-1855) and Almira Taylor (1811-1883) IV. 3rd Generation A. Sons of Erastus Fairbanks 1. George (1819-1843) 2. Horace (1820-1888) and Mary Elizabeth Taylor (1824-1901) 3. Charles (b. 1821) 4. Franklin (1828-1895) and Frances Clapp (1832-1895) B. Son of Thaddeus Fairbanks 1. Henry (1830-1918), Annie Noyes (1845-1872), and Ruthy Page (1852-1935) Vermont Historical Society • Montpelier 05609-0901 Fairbanks Family Papers 4 C. Sons of Joseph P Fairbanks 1. Edward Taylor Fairbanks (1836-1919) and Emma Taplin (1844- 1917) 2. William Paddock Fairbanks (1840-1895) and Rebecca Pike (1841-1928) V. 4th Generation – children of William P. Fairbanks A. Joseph (1881-1964) and Luella Merrill (1878-1965) B. Laura Bartlett (1878-1965) and Charles H. Merrill (1845-1923) C. Merrill Family D. Mabel Fairbanks Robinson (b. 1871) VI. 5th Generation – sons of Joseph Fairbanks 1. Edward Joseph (1910-1979) 2. Philip Merrill (1913-1997) VII. E. & T. Fairbanks & Co. VIII. St. Johnsbury IX. Photographs X. Miscellaneous Scope and Content The Fairbanks Family Papers consist of the miscellaneous papers of five generations of this prominent St. Johnsbury, Vermont, family, founders and owners of the E. & T. Fairbanks & Co. Scales and donors of The St. Johnsbury Athenaeum (public library), Fairbanks Museum, and the St. Johnsbury Academy. The papers include personal and business correspondence, Fairbanks and Pike family genealogy, photographs, scrapbooks, diaries, postcards, newspaper clippings, and ephemera, for the period 1798-1953. Although the papers span five generations of the Fairbanks family, there are only a few letters and other miscellaneous items from the earliest period. Most of the collection consists of the papers of William P. Fairbanks, his wife, Rebecca Pike, and their son, Joseph, and his wife Luella Merrill. They are concentrated in the late 19th century, and early 20th century with special emphasis on the period around World War I. The papers from this period reveal the family’s affluence: they build and furnish an elegant St. Johnsbury estate, Brantview, their sons are educated at prestigious private schools, and they enjoy a leisurely fin de siecle grand tour. Among the earliest correspondence in the collection is a letter to Joseph P.