RUDOLPH H. FITZ AND FAMILY:
An Inventory of Their Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection
OVERVIEW
| Creator: | Fitz, Rudolph H., [ca.1828]-1868, creator. | |
| Title: | Rudolph H. Fitz and family papers. | |
| Dates: | 1853-1881. | |
| Abstract: | Family letters and memorabilia of Fitz, a St. Paul (Minn.) carpenter and builder, his wife Elmina, and their son Edgar Howard Fitz, discussing daily life, religious matters, and temperance activities; diaries of Rudolph (1854-1855) and Edgar (1874); family expense books (1861-1863); Edgar's school papers (1873-1879); and 3 structural plans by Rudolph or Edgar (undated). | |
| Quantity: | 0.25 cubic feet (1 box containing 4 folders and 4 volumes; 3 oversize items in folder). | |
| Location: | P1259: See Detailed Description section for shelf locations. |
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Rudolph H. Fitz was born in Pennsylvania, but came to Minnesota from Washington, D.C., where he had been working for some years as a carpenter and shipbuilder. Fitz came to St. Paul in 1854 and started a construction business. He built the first bridge across the Mississippi River at St. Paul, the Wabasha Street Bridge. Fitz also served one term as a member of the Minnesota state legislature (1864), and served on the St. Paul City Council.
Fitz's wife, Elmina F. (Howard) Fitz (ca.1834-1877), was born in Indiana. Prior to marrying, she had taught at a girls' seminary in Kentucky. She was an active member of both the Jackson Street Methodist Church and the temperance movement.
Edgar Howard Fitz, the oldest of Rudolph and Elmina Fitz's three children, was born in St. Paul in 1858. He became a construction engineer and architect, and was also active in church and temperance work. Edgar Fitz lived in Fairmont, Minnesota for sixty years until his death in 1939.
The above information was taken from an obituary of E. H. Fitz in the Fairmont Daily Sentinel (Jan. 17, 1939), p. 1; and from the Minnesota Historical Society Scrapbooks, vol. 1, p. 52.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Availability:
The collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation:
[Indicate the cited item and/or series here]. Rudolph H. Fitz and Family Papers. Minnesota Historical Society.
See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional examples.
Accession Information:
Accession number: 5751; 6248; 6286; 6324
Processing Information:
Catalog ID number: 990017303860104294
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
| P1259 | Correspondence, undated, 1853, 1862-1867. 1 folder. | ||||||||||
| The correspondence consists largely of letters to Rudolph and Elmina Fitz from their relatives and friends around the country. These letters, along with information on births, deaths, and other family news, reflect the strong religious views of Elmina and her family. Also included are letters of recommendation for Rudolph H. Fitz from Alexander Ramsey and Governor Henry A. Swift (August 1863), and a certificate of Fitz's election to the Minnesota legislature, signed by Ramsey County Auditor William H. Forbes (November 1863). | |||||||||||
| Correspondence, 1877-1878, 1881. 1 folder. | |||||||||||
| Most of the letters are between Elmina Fitz and Edgar Howard Fitz while Edgar was working in Anoka, Minnesota, as a lumber scaler in 1877. Also included are a few letters to Elmina from family and friends (1877), a diary of a camp meeting she attended at Red Rock, Minnesota (1877), two letters of recommendation for Edgar H. Fitz from employers (1878), and a couple of his first contracts and receipts as an architect (1881). | |||||||||||
| Miscellaneous papers, undated and 1875. 1 folder. | |||||||||||
| Four recipes; a couple of undated school essays [1875?] by Edgar H. Fitz; debate notes; a literature examination; and Edgar H. Fitz's obituary, giving a brief family history. | |||||||||||
| (Note: The obituary misnames Edgar as "Ephraim," which was a family joke shared by the newspaper editor.) | |||||||||||
| Diary, Rudolph H. Fitz, December 15, 1854-January 14, 1855. 1 volume. | |||||||||||
| Besides giving descriptions of Fitz's daily life, the diary includes information on a hunting trip to Hudson, Wisconsin, the weather, Fitz's illnesses, and his construction business. | |||||||||||
| Family expenses, 1861, 1863-1864. 2 volumes. | |||||||||||
| Diary of Edgar Howard Fitz, 1874. 1 volume. | |||||||||||
| This diary was probably written while Edgar Fitz was in high school. It was kept up to date to the summer of 1874, after which time the entries became shorter and fewer. Included are reports on the weather, his illnesses, and everyday activities. | |||||||||||
| +158 | Structural drawings, undated. 3 items in oversize folder. | ||||||||||
| Engineering drawings by Rudolph and Edgar Fitz for a trestle bridge on the Minneapolis and Cedar Valley Railroad, a Mississippi River trestle bridge on the "BL.MC Railway," and a grain elevator in Belle Plaine, Minnesota. | |||||||||||
CATALOG HEADINGS
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.
- Topics:
- Camp meetings -- Minnesota -- Washington County -- Red Rock.
- Education -- Minnesota.
- Grain elevators -- Designs and plans.
- Pioneers -- Minnesota.
- Railroad bridges -- Designs and plans.
- Temperance.
- Places:
- Anoka (Minn.).
- Belle Plaine (Minn.).
- Minnesota -- Politics and government, 1849-1858.
- Minnesota -- Politics and government, 1858-1898.
- Minnesota -- Religion.
- Minnesota -- Social life and customs, 1849-1858.
- Minnesota -- Social life and customs, 1858-1898.
- Saint Paul (Minn.).
- Persons:
- Fitz, Elmina Howard, 1834- .
- Fitz, Edgar Howard, 1858-1939.
- Forbes, William Henry, 1815-1875.
- Swift, Henry A., 1823-1869.
- Organizations:
- Methodist Episcopal Church -- Minnesota.
- Beck and Bank, House Painters (Saint Paul, Minn.) -- Letterhead, 28 Mar. 1881.
- Minneapolis and Cedar Valley Railroad Company.
- St. Paul Plow Works -- Letterhead, 14 Apr. 1881.
- Types of Documents:
- Account books, Personal.
- Recipes.
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