Biographical/Historical Sketch
Processed by
Pamela Tranfield
July 1996
Revised by Dorothy Nicholson
Revised October 2003
Manuscript and Visual Collections Department
William Henry Smith Memorial Library
Indiana Historical Society
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269
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VOLUME OF |
1 document case, 2 OVA folders, 1 folder manuscript materials |
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COLLECTION |
1865–1945 |
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PROVENANCE: |
Glory June Greiff, Indianapolis, Indiana; February and April 1996. |
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RESTRICTIONS: |
None |
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COPYRIGHT: |
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REPRODUCTION |
Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained from the Indiana Historical Society. |
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ALTERNATE |
None |
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RELATED |
None |
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ACCESSION |
1989.0249, 1996.0631 |
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NOTES: |
Fred M. Johnson was a partner in the Feeny Manufacturing Company of Muncie, Indiana, from ca. 1916 until his death in an automobile accident in 1951. Fred Johnson may have been a descendant of James Johnson, a veteran of the Fifty-third Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers. Records show that James Johnson lived in Pennville, Indiana, ca. 1890.
Fred Johnson married Phila Parks and they had two daughters, Catherine and Phila. Catherine Johnson Goodin was a teacher in Muncie before marrying John H. Goodin, ca. 1940. John H. Goodin was the son of E. S. Goodin, manager of the Three States Coal Company of Muncie. Phila R. Johnson worked as a stenographer in Muncie, and lived with her father until his death.
Edmond J. Feeny started the Feeny Manufacturing Company in 1910 as a manufacturer of oil pumps, cotton dusters, vacuum cleaners, and other products. In 1919 the company dropped the general product line to concentrate exclusively on the manufacture of dusters for the application of insecticides. Edmond J. Feeny died 4 October 1922. Emmett J. Feeny, Jr. joined the company as a manager at the time of his uncle’s death.
Sources:
Emerson’s Muncie Directory, 1923. Muncie: Emerson Directory Co., 1923.
Haimbaugh, Frank D. ed. History of Delaware Co., Indiana. Vol. 2. Indianapolis: Historical Publishing Co., 1924.
Muncie Directory, 1931–1932. Muncie: The Williams Directory Company, n.d.
“Muncie Manufacturer Killed in Crash Near Anderson,” Muncie Evening Press, 24 November 1951, p. 6.
Polk’s Muncie (Delaware Co. Indiana) City Directory, 1938. Cincinnati: R. L. Polk & Co. Publishers, n. d.
Polk’s Muncie (Delaware Co. Indiana) City Directory, 1948. Cincinnati: R. L. Polk & Co. Publishers, 1949.
The collection contains 17 black-and-white photographs and legal documents related to the Fred M. Johnson family of Pennville, Muncie, and Indianapolis, Indiana. The processor arranged the materials into two series.
Series 1: Photographs contains portraits of two young women ca. 1920s. These women are likely Catherine Johnson Goodin and Phila R. Johnson, daughters of Fred M. Johnson and Phila Parks Johnson. The single exterior portrait in the collection shows a young woman in a “flapper” style dress, standing in front of a brick building, possibly a college or high school. This image is annotated: “Toujours sans tache, [Still Stainless] Bob.” One photograph, made by the Neiswanger Studio, Muncie, is a 1931 team portrait of the Muncie Bearcats high school basketball team. Two other photographs made by the Neiswanger Studio are enclosed in folders embossed “Muncie High School, 1928 Class.”
Series 2: Legal Documents contains two mortgage papers issued by the Muncie Savings and Loan Company in the name of Phila Parks Johnson; James Johnson’s Civil War discharge papers; and a handwritten contract between Fred M. Johnson, Emmett Feeny, and the Feeny Manufacturing Company.
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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[Phila Parks Johnson] |
Box 1, Folder 1 |
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[Phila Parks Johnson] |
OVA Photographs, Folder 1 |
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[Muncie High School Photographs, two young women] |
Box 1, Folder 2 |
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Team Portrait, Muncie High School Bearcats, 1931 Basketball Champions |
OVA Photographs, Folder 2 |
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[Portraits of three young women] |
Box 1, Folder 3 |
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[Portraits of two young men] |
Box 1, Folder 4 |
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[Three Portraits of one young woman] |
Box 1, Folder 5 |
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[Portraits of four young women] |
Box 1, Folder 6 |
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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Civil War discharge papers for James Johnson; Mortgage and First Mortgage Bond for Phila P. Johnson, handwritten employment contract for Fred W. Johnson and Emmett Feeny for Feeny Manufacturing Company. |
Manuscript Collections, Folder 1 |
For additional information on this collection, including a list of subject headings that may lead you to related materials:
1. Go to the Indiana Historical Society's online catalog: http://157.91.92.2/
2. Click on the "Basic Search" icon.
3. Select "Call Number" from the "Search In:" box.
4. Search for the collection by its basic call number (in this case, P 0306).
5. When you find the collection, go to the "Full Record" screen for a list of headings that can be searched for related materials.