Fisher Family Papers, 1905-1935

This collection, consisting entirely of photocopies, is made up mainly of letters written by members of the Fisher family to one another between the years 1915 and 1935. Writers include the author Vardis Fisher (1895-1968), his wives Leona and Margaret, sister Irene ("Dot"), brother Vivian, Vivian's wife Mattie, and Vardis Fisher's mother Temperance. Most of the letters were intended for Joseph and Temperance Fisher, parents of Vardis, Vivian, and Irene, and were addressed to Mrs. Fisher. There are also a few other miscellaneous papers, including several poems by Vardis Fisher in typescript.

Family matters and personal affairs are the main subjects of discussion in the letters. Included are Vardis Fisher's first letters home from college (University of Utah in Salt Lake City). He asked his parents to save his letters for his autobiography (October 1, 1915). He also declared his devotion to home: "You may think down here I will rush about [,] forget about home and Idaho. Not me...I don't want to get weaned away from home" (October 15, 1915). Irene Fisher's letters home to her parents from Salt Lake City in 1927-1928 also shed light on Vardis Fisher's life, as he was living in Salt Lake City at the same time teaching at the University of Utah. Irene's letters also reflect the social life of an unmarried LDS woman in Salt Lake City and her courtship with her future husband.

Forms part of the Idaho Writers Archive.