Fannie Louise Davis was born in 1867, the eldest daughter of Nathaniel J. Davis. Nathaniel Davis was an early Montana pioneer, having arrived in Bannack in September 1862 to mine gold. Nathaniel moved his family to Virginia City afterwards where he became the Madison County clerk and recorder. Besides Fannie, Nathaniel had two other daughters, Jennie and Mary ("Mamie"), born in 1874 and 1875 respectively. Fannie married William J. Ennis on September 29, 1892 in Virginia City, and the couple had at least one child, Louise, the donor of this collection. Fannie also became president of Society of Montana Pioneers. She died on June 9, 1955.
The papers consist of three typewritten transcriptions of two speeches and an essay written by Fannie Ennis that were transcribed by library personnel from original handwritten documents. "Early Days in Virginia City" relates Fannie's memories of growing up in the town, along with second hand information regarding its history. She recalls her memories of Bishop Daniel S. Tuttle of the Episcopal Church, attending the public viewing of the remains of Brigham Young in Salt Lake City, and social affairs in Virginia City during her youth. "Atlas Club Speech" is simply a descriptive overview of Montana and Yellowstone National Park with no personal information. This typescript is supplemented with a photocopy of the original handwritten first page and a copy of Fannie's marriage license. "Beloved Pioneers" is a speech given by Fannie to the Sons and Daughters of Montana Pioneers around 1953. It is a superficial review of early Montana history with no personal information.
This collection is open for research.
Original manuscripts written by Fannie Davis Ennis were loaned to the Montana State College library for transcription by her daughter, Louise Ennis McLeod Gilmer, Butte, Montana, in February 1964. The originals were returned to her afterwards.
This collection was processed 2009 August 27