Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Catalog Number |
E1716 |
Collection |
Ford, Beryl |
Object Name |
Print, Photographic |
Date |
October 1977 |
Description |
Color photograph measuring 5" x 3.5" and depicting Fannie Brownlee Misch (1889-1981) standing beside a red caboose from Colorado and Southern Railway "C & S." The caboose contains the number 10508. Misch holds a railroad lantern. The location is unknown. Misch was one of the first board members of the Tulsa County Historical Society and wrote many historical narratives concerning early Tulsa history. Fannie Brownlee was born January 6, 1889 in Nodaway Township, Adams County, Iowa, to parents Edward Robert Brownlee (1866-1917) and Rosella "Rosa" Smith Brownlee (1864-1953). The family moved to Parsons, Labette County, Kansas, where Fannie Brownlee graduated Prairie Valley School in 1907. She obtained a teaching certificate and soon afterward began teaching school in Kansas and in the panhandle of Texas, near Clarendon. Decades later, her publication, "Teacher on Horseback," chronicled her experience teaching in the one-room schoolhouse in rural Texas. After returning to Kansas, Brownlee married Julius Outzen "J. O." Misch (1885-1970) on June 24, 1909 in Parsons. In 1910, Fannie Misch first visited Tulsa, Oklahoma, where her parents were living temporarily. In 1916, J. O. Misch and Fannie Misch moved to Tulsa and opened Tulsa Printing Company, a printing and binding business. J. O. Misch and Fannie Misch became the parents of two children. A daughter, Marjorie M. Misch, was born June 15, 1914 in Coffeyville, Montgomery County, Kansas. After the family's move to Tulsa, a son was born on December 18, 1923, named Frank Edward Misch. Fannie Misch was a homemaker, business woman, and avid reader and collector of Tulsa history. She learned as much as she could about the early days of Tulsa from written sources and by interviewing many locals. She became a prolific writer and authored numerous newspaper and magazine articles on state and local history. Some of her articles included the following: "Early Peach orchards," "A Land of Fruit, Too," "Council Oak: Symbol of Tulsa's History," "Tulsa Memory Lane," and "Sooner Towns Forms Around Good Springs." Some of her longer published manuscripts and books included the following: "Kowetah: The First Creek Indian Mission," "Methodist Trails to First Methodist Church Tulsa," and the two-volume "History of World-Wide Methodism." Misch took an active role in many organizations. On June 13, 1962, a group of Tulsans held an organizational meeting for the formation of the Tulsa County Historical Society. Those present selected Fannie Misch as one of the forty-two directors for the new organization. When the society incorporated on January 17, 1963, Misch served on the first board of directors and as a part of the committee at large. She worked to recognize and preserve various historic sites in Tulsa, including the Sylvester Morris House and the Muscogee Creek Hanging Tree. She was also a member of the History & Literature Club, Oklahoma Historical Society, Kansas Authors Club, and National League of American Pen Women. Misch was a member of the First Methodist Church of Tulsa. During her many years of archiving Tulsa history, Misch received numerous awards and recognitions. Her brief biographical vignettes appeared in the following publications: 1964-1965 Who's Who in Tulsa, Who's Who in American Education, Dictionary of International Biographies, Two Thousand Women of Achievement, and Who's Who in American Women. In 1975, she became one of the recipients of the Oklahoma Heritage Association Distinguished Service Award. The Muscogee Creek Nation recognized Misch as an honorary member of the Creek Indian Council. Following the death of her husband in 1970, Misch continued to live in the couple's home located at 546 North Santa Fe Avenue in Tulsa. As her collection of documents and files increased, the house became an archive. At least one visitor to her home recalled seeing files stacked waist high over almost every inch of the floor. When her health began to fail, Misch moved to the home of her daughter in Coffeyville, Kansas. There she continued to work on a history manuscript concerning the Muscogee Creeks. She intended to title the work "The Creek Indian Nation: From East to West." Prior to her completion of the manuscript, Misch died at the age of ninety-two on July 23, 1981 in Coffeyville, Kansas. She was buried beside her late husband in Rose Hill Memorial Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In 1910, Fannie Misch first visited Tulsa, Oklahoma, where her parents were living temporarily. In 1916, J. O. Misch and Fannie Misch moved to Tulsa and opened Tulsa Printing Company, a printing and binding business. J. O. Misch and Fannie Misch became the parents of two children. A daughter, Marjorie M. Misch, was born June 15, 1914 in Coffeyville, Montgomery County, Kansas. After the family's move to Tulsa, a son was born on December 18, 1923, named Frank Edward Misch. Fannie Misch was a homemaker, business woman, and avid reader and collector of Tulsa history. She learned as much as she could about the early days of Tulsa from written sources and by interviewing many locals. She became a prolific writer and authored numerous newspaper and magazine articles on state and local history. Some of her articles included the following: "Early Peach orchards," "A Land of Fruit, Too," "Council Oak: Symbol of Tulsa's History," "Tulsa Memory Lane," and "Sooner Towns Forms Around Good Springs." Some of her longer published manuscripts and books included the following: "Kowetah: The First Creek Indian Mission," "Methodist Trails to First Methodist Church Tulsa," and the two-volume "History of World-Wide Methodism." Misch took an active role in many organizations. On June 13, 1962, a group of Tulsans held an organizational meeting for the formation of the Tulsa County Historical Society. Those present selected Fannie Misch as one of the forty-two directors for the new organization. When the society incorporated on January 17, 1963, Misch served on the first board of directors and as a part of the committee at large. She worked to recognize and preserve various historic sites in Tulsa, including the Sylvester Morris House and the Muscogee Creek Hanging Tree. She was also a member of the History & Literature Club, Oklahoma Historical Society, Kansas Authors Club, and National League of American Pen Women. Misch was a member of the First Methodist Church of Tulsa. During her many years of archiving Tulsa history, Misch received numerous awards and recognitions. Her brief biographical vignettes appeared in the following publications: 1964-1965 Who's Who in Tulsa, Who's Who in American Education, Dictionary of International Biographies, Two Thousand Women of Achievement, and Who's Who in American Women. In 1975, she became one of the recipients of the Oklahoma Heritage Association Distinguished Service Award. The Muscogee Creek Nation recognized Misch as an honorary member of the Creek Indian Council. Following the death of her husband in 1970, Misch continued to live in the couple's home located at 546 North Santa Fe Avenue in Tulsa. As her collection of documents and files increased, the house became an archive. At least one visitor to her home recalled seeing files stacked waist high over almost every inch of the floor. When her health began to fail, Misch moved to the home of her daughter in Coffeyville, Kansas. There she continued to work on a history manuscript concerning the Muscogee Creeks. She intended to title the work "The Creek Indian Nation: From East to West." Prior to her completion of the manuscript, Misch died at the age of ninety-two on July 23, 1981 in Coffeyville, Kansas. She was buried beside her late husband in Rose Hill Memorial Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma. |
Search Terms |
Colorado and Southern Railway railroad cars women |
People |
Misch, Fannie Brownlee |