World War II Ration Books and Defence Supplies
Folder 1
Scope and Contents
Papers relating to the Babbit family, including Eleanor Babbitt (1898-1994) and Col. Samuel H. Fisher (1867-1957). Col. Fisher's daughter Margaret Crossette Fisher married Eleanor Babbitt's brother Theodore Babbitt on June 17, 1922, in Litchfield. The papers include photographs and documents pertaining to Sheldon Tavern; drawings, invitations, etc. from Lilac Hedges; legal documents; birth and marriage certificates; family photographs; papers pertaining to Eleanor Babbitt and the Aircraft Warning Service in Litchfield during World War II; tax returns for Samuel H. Fisher and Margaret Sargent Fisher (his wife); pamphlets and newspaper clippings; and other materials. Eleanor Babbitt was born in Colorado Springs, Colo. and moved to New York as a youth. She later owned and operated a book store there. She obtained a private pilot's license in the late 1920s which she used in the 1930s. In 1938, she moved to Litchfield. She was an active volunteer, first serving as a plane spotter for the aircraft warning system in Northfield during World War II and later with the Litchfield Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Charlotte Hungerford Hospital. She also was a trustee of the Gilbert Library in Northfield and served on the board of the Litchfield Historical Society. She died in 1994. Col. Samuel H. Fisher was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, graduating from Yale University in 1889 and Yale Law School 1892. He practiced law in Washington, D.C., and New Haven. In 1916, he became the personal counsel for Mrs. Stephen V. Harkness and her son Edward S. Harkness, a position he held until Fisher retired in 1931. He was a member of the Yale Corporation from 1910-1925 and a member of boards of corporate and charitable institutions. After he retired, he helped organize the Connecticut Highway Safety Commission in 1936, was the Connecticut Defense Administrator from 1940-1943, and performed other public service for the state and federal government. He married Margaret Sargent Fisher of New Haven in 1895. They moved to Litchfield in 1920. He died in 1957. Series 1-2 are housed in Box 1. Series 3-5 are housed in Box 2. Series 6 is housed in Oversize Box 9A; and account books (1953-1957) are housed in 3B Box 90.
Dates
- created: 1929-1944
Creator
- From the Collection: Babbitt, Thomas (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Extent
From the Collection: 1.25 Linear Feet
From the Collection: 3 boxes
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Repository Details
Part of the Litchfield Historical Society Repository
7 South Street
P.O. Box 385
Litchfield CT 06759
860-567-4501
860-567-3565 (Fax)
archivist@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org