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Julia A. Flisch papers

Provenance and Arrangement

After her death, Flisch designated Alice Napier as the recipient of her manuscripts and papers to dispose of as she saw fit. It is not known when Napier donated the collection to the Ina Dillard Russell Library of Georgia College.

Prior to the current organization of the collection, the papers were stored in three file boxes, loosely organized in manila folders. In 1988 in the process of updating the History of Georgia College, Dr. Robert J. Wilson, III, Associate Professor of History, Georgia College, found the boxes in Special Collections. He recognized the name, Julia A. Flisch, from early records of Georgia College and felt that the papers could contain information previously undiscovered. He also felt it was important for the papers to be inventoried and the manuscripts evaluated. Robin O. Harris, an undergraduate student in the History Department, agreed to undertake the project. In the process of organizing and identifying the collection, Harris became intrigued by Flisch and began extensive research in order to document and expand the limited biographical and non-fictional information provided by the original collection.

Because there was no way to determine the original order of the collection, it was organized for the sole purpose of providing easy access for researchers. In 1990 it was decided to develop both an index and a finding aid for the collection. In anticipation of putting all similar collections on computer software, it was decided to use the Flisch collection to develop a software system that would be user friendly for researchers while at the same time maintaining the integrity of the collection and meeting the necessary archival requirements. An extensive name-subject index card file with cross-reference information has been developed to provide access to the collection.

The earliest results of processing was seven boxes of papers arranged in an order conducive to research. They have been updated by Robin O. Harris and Catherine Bowlin to include additions from Robin O. Harris' research. The collection was rearranged in 2017 by Mikaela LaFave to remove excess folders and duplicates. Some series were condensed for ease of research.