Fahrney, J. J. Papers, 1886-1936

Repository:

Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University

Creator:

Fahrney, John Jerome, 1864-1937

Title:

J. J. Fahrney Papers

Collection No.:

SC 0303

Date:

1886-1936

Extent:

1 box, .2 Cubic Feet

Language of the Material:

English .

Abstract:

The J. J. Fahrney Papers, 1886-1936, document the Fahrney Wheel Corporation (variously J. J. Fahrney & Sons) and its proprietor J. J. Fahrney of Timberville, Virginia.

John Jerome Fahrney (1863/1864-1937) was born in Rockingham County, Virginia to Peter and Treacy Hannah Fahrney. Fahrney was an inventor, wheelwright, blacksmith, mechanic, and broom factory operator. He was also the founder and president of Fahrney Wheel Corporation. Fahrney held several patents for inventions that improved the functionality of automobiles.

The J. J. Fahrney Papers, 1886-1936, primarily document the Fahrney Wheel Corporation (variously J. J. Fahrney & Sons) and its proprietor J. J. Fahrney of Timberville, Virginia.

Financial documents primarily comprise invoices from Cray Brothers, Standard Oil Company, Duplex Mill & Manufacturing Co., and Ford Motor Company. A blank Fahrney Wheel Corporation subscription booklet is included along with a 1916 invoice from Henkel & Company Printers, Publishers for "setting up type forms for subscription for stock." The collection also includes three deeds for land in Timberville.

Automobile related advertising circulars and marketing materials also include correspondence. Companies from which Fahrney received circulars include Firestone; Capt. W. A. Collings, Inc.; The Holsman Automobile Company; and The Air-Friction Carburetor Company.

Correspondence is primarily business related and concerns Fahrney's business and inventions, but a small selection of letters are more personal in nature. For example, an October 4, 1916 letter from Fahrney's wife Annie provides an update on happenings in Timberville while Fahrney is in Hagerstown, Maryland. A 1926 letter to his daughter Gladys is also included. Other correspondents include Metz Company, Standard Oil Company, patent attorney E. G. Siggers, and Cray Brothers.

Patents issued to J. J. Fahrney include water pump attachment for automobiles (1915), explosion engine vaporizers for heavy fuels (1916), tire heaters (1919), and cider press (1925).

Ephemera includes Fahrney Patent Automobile Wheel advertising postcards, a Fahrney Wheel Corporation card listing the company's board of directors, and wheel imagery.

The collection is arranged topically into seven folders.

Obituary of J. J. Fahrney, Daily News-Record, February 2, 1937.