Mr. Boller's Scrapbook

One of the very interesting objects in the Farmingdale State College Archives is Mr. Boller's Scrapbook. During the 2016-17 academic year, Librarian, April Lynne Earle, focused on the creation of a website devoted to this curious resource; http://bollerscrapbook.omeka.net.

The scrapbook was created by Claude Villette Boller. It dates from1883 in his town of his birth, Lexington, Illinois, to 1907 in the garment district of New York City.

Mr. Boller was born in March 1869 to John & Mary Boller of Lexington, Illinois. He was the youngest of their ten children. He made his career in the men's clothing industry. In fact, Mr. Boller established the men's wear department of the noteworthy Montgomery Ward & Co. in Chicago, Illinois. He began working for Montgomery Ward on September 29, 1896 and left on January 1, 1906 amidst the turbulent Chicago Teamsters' Strike. The Chicago Teamsters' Strike of 1905, which is noted as one of the bloodiest labor strikes in U.S. history, actually began in the Montgomery Ward & Co. cutting room where Mr. Boller was the manager. After leaving Chicago, Mr. Boller and his wife, Katherine Tannis-Boller, briefly resided in New York City where Mr. Boller established the C.V. Boller Co.; a clothing manufacturer for men and boys. The couple, and his business, eventually moved to the town of Freeport on Long Island where they raised their 5 children. Mr. Boller passed away on August 2, 1951 in Freeport.

It is believed that this resources was given to the College by Mr. Boller’s son-in-law, Norman H. Foote, who served as a member of the College’s faculty and administration for over 30 years. Mr. Foote came to Farmingdale in 1933 when Farmingdale State College was know as The State Institute Of Applied Agriculture. By 1948, Mr. Foote was named Head of the Department of Agricultural Engineering. He retired from the College in about 1967.

In addition to Mr. Boller's employment experience and political inclinations, much of Mr. Boller’s scrapbook is devoted to the social customs, popular culture, and entertainment of the time.

We invite you to explore Mr. Boller’s Scrapbook through the digital online exhibit at  http://bollerscrapbook.omeka.net.