The Ernest and Mary Fisk Papers span the years of Ernest's career as a journalist and in the foreign service.  The great bulk of the material is from the Fisks' time in India, Pakistan, and Nepal with the State Department.  The very few papers not from this time are mostly not of the Fisks' creation.  The collection is mainly personal, but contains much information about their professional duties.  There is little material of an expressly professional nature.

The Fisk Papers are organized in six series:  1. Correspondence, 1946-1950, 1953-1960 and n.d.; 2. Scrapbooks, 1946-1950, 1953-1957, 1959-1963, and n.d.; 3. Photographs, 1948 and n.d.; 4. Letters of Wilbur Fisk (Transcripts);  5. Miscellaneous Papers, 1937, 1942-44, 1953, 1964, and n.d.; and, 6. Certificates, 1950, 1954, 1961, 1964-66.  The first series, Correspondence, is further divided into three subseries:  1. Outgoing Correspondence, Personal; 2. Outgoing Correspondence, Group Letters; and, 3. Incoming Correspondence.

The Correspondence file and the Scrapbooks are the strongest points of the collection.  These document the lives and activities of the Fisks in the Subcontinent while also describing the changing situation in the region.  They record both large and small events in the Fisks' lives.

The Correspondence series, divided into subseries, shows three distinct views of the Fisks' lives.  The first subseries, Outgoing Correspondence, Personal, contains a great number of letters from Mary to her mother.  The bulk of this material is from the Fisks' tour in India from 1946 to 1950.  These letters are a window in to the process of acclimation to a very different culture and into the lives of ambassadors to a new nation.

The second subseries, Outgoing Correspondence, Group Letters, contains the letters written by Ernest Fisk about life in the Subcontinent, vacations, events, and the political situation.  These letters are especially interesting as they examine the relationship between the Americans and the Indian government.  The letters are also very well written and entertaining.

The third subseries, Incoming Correspondence, contains letters sent to the Fisks from, primarily, their family members.  The letters are mostly from Ernest's sister Marion, with whom her and Ernest's mother was living.  These letters are very personal and they document the Fisk family life.

The Scrapbooks series contains five scrapbooks, "India, 1946-1950," "Pakistan Memorabilia, 1953-1957," "Nepal, 1959-1963," "Letters and Pictures of Famous People," and untitled.  Four of the books have been completely disassembled to preserve the documents and photographs, one ("India, 1946-1950") has been kept partially assembled as a possible exhibition piece.  These scrapbooks contain many photographs of places in South Asia, friends of the Fisks, the houses the Fisks and their servants, and political, social, and religious events.  Especially interesting are the photographs of the 1948 Kumbh Mela in Ahmedabad, India, and of Mohandas K. Gandhi's funeral.  In addition to photographs, these scrapbooks contain many invitations and programs from social events, clippings of articles found interesting by the Fisks, and cards and letters from famous people.  These books are especially interesting because they show the Fisks' range of activities and which experiences they found important. 

Less complete is the Photographs series, which contains loose photographs of the Fisks' time in Katmandu, Nepal.  There are two groups of photographs:  one of a ceremony including the King of Nepal and one less cohesive group of outside shots.  There is also one loose photograph of Ernest and Mary.

The Letters of Wilbur Fisk (Transcripts) series consists of  transcribed Civil War letters of Wilbur Fisk, collected by Ernest Fisk, his grandson.  The original letters, held by Ernest's sister Mildred, were transcribed, copied, and distributed to members of the Fisk family.  The location of the originals is unknown.  Wilbur was apparently a soldier with the Second Vermont Regiment.  Almost all of his letters are addressed to "Editor Freeman," entitled "A Soldier's Letter," and numbered, indicating that they may have been published as a series in the paper "Freeman".  The series follows the "Anti-Rebel," as Wilbur signed them, from Virginia through the Chesapeake Bay into New York and back, in and out of the hospital, and on and off the battlefield.  There are one hundred letters in the series with a few more unnumbered letters to "Editor Freeman" or "Brother Webster".  The letters, written virtually weekly, give a fascinating view of the Civil War from the Northern perspective.

The remainder of the material includes the Miscellaneous Papers series containing a small amount of clippings, a few household documents, and one beautifully bound card; and, the Certificates series consisting of certificates presented to Ernest Fisk for his achievements in foreign service. 

There is very little information dealing with any time other than the Fisks' foreign service, which spanned fifteen years.  Only in the clippings file is there material from before the Fisks left for India in 1946.  The documentation of their foreign service is remarkably thorough, however. 

The Fisk Family Papers are organized in six series:  1. Correspondence, 1946-1950, 1953-1960 and n.d.; 2. Scrapbooks, 1946-1950, 1953-1957, 1959-1963, and n.d.; 3. Photographs, 1948 and n.d.; 4. Letters of Wilbur Fisk (Transcripts); 5. Miscellaneous Papers, 1937, 1942-44, 1953, 1964, and n.d.; and, 6. Certificates, 1950, 1954, 1961, 1964-66.  The first series, Correspondence, is further divided into three subseries:  1. Outgoing Correspondence, Personal; 2. Outgoing Correspondence, Group Letters; and, 3. Incoming Correspondence.

Series I.  Correspondence, 1946-1950, 1953-1960, and n.d.  (22f)

            This series contains letters documenting the Fisks years in India, Pakistan, and Nepal with the State Department.  The letters primarily contain personal anecdotes and experiences in the Subcontinent, but they also record some of the most important political events of South Asia's twentieth century from the American perspective.  The Correspondence is divided into three subseries:  Outgoing Correspondence, Personal; Outgoing Correspondence, Group Letters; and Incoming Correspondence.

Subseries I.  Outgoing Correspondence, Personal, 1946-1950, 1953, 1960, and n.d.  (12f)

            These letters give a comprehensive view of Mary's life in India, Pakistan, and Nepal.  They are almost a diary, as they were written at least twice a week and are very personal.  The great bulk of the material is from 1946-1950, the Fisk's years in India, and are almost all addressed to Mary's mother, Mrs. Clarence Wright of Oberlin, Ohio.  The letters chronicle the social calendar of the Fisks and the problems of housekeeping in India.  They also show the process of acclimation experienced by Mary Fisk.  The later group of letters, from 1953-1960 are much less comprehensive, tending to only record special trips and events. 

Subseries II.  Outgoing Correspondence, Group Letters, 1946-1949, 1953  (5f)

            These group letters, copies of which were sent to all of the Fisks' correspondents, were written by Ernest Fisk.  This numbered series chronicles the major events in the Fisks' lives and local and national Indian and Pakistani politics.  Topics of the letters range from Fisk vacations to a description of Mohandas K. Gandhi's assassination.  This series of letters deals with much more of the current political events than the previous subseries.

Subseries III.  Incoming Correspondence, 1953-1957 and n.d.  (5f)

            This series of letters was received by the Fisks in Pakistan.  All of the letters are personal in nature.  The bulk of the letters were written by Marion Fleming, Ernest's sister, who was living in Washington, D.C. with her husband Harry and her and Ernest's mother.  These letters shed light into the Fisks' family life.  There are also letters from other family members and friends.

Series II.  Scrapbooks, 1946-1950, 1953-1957, 1959-1963, and n.d.  (8f, 6 original scrapbooks)

            This series contains the five scrapbooks recording the Fisks' experience in the Indian Subcontinent.  The books are, "India, 1946-1950," "Pakistan Memorabilia, 1953-1957," "Nepal, 1959-1963," "Letters and Pictures of Famous People," and untitled.  Four of the books have been completely disassembled to preserve the documents and photographs, one ("India, 1946-1950") has been kept partially assembled as a possible exhibition piece.  These scrapbooks contain many photographs of places in South Asia, friends of the Fisks, the houses of the Fisks and their servants, and political, social, and religious events.  Especially interesting are the photographs of the 1948 Kumbh Mela in Ahmedabad, India, and of Mohandas K. Gandhi's funeral.  In addition to photographs, these scrapbooks contain many invitations and programs from social events, clippings of articles found interesting by the Fisks, and cards and letters from famous people.  In most cases, items have been removed from the scrapbooks and placed in the 8 folders which are Series II.  As indicated on the inventory, two of the scrapbooks still contain various newspaper clippings.

Series III.  Photographs, 1948 and n.d.  (1f)

            This series consists of a small number of loose photographs from Katmandu, Nepal.  The photographs in two groups:  one of a ceremony including the King of Nepal and one less cohesive group of outside shots.  There is also one loose photograph of Ernest and Mary.  See also Series VI.  Certificates for photographs related to Fisk's retirement from foreign service.

Series IV.  Letters of Wilbur Fisk (Transcripts), 1862-65  (1f)

            This series consists of the transcribed Civil War letters of Wilbur Fisk, collected by Ernest Fisk, his grandson.  The original letters, held by Ernest's sister Mildred, were transcribed, copied, and distributed to members of the Fisk family.  The location of the originals is unknown.  Wilbur was apparently a soldier with the Second Vermont Regiment.  Almost all of the letters are addressed to "Editor Freeman," entitled "A Soldier's Letter," and numbered, indicating that they may have been published as a series in the paper "Freeman".  The series follows the "Anti-Rebel," as Wilbur signed them, from Virginia through the Chesapeake Bay into New York and back, in and out of the hospital, and on and off the battlefield.  There are one hundred letters in the series with a few more unnumbered letters to "Editor Freeman" or "Brother Webster".  The letters, written virtually weekly, give a fascinating view of the Civil War from the Northern perspective.

Series V.  Miscellaneous Papers, 1937, 1942-44, 1953, 1964, and n.d.  (2f)

            This series is an artificially assembled group of truly miscellaneous material.  It contains a Clippings File, 1937, (1942-44, 1964), with articles about or by Ernest Fisk before and after his overseas service.  There is also a small file of Household Records from 1953 and one beautifully bound card from Begum and Colonel Muhir Ahmed of Lahore, Pakistan.  This card is bound in red velvet and gold tassels and contains a message in Persian script. 

Series VI.  Certificates, 1950, 1954, 1961, 1964-66  (6f)

            Includes certificates presented to Ernest Fisk for his appointments as Foreign Service Officer (1950), Consul General (1954), and Consul General at Katmandu, Nepal (1961); Certificate commemorating Fisk's twenty years of foreign service (1964); certificate of enrollment in the Department of State's Reserve Consultant's Roster (1966); and, certificate, correspondence, and photos concerning Fisk's retirement from foreign service after twenty-one years (1965).

The Papers of Ernest and Mary Fisk were received in two lots; the first from Ernest and Mary Fisk in 1990, and the second from Mary Fisk in 1995 (1995/47).