If Sarah Joslyn, the co-founder of the Joslin Memorial Library, were alive today, many may wonder what she might think of the library? Would she be impressed as to how much of the original design remains? What would she surmise if she found and rode the silver elevator from one floor to the other? And what about the wee toilet for tiny ones that some adults mistake as the only available toilet?
Two co-founders' portraits hang prominently in the library but how much does anyone who visits the library know about them, and specifically about Sarah Joslyn? This June, the library staff and community will honor Sarah Joslyn and highlight her accomplishments. (Note, Sarah Joslyn’s last name was spelled Joslin throughout her life until she and her husband moved to Nebraska and began spelling it Joslyn.)
On Saturday, June 7, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., the library team will bring Sarah Joslyn’s story to life. They encourage all community members to come learn more about her, from her humble beginnings in Fayston, to Montreal and then ultimately to Omaha, Nebraska, where she spent the majority of her life.
“Her history is fascinating; the impact she made on the city of Omaha is everlasting. She was a civic and cultural leader, advocating for voting rights for women and touching the lives of orphaned children, the elderly, the new immigrants, and people of color,” explained Shevonne Travers, library programs coordinator.
Sarah Joslyn was born in 1851, in Fayston, to Calista and James Selleck, who also raised several other children. Though there is little information about what her life was like as a child and adolescent, between the ages of 10 and 14, she was privy to watching many men and boys leave their farms and families to join the Union forces. In 1872, Sarah, 21, married George Joslin, her first half-cousin from Waitsfield. George had no desire to become a farmer, and left in his adolescence to work for his uncle’s business, the Rice Brothers Paper Factory, in Montreal. This factory specialized in producing white paper detachable collars for men’s shirts. Following their wedding in Berlin, Vermont, Sarah moved to Montreal with George where they lived for the next seven years. During this time, Sarah gave birth to a son, who unfortunately, died in infancy and the paper factory where George worked expanded their business to focus on printing.
In 1879, Sarah and George said their adieus to Canada, and after a brief move to Des Moines, George was offered a job managing a branch of the Omaha Newspaper Union in Omaha, and they moved to Nebraska. For three years, they lived in a room above the offices of the printing company. Subsequently, they moved into one of the two hotels they had purchased as investment properties. For the next few years, Sarah threw herself into managing the Metropolitan Hotel, ensuring guests were served quality meals, a variety of baked goods and had all the comforts they might expect at home.
(Next week’s article will focus on Sarah’s involvement in community endeavors and the women’s suffrage movement.)
Editor’s Note: This is the first of three articles about Sarah Joslyn, one of the founders of the Joslin Memorial Library in Waitsfield leading up to a celebration of her life at the library on June 7. Multiple women will play the part of Sarah throughout her life and the event will feature music from the time courtesy of Linda Ratke.
