Dorr Eugene Felt - The Family

England2 England3
The above 2-page document clearly indicates that Dorr E. Felt's ancesters were early colonists. Further evidence is seen in this most interesting "ancestral register" provided by Judy J. Felt, a great niece of "DeDaddy" (as the family is fond of referring to him)....
(Felt Ancestors2)
( click above for full view - 306k bytes
Well now, his ancesters, while of some interest, aren't what this page is all about, Its his descendants that hold the key to this largely unknown genius of the pre-computer era. Members of the "Felt Family" (most by other names since he left no male heirs) are encouraged to post whatever messages they please.
Special note: For a look at the Michigan family farm, click here.
Page down to scan thru the postings.
Return here to record your personal memoirs.
Your Name:
Family Connection:
eMail (optional):
Commentary:


This site is a "work in progress" so please return frequently.
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16619
eMail
Date: Mon Feb 12 14:45:02 2001
My_name: Vagabondo
Relationship: none
eMail: vagabond@cruzio.com
Commentary: Welcome

Date: Tue Jul 6 10:31:54 1999
My_name: dale lain
Commentary: please contact me asap I am looking for information about your wifes great grand father and his summer vacation home in saugatuck michigan michael cook 1-616-396-4949 thank you
Date: Fri Feb 16 10:06:54 2001
My_name: Martin Clark Tippens
Relationship: Grandson/Dorr E. Felt
eMail: joymart@compuserve.com
Commentary: Just to get in on the act, I am the youngest sibling of Albert Harris and Constance (FELT) Tippens, one of the 4 Dorr E. Felt daughters. De-Daddy passed on before I was born but I was fortunate in that I was not born too late to have spent many halcyon days at the Felt Farm in Michigan, sopping up some of the essence of De-Daddy. My wife Joyce and I live in Glendale, California where I have earned my living as an actor under a different name, for the past 43 years. We have the exact opposite of De-Daddy in form of family, having had four male children. Happy to have been made aware of this web site.

Date: Sat Feb 17 18:18:43 2001
My_name: Virginia Schmidt Parker
Relationship: Great-granddaughter
eMail: drmomparker@hotmail.com
Commentary: The comptometer owned by my mother (Mary Elizabeth Koch Schmidt) provided wonderful rainy day entertainment. Also lessons in math, science, engineering, history, and geneology. I always assumed that every family knew as much about their ancestors as I knew about mine. Wrong! Most of my friends and patients know almost nothing about their grandparents, aunts, and uncles, so say nothing about their great-grandparents and beyond. My brother Bob sent us a Comptometer for Christmas several years ago. It too provided rainy day entertainment and those same lessons in math, engineering, history and geneology for our children. I was SO proud when our oldest son chose to write about his great-great-grandfather and the Comptometer for his Sophomore in High School "I" search. He too was amazed at how little others knew about their ancestors and their personal place in family history. I hope that this site and similar ones will help subsequent generations realize their place in the continuum.

Date: Mon Mar 5 11:01:28 2001
My_name: Ashley Hall
Relationship: grandson of Dorrs niece, Helyn Eugena Felt
eMail: Ashley Hall <ahall@ventro.com>
Commentary: My name is Mr. Ashley Woodman Hall. I am the grandson of Dorrs niece, Helyn Eugena Felt. My Grandmother, Helyn, was the daughter of Dorrs brother Louis (I am not sure of the spelling) who I believe died of a fever in Chicago when she was a young girl. She spent quite a bit of time visiting her Uncle Dorr and his family at their estate while growing up. As a young adult she worked for Dorr by traveling around the country training people in how to use the Comptometer. We still have her lapel pin with the Comptometer logo on it she must have worn to identify herself. In fact she was quite lovely and looked just like the ladies in the center and left of the "Compometer News" cover and the woman in the top image in the Operators sections of your site. She then married A.B.C. Woodman of the A.G. Woodman Co. bee keeping supply manufacturing family and lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan until they retired to southern Arizona. She passed away several years ago and was a remarkable woman who no doubt did her best to help encourage adoption of this breakthrough computing device. I remember as a boy in the 60's playing with a Comptometer at my grandparents house. I loved the sound it made when I pulled the crank. Somehow it was very satisfying. She had a brother, Gene Felt, who like his uncle Dorr was brilliant. Early in his career he was employed by Packard Motor Company as a technical rep with the Flying Tigers in Burma. They were manufacturing the Allison engines in the P-40s under license. He then founded a successful aviation related company in the Bay Area which I believe is still in operation. If there was a streak of genius in the Felt family and Helyn and Gene surely received a share of that gift through Dorrs parents. Had my grandmother been born 75 years later I am certain she would have been our first female astronaut. I found a pristine J model Comptometer in an antique shop in L.A. not too long ago and bought it for obvious reasons and enjoy it very much. We also have a nice A model in the family. If you can submit this successfully on your site and any of our Felt relatives or anyone who knew Gene or Helyn read this and are interested in making contact I would very much enjoy hearing from them. My wife, Anda, and I live in Woodside, California. I look forward to stopping by your site from time to time in the future. It is a marvelous tribute to the subject.

Date: Mon Mar 12 18:57:36 2001
My_name: Mollie Babize
Relationship: granddaughter of Gertrude Felt Babcock, Dorr's sister, who married Will Babcock; Elizabeth Ann Babcock (the second of their four children) married my father, Auguste Charles Babize; mother was named after Elizabeth Morris who was her grandmother.
eMail: babize@javanet.com
Commentary: If your relationship is "none," why the interest in Dorr Felt?

Date: Mon Mar 12 21:57:47 2001
My_name: Vagabondo
Relationship: scribe
eMail: vagabond@cruzio.com
Commentary: Mollie's question got me thinking. On several pages I have mentioned my minor connections to the machine and the company but I am not a blood relative. And the story isn't about me, its about the Comptometer, Dorr Felt and this largely untold 100-year old saga that took place from 1885 thru 1930.

I chose to record this story on the Internet thru a simple, non-commercial website because it "fits" so well here and because its the media available to me. Its also a story that deserves a wider audience so maybe it also "belongs" in bookform; however, the economics of traditional book publishing work against such an outcome (as does my advanced age).

Date: Tue May 8 20:38:47 2001
My_name: Richard L.Palmer
Relationship: live close to there summer home, and visit it everyday
eMail: knightrider999@home.com
Commentary: I live real close to d.e. felts summer house in michigan. (saugatuck), I have many pictures of this place and videos of our walkes we take out there quite often, I'm doing research on this property and the past of d.e. felts summer cottage and have felt the presance of the felt family there as well. This all has brought me closer to solving the mistery to the spirits, the land, and the memories behind the property, the the family, and the living relatives. If you ave any information at all, pleaze write me and on the subject please write, MANSION and the date and all information will be stored. If you have any questions that I may be able to help with I'll try to ask, and if yolu all know any family in this area please contact me. Sincelerly, Richard l. Palmer (I live 17 miles away from there summer cotage)

Date: Sun May 27 17:06:38 2001
My_name: Andrew Felt
Relationship: distant cousin
Commentary: I had no idea that a distant relative had been so influential in the world. Dorr's technical prowess doesn't suprise me though. My father (Steven F. Felt)owns a print shop, and can operate and fix any kind of machine. His father (Arthur E. Felt)was an engineer for the Ethel Corp. and Chrysler. His father was a little younger that Dorr, he was a bridle and harness maker in Missouri. I have met Felts from different branches of the family in St. Louis. They were architects. Seems like a strong technical gene runs in our blood. Anyone interested in Felt history should also check out the "Felt Manor House" in Galena, Illinois.

Date: Mon Jun 25 20:34:29 2001
My_name: Patty Meyer
Relationship: None
eMail: pjmeyer@iserv.net
Commentary: We discovered the Felt Mansion on a hiking trip thru the State Park last Saturday. What a beautiful place -- but how sad that it is in such a state of disrepair. By the time enough funds are raised to repair it, the mansion will crumble to pieces, I'm afraid. The ground were incredible. My husband and I especially enjoyed the "cement pond" with its bridge and walkway. Beautiful. I would certainly love to see this place restored - even if it meant they had to sell it to a private person -- or allow someone to live in it, working on it, and serving as a "curator". As an amatuer historian and Master Gardener that would be the profession of a lifetime! It would make an incredible Bed and Breakfast, or a museum (although I tend to believe houses should be inhabited by living people, not just dead ones). If there exists a way to have a tour of the interior of the home, we would be very interested in it. We live in Jamestown, Michigan -- about 30 miles from Saugatuck. Thanks. Patty

Date: Mon Sep 24 05:23:34 2001
My_name: Patricia Meyer
Relationship: none
eMail: pjmeyer@iserv.net
Commentary: Hello! Calling all Felts and Felt relatives... I am doing an article about Dorr E. Felt, his invention, and the Felt Estate on Shore Acres near Saugatuck, Michigan. I am hoping to spearhead a committee to raise funds to have the beautiful mansion restored to its former splendor. If any relatives have information or photos they would share with me, my land address is Pat Meyer, 3132 24th Avenue, hudsonville, MI 49426. I received a tour of the old home last Saturday and it is in remarkably good condition on the inside. However, if it is left unattended much longer, time and vandals will end up ruining it, I'm afraid. I am hoping that the article for Michigan History magazine will spark some interest and get the ball rolling for funding. I have created a photo tour for anyone interested. Simply pass along your land address and $10 to cover copying costs and postage. Thank you, Pat Meyer

Date: Mon Oct 29 23:50:39 2001
My_name: Barb Felt
Relationship: 5 X great grand-daughter of Joshua Felt
eMail: babs@mo.net
Commentary: Hi family! My grandfather, Constantine T. Felt (born May 17, 1866) was a contemporary of Dorr Eugene Felt. As far as my research has revealed, my Felt lineage and Dorr's converge at Joshua Felt who was son of Moses who was son of George Felt, the first generation Felt in America. I come down from Joshua's son Jonathon; Dorr cam down from Joshua's son Aaron. Would that make me a distant niece or cousin of Dorr? I don't know the proper designation for blood lines. For those who like to trace the line, here's where I fit in. Joshua's son Jonathon Felt to son Jacob to son Ira to son Ira (again) to Constantine (my grandfather) to son Eugene (my dad) to me, Barb Felt. I never married, so my last name is still proudly FELT. I have a brother, Richard (an inventor!), but neither of us have children, so my father's line stops here. I found it interesting to learn about the Dorr Michigan mansion. My childhood summers were spent with my dad's family in Michigan, Chautauqua, NY and a lakeside cabin in Canada. I wonder whether those vacation spots were favorites of the Felt family going way back in our history. I think this website is wonderful and I salute Brooke Boering (Vagabondo) for the extraordinary work and reasearch that's been done to salute the inventive genius of Dorr Eugene Felt and the forum that's been offered for Dorr's family to connect. It gives me another reason to be proud that I'm a FELT. Barb Felt

Date: Sun Apr 21 16:03:09 2002
My_name: Josephine Anderson
Relationship: None
Commentary: My name was Josephine Anderson when I lived near the Felt Mansion as a child. We frequently drove past the mansion. At one time we were given access to the beach, and it was a wonderful experience for us. The road to the beach was beautiful. Our farm property met the Felt Mansion property, so we frequently walked through their property. When the Seminary purchased the property, my mother cooked for the Priests and Seminarians. Occasionally, the Priests would also ask her to clean. When she did the cleaning, she would always have me or my sister help her. I remember polishing the beautiful wood on the staircase and the wood in the library. I vividly remember the kitchen. What a wonderful place. It has many memories for me.

Date: Thu May 23 14:43:26 2002
My_name: Mary Elizabeth Schmidt
Relationship: Matriarch of Felt family
Commentary: Just checking in again. Brooke, you have done a great job and I thank you again for keeping my Grandfather's memory fresh. How he would love to have been able to see the modern office machines. At one point, he predicted that the Comptometer would survive 50 years - it was manufactured for many more years, but he knew new machines would be developed. Also thanks, for your help with the farm - without you and Pat it would just continue crumbling away.

Date: Thu May 23 15:39:53 2002
My_name: Mary Elizabeth Schmidt
Relationship: Granddaughter
eMail: mschmidt@silcon.com
Commentary: Neglected to add my e-mail address in the other comment.

Date: Wed Jun 19 09:22:38 2002
My_name: Rebekah (Felt) Freisinger
Relationship: Somewhere Along the Line
eMail: freising@plantnet.com
Commentary: Hi, I stumbled upon this website as I was seeing if there was any information about my grandfather (Arthur E. Felt) He died just this past week at age 91. My brother (Andrew Felt) posted on her previously. It sure doesn't seem like the Felt family had many mail heirs. My family is just my Grandfather who has now passed, my Father (Steven F. Felt), a male child of my grandfather's who died at birth (Andrew Felt), and my brother (Andrew W. Felt). Well just thought I'd say hello. Thank you for sharing the history of our family. There were several Felts by the way who lived in Galena Illinois.

Date: Thu Jun 20 22:37:11 2002
My_name: Lois
Relationship: none
eMail: LAT6187@aol.com
Commentary: I was looking around the internet to see if I could find out more about Dorr Eugene Felt. I didn't even know who he was. My husband and I collect family history/genealogy books and somewhere along the way we picked up one of the Felt books. We recently have done some redecorating and have put in new book cases. We moved all the books from shelf to shelf and started going through them again. As we went through the Dorr Eugene Felt book we found some things I had never really paid any attention to before. What a treasure. The obituary of D.E Felt, a newspaper article about the marriage of his daughter Dorthea. Some other newspaper clippings and a real treat, some original telegrams. One of the telegrams is informing Mrs J. T. Andres of the death of Agnes, from Dorr Eugene Felt himself. Another one is to the same person (Mrs. Joseph T. Andrus) from Virginia Felt Koch informing her of the death of Papa. One is informing her of the death of Aunt Virginia. There are three more telegrams. There is also a hand written note from Dorthea to her cousin. I would assume that the cousin was Mrs. J. T. Andres (Andrus) and that she had owned the book. Really quite a remarkable find!

Date: Sun Oct 6 20:59:53 2002
My_name: Elemi Noyes Gwinner
Relationship: ex-wife of Nicholas Noyes
eMail: crown1965@aol.com
Commentary: I married Nicholas Noyes Felt in 1954. He was the son of Dorothea Felt and John H. Noyes, we have 3 children. I remember Nick telling me that he used to go to the farm in Michigan when he was 5 or 6 years old and that there was a kind of small "zoo" with various animales that the grand father had for the children to enjoy. He always talked about those times with fond memories.

Date: Fri Oct 18 04:49:24 2002
My_name: Mike Haislet
Relationship: none
eMail: mhaislet@yahoo.com
Commentary: Im currently filming a short film at the Felt mansion.What a neat place it was and is now they are rebuilding the old girl.... What a great site!!!!!!!What a great history. My family own a home in Mactatwa where Frank Baum summered while he built his home righ tdown the dune from where our summer home stands. Frank Baum was the writer of the Wizard of Oz! Small world isnt it..... Mike Haislet

Date: Fri Nov 8 15:28:25 2002
My_name: Bill Babcock
Relationship: Dorr was my great uncle
eMail: Bill400@msn.com
Commentary: My grandfather William F Babcock married Dorr's sister Elizabeth. William F was principal of the T T Minor school in Seattle Washington at the time. WF was thirty six when he married. When Dorr died, WF left the Seattle area, settled in the North Shore of Chicago (I believe Winnetka, IL) and assumed presidency of the Felt and Tarrant Co. WF died of cancer (he was an avid outdoorsman and chewed tobacco) in the mid to late thirties. WF had four children: Charles (my father),Elizabeth, Jane, and Richard. My father worked as the Comptometer salesman in the Michigan territory (we lived in Grand Rapids, MI until 1949) and ran a Comptometer school until he left the company in '49. Dad was fifty at the time and Comptometer was the only job that he ever had. He must have seen the handwriting on the wall, because he often said, "Without Dorr, the creativity is gone".

Date: Sat Sep 20 12:55:38 2003
My_name: Vagabondo
Relationship: none
Commentary: test

Date: Sat Apr 24 20:21:54 2004
My_name: D.Martin
Relationship: Admirerer
Commentary: I love the beautiful alabaster angel statue in the pond. Fantastic to photograph.

Date: Sat Aug 14 09:19:44 2004
My_name: Ted Siska
Relationship: none
eMail: smoke_blotter@msn.com
Commentary: For several years I have owned a piece of stained glass, allegedly removed from the New England Geneological Society Building in 1964. There were thirteen stained glass windows, one for each of the 13 original colonies. Mine is for New Hampshire and depicts the state seal, which is slightly different from what it is today. Along the bottom of the piece there are four names of individuals who were probably donors. One of them is Dorr Eugene Felt. As far as known to me, Dorr Eugene Felt did not live in New Hampshire, or in New England for that matter. Was there a connection between him and New Hampshire? And why does his name appear in the glass? All I know about him is the contents of this website. A fascinating figure.

Date: Fri Oct 15 07:37:33 2004
My_name: Lee
Relationship: EINSHTEIN
Commentary: I'm the child of Colmar

Date: Fri Oct 15 07:38:52 2004
Relationship: ben et compagny
Commentary: WHATS'UP

Date: Thu Jan 27 14:27:40 2005
My_name: Ken
Relationship: grandson of Eugene Foster Felt
Commentary: just now learning about the family.

Date: Mon Jul 11 17:06:12 2005
My_name: David Felts
Relationship: possible descendant
eMail: Felts@worldnet.att.net

Date: Wed Aug 9 22:36:01 2006
My_name: Ashley Hart
Relationship: Great-great grandaughter of Eugene
Commentary: I was searching through the internet to find information on my grandfather John High Noyes (Jack Noyes and Dorthea Felt's son) and i found their wedding reception photo and was amazed! My mother has some old footage of eugene and his children as they play with my newly born grandfather. He was doing cartwheels! it is great to find some place that has so many of my relatives i have never met, to tell the truth the family is HUGE and exceeds throughout the continent! i would also like to mention that there is a book on the felt family history, it was in limited print and only dispersed among a few relatives, so hopefully this should help!

Date: Tue Aug 22 13:20:03 2006
My_name: Danielle
Relationship: visited home recently
eMail: snoopybob21@hotmail.com
Commentary: I recently had my first encounter with the mansion this past weekend for my cousin's wedding which took place on the grounds. The place is definitely a work in progress but is extremely beautiful. We were able to go through and look at all the old rooms (including the master bedroom, sunning room, and ballroom, which was amazing!) There was only a small pamphlet on the history of the house but i found it to be very interesting. I had never even seen a comptometer, but there were two on display in the library of the home along with some family photos and old pictures of the house. As someone mentioned earlier, the cement pond is incredibly beautiful. There is no longer a statue in the middle, and the structure is in such rough shape that my cousin and his fiancee were unable to wed on the platform because it was deemed "unstable" I think that restoring the place is a wonderful idea, and I hope that one day it will be completely open to the public. The history is very fascinating and you all are so lucky to be a part of the family that built this amazing house. Just having a glimpse of the history of the house was great, I hope that all of you are able to be involved with it and its restoration. It truly is a beautiful place :)

Date: Tue Aug 22 13:37:49 2006
My_name: Danielle
eMail: snoopybob21@hotmail.com
Commentary: I have a few photos of the house from this past week. A few outside looks at the home, some pond pictures, and a few rooms inside. If you'd be interested in seeing them, please feel free to email me :)

Date: Tue Oct 31 21:00:03 2006
My_name: Andrew Felts

Date: Mon May 21 13:06:08 2007
My_name: kamal
eMail: kamal-siham@hotmail.com
Commentary: salut je suis vraimenttres heureus d'avoir une piéce de H.MORIN de j'ai trouvé si vous voulez savoir réponds moi je serais tres heureux d'ajouter cette piece a l'archive de H.MORIN (qui ressenble les guemille)

Date: Mon Jul 2 23:04:57 2007
My_name: christina
Relationship: todd .p.Boering
eMail: cboering69@yahoo.com
Commentary: who was the frist Boering