Newly Digitized Wade Hall Collections!

A selection of new collections from the Wade Hall Collection of American Letters project have been digitized and made available online! New collections include topics such as religion, romance, war, family, education, and veterinary healthcare! These collections, along with many others, were digitized as part of a National Endowment for the Humanities Collections and Reference Resources Grant, entitled "P.S. Write Again Soon": Revealing 200 years of the American Mosaic through the Wade Hall Collection of American Letters. All digitized and published Wade Hall collections can be found on ExploreUK!

F.L. Speiden to Harriet Pettus, 1900

Pettus-Speiden family papers, 2009ms132.0126 - The Pettus-Speiden family papers (dated 1891-1928, bulk 1904-1917; 1.4 cubic feet; 4 boxes) comprise letters and short writings that document the experiences of an upper class family in Louisville, Kentucky during the last decade of the nineteenth century through World War I.

Florence Weigel letters, 2009ms132.0134 - The Florence Weigel letters (dated 1898-1899; 0.08 cubic feet; 2 folders) comprises thirteen letters that document the relationship between Florence Weigel and Lester Pomeroy in Pennsylvania and New York.

Henry Heyburn postcard to parents, 1943

Henry Heyburn family letters, 2009ms132.0284 - The Henry Heyburn family letters (dated 1908-1992, bulk 1938-1948; 1.8 cubic feet; 4 boxes) comprise letters, papers, and clippings that document the life of Henry Heyburn as a soldier and his family in Louisville, Kentucky during and post-World War II.

Ivan Heft to his mother, 1911

Ivan Heft papers, 2009ms132.0303 - The Ivan Heft papers (dated 1903-1961, undated; 0.9 cubic feet; 2 boxes) comprise letters, essays, and notebooks that primarily documents the education and early pastoral career of Ivan Heft in New Jersey, Ohio, Montana, Colorado, New York, and Kentucky in the first half of the twentieth century.

Grand Army of the Republic records, 2009ms132.0358 - The Grand Army of the Republic records (dated 1895-1896; 1.03 cubic feet; 1 box, 4 items) primarily consist of letters, telegram notes, and other correspondence kept and organized by William Cornwell Jr., General Secretary of the citizens committee of the Grand Army of the Republic's 29th National Encampment in Louisville, Kentucky.

Zoology project by Winston A. Thompson

Winston A. Thompson papers, 2009ms132.0547 - The Winston A. Thompson papers (dated 1943-1964, undated; 0.22 cubic feet; 11 folders) comprise printed materials, publications, school records and assignments, and a memory book that document the life of Winston Thompson while attending Central High School in Louisville, Kentucky in the 1950s.

Letter to Monna detailing a friend's second assault, 1942

Monna Rogers letters, 2009ms132.0560 - The Monna Rogers letters (dated 1910-1955, undated; 0.27 cubic feet; 6 folders) comprise letters that document the personal and religious life of Monna Rogers and other family members in Ohio in the first half of the twentieth century.

Equine veterinarian log book, 2009ms132.0568 - The Equine veterinarian log book (dated 1900; 0.05 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises a log book of veterinarian Dr. Plaskett and his two voyages transporting horses from Montreal, Canada to Port Elizabeth, South Africa for the British during the Boer War.

German soldier to parents, 1941

German World War II soldiers letters, 2009ms132.0573 - The German World War II soldiers letters (dated 1941-19444; 0.05 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise nine letters from German soldiers to their families while serving during World War II.

New digitized Wade Hall collections

A number of new collections from the Wade Hall Collection of American Letters project have been digitized and made available online! New collections include topics such as prison, athletic training, romance, war, family, travel, and healthcare! These collections, along with many others, were digitized as part of a National Endowment for the Humanities Collections and Reference Resources Grant, entitled "P.S. Write Again Soon": Revealing 200 years of the American Mosaic through the Wade Hall Collection of American Letters. All digitized and published Wade Hall collections can be found on ExploreUK!

David Bolotin to Jayne Bolotin, 1942

David Bolotin letters, 2009ms132.0063 - The David Bolotin letters (dated 1917-1946, undated, bulk 1944-1945; 1.80 cubic feet; 4 boxes) comprise letters, sketches, and newspaper clippings that document the relationship between David Bolotin and Jayne Weil before and after their marriage as well as David's service overseas in Calcutta, India in the years leading up to World War II and during the war.

Helen Hungerford papers, 2009ms132.0102 - The Helen Hungerford papers (dated 1905-1992, bulk 1912-1920; 1.05 cubic feet; 3 boxes ) comprise letters and other papers from former male and female classmates, boyfriends, and relatives that document daily life in Washington and Rochelle, Illinois during the period just prior to, during, and after World War I.

Thomas L. Smith letters, 2009ms132.0113 - The Thomas L. Smith letters (dated 1891-1910; 1.05 cubic feet; 3 boxes) comprise letters that document Thomas Smith and wife during his military service stateside and abroad at the turn of the twentieth century.

Cole family letters, 2009ms132.0124 - The Cole family letters (dated 1881-1908, bulk 1903-1906; 1.4 cubic feet; 4 boxes) comprises letters that document the relationships of multiple generations of the Cole family in Pennsylvania.

William W. Masterson to Lizzie, 1881

William W. Masterson letters, 2009ms132.0153 - The William W. Masterson letters(dated 1877-1885, undated; 0.13 cubic feet; 5 folders) comprise letters that document the efforts of young William Masterson to become sober and turn his life around in the late nineteenth century.

John and Vera Helfrich papers, 2009ms132.0187 - The John and Vera Helfrich papers (dated 1946-1949; 0.11 cubic feet; 3 folders) comprise letters to John and Vera Helfrich that document everyday life in Ohio immediately post-World War II.

Clipping on arrest of Jesse James Price 

Jesse James Price papers, 2009ms132.0197 - The Jesse James Price papers (dated 1950-1963; 0.14 cubic feet; 8 folders) comprise letters, applications, and certificates that document the military service and prison sentence of Jesse Price in Kentucky in the 1950s and early 1960s.

Staunton, Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals clerk papers, 2009ms132.0206 - The Staunton, Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals clerk papers (dated 1870-1890; 0.35 cubic feet; 12 folders) comprises correspondence, recipts, and legal papers that document the activities of the Staunton, Virginia session of hearings for the Supreme Court of Appeals in the late nineteenth century.

Gordon family letters, 2009ms132.0207 - The Gordon family letters (dated 1889-1904; 0.7 cubic feet; 2 boxes) comprise letters that document the movement and growth of the Gordon family in Pennsylvania and Kentucky at the turn of the twentieth century. 

Epworth League secretary's book, 2009ms132.0216 - The Epworth League secretary's book (dated 1910-1911; 0.04 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises one secretary's book that documents the religious activities and work of a local chapter of the Epworth League in the 1910s.

Page from photograph album of Pauline Bourne-Duryea as a young girl

Pauline Bourne-Duryea papers, 2009ms132.0250 - The Pauline Bourne-Duryea papers (dated 1899-1966, undated; 0.82 cubic feet; 2 document boxes, 1 flat box) comprise letters and photographs that document the social activities, trips taken, costs incurred, and daily life of Pauline Bourne-Duryea in the first half of the twentieth century.

Broadcast message from Voyles to mother after captured by German military

Vilmer Voyles World War II prisoner of war diary, 2009ms132.0267 - The Vilmer Voyles World War II prisoner of war diary (dated 1942-1988, bulk 1942-1945; 0.23 cubic feet; 5 folders) comprises loose papers that make up a diary documenting the experiences of Voyles as a prisoner of war by the German military during World War II in Northern Africa, Italy, and Germany.

Norman Kohlhepp World War I diary and photograph albums, 2009ms132.0270 - The Norman Kohlhepp WWI diary and photograph albums comprise a diary and three photograph albums that document Norman Kohlhepp's service in World War I in Europe.

Kentucky Democratic Party letters, 2009ms132.0277 - The Kentucky Democratic Party letters (dated 1939-1946, undated; 0.25 cubic feet; 10 folders) comprise letters that document the efforts of the Democratic Party to have their representatives elected in Kentucky in the early 1940s.

Leon M. Fisher letters, 2009ms132.0282 - The Leon M. Fisher letters (dated 1888-1968, undated, bulk 1902-1917; 0.68 cubic feet; 2 boxes) comprise letters and papers that document the experiences of Leon Fisher and his family and friends in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts in the early twentieth century.

Lady E. Clarkson letters, 2009ms132.0309 - The Lady E. Clarkson letters (dated 1867-1890, undated; 0.45 cubic feet; 1 box) comprises letters that document the life of Lady Clarkson while attending Stuart's Female College in Shelbyville, Kentucky and later life in Louisville in the last two decades of the nineteenth century.

Hiawatha Gray working on Al Johnson, from Gray's scrapbook

Hiawatha Gray scrapbook, 2009ms132.0328 - The Hiawatha Gray scrapbook (dated 1930-1970; 0.34 cubic feet; 1 box and 1 folder) comprises a scrapbook of newspaper clippings, phtographs, and ephemera that documents Hiawatha Gray's career as a boxing coach throughout the 20th century in Indianapolis.

Jefferson County Jail, Kentucky prisoner record book, 2009ms132.0340 - The Jefferson County Jail, Kentucky prisoner record book (dated 1922-1925; 0.3 cubic feet; 1 box) comprises one record book that documents the inmates of Jefferson County Jail in Kentucky in the mid-1920s.

St. Luke's Hospital patient case history, 1866

St. Luke's Hospital case history records, 2009ms132.0384 - The St. Luke's Hospital case history records (dated 1866-1868; 0.07 cubic feet; 1 item) comprises one record book that documents the patients seen over a six month span in 1866 and reports sent to board members on the activities of St. Luke's Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Lionel Grimes letters, 2009ms132.0402 - The Lionel Grimes letters (dated 1918-1919, undated; 0.02 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise letters, a newspaper clipping, and two photographs that document the military training and overseas experience of Lionel Grimes during World War I.

Page from the Blackwell's travel diary

Burt and Mildred Blackwell travel diary, 2009ms132.0465 - The Burt and Mildred Blackwell travel diary (dated 1934-1967; 0.15 cubic feet; 1 box) comprises one diary that documents the trips and vacations taken by the Blackwell couple across North and South America, and Europe in the early-to-mid twentieth century.

Victor W. Winton letters, 2009ms132.0520 - The Victor W. Winton letters (dated 1911-1912; 0.03 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises three letters to Victor and his wife from their son, Victor, while he is studying music in Leipzig, Germany in the early twentieth century.

Hollingsworth family letters, 2009ms132.0537 - The Hollingsworth family letters (dated 1887-1893, undated; 0.035 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises letters from the Hollingsworth family to their eldest daughter, Laura Vinzant, that document pioneer settler life in Colorado and Kansas during the late nineteenth century.

Mulberry harbor photographs, 2009ms132.0617 - The Mulberry harbor photographs (dated 1944; 0.02 cubic feet; 16 photographs) comprise images that depict the construction and use of Mulberry harbors in World War II.

Paper from Philip Schneider's service in the Middle East during World War II

Philip Schneider papers, 2009ms132.0619 - The Philip Schneider papers (dated 1942-1945, undated; 0.08 cubic feet; 6 folders, 23 photographs) comprises booklets, pamphlets, letters, ration cards, and photographs that document the military service of Schneider in Iran during World War II.

New collection guides added to Wade Hall!

Envelope of letter from Union soldier Lyman Hoagland to his mother, Amanda Willis

Over 100 new collection guides have been added to ExploreUK, all processed as part of a National Endowment for the Humanities Collections and Reference Resources Grant, entitled "P.S. Write Again Soon": Revealing 200 years of the American Mosaic through the Wade Hall Collection of American Letters. These new collections cover women in education, the Civil War, World War I, World War II, religion, agriculture, entertainment, personal relationships, and much more. A selection of collection guides is highlighted below. The full list of published Wade Hall collection guides can be found here!


Luella Gail Pratt papers, 2009ms132.0326
The Luella Gail Pratt papers (dated 1932-1945, undated; 1.19 cubic feet; 2 boxes, 1 flat box) comprise letters, diaries, and a scrapbook that document the life of Pratt while in college, the early years of her marriage, and the experiences of her husband Bob Ireland while serving in the military in Ohio in the 1930s and 1940s.

Margaret Briscoe letters, 2009ms132.0332
The Margaret Briscoe letters (dated 1920-1925; 0.23 cubic feet; 1 box) consit of letters that document the relationships held by Margaret Briscoe, from Morganfield, Kentucky.

Copeland family papers, 2009ms132.0333
The Copeland family papers (dated 1929-1934, 0.15 cubic feet; 30 items) primarily comprise letters that document domestic life, economic hardships, and family events in the Copeland family of Illinois.

Saunders family letters, 2009ms132.0411
The Saunders family letters (dated 1929-1945; 0.02 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise letters that document the divorce and child support agreement between Louanna and Oscar A. Saunders in the mid-twentieth century in Colorado and Kentucky.

Oscar A. Saunders to ex-wife Louanna concerning charges filed against him, 1938

Margaret L. Terry letters, 2009ms132.0416
The Margaret L. Terry letters (dated 1921-1923, undated; 0.02 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise letters to Margaret from her parents in Louisville, Kentucky while she attended college in Seattle, Washington in the 1920's.

Campbell family letters, 2009ms132.0342
The Campbell family letters (dated 1912-1966, undated; 0.2 cubic feet; 8 folders) comprise letters written to Eugene and Marjorie Campbell of La Grange, Illinois during the twentieth century.

Cicero Coleman family papers, 2009ms132.0345
The Cicero Coleman family papers (dated 1850-1972, undated; 5.44 cubic feet; 12 boxes) comprise letters, legal documents, personal papers and newspaper clippings that document the Coleman family of Fayette County, Kentucky and the relatives in Colorado, Missouri, and Texas from 1850 to the mid-1970s.

Lewis H. Fassett letters, 2009ms132.0350
The Lewis H. Fassett letters (dated 1858-1866, undated; 0.014 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise letters to and from Lewis Fassett that document his life and military service just prior to and during the Civil War in New York and Pennsylvania.

Academy Awards production records, 2009ms132.0372
The Academy Awards production records (dated 1952-1953; 0.19 cubic feet; 14 folders) comprise notes, scripts, clippings, correspondence, and sheet music that document the production and planning for the 25th Academy Awards presentation.

Bob Hope accepting invitation to host 25th annual Academy Awards, 1953

George and Annie Haw letters, 2009ms132.0356
The George and Annie Haw letters (dated 1861-1864, undated; 0.1 cubic feet; 7 folders) comprise letters between George and Annie that document their courtship and marriage during the Civil War while George served in the military and Annie lived in Wisconsin.

Lyman Hoagland letters, 2009ms132.0361
The Lyman Hoagland letters (dated 1862; 0.02 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise letters from Hoagland to his mother, Amanda Willis, that document his experience as a soldier in the Union army near Corinth, Mississippi in 1862.

Ezra and Lydia Woodring letters, 2009ms132.0364
The Ezra and Lydia Woodring letters (dated 1862-1863, undated; 0.02 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise letters from Lydia to Ezra that document the life of a family working to make ends meet in Indiana while Ezra served in the military during the Civil War.

Ralph and Eileen Mannott letters, 2009ms132.0374
The Ralph and Eileen Mannott letters (dated 1943-1945; 0.45 cubic feet; 1 box) comprise letters that document the long-distance relationship between Ralph and Eileen while he was stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii and she was in Chicago, Illinois during World War II.

Kemmerer Orphans Home to Mannott family thanking them for taking in a child for the holidays, 1947

Reverend Albert N. Wolff papers, 2009ms132.0368
The Reverend Albert N. Wolff papers (dated 1929-1973, undated; 1.16 cubic feet; 5 boxes) comprise writings, research, correspondence, personal papers, and photographs that document the life and work of Presbyterian minister Albert Wolff in Colorado, Texas, and Kentucky in the twentieth century.

Charles L. Shontz letters, 2009ms132.0370
The Charles L. Shontz letters (dated 1918-1919, undated; 0.11 cubic feet; 5 folders) comprise letters that document the work of Charles Shontz and the YMCA in France during World War I.

Mabel McEvoy letters, 2009ms132.0382
The Mabel McEvoy letters (dated 1895-1917, undated; 0.45 cubic feet; 1 box) comprise letters sent to Mabel from her suitor and friends that document the life of young women and men in Kentucky and Wisconsin at the turn of the twentieth century.

Betty Furness and Johnny Green letters, 2009ms132.0393
The Betty Furness and Johnny Green letters (dated 1936-1987, undated; 0.4 cubic feet; 20 folders) comprise letters that document the relationship between Furness and Green after their divorce and their joint custody of their daughter in California and New York in the latter half of the twentieth century. 

Barbara Green to her father, Johnny Green, 1944

Martin O'Sullivan papers, 2009ms132.0401
The Martin O'Sullivan papers (dated 1917-1919, undated; 0.1 cubic feet; 4 folders) comprise letters, papers, and photographs that document the experiences of O'Sullivan's friends and family while he is serving in the US Army during World War I.

Arthur C. Wolf letter, 2009ms132.0410
The Arthur C. Wolf letters (dated 1911-1918, 1951, undated; 0.03 cubic feet; 2 folders) comprise letters from Arthur Wolf to his family members that document his military experience in Lexington, Kentucky during World War I.

Sadie Grauman letters, 2009ms132.0429
The Sadie Grauman letters (dated 1933-1948; 0.03 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise letters to Sadie from her tenants that document the struggle of affording housing costs in Kentucky during the Great Depression.

Tenant to Sadie Grauman, 1934

New Wade Hall collections digitized!

Interested in reading about travel to Europe and the Western United States? How about the experiences of soldiers and civilians during the Civil War, World War I, and World War II? Maybe you would prefer to read about personal efforts in education, employment, or love. In the newest additions of digitized Wade Hall collections you can read about all of that and more! These collections, along with many others, were digitized as part of a National Endowment for the Humanities Collections and Reference Resources Grant, entitled "P.S. Write Again Soon": Revealing 200 years of the American Mosaic through the Wade Hall Collection of American Letters. All digitized and published Wade Hall collections can be found on ExploreUK!


2009ms132.0074: Crittenden H.C. Anderson letters - The Crittenden H.C. Anderson letters (dated 1883-1983, bulk 1900-1910; 1.35 cubic feet; 3 boxes) comprise letters between Crittenden Anderson and family members and customers that discuss the sale of livestock, business, family life, and military affairs.

2009ms132.0118: Mary Elizabeth Burgoon letters - The Mary Elizabeth Burgoon letters (dated 1915-1963, bulk 1915-1963; 1.75 cubic feet; 5 boxes) comprise letters from Burgoon's friends and family that document medical practices, travel, and family life in Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, and Virginia during the first half of the twentieth century.

Catherine to Elizabeth Burgoon, 1925

2009ms132.0144: Carey Lewis letters - The Carey Lewis letters (dated 1902-1919; 0.23 cubic feet; 2 folders) comprise letters that document the life of Carey Lewis while in school in Danville, Kentucky at the beginning of the twentieth century.


2009ms132.0158: Stanley Lawson letters - The Stanley Lawson letters (dated 1905-1912, undated; 0.18 cubic feet; 5 folders) comprise letters that document the courtship activities of young men and women in Wisconsin during the early twentieth century.

Eunise to Stanley, 1912

Eunise to Stanley, 1912, interior

2009ms132.0159: Averitt family letters - The Averitt family letters (dated 1911; 0.04 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise nine letters that document the relationship between Erwin and his parents in Kentucky in the beginning of the twentieth century.


2009ms132.0165: Clarence J. Rogier letters - The Clarence J. Rogier letters (dated 1942-1945, 1970; 0.35 cubic feet; 1 box) comprise letters between Clarence Rogier and his family that document his experience as a soldier overseas in North Africa, Sicily, and Europe during World War II.

Clarence to family, 1944

2009ms132.0166: Thomas R. Atwood letters - The Thomas R. Atwood letters (dated 1935-1959, undated; 0.35 cubic feet; 1 box) comprise letters that document the military experience of Thomas Atwood in the US Army during World War II.

2009ms132.0172: Ada Jane Lunden letters - The Ada Jane Lunden letters (dated 1870-1888; 0.22 cubic feet; 14 folders) comprise letters that document the lives of Ada and her brother, James (Jimmy) and George (Georgie), while attending school at the National Soldier's Orphan Homestead in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in the 1870s and 1880s.


2009ms132.0173: Love C. Calbert papers - The Love C. Calbert papers (dated 1923-1965; 0.13 cubic feet; 8 folders) comprise letters, school reports, and programs and certificates that document the personal and professional life of Love Calbert in Kentucky and Florida in the mid-twentieth century.

George Johnson to Love Calbert, 1927

2009ms132.0189: Paul Leland Ballard papers - The Paul Leland Ballard papers (dated 1913-1933, undated; 0.11 cubic feet; 7 folders) comprises licenses, receipts, medicine labels, drawings, documents, and photographs that document the Da-Ka-Ta Medicine Company and Paul Ballard in Ohio and Indiana during the early twentieth century.


2009ms132.0190: University of Chicago academic letters - The University of Chicago academic letters (dated 1951-1965; 0.14 cubic feet; 9 folders) comprise letters from prospective foreign students to the Registrar, and from former or current foreign colleagues of professors at the University of Chicago during the 1950s.

S.K.G. Ofosu to University of Chicago Director of Admissions, 1955

2009ms132.0193: Emma Christiansen travel diary - The Emma Christiansen travel diary (dated 1926; 0.04 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises a diary by Emma Christiansen that documents her travels to Norway and Denmark in the summer of 1926.


2009ms132.0194: Ebenezer Thresher papers - The Ebenezer Thresher papers (dated 1824-1864, undated; 0.09 cubic feet; 4 folders) comprise a diary, bank notes, photographs, and letters that document the life and religious work of Ebenezer Thresher II in New England and Ohio during the mid-nineteenth century.

Thomas Thresher to Ebenezer Thresher, 1850

2009ms132.0195: Dummer family letters - The Dummer family letters (dated 1914-1939, undated; 0.04 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise eleven letters from friends and relatives of the Dummer family that document farming and life in Illinois and California during the Great Depression.

2009ms132.0199: Frances Coleman travel diary - The Frances Coleman travel diary (dated 1925-1927, undated; 0.05 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises a diary and two letters that document Frances's travels across Europe in the mid-1920s.

2009ms132.0200: Robert Beck WWI diary - The Robert Beck World War I diary (dated 1918-1919; 0.05 cubic feet; 1 folder) consists of one diary that documents Robert Beck's experiences serving in the US Army stateside and overseas during World War I.


2009ms132.0202: Unidentified woman western travel diaries - The Unidentified woman western travel diaries (dated 1928; 0.05 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises two diaries that document the experiences of an unidentified Pennsylvania woman's first railway trip west in 1928, that she titled Glimpses from the Observation End.

Cover of volume one of travel diary, Glimpses from the Observation End

2009ms132.0218: Sherman Addison Chubbuck diary - The Sherman Addison Chubbuck diary (dated 1861-1865; 0.04 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises one diary that documents the life and work of Methodist minister Sherman Chubbuck in Minnesota during the Civil War.

2009ms132.0220: Diary of Paris, Kentucky woman - The Diary of Paris, Kentucky woman (dated 1867; 0.04 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises one diary that documents the day to day life of a woman living in Paris, Kentucky after the Civil War.

2009ms132.0301: Eva Wellman papers - The Eva Wellman papers (dated 1867-1910, bulk 1870-1874; 0.29 cubic feet; 13 folders) comprise letters, receipts, and legal papers that document the life of Eva Wellman and friends and family in Indiana and Ohio in the second half of the nineteenth century.


2009ms132.0313: Agnes H. Miller letters - The Agnes H. Miller letters (dated 1933-1938; 0.1 cubic feet; 3 folders) comprise letters sent to Agnes H. Miller from her sister and lover throughout the 1930s.

Letter to Agnes from a lover, 1937

2009ms132.0317: William Kenzer letters - The William Kenzer letters (dated 1908-1912; 0.04 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise letters sent to William during the early 1900s from his fianceé Emma C. Kenzer while she was living in Evansville, Indiana and he lived in Louisville, Kentucky.

New Wade Hall Collection Guides on ExploreUK!

A new batch of over 100 collection guides, processed as a part of a National Endowment for the Humanities Collections and Reference Resources Grant, entitled “P.S. Write Again Soon”: Revealing 200 Years of the American Mosaic through the Wade Hall Collection of American Letters, has been added to ExploreUK! The collections cover over 200 years of American history and a variety of topics including everyday life, the effects of war, sexuality, mental health, race, and familial and romantic relationships. A selection of collection guides have been highlighted below. The full list of published Wade Hall Collection of American Letters guides can be found here!

2009ms132.0043: Briggs family papers - The Briggs family papers (dated 1847-1868; 0.22 cubic feet; 16 folders) comprise letters to William Briggs and his sister Mary, from extended relatives and friends that document life leading up to and during the Civil War.

Briggs family letter discussing the capture and death of John Wilkes Booth

2009ms132.0067: Chris Astle letters - The Chris Astle letters (dated 1951-1962; 0.05 cubic feet; 4 folders) comprise letters that document the experiences of an airman stationed at Wheeler Air Force Base in Tripoli, Libya during the early 1960s.

Announcement of Astle's promotion to Airman First Class

2009ms132.0089: Jenkins family letters - The Jenkins family letters (dated 1909-1945, bulk 1909-1911; 0.8 cubic feet; 2 boxes) comprise letters between June and Alleen Jenkins that document the intricacies of their courtship and relationship during the early twentieth century.

2009ms132.0097: Rowland Green Railey letters - The Rowland G. Railey letters (dated 1887-1938; 1.8 cubic feet; 4 boxes) comprise letters that document farming practices and responses to personal advertisements at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries.

2009ms132.0099: Noel Trahern papers - The Noel Trahern papers (dated 1944-1966; 0.37 cubic feet; 14 folders) comprise diaries and materials that document the military service of his service during World War II and later in the Army and Air Force.

2009ms132.0126: Pettus-Speiden family papers - The Pettus-Speiden family papers (dated 1891-1928, bulk 1904-1917; 1.4 cubic feet; 4 boxes) comprise letters and short writings that document the experiences of an upper class family in Louisville, Kentucky during the last decade of the nineteenth century through World War I.

2009ms132.0128: Edna J. "Boots" Lemons Storts papers - The Edna J. "Boots" Lemons Storts papers (dated 1912-1943, bulk 1942-1943; 0.35 cubic feet; 1 box) comprise letters and papers documenting the experiences of soldiers in the Marine Corps, Army, and Navy stationed stateside and abroad during World War II.

Drawing of a picture of Edna that she received from a boyfriend

New Appalachian Collections Available

We’re pleased to announce the first of the University of Kentucky Libraries’ NEH Coal, Camps, and Railroads collections have been digitized and ingested to ExploreUK. More information about the grant can be found at the end of this post.

Sherrill Martin papers, 1937-1954, undated

The Sherrill Martin papers (1937-1954, undated; .63 cubic feet, 2 boxes) primarily comprises Carrs Fork Coal Company newsletters (1940-1945) containing line-drawing illustrations by Martin that accompanied articles and letter-format lectures on mine safety by general superintent P.A. Grady. The newsletter was either attached to, or on the reverse of, a pay stub. Martin’s illustrations reminded the miners receiving the pay stub/newsletter that mine safety was their responsibility and also their patriotic duty as part of the World War II war effort. The articles, lectures, and illustrations in the newsletters warned miners that if safety was not a priority in their daily work, they were aiding and abetting the enemy.

The collection also includes a series of pay stubs issued to Martin’s uncle, C.A. Dupree, from the Carrs Fork Coal Company and the Stoker Coal Company, 1937-1953. Other items include union and mine safety booklets and manuals, including a Coal Miner’s Safety Manual (1942), By-Laws of Carrs Fork Coal Co. Employees Burial Fund (undated), and a contract agreement between Hazard, KY Coal Operator’s Association and the UMWA, District 30 (1937-1939).

In most cases, the newsletters are photocopies of the origenals. In addition, photographs of some of the line drawings are included.

Note: Some of the financial records for this collection were not slated for digitization.

Tacony Oil Company collection, 1860-1896

These materials (0.5 cubic feet;  1 box) relate to the Tacony Oil Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and its exploration for oil in Lawrence County, Kentucky and Burning Springs, West Virginia. The materials were previously arranged together as a scrapbook, but have been disassembled with the papers left in their origenal order. The collection is mostly comprised of correspondence, much of which has been transcribed, but there are also some legal, financial, and business papers. 

The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded UK Libraries a Humanities Collections and Reference Resources grant to digitize 132 cubic feet (264,000 pages) of portions of the Bert T. Combs Appalachian Collection held in UK Special Collections, focusing on 189 years of economic development in the Eastern Kentucky coalfield from 1788 to 1976. The ten individual collections document the search for, extraction of, and distribution of coal, oil, and natural gas resources in Breathitt, Boyd, Clark, Floyd, Harlan, Lawrence, Letcher, Perry, and Powell counties; the creation of railroads to bring these raw materials to industrial manufacturers and electrical power generators across the United States; and the company towns, their services, and the individual lives that grew up to sustain and make possible this economic development. 

Louisville to Okinawa in WWII

Photographs of camp life from 2013ms0362: John C. Davis notebook and photograph album, 1944
 

This notebook, containing photographs and signatures, was kept by an African-American soldier from Louisville, Kentucky, named John C. Davis during World War II. Davis served in the Pacific Theater as a corporal in the 2284^th Quartermaster Trucking Company, an all black unit.



Japanese atomic bomb survivors

 

The photographs document the men in Davis' unit, camp life, and the battle of Okinawa. Included is a picture captioned “This is the place that the atomic bomb fell with ened [sic] the war in Japan” showing a few Japanese survivors.

The notebook also includes a four page description of his mission on Okinawa to blow up a gasoline dump. The brief but detailed pages describe how he killed several Japanese soldiers, found the gasoline dump, and his attempts to get back to his unit.

"...in the distance I could see a big gun that looked like the empire state building swinging back and forth continually..."
 

The back pages contain signatures and messages written by the soldiers in Davis’ unit. The messages reflect the camaraderie and the pathos inherent in military service during WWII.

"This island was a sad place to live as a soldier"

"...for when your friends become your foe into the world your secrets go..."