New Digitized Wade Hall Collections on ExploreUK!

Want to learn more about how the J.B. Speed Art Museum came to be? How about the opinions of those working with and near former President Lyndon Johnson? Other collections document the YMCA, family life, military service, political machines, romance, and entertainment across the United States in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. 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!



Robert N. Cook letters, 2009ms132.0422: The Robert N. Cook letters (dated 1937-1950; 0.02 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise letters sent to Robert Cook from his parents and siblings that document the life of a poor family in Kentucky from the Great Depression to post-World War II.

Colgan family letters, 2009ms132.0170: The Colgan family letters (dated 1960-1973; 0.35 cubic feet; 1 box) comprise letters between the Colgan family members that document the growth of the family, daily lives, education, and business in Kentucky during the 1960s and early 1970s.

Colgan family members on a skiing holiday

Ralph Bowden letters, 2009ms132.0163: The Ralph Bowden letters (dated 1910-1912; 0.38 cubic feet; 2 boxes) comprise letters from Ralph Bowden to his mother, Jennie S. Bowden, sister, Beulah M. Bowden, and brother, Bright R. Bowden that documents his experience working for the YMCA in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the early twentieth century.

Robert C. Riggs letters, 2009ms132.0418: The Robert C. Riggs letters (dated 1926-1929, undated; 0.02 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise letters to Robert from friends that document the education efforts and social lives of young doctors in Kentucky in the early twentieth century.

Letter concerning Robert C. Riggs having an internship at Walter Reed Memorial Hospital

Alexander P. Humphrey papers on J.B. Speed Art Museum, 2009ms132.0423: The Alexander P. Humphrey papers on J.B. Speed Art Museum collection (dated 1925, undated; 0.02 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises correspondence, notes, legal papers, and a booklet that document the gifting and planning of the J.B. Speed Art Museum to the University of Louisville in 1925.

George T. Settle letters, 2009ms132.0412: The George T. Settle letters (dated 1913-1916; 0.02 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise letters sent to and from George Settle that document his work as a librarian at the Louisville Free Public Library in the early twentieth century.

Bernard Flexer to George T. Settle, stating how pleased he is with Settle's work in the library

Frank William Major papers, 2009ms132.0378: The Frank William Major papers (dated 1835-1881, undated; 0.05 cubic feet; 5 folders) comprise letters and statements that document the efforts of Frank W. Major to be recognized and promoted for his duties as a commissary in the British Army in the first half of the nineteenth century.

Jeremiah P. O'Mahoney papers, 2009ms132.0377: The Jeremiah P. O'Mahoney papers (dated 1898-1926, 1980, undated; 0.04 cubic feet; 3 folders) comprise letters and newspaper clippings that document the interest of O'Mahoney in the life and work of Catholic priest Patrick A. Sheehan in the early twentieth century.

Robert A. Cochran, Jr. letters, 2009ms132.0157: The Robert A. Cochran, Jr. letters (dated 1877-1906, undated; 0.46 cubic feet; 13 folders) comprise letters that document the lives of the Cochran family in Maysville, Kentucky while their son Robert was attending college in Massachusetts in the 1870s.

T.B. Lyon letters, 2009ms132.0375: The T.B. Lyon letters (dated 1906-1909; 0.04 cubic feet; 3 folders) comprise letters that document the efforts of Lyon to sell tracts of land he owned in Kentucky in the early twentieth century.

Corinne Berg letters, 2009ms132.0176: The Corinne Berg letters (dated 1954-1955; 0.04 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise eight letters that document the difficulties faced by Corinne Berg and her family with a sister who is mentally ill in Illinois in the mid-1950s.

Corinne Berg to Dr. Wolff concerning her sister's current and future capabilities

George B. Eckert letters, 2009ms132.0182: The George B. Eckert letters (dated 1912-1939; 0.23 cubic feet; 4 folders) comprise letters that document the members of the Eckert family personal and professional lives during and after World War I.

Mary Frances Cottom letters, 2009ms132.0171: The Mary Frances Cottom letters (dated 1907-1959, undated; 0.35 cubic feet; 8 folders) comprise letters that document the relationship between Frank Cottom and his wife and children in Montana and Ohio in the early twentieth century.

Stanley C. Roettinger papers, 2009ms132.0178: The Stanley C. Roettinger papers (dated 1920-1930; 0.07 cubic feet; 4 folders) comprise a biography and letters that document the professional and personal life of Stanley Roettinger in Ohio from 1920 to 1930.

Stanley C. Roettinger election campaign card

William P. Alcott travel diary, 2009ms132.0242: The William P. Alcott travel diary (dated 1859-1877, bulk 1877; 0.04 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises one diary that documents the pilgrimage travels of Reverend William Alcott to the Middle East via England and Europe in the mid-nineteenth century.

Clarence Hodge letters, 2009ms132.0288: The Clarence Hodge letters (dated 1899-1901; 0.09 cubic feet; 3 folders) comprise letters from Clarence to his mother, Anna, and sister, Clara, while he was serving in the US Army in the Spanish-American War from 1899-1901.

Envelope of letter from Clarence to his mother while in Cuba

Jakie L. Pruett letters, 2009ms132.0324: The Jakie L. Pruett letters (dated 1974-1985, undated; 0.16 cubic feet; 6 folders) comprise letters that document the research conducted by Pruett on former President Lyndon Baines Johnson in the 1970s.

John Burns to Jakie L. Pruett on LBJ

Aldis and Jane Brainerd letters, 2009ms132.0348: The Aldis and Jane Brainerd letters (dated 1852-1862, undated; 0.03 cubic feet; 2 folders) comprise letters, a marriage license, and military service note that documents the life of Aldis and Jane Brainerd in Vermont during the Civil War.

William Henry Harrison Carpenter letters, 2009ms132.0349: The William Henry Harrison Carpenter letters (dated 1862, undated; 0.014 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise letters to Carpenter's aunt, uncle, and sister that document his time serving in the Union Army during the Civil War in Pennsylvania and Kentucky.

Ellen Kays letters, 2009ms132.0352: The Ellen Kays letters (dated 1860-1862; 0.014 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise letters sent to Ellen Kays from Hugh McLaughlin and Nancy Fitzgerald that document the political and social life of Brooklyn, New York in the early 1860s.

G.W. Goulding letter, 2009ms132.0353: The G. W. Goulding letter (dated 1863; 0.014 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises one letter from Goulding to his mother that documents New York City in the month following the Draft Riots on July 1863.

Edward R. Moore papers, 2009ms132.0357: The Edward R. Moore papers (dated 1861-1905, undated; 0.17 cubic feet; 12 folders) comprise certificates, correspondence, legal papers, receipts, and military orders that document the life of Edward Moore and his family in Kansas during and after the Civil War. 

Commission for Edward Moore as Justice of the Peace 

W.L. Perkins letters, 2009ms132.0359: The W.L. Perkins letters (dated 1862-1865; 0.03 cubic feet; 2 folders) comprise letters from Perkins to his parents that document his daily life as a soldier in the Union Army during the Civil War in Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, and as part of General Sherman's March to the Sea.

Jenkins family letters, 2009ms132.0089: 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.

Mack D. Ferguson papers, 2009ms132.0007: The Mack D. Ferguson papers (dated 1905-1939, undated; 0.39 cubic feet; 1 flat box and 2 folders) comprises one scrapbook and twenty-three letters primarily documenting the career of Mack D. Ferguson, vaudeville singer, actor, comedian, and manager.

Newspaper advertisement from Ferguson scrapbook for Burlesque show

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