Newly Digitized Wade Hall Collections on ExploreUK!

Interested in the experiences of soldiers in the military during World War I or long-distance relationships and women taking charge in personal relationships? Maybe you would rather read letters between a Scottish immigrant and his family or letters about life in a border city during the Mexican Revolution. These collections, and more, 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 Wade Hall collections can be found on ExploreUK!

2009ms132.0011: Nellie Suydam Cowley papers - The Nellie Suydam Cowley papers (dated 1916; 0.17 cubic feeet; 5 folders) primarily comprise letters between Nellie and her mother, Lucretta Suydam, discussing national politics, the Mexican Revolution, and everyday life in Douglas, Arizona in 1916.

2009ms132.0014: Harry Wilson letters - The Harry Wilson letters (dated 1888-1923, bulk 1890-1914; 0.17 cubic feet; 10 folders) comprise letters between Harry Wilson and his family concerning his immigration to America and changes in Scotland due to World War I.

2009ms132.0021: James F. Frenzel Aviation diary - The James F. Frenzel Aviation diary (dated 1917-1919; 0.05 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises a diary of Frenzel's enlistment and participation in the Aviation Branch of the United States Army while deployed overseas in France during World War I.

Interior cover page of Frenzel's aviation diary

2009ms132.0029: Rhoda Evans letters - The Rhoda Evans letters (dated 1900-1925, bulk 1900-1916; 0.3 cubic feet; 10 folders) comprise 68 letters to Rhoda from various boyfriends and love interests.

Letter to Rhoda from boyfriend stating his feelings and asking about hers

2009ms132.0038: Sylvester Zellers letters - The Sylvester Zellers letters (dated 1910-1919, bulk 1918-1919; 0.21 cubic feet; 10 folders) comprise letters that primarily documents life in military training camps during World War I.

2009ms132.0078: Emily McDowell papers - The Emily McDowell papers (dated 1838-1873; 0.32 cubic feet; 1 box) comprise receipts, depositions, and legal papers that document the proceedings that found her insane and the costs and legal requirements associated with caring for a person decreed insane.

Court document decreeing Emily to be "of unsound mind"

2009ms132.0085: Emma C. Kenzer letters - The Emma C. Kenzer letters (dated 1908-1910; 0.1 cubic feet; 3 folders) comprise twenty-one love letters that document the long-distance relationship between Emma and her fiancee where she lived and worked in Evansville, Indiana and where he lived and worked in Louisville, Kentucky.

2009ms132.0098: Humphrey and Ida Tremelling letters - The Humphrey and Ida Tremelling letters (dated 1892-1941, bulk 1893; 0.06 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise nine letters that document familial relationships, marriage, and employment in the late nineteenth century.

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