Happy Mother's Day from the Wade Hall Collection!

The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters would like to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all mothers across the globe! We invite you to come take a look at some collections that showcase the lives of mothers across the United States, their varied relationships with their families and friends, and the impact they have left on succeeding generations. These collections, and more, were 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.




2009ms132.0069: The Penrod Family Papers (1916-1962; 10.35 cubic feet; 1,500 letters) of the Wade Hall American Letters Collection primarily consists of letters sent to Gladys Bell Penrod, of Indiana, Pennsylvania, from her mother, Emma Bell; sisters, Gayl Bell Harkleroad, Oda Bell, and Mildred Bell; brother, Kenneth Bell; sister-in-laws Doris W. Bell and Ruth Bell; and various friends. The letters document family life, including parent-child relationships, especially abusive situations; gender roles and relationships; women's involvement in politics; and women's friendship in the early- and mid-twentieth century.

2009ms132.0119: The Carruth family letters (dated 1900-1961, bulk 1900-1947; 3.68 cubic feet; 11 boxes) comprise letters that document the family relationships between the Carruth, Hutt, and Bruce families in the first half of the twentieth century. The letters provide insight into the lives of upper middle-class to wealthy families in America through multiple generations. 

Page 1 of letter to Mrs. Carruth on the death of her mother

Page 2 of same letter

2009ms132.0143: The West family papers collection (dated 1904-1989, undated; 4.57 cubic feet; 10 boxes, 1 photograph box) comprise letters, journals, and pamphlets that document the West and Cox families in Kentucky and Tennessee throughout the twentieth century. The letters are primarily between mother and daughter.


2009ms132.0147: The Lena Ashby papers (dated 1916-1945, undated; 1.8 cubic feet; 4 boxes) comprise letters, newspaper clippings, and photographs that document the lives of Lena Ashby and her children, Otis and Weaver, during the first half of the twentieth century in Kentucky.

Page 1 of letter from Lena Ashby to her son Otis

Page 2 of Ashby letter

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 lies, education, and business in Kentucky during the 1960s and early 1970s. 

2009ms132.0179: The Bessie Joslin letters (dated 1914-1924; 0.05 cubic feet; 3 folders) comprise letters to Bessie Joslin that document her struggle with mental illness and family in Massachusetts during the early twentieth century. The letters are from friends and family to Bessie, most concern how she is faring after losing custody of her children and her mental health battles.

Newly Published Wade Hall collection guides on teachers!

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, come take a look at a few newly published collection guides on ExploreUK from the Wade Hall Collection of American Letters project that showcase the personal and professional lives of educators and educators-in-training in the United States in the early twentieth century. These collections, and more, were 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.

2009ms132.0031: The Esther Minton letters (dated 1925-1926; 0.38 cubic feet; 2 boxes) comprise correspondence that documents the courtship between Esther Minton and her future husband, George Bruce McIntyre, from 1925 to 1926.

2009ms132.0033: The Eugene and Marjorie Campbell letters (dated 1915-1919; 0.6 cubic feet; 2 boxes) comprise 468 letters between Eugene and Marjorie that document dealing with overseas military deployment and life in Michigan and Illinois during World War I.

Letter from Eugene to Marjorie discussing the first day back at school

2009ms132.0047: The Aria Schawe letters (dated 1880-1940, bulk 1923-1929; 0.2 cubic feet; 9 folders) comprise letters between Schawe and her mother and friends that document sorority and fraternity life as well as entertainment and dating in New York City in the mid-to-late 1920s.

2009ms132.0283: The William B. Matthews family papers (dated 1894-1978, undated; 5.6 cubic feet; 12 boxes) comprise letters, papers, and photographs that document the work, educational, and life activities of an African-American family - William Matthews, his wife Ophelia, and their daughter Louise - and their friends and relatives in Georgia and Kentucky in the first half of the twentieth century.

2009ms132.0173: 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 prrofessional life of Love C. Calbert in Kentucky and Florida in the mid-twentieth century.

2009ms132.0035: The Frances Hankins letters (dated 1922-1938, bulk 1927-1928; 0.3 cubic feet; 11 folders) comprise correspondence to Frances from friends, family, and students that document family life, the stress of finding employment, and the pressure to get married.

Letter to Frances from a teacher-friend discussing continued education and students

2009ms132.0240: The Bedford, Kentucky school teacher diary (dated 1945; 0.04 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises one diary that documents the day-to-day life of an unidentified female teacher in Northern Kentucky in 1945.

2009ms132.0123: The Jessie Willis letters (dated 1876-1918, bulk 1910-1918; 1.75 cubic feet; 5 boxes) copmrise letters that document the family and work relationships held by Jessie Willis in Nebraska from the turn of the twentieth century to the end of World War I. Extended relatives and fellow schoolteachers author the majority of the letters.