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 Collection Guides Available on ExploreUK!

Publication from the Joseph P. D'Andrea WWII refugee resettlement papers, 2017ms002

A new batch of collection guides are now available on ExploreUK! The collections document WWII refugee resettlement; hemp and slavery in Kentucky; the Bell House;  Kentucky Jewish heritage; Kentucky nurses unions; the UK Women’s Forum, and much more! See the full list below:

Ohavay Zion Synagogue records, 2018ms004

The Ohavay Zion Synagogue records (dated 1889-2019, undated; 8.1 cubic feet, 1.66 GB; 27 boxes, 1765 digital files) comprise administrative files, bulletins, yearbooks, newspaper and magazine articles, service and event programs, and photographs that document the history and development of Lexington, Kentucky's conservative Jewish congregation.

Duncan, Foster, Gibson family papers, 2017ms056

The Duncan, Foster, Gibson family papers (dated 1811-1985, undated; 12.4 cubic feet; 30 boxes) comprise correspondence, legal and financial papers, photographs, and ephemera, which document the families' daily life, economic influence, and personal opinions, especially surrounding hemp, cotton, and slavery, primarily during the 19th century.

University of Kentucky Women's Forum records, 2000ua002

The University of Kentucky Women's Forum records (dated 1988-2013, undated; 4 cubic feet, 920.96 gigabytes; 14 boxes and 1 oversize folder) comprise correspondence, bylaws, reports, spreadsheets, publications and newsletters, newspaper clippings, photographs, videocassettes, and audio documenting the establishment, the Board of Directors, committees, programs and events, and finances of this university organization dedicated to empowering and supporting women at the university.

Joseph P. D'Andrea WWII refugee resettlement papers, 2017ms002

The Joseph P. D'Andrea WWII refugee resettlement papers (dated 1936-2017, bulk 1936-1951; 0.25 cubic feet; 1 box) comprises records and publications related to D'Andrea's work as a United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA) social worker in Austria after WWII.

James B. Clay family diary and copybook, 1997ms190

The James B. Clay family diary and copybook (dated 1849-1881; 0.23 cubic feet; 1 box) comprises a diary documenting the journey of James B. Clay to Portugal in 1849 and a copybook kept by his son Thomas H. Clay and others.

James Hines literary papers, 1997ms206

The James Hines literary papers (dated 1925-2009; 3 cubic feet; 8 boxes) comprise manuscripts, published articles, song lyrics, and correspondence that document James Hines' literary career.

Charles Eastin collection on Hamburg Place photographs, 1997ms521

The Charles Eastin collection on Hamburg Place photographs (1909-1942, undated; 0.27 cubic feet; 8 items) comprises photographs and prints documenting horses from Hamburg Farm, Lexington, Kentucky.

Louie B. Nunn papers, 1998ms002

The Louie B. Nunn papers (dated 1883-2004, bulk 1967-1979; 113.4 cubic feet; 298 boxes) consist of the campaign files, audiovisual material, press releases, photographs, county files, correspondence, memorabilia, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, and speeches generated by Louie B. Nunn during his term as governor of Kentucky as well as his later political career.

Photograph of the Bell House, Lexington, Ky. from the Bell family papers, 1997ms164

Bell family papers, 1997ms164

The Bell family papers (dated 1800-1937, undated; 1.08 cubic feet; 5 boxes and 1 oversized folder) consist of correspondence, financial and legal material, newspaper clippings, a scrapbook, and photographs that document the Bell and Sayre families of Lexington as well as their house known as Bell Place.

Milton Metz films, 2004av027

The Milton Metz films (dated 1971-1976; 2.3 cubic feet; 104 items) consist of 104 reels of 16mm color film produced for the WHAS Television, Louisville morning show Omelet.

Special Collections Research Center Collection on University of Kentucky University Training School/University High School, 1982ua002

The Special Collections Research Center collection on the University of Kentucky University Training School/University High School (dated 1920-2011, undated; 4.82 cubic feet, 18 boxes; 32.9 GB) primarily consists of publications, newspaper clippings, photographs and photograph albums, moving images, correspondence, memoranda, reports, and artifacts documenting the University of Kentucky University Training School and University High School (1920-1965), University High School reunions (1981-2009), and University High School alumni.

Jackson family photographs, 2004av074

The Jackson family photographs (dated 1865-1961, undated; 0.07 cubic feet; 1 box) consists of photographs documenting the Jackson family of Johns Creek in Pike County, Kentucky.

James J. Pollitte Mountain Parkway construction scrapbook and slides, 2008ms008

The James J. Pollitte Mountain Parkway construction scrapbook and slides (dated 1959-1963; 0.3 cubic feet; 1 box) comprise newspaper clippings, correspondence, and photographic slides that document the plan and construction of the Mountain Parkway in Kentucky.

Kentucky Nurses Association District 9 records, 2009ms016

The Kentucky Nurses Association District 9 records (dated 1953-2010, bulk 1980-2006; 4 cubic feet; 13 boxes; 2 MB and 30 digital files) consist of meeting minutes, scrapbooks, membership records, financial records, and conference materials documenting the Union's operation and advocacy work.           

Robert Jefferson Breckinridge religious oratory journal, 2011ms091

The Robert Jefferson Breckinridge religious oratory journal (dated 1821-1855, undated; 0.23 cubic feet; 1 box) consists of a bound journal of the politician and minister Robert J. Breckinridge's religious ideas.

John R. Jones diary, 2011MS195

The John R. Jones Diary (dated 1844; 0.1 cubic feet; 1 folder) consists of a journal kept by John R. Jones that documents his journey from Washington County, Kentucky to the Democratic National Convention of 1844 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Martha Hume diary, 2013ms0073

The Martha Hume diary (dated 1895-1896; 0.02 cubic feet; 1 folder) consists of one notebook in which Martha discusses her daily life as a young woman in Lexington at the end of the 19th century.

Harry O. Wyse memoir, 2013ms0452

The Harry O. Wyse memoir (dated 1993; 0.02 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises a typewritten memoir that documents Wyse's early life in Canada as well as his later career as a contractor and engineer in Lexington, Kentucky.

George W. Gallup Civil War diary, 2017ms039

The George W. Gallup Civil War diary (dated 1864; 0.05 cubic feet; 1 folder) consists of one diary that documents Gallup's journey to Atlanta as a lieutenant colonel in the Union Army under General Sherman during the Atlanta campaign.

Robert Lee Bort WWII scrapbook and photograph album, 2018av002

The Robert Lee Bort WWII scrapbook and photograph album (dated 1942-1946, undated; 0.25 cubic feet; 1 box) consists of a scrapbook/photograph album documenting Bort's time working at the weather station located at the Sturgis Army Airfield in Sturgis, Kentucky, during World War II.

Thomas Parrish papers, 2018ms058

The Thomas Parrish papers (1914-2015, undated; 18.4 cubic feet; 27 boxes; 3.47 GB, 34 digital files) consist of the author's personal and professional digital files, correspondence, interview recordings, organizational records, photographs, research and subject files as well as drafts, manuscripts, and documents related to Parrish's published and unpublished works.

Foley family genealogical collection, 2019ms005

The Foley family genealogy collection (dated 1829-2015; 6 cubic feet; 6 boxes) primarily consists of 23 binders of family genealogical research documentation for the Foley family of Kentucky and Missouri.

Maye Combs Morrison scrapbooks, 2019ms023

The Maye Combs Morrison scrapbooks (dated 1935-1965; 2 cubic feet; 11 items) consists of eleven scrapbooks of Lexington, Kentucky newspaper clippings.

Henry Clay fugitive slave letter and broadside, 63m115

Henry Clay fugitive slave letter and broadside (dated 1817 October 14-18; 0.05 cubic feet; 2 items) consist of a letter and broadside written by Henry Clay concerning a fugitive slave named Isaac.

James Benjamin Aswell diary, 65m189

The James Benjamin Aswell diaries (dated 1918-1923; 0.01 cubic feet; 1 folder) are typed transcripts that chronicle two of his trips to Europe, one during World War I in 1918 and then again in 1923.

Alice J. Kinder and William M. Justice papers, 97m1

Alice J. Kinder and William M. Justice papers (dated 1904-1994, undated; 1.8 cubic feet; 4 boxes) consists of correspondence, manuscripts, scrapbooks, and printed materials pertaining to the life and work of Eastern Kentucky poet and author William M. Justice.

Brent Yonts papers, 2017ms064

The Brent Yonts papers (dated 1981-2016, undated; 74 cubic feet; 71 boxes, 7 flat boxes; 429 MB, 480 digital files) consist of correspondence, greenslips, citations, office files, newspaper clippings, issue files, session bills, assembly documents, and memorabilia, which document Yonts' 20 years of service in the Kentucky General Assembly.

Revised collection guides

Frederick Moore Vinson papers, 72m2

Robert Houlihan papers, 2009ms167

Kentucky Women Writer's Conference records, 1995ua005

H. Morse Stephens French Revolution biographies, 69m37

Nathan Parker Civil War diary reproduction, 61m247

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.