xt759z909n9p https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt759z909n9p/data/mets.xml https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt759z909n9p/data/2009ms132.0069.dao.xml unknown 1916-1961 10.35 Cubic feet 23 boxes 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. collections English University of Kentucky This digital resource may be freely searched and displayed.  Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically.  Physical rights are retained by the owning repository.  Copyright is retained in accordance with U. S. copyright laws.  For information about permissions to reproduce or publish, contact the Special Collections Research Center. Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Penrod-Bell Family Papers Alcoholism--United States--History--20th century Domestic Life--United States--20th century Families--History--20th century Family--United States--History Female Friendship--United States--History Letters. Man-woman relationships--United States--History--20th century New Deal--1933-1939--Pennsylvania Pennsylvania--History--20th Century Rural Women--United States--Social conditions Wife abuse--United States Women--Political activity--Pennsylvania--20th century Women--United States--History. World War, 1939-1945--Social aspects--United States Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Penrod-Bell Family Papers text Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Penrod-Bell Family Papers 1916 1916-1961 2014 true xt759z909n9p collection false 
     
         2009ms132.0069 
         
             
                 Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Penrod-Bell family papers, 1916-1961
                     2009ms132.0069 
                 
                 Penrod-Bell Family Papers 
                 Finding aid prepared by Ashley Sorrell 
             
             
                 
                     
                 
                 University of Kentucky Special Collections 
                 
                     Special Collections 
                     Margaret I. King Building, North 
                     Lexington, KY, 40506-0039 
                     (859) 257-8611 
                     SCLREF@LSV.UKY.EDU 
                 
                 2013 Aug. 1 
             
         
         
             This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit
                 2014-01-21T16:55-0500 
             
             Describing Archives: A Content Standard 
         
     
     
         
             Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Penrod-Bell Family Papers 
             2009ms132.0069 
             
                 University of Kentucky Special Collections 
             
             
                 
             
             92-114 
             
                 10.35 Cubic feet 
                 23 boxes 
             
             1916-1961 
             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. 
         
         
             Biographical Note 
             Gladys Penrod of Indiana, Pennsylvania, was born Gladys Bell (1902-1987). Her parents were Harry Bell (1874-?) and Emma Bell (1876-1959) and her siblings included Mildred Bell (1904-?); Gayl Bell Harkleroad (1806-1959); Oda Bell (1912-?); Kenneth Bell (1914-1987), a veteran of World War II; and John Hudson Bell (1908-1969). Kenneth Bell married Doris Wilson Bell (1922-2012), and John Hudson Bell married Ruth Butler Bell (1913-2010). Gladys Bell Penrod was a homemaker and intermittently a school teacher who lived with her husband, Marlin W. Penrod (1895-1971), an oil salesman. The two married in 1925 and had two sons, Weir Penrod (1926-2001) and Delane Penrod (1929-2003). Gladys' husband, Marlin, had a brother named Harvey Reid Penrod (1880-1956), a farmer living in the Niagara Township of Wisconsin from the late 1940s to the 1950s. 
             Both the Penrod and Bell families lived in Pennsylvania. Gladys and Marlin Penrod, whom she married in 1925, lived in Indiana, Pennsylvania, and the Bell family lived in a rural area of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. During the Great Depression and into the 1940s, Gladys attempted to help her mother with Mildred, who had epilepsy. They put Mildred into Passavant Memorial Homes in Rochester, Pennsylvania, but she stayed only a few months before returning home. With the onset of World War II, Gladys became politically active, joining the Democratic Party and participating in women’s democratic clubs locally and nationwide. Her brothers, Hudson and Kenneth, were drafted in 1942. Kenneth went overseas in 1943. 
             American Letters collector Wade Hall is a native of Union Springs, Alabama. Since 1962, he has lived in Louisville, where he has taught English and chaired the English and Humanities/Arts programs at Kentucky Southern College and Bellarmine University. He has also taught at the University of Illinois and the University of Florida. He holds degrees from Troy State University (B.S.), the University of Alabama (M. A.), and the University of Illinois (Ph.D.). He served for two years in the U.S. Army in the mid-fifties. Dr. Hall is the author of books, monographs, articles, plays, and reviews relating to Kentucky, Alabama, and Southern history and literature. His most recent books include 
                 A Visit with Harlan Hubbard ; 
                 High Upon a Hill: A History of Bellarmine College ; 
                 A Song in Native Pastures: Randy Atcher’s Life in Country Music ; and 
                 Waters of Life from Conecuh Ridge . 
         
         
             Scope and Contents note 
             Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Penrod-Bell family papers (1916-1962; 10.35 cubic feet; 1,500 letters) primarily consist 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. The letters are organized by month and date and comment on many transformative events, including the interwar, Great Depression, World War II, and post-war periods. The collection also includes letters from Harvey Reid Penrod detailing the weather in Niagara Township, Wisconsin. 
             The Penrod family papers detail gender and family relationships during the interwar, Great Depression, World War II, and post-war eras. Letters during the interwar period (1920s) and before Gladys married Marlin Penrod, demonstrate her ambition as a woman wanting to find meaningful work that addressed societal morality. Included in this period are letters from a female friend, Elsie Rearick (1898-?) who was married, but expressed deep love and affection toward Gladys. Also during the interwar period, there are a number of detailed letters from her mother, Emma Bell, describing the alcohol and domestic abuse of her father, Harry Bell. Her mother was a frequent correspondent, often expressing her disdain for married life, housework, and Gladys’s epileptic sister, Mildred Bell. 
             Letters from the Great Depression period detail economic hardship for Gladys’s family, who lived in rural Pennsylvania. During the Depression, Emma Bell often resorted to writing her letters on toilet paper, detailing how she was struggling to buy food. Letters include commentary on New Deal programs and their benefits for the family, like the Rural Electrification Administration, but also criticism of the programs’ limited reach into rural areas. Gladys’s brother, Hudson obtained a few temporary jobs through the Public Works Administration. Tense family relationships are central in the correspondence from Emma Bell to her daughter. 
             Letters written during World War II detail the upheaval and grief it caused on the home front for mothers, wives, and sisters of soldiers serving overseas. The correspondence also details the roles women took on in wartime, as Gladys went back to teaching and Kenneth’s wife, Doris enlisted in the Army Nursing Corps. 
             Letters from the postwar period mention the number of labor strikes occurring and how these strikes affected the men who worked in the coal mines in rural Pennsylvania. Also included in the series are a number of letters related to the suburbanization of society in the 1950s and the technological and medical advances related to the advent of the television and penicillin, as well as the polio vaccine. 
             Gender relationships are central throughout this collection. Many of the letters express frustrations women had for their husbands, but particular for their roles as domestic housewives. This is particularly evident in the 1950s, as Gladys’s mother and sister-in-law, Doris, express feelings of exhaustion and frustration with household work and taking care of their husbands. 
             The Penrod Family Papers is part of the Wade Hall Collection of American letters, which includes correspondence and diaries from all over North America covering the time period of the Civil to Korean Wars. The materials were collected by Wade Hall and document everyday men and women. 
         
         
             Arrangement note 
             Collection is arranged chronologically. 
         
         
             Conditions Governing Access note 
             Collection is open to researchers by appointment. 
         
         
             Preferred Citation note 
             2009ms132.0069: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Penrod family papers, 1916-1961, University of Kentucky Special Collections. 
         
         
             Conditions Governing Use note 
             Property rights reside with the University of Kentucky. The University of Kentucky holds the copyright for materials created in the course of business by University of Kentucky employees. Copyright for all other materials has not been assigned to the University of Kentucky. For information about permission to reproduce or publish, please contact Special Collections. 
         
         
             Bell family, Rural Valley (Penn.) 
             Bell, Emma, 1876-1959 
             Hall, Wade H. 
             Penrod family 
             Penrod, Gladys, 1902-1987 
             Alcoholism--United States--History--20th century 
             Depressions--1929--Pennsylvania 
             Domestic Life--United States--20th century 
             Families--History--20th century 
             Family--United States--History 
             Female Friendship--United States--History 
             Letters. 
             Man-woman relationships--United States--History--20th century 
             New Deal--1933-1939--Pennsylvania 
             Pennsylvania--History--20th Century 
             Rural Women--United States--Social conditions 
             Wife abuse--United States 
             Women--Political activity--Pennsylvania--20th century 
             Women--United States--History. 
             World War, 1939-1945--Social aspects--United States 
         
         
             
                 
                     
                     92 
                     1 
                     1916-1918 
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     92 
                     2 
                     1919 
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     92 
                     3 
                     1920 
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     92 
                     4 
                     1921 
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     92 
                     5 
                     1922 
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     92 
                     6 
                     1923 January  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     92 
                     7 
                     1923 February  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     92 
                     8 
                     1923 March-April  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     92 
                     9 
                     1923 March-April   
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     92 
                     10 
                     1924 January-March  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     93 
                     1 
                     1924 April-September 
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     93 
                     2 
                     1924 November-December  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     93 
                     3 
                     1925 January-March  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     93 
                     4 
                     1925 April-July  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     93 
                     5 
                     1925 August-October  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     93 
                     6 
                     1925 November-December  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     93 
                     7 
                     1926 January-May  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     93 
                     8 
                     1926 June-December  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     93 
                     9 
                     1927 January-February  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     94 
                     1 
                     1927 March-May  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     94 
                     2 
                     1927 June-August  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     94 
                     3 
                     1927 September-December  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     94 
                     4 
                     1928 January-May 
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     94 
                     5 
                     1928 June-September  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     94 
                     6 
                     1928 October-December  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     94 
                     7 
                     1929 January-March  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     94 
                     8 
                     1929 April-June  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     94 
                     9 
                     1929 July-October  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     94 
                     10 
                     1929 November-December  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     94 
                     11 
                     1929 undated 
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     95 
                     1 
                     1930 January-February  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     95 
                     2 
                     1930 March-April  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     95 
                     3 
                     1930 May-June  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     95 
                     4 
                     1930 July-August  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     95 
                     6 
                     1930 September-October 
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     95 
                     7 
                     1930 November-December  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     95 
                     8 
                     1930 undated  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     96 
                     1 
                     1931 January-February  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     96 
                     2 
                     1931 March  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     96 
                     3 
                     1931 March 23 
                 
                 
                     Scope and Contents note 
                     Letter on toilet paper. 
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     96 
                     4 
                     1931 March 23 
                 
                 
                     Scope and Contents note 
                     Photocopy of letter on toilet paper. 
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     96 
                     5 
                     1931 March 30 
                 
                 
                     Scope and Contents note 
                     Letter on toilet paper. 
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     96 
                     6 
                     1931 March 31 
                 
                 
                     Scope and Contents note 
                     Photocopy of letter on toilet paper. 
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     96 
                     7 
                     1931 April  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     96 
                     8 
                     1931 May-June 
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     96 
                     9 
                     1931 June 10 
                 
                 
                     Scope and Contents note 
                     Letter on toilet paper. 
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     96 
                     10 
                     1931 June 10 
                 
                 
                     Scope and Contents note 
                     Copy of letter on toilet paper. 
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     96 
                     11 
                     1931 July-September  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     96 
                     12 
                     1931 October-December  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     96 
                     13 
                     1931 undated  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     97 
                     1 
                     1932 January-February  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     97 
                     2 
                     1932 March-April  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     97 
                     3 
                     1932 May-August  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     97 
                     4 
                     1932 September-December  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     97 
                     5 
                     1932 undated  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     97 
                     6 
                     1933 January-February  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     97 
                     7 
                     1033 March-April  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     97 
                     8 
                     1933 May-June  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     97 
                     9 
                     1933 July-August  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     98 
                     1 
                     1933 October-November  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     98 
                     2 
                     1933 December  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     98 
                     3 
                     1933undated  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     98 
                     4 
                     1934 January  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     98 
                     5 
                     1934 February-March  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     98 
                     6 
                     1934 April-June  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     99 
                     1 
                     1934 July-August  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     99 
                     2 
                     1934 August 7 
                 
                 
                     Scope and Contents note 
                     Letter on toilet paper. 
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     99 
                     3 
                     1934 August 7 
                 
                 
                     Scope and Contents note 
                     Photocopy of letter on toilet paper. 
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     99 
                     4 
                     1934 September-December  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     99 
                     5 
                     1934 undated  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     99 
                     6 
                     1935 January-February  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     99 
                     7 
                     1935 March-April  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     99 
                     8 
                     1935 May-July  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     99 
                     9 
                     1935 August-October  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     99 
                     10 
                     1935 November-December  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     99 
                     11 
                     1935 undated  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     100 
                     1 
                     1936 January-February  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     100 
                     2 
                     1936 March-April  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     100 
                     3 
                     1936 May-August  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     100 
                     4 
                     1936 September-October  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     100 
                     5 
                     1936 November-December  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     100 
                     6 
                     1937 January-February  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     100 
                     7 
                     1937 March-April  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     100 
                     8 
                     1937 May-July  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     100 
                     9 
                     1937 August-October  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     100 
                     10 
                     1937 November-December  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     100 
                     11 
                     1937 undated  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     101 
                     1 
                     1938 January-March  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     101 
                     2 
                     1938 April-July  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     101 
                     3 
                     1938 August-September  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     101 
                     4 
                     1938 October-December  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     101 
                     5 
                     1938 undated  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     101 
                     6 
                     1939 January-April  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     101 
                     7 
                     1939 May-August  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     101 
                     8 
                     1939 September-October  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     101 
                     9 
                     1939 November-December  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     102 
                     1 
                     1940 January-March  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     102 
                     2 
                     1940 April-December  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     102 
                     3 
                     1940 undated  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     102 
                     4 
                     1941 January-February  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     102 
                     5 
                     1941 March-July  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     102 
                     6 
                     1941 August-December  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     102 
                     7 
                     1941 undated  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     102 
                     8 
                     1942 January-February  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     102 
                     9 
                     1942 March-April  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     102 
                     10 
                     1942 May-July  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     103 
                     1 
                     1942 August-September  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     103 
                     2 
                     1942 October-December  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     103 
                     3 
                     1942 undated  
                 
             
             
                 
                     
                     103