Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Martha Duvall letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Martha Duvall letters
- Date
- 1904-1909, undated (inclusive)
- Creator
- Duvall, Martha
- Extent
- 0.24 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Letters.
- Women -- Employment
- Teachers.
- Man-woman relationships -- United States -- 20th century
- Death
- Families.
- Travel.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by subject. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.1046: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Martha Duvall letters, 1904-1909, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Martha Duvall (b. 1886) was born in Kentucky to Alvin Duvall (1857-1908) and Lila Duvall (b. 1863). In 1909, she married Edward H. Watts (1886-1952), a sales manager in a mechanic's garage, and together they had one child, Edward Jr (b. 1910). The couple lived in Ohio. In 1921, Martha divorced Edward due to "desertion and abandonment". Between 1921 and 1930, Martha married Henry H. Peck (b. 1887), an electrician, and the couple relocated to Maryland.
- American Letters collector Wade Hall (1934-2015) was a native of Union Springs, Alabama. Starting in 1962, he lived in Louisville, where he taught English and chaired the English and Humanities/Arts programs at Kentucky Southern College and Bellarmine University. He also taught at the University of Illinois and the University of Florida. He held 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 was 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 Content
- The Martha Duvall letters (dated 1904-1909, undated; 0.24 cubic feet; 9 folders, 13 items) comprises letters, clippings, and photographs that document the life of Martha Duvall in Kentucky in the early twentieth century. The letters discuss Martha's employment as a teacher, daily life in Kentucky, personal health, sympathy on her family's loss, romantic relationships, travel, and visiting friends and family. Other letters are sent to Martha's mother and sister, predominantly discussing the death of Alvin Duvall, Martha's father. The clippings discuss the death of Martha's father and grandmother, along with clippings of ribbons from a scrapbook. The photographs depict daily life for men and women, and members of the Duvall extended family on a page from a photograph album that has forty small portraits on it.
- The Martha Duvall letters collection 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.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
Contents of the Collection
S. Sebee to Martha Duvall, 1907-1908
Letters to Martha Duvall, 1904-1907
Letters to Martha Duvall, 1908
Letters to Martha Duvall, 1909, undated
Letters to Georgette Duvall, 1908-1909
Letters to Lila Duvall, 1908
Letters to Martha and Georgette Duvall, 1908
General letters, 1908, undated
Martha Duvall papers, 1904-1908, undated
Photographs, undated
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Table of Contents
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
