Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Cecil Edward Hill letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Cecil Edward Hill letters
- Date
- 1918 (inclusive)
- Creator
- Hill, Cecil Edward
- Extent
- 0.02 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Letters.
- Correspondence.
- Love-letters
- Long-distance relationships.
- Marriage
- Family.
- World War, 1914-1918.
- World War, 1914-1918 -- France.
- World War, 1914-1918 -- Trench warfare -- France.
- Military life.
- Health
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0703: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Cecil Edward Hill letters, 1918, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Cecil Edward Hill (b. 1891) was born in Topeka, Kansas to George Hill (b. 1848) and Emma Banks (b. 1858). By 1900, the Hill family had relocated from Kansas to Chicago, Illinois. In 1917, Cecil married Emilie Russell (b. 1893). By May 1918, Cecil was on a military transport ship heading to Europe with the 132nd Infantry Regiment, which saw action in the Battle of Hamel, the Meuse-Argonne offensive, and the Somme offensive. The company returned to the United States in May of 1919. As of the 1940 US Census, Cecil was working as an auditor for Wilson Sporting Goods Company and still living in Chicago with his wife.
- 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 Cecil Edward Hill letters (dated 1918; 0.02 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises two letters from Cecil to his wife that document his experience as a soldier on the front lines during World War I. In the letters, he writes about his excitement over receiving letters from her, when his regiment is going to the front lines, purchasing some candy and peaches as a treat, how you get used to the artillery shells exploding at the front, life in the trenches, wishing they could be together on their wedding anniversary, and how he believes the war will be over soon.
- The Cecil Edward Hill 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
Cecil Edward Hill to Emilie Hill, 1918
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.
