Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Joseph Adger Stewart letters

Abstract

The Joseph Adger Stewart letters (dated 1912-1922; 0.04 cubic feet; 2 folders) comprises letters between Joseph Adger Stewart of Louisville, Kentucky and his various business partners during the early part of the twentieth century.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Joseph Adger Stewart letters

Date: 1912-1922 (inclusive)

Creator: Stewart, J. Adger (Joseph Adger)

Extent: 0.04 Cubic Feet

Subjects: Washington (D.C.); Railroads -- Safety measures; Legal briefs.; Business correspondence; Letters.; Business enterprises

Arrangement: Collection is arranged by subject. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.

Finding Aid Author: Hanna Rumbarger

Preferred Citation: 2009ms132.0796: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Joseph Adger Stewart letters, 1912-1922, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.

Repository: University of Kentucky

Collection Overview

Biography / History: The Stewart family of Louisville, Kentucky consisted of Joseph Adger Stewart (1877-1954), his wife Anna Briggs Carter (1875-1954), and their three sons, John Carter Stewart (1900-1989), Joseph Adger Stewart Jr. (1901-1902), and Joseph Alexander Stewart (1904-1978). Joseph Adger Stewart worked closely with Robert V. Cheatham (b.1872) and the two started Cheatham Electric Switching Device Company. The company was known for patenting the "Cheatham Switch", a device for electrically controlling and shifting a switch tongue or switch point on electric railways.; 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 .render="italic">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 Joseph Adger Stewart letters (dated 1912-1922; 0.04 cubic feet; 2 folders) comprises letters between Joseph Adger Stewart of Louisville, Kentucky and his various business partners during the early part of the twentieth century. Stewart mainly receives business letters from a man named Samuel Bowman. Bowman writes to Stewart from various hotels in Washington D.C., New York, and New Jersey where Bowman is attending different business meetings and managing client relationships. These letters mention very vague references to the cattle business and the manufacturing of railway switches. There is a court case about an infringement on two patens of switch throwers and a man named Robert Cheatham writes to Stewart about its details. This collection includes two letters sent by Stewart, one to Cheatham and one to another business partner.; The Joseph Adger Stewart 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

Business letters to Joseph Adger Stewart, 1912-1922

Box WH-83, folder 22

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Letters from Joseph Adger Stewart, 1915-1918

Box WH-83, folder 23

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Abstract
Descriptive Summary
Collection Overview
Preferred Citation
Restrictions on Access and Use
Contents of the Collection

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