Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Gardemann family letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Gardemann family letters
- Date
- 1945-1952, undated (inclusive)
- Extent
- 0.23 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Letters.
- Correspondence.
- Family.
- World War, 1939-1945.
- Health
- Death
- Medicine
- Agriculture -- Europe.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0564: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Gardemann family letters, 1945-1952, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- The Gardemann family, of Versailles, Indiana, included parents William (1864-1940) and Wilhemine Gardemann (1863-1923), and their six children: Charles (1887-1950), Elizabeth (1889-1960), Henry (1891-1923), Henriette (1896-1903), Sophia (1899-1970), and Louis (b. 1903). William Gardemann emigrated from Germany in 1881 to the United States, began farming, and in 1886, he married Indiana-born Wilhelmine. No other biographical information available.
- 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 Gardemann family letters collection (dated 1945-1952, undated; 0.23 cubic feet; 5 folders) comprises letters to the members of the Gardemann family from their relatives and friends in Germany in the years following World War II. The majority of the letters are written in German, there are three written in English. The letters describe life in the British zone of Germany after WWII, the availability of food and medicines, finding work, reunions with family members that were fighting in Russia, attending school, deaths of friends and relatives, celebrating holidays, and occasional requests for assistance from their American relatives. A common thread throughout some of the letters is the Gardemann family sending insulin to a relative in Germany, as it is less accessible and not as good quality in Germany.
- The Gardemann family 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
Gardemann family letters, 1945-1946
Gardemann family letters, 1947
Gardemann family letters, 1948
Gardemann family letters, 1949
Gardemann family letters, 1950-1952, 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.
