Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Roe family papers
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Roe family papers
- Date
- 1850-1913, undated (inclusive)
- Extent
- 1.13 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Business enterprises
- Correspondence.
- Essays.
- Family.
- Farm life
- Journals (notebooks)
- Moving, Household
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by subject. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0371: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Roe family papers, 1850-1913, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- The Roe family of Marathon, New York included John Roe (1804-1872), his first wife Polly Hart (1804-1840), their children Addison (1834-1909) and Adelaide (1837-1913); John's second wife Janette Simpson (1818-1906), and their children Radcliff (b. 1846), Theodore (1849-1917), Ella (1852-1938), and Fannie (1854-1931). John Roe worked a merchant and grocer, Adelaide went on to become a teacher, and Addison was a successful building materials owner after a series of odd jobs. Adelaide never married, she moved from New York to Chicago, Iowa, Texas, and finally settled in North Dakota living with various family members. Addison left home in the early 1860s to seek a fortune in the west, working as a store clerk, entrepreneur, horse and mule trader, and railroad worker before going into the building and construction business. In 1886, Addison married Jennie H. Scranton (1857-1918) and the couple left New York to settle in Fort Worth, Texas where Addison's business was.
- 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 Roe family papers (dated 1850-1913, undated; 1.13 cubic feet; 3 boxes) comprise letters, journals, personal writings, diaries, and books that document the lives of the Roe family, especially John, Addison, and Adelaide, in New York, Illinois, Missouri, and Texas. The letters are primarily sent to Adelaide from her brother, father, and stepmother. In the letters from her brother, Addison, he writes about the various towns he stays in and travels through, people he encounters on the road, his opinions on the Civil War and slavery, traveling by river once he reaches the West, the different jobs he takes on, the construction of railroads, his family, and his building materials business. Janette, Adelaide's stepmother, writes to her about the activities at home, how her siblings and father are faring, and visits from family and friends. Adelaide's father, John, writes on similar topics as in Janette's letters, but he also discusses finances and what news he hears from Addison. Other letters in the collection are sent to and between the Roe siblings, discussing education, work, news they hear from each other, personal health, and daily life. The personal writings include short essays on topics such as forgiveness, honesty, music, historical events, and other musings on life by Adelaide; and a collection of speeches, essays, presentations, and notes by "M.A. Roe". The diaries are written by Adelaide and another Roe daughter, discussing daily life in 1906, which covers the death of Janette, visits from friends and family, moving, and sermons and presentations heard. The collection also includes two books, Barriers Burned Away and Taken Alive and Other Stories, both by Edward P. Roe, a cousin of Addison and Adelaide.
- The Roe family papers are 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
Addison Roe to Adelaide Roe, 1850-1859
Addison Roe to Adelaide Roe, 1860-1869
Addison Roe to Adelaide Roe, 1870-1880
Addison Roe to Adelaide Roe, 1891-1908
Addison Roe to Adelaide Roe, undated
Janette Roe to Adelaide Roe, 1857-1871
Janette Roe to Adelaide Roe, undated
John Roe to Adelaide Roe, 1857-1869
John Roe to Adelaide Roe, 1870-1872
John Roe to Adelaide Roe, undated
Siblings to Adelaide Roe, 1861-1871, undated
Letters to Adelaide Roe, 1853-1876, 1903-1910, undated
Letters to Ella Roe, 1869-1872
John Roe to "son", 1869
Addison Roe to family, 1857-1874, undated
Roe family letters, 1868, 1905-1913, undated
Address book, locks of hair, and photographs, undated
Adelaide Roe writings, 1851-1857
Barriers Burned Away by E.P. Roe, 1872
Biogrpahical sketch of John Roe by daughter Fannie Roe, undated
Journals, 1878-1879, undated
M.A. Roe papers, 1899-1903, undated
Roe family diaries, 1906, undated
Roe family papers, 1886, 1906-1907, undated
Taken Alive and Other Stories by E.P. Roe, 1883
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.
