Catherine Peter Evans: Peter Family Photographic Collection,

Descriptive Summary

Title
Catherine Peter Evans: Peter Family Photographic Collection,
Date
1846-1936 (inclusive)
Creator
Evans, Catherine Peter, 1895-1969
Extent
.5 cu. ft. (1 box): 10 items
Subjects
Dallam family
Evans, Catherine Peter
Kentucky--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Peter, Alfred Meredith, 1857-1953
Peter, Benjamin Dudley, 1840-1911
Peter family
Peter, Frances Paca Dallam, 1815-1907
Peter, Frances Dallam, 1843-1864
Peter, Frances Dallam, 1843-1864 - Diaries
Peter, Letitia Dallam, 1836-1918
Peter, Robert, 1805-1894
Peter, William Dallam, 1838-1849
Finding Aid Author
Processed by: Staff, Richard N. Leigh; machine-readable finding aid created by: Christian Trombetta
Repository
University of Kentucky

Collection Overview

Biography / History
Dr. Robert Peter (1807-1894)
Dr. Robert Peter was born in England in 1805 and emigrated to America in 1817. He was a resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania until he attended the Rensselaer School in Troy, New York. After graduation, he taught chemistry at Western University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Peter relocated to Lexington, Kentucky to teach chemistry at Transylvania College where he also received his medical degree in 1834. Dr. Peter only practiced medicine for a short time before joining the teaching faculty of Transylvania and the Kentucky School for Medicine in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1835, Dr. Peter married Frances Paca Dallam, daughter of wealthy Lexington businessman, William S. Dallam and his wife, Letitia Meredith Dallam. From 1836 to 1857, Robert and Frances Peter had eleven children: Letitia, William, Benjamin, Frances, Johanna, Robert, Sarah, Arthur, Hugh, Alfred, and Alice. Dr. Peter oversaw military hospitals during the Civil War and later taught chemistry at what became the University of Kentucky. Dr. Peter served as a chemist for the first U.S. geological survey of Kentucky and later surveys of Indiana and Arkansas. Dr. Robert Peter died in 1894.
Frances Dallam Peter (1843-1864)
Frances Dallam Peter was born in 1843, the daughter of Dr. Robert and Frances Peter. Frances Peter kept a diary during the Civil War years that provides many valuable and unique insights into Lexington society during that period. From her house on the corner of Market Street and Mechanic's Alley in Lexington, Kentucky, Frances was able to observe the comings and goings of some of the most prominent Lexington families, including the Gratz and the Morgan families. The diary was published as A Union woman in Civil War Kentucky: the diary of Frances Peter, and was edited by John David Smith and William Cooper Jr. Frances Dallam Peter died in 1864 at the age of twenty-one from complications of epilepsy.
Scope and Content
The Catherine Peter Evans: Peter Family Photographic Collection, 1846-1936 contains ten images of Peter family members collected by Catherine Peter Evans, a descendant. Two images are full plate daguerreotypes of Robert Peter and his wife Frances Paca Dallam Peter, with some of their children. Both daguerreotypes include images of Frances Dallam Peter as a three or four year old child. The remaining images concern Alfred M. Peter, son of Robert and Frances Peter, in his later years. One image features Alfred M. Peter with the family estate, Winton, in the background.

Contents of the Collection

Peter Family Portrait: Dr. Robert Peter, his wife Frances Paca Dallam Peter, and their children William Peter, Benjamin Peter, Frances Dallam Peter and Letitia "Lettie" Peter,, 1846

  • Box 1
  • Item 1
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Peter Family Portrait: Dr. Robert Peter, his wife Frances Paca Dallam Peter, and their children William Peter, Letitia "Lettie" Peter, Frances Dallam Peter and Benjamin Peter,, 1846

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Dr. Robert Peter, image is a reproduction of a locket potrait of Peter painted on ivory in 1839,, [n.d.]

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Unidentified man and woman,, ca. 1891

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Alfred M. Peter,, ca. 1890

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Alfred M. Peter,, ca. 1890

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Alfred M. Peter,, ca. 1900

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H. E. Curtis, Alfred M. Peter and C. W. Matthews posed with painted portraits of both Dr. Robert Peter and Alfred Peter on the occasion of Alfred M. Peter's 70th birthday,, 1927

  • Box 1
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Alfred M. Peter with parrot; handwritten note on back "With Kathleen's Polly",, 1928

  • Box 1
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Alfred M. Peter, note on back indicates that the Peter family home and estate "Winton" is in the background; front and left side of house visible,, 1936

  • Box 1
  • Item 10
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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.