Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Ellen Robison letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Ellen Robison letters
- Date
- 1927, 1949-1955, undated (inclusive)
- Creator
- Robison, Ellen
- Extent
- 0.91 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Letters.
- Correspondence.
- Love-letters
- Family.
- Moving, Household
- Military life.
- Man-woman relationships -- United States -- 20th century
- Long-distance relationships.
- Korean War, 1950-1953
- Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal narratives, American
- Marriage
- Divorce -- United States
- Health
- Gossip.
- Friendship.
- Travel.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged alphabetically by sender last name. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0826: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Ellen Robison letters, 1927, 1949-1955, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Ellen Robison (b. 1934) was born in Indiana to Emmet Robison (1903-1986) and Edna Apple (1904-1985). About 1952, she married Cecil J. Taylor (1934-2008). In 1954, the couple divorced while Taylor was serving in Korea with the US Marine Corps. Ellen also moved to San Francisco in 1954. 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 Ellen Robison letters (dated 1927, 1949-1955, undated; 0.91 cubic feet; 2 boxes, 35 photographs) comprises letters sent to Ellen Robison that document the relationships held by Ellen with her family, friends, and boyfriends during the 1950s in Indiana and California. Ellen receives letters from two different boyfriends, the first is a young man living in Canada who writes about attending school, his desire to see her again, spending time with family and friends, trips taken, how he spends his holidays, personal health, and how much he loves her. The second boyfriend she receives letters from, Cecil J. Taylor, she eventually marries and then divorces. He writes to her while in basic training for the Marine Corps, discussing his daily duties, how much he misses her, personal health, training schools he has to attend, requests for her to move with him, and apologies for arguments they had. Once in Korea, he writes about being on guard duty, their proximity to the front lines, having Korean soldiers sneak into their camps, when he will be able to return home, and him agreeing to her request for a divorce. The couple reconnects just before he returns home from Korea, and he asks to have dinner with her one night, and talk about how the past year in Korea has affected his outlook on things. Ellen also receives letters from her parents once she moves to California, they write about their daily lives, personal health, taking care of the family dog, local gossip, getting letters from her roommates, helping her find a job, sending care packages to her, and advice for her problems. Ellen also receives a few letters from friends that discuss seeing each other again and connections for finding employment. Many of the letters in the collection has newspaper clippings or photographs attached to them. There are also photographs and negatives in the collection that document Ellen's marriage to Cecil J. Taylor and scenes of family and travel around San Francisco.
- The Ellen Robison 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
Jack Bates to Ellen Robison, 1949
Jack Bates to Ellen Robison, 1950-1951
Emmet and Edna Robison to Ellen Robison, 1955 January
Emmet and Edna Robison to Ellen Robison, 1955 February
Emmet and Edna Robison to Ellen Robison, 1955 March
Emmet and Edna Robison to Ellen Robison, 1955 April
Cecil J. Taylor to Ellen Robison, 1951, 1953
Cecil J. Taylor to Ellen Robison, 1954
Cecil J. Taylor to Ellen Robison, 1955
Ellen Robison letters, 1927, 1949-1955
Ellen Robison papers, 1953, undated
Photographs, 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.
