Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Minnie Thomas letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Minnie Thomas letters
- Date
- 1934-1948, undated (inclusive)
- Creator
- Thomas, Minnie Ober
- Extent
- 0.35 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Letters.
- Correspondence.
- Military correspondence.
- Military life.
- Family.
- World War, 1939-1945.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, American.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Europe
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Pacific Area
- Ocean travel
- Military training camps.
- Europe
- Health
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by subject. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0595: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Minnie Thomas letters, 1934-1948, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Minnie Thomas née Ober (1872-1967) lived in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1889, she married George W. Thomas (1870-1924), a laborer, and together they had three children: Alva George (1892-1960), Lela (1896-1984), and Fay (1916-1988). After her husband's death, Minnie married again, this time to Ira Winguard (1864-1928), and after his death, she did not remarry. Her son, Alva, married Pauline Quince (1895-1976) in 1913, and together they gave Minnie five grandchildren: Herbert R. (1914-1968), Wayne D. (1918-2007), Richard L. (1922-2004), Betty (1923-2011), and Janet (1935-2009).
- 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 Minnie Thomas letters (dated 1934-1948, undated; 0.35 cubic feet; 7 folders) comprises letters sent to Minnie from friends and family serving in the military that document their experiences serving stateside and abroad during World War II. The majority of the letters come from four soldiers; however, Minnie corresponds with many more than that. The letters discuss military training, life in a stateside camp, anticipation for deployment orders, life overseas, descriptions of Europe and the Pacific, life on a ship, their desires for her home cooking, and their hopes to return home soon. She receives letters from her grandsons, all serving in the military, and they write about their daily lives, opinions on military life, running into friends also serving, where they are located, personal health, inquiries about their family members, and plans for returning home.
- The Minnie Thomas 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
Joe R. Brown to Minnie Thomas, 1942-1945
A.E. Calhoun, Jr. to Minnie Thomas, 1941-1944, undated
Lonnie A. Ford to Minnie Thomas, 1943-1947
Richard L. Thomas to Minnie Thomas, 1942-1945
Family to Minnie Thomas, 1942-1948
Letters to Minnie Thomas, 1942-1945
Fay Thomas letters, 1934, 1945
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.
