Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Lois Maddy Lewis letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Lois Maddy Lewis letters
- Date
- 1929-1943, undated (inclusive)
- Creator
- Lewis, Lois Maddy
- Extent
- 0.91 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Letters.
- Correspondence.
- Family.
- Friendship.
- Parent and child.
- Brothers and sisters.
- Marriage
- Child rearing
- Illinois
- World War, 1939-1945.
- Moving, Household
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged alphabetically by author. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0853: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Lois Maddy Lewis letters, 1929-1943, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Lois Maddy (1904-2000) was born in Walters, Oklahoma to Clinton Maddy (1877-1921) and Fannie Parks (1875-1948). The family moved from Oklahoma to New Mexico by 1910, and by 1920, they had relocated a second time to Iowa. She was a librarian at the Oskaloosa Public Library between 1924 and 1937. In 1938, she married Benjamin F. Lewis (1894-1979), a farmer. Together the couple had two daughters, Mary Margaret "Peggy" Lewis (b. 1939) and Frances Gwendolyn Lewis (b. 1943).
- 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 Lois Maddy Lewis letters (dated 1929-1943, undated; 0.91 cubic feet; 2 boxes, 3 negatives) comprises letters and negatives that document the life of Lois Maddy Lewis, her friends and family living in Iowa, Illinois, California, and Texas. Lois receives letters mainly from her friends, and they discuss daily life, attending school, employment, married life, personal health, trips taken, gossip, the birth of children, spending time with family and friends, and moving to new locations. She also receives a number of letters from her mother and sisters, discussing daily life, visiting relatives, spending time with friends, getting married and married life, moving, trips taken, participating in the war effort, personal health, congratulations on her marriage, and excitement over the birth of her first child. Also in the collection are a few letters to Lois from her husband, Ben Lewis, discussing his work and travels, and then letters to him from friends congratulating him on his first child and updates on how the war effort has affected his friend's lives. The negatives document a young child playing with animals.
- The Lois Maddy Lewis 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
Eva M. Armstrong to Lois Maddy Lewis, 1931-1939
Peggy Howarth to Lois Maddy Lewis, 1929-1939
Mary B. Lee to Lois Maddy Lewis, 1936-1943
Margaret "Peg" Maddy to Lois Maddy Lewis, 1929-1943, undated
Martha "Betty" Maddy to Lois Maddy Lewis, 1940-1943
Clara Mae to Lois Maddy Lewis, 1931-1932
Mother to Lois Maddy Lewis, 1929-1942
Mother to Lois Maddy Lewis, 1943
Mary Thompson to Lois Maddy Lewis, 1937-1942
Helen Lois Ware to Lois Maddy Lewis, 1930-1940
Family to Lois Maddy Lewis, 1939-1943
Friends to Lois Maddy Lewis, 1930-1939
Friends to Lois Maddy Lewis, 1940-1943, undated
Lois Maddy Lewis letters, 1932-1942
Ben Lewis letters, 1939-1943
Negatives, 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.
