Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Horatio Benjamin letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Horatio Benjamin letters
- Date
- 1916-1919, undated (inclusive)
- Creator
- Benjamin, Horatio, 1892-1958
- Extent
- 0.12 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Correspondence.
- Family.
- Health
- Horses -- Care
- Letters.
- Military life.
- Soldiers -- Correspondence
- World War, 1914-1918.
- World War, 1914-1918 -- Animals.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by subject. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0395: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Horatio Benjamin letters, 1916-1919, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Horatio G. Benjamin (1892-1958) was born in New York to Horatio L. Benjamin (1834-1914) and Elizabeth Viola Martin (1858-1936). He worked as a farmer on his family's farm. In September 1917, Benjamin enlisted in the United States Army, serving as a private in Battery F, 103rd Field Artillery. He worked with the horses in the unit, which hauled the artillery and munitions to the front lines, and arrived in France in late 1917. Benjamin returned to the United States in April of 1919, and was discharged from service at the end of the month. He returned to his mother and sister in New York and went back to working on his farm.
- 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 Horatio Benjamin letters (dated 1916-1919, undated; 0.12 cubic feet; 5 folders) comprise letters sent between Horatio and his family back in New York while he was overseas in France during World War I. The letters sent to Horatio from his family discuss his sister finding a teaching position, the sale of their horses, upkeep of the family farm, local gossip, and updates on them and relatives. In Horatio's letters to his family, he wrote about the food at camp, training, arrival in France, being in the hospital for sickness, getting kicked in the face by a horse, his sleeping quarters, friends he made in the service, and his excitement at returning home. There are a few letters from friends sent to Horatio. One discusses participating in the Peace Commission after the end of the war and the other prays for his safe return. The final letter in the collection concerns Horatio's mother receiving a widow's Civil War pension after the passing of her husband.
- The Horatio Benjamin letters 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
Horatio Benjamin to mother and sister, 1917
Horatio Benjamin to mother and sister, 1918
Horatio Benjamin to mother and sister, 1919
Mother and sister to Horatio Benjamin, 1917-1919, undated
Benjamin family letters, 1916-1919
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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.
