Felix Holt papers

Abstract

The Felix Holt papers (dated 1903-1964; 7.5 cubic feet; 10 boxes, 12 items) comprise author and cartoonist Felix Holt's manuscripts and the personal papers.

Descriptive Summary

Title
Felix Holt papers
Date
1903-1964 (inclusive)
1918-1954 (inclusive)
Extent
7.5 Cubic Feet
Subjects
Cartoonists.
Genealogy.
Journalists.
Lone ranger (Radio program)
Radio scripts.
World War, 1914-1918 -- Caricatures and cartoons.
Arrangement
Collection is arranged by format.
Finding Aid Author
Paper finding aid encoded by Ida Lucille Mangum
Preferred Citation
70m42 : [Identification of item], Felix Holt papers, 1903-1964, bulk 1918-1954, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
Repository
University of Kentucky

Collection Overview

Biography / History
Felix Holt (1898-1954), born in Murray, Kentucky, was an author, cartoonist, and newspaperman. He served in the United States Army during World War I. He was a cartoonist and reporter for The Stars and Stripes, the newspaper of the American Expeditionary Forces. His experiences in the army led him to a career as a cartoonist and reporter for The Detroit News and the Detroit Times throughout the 1920s. Holt later wrote short stories based on family memory and folk lore from western Kentucky and was a scriptwriter for several radio serials, including The Lone Ranger and Cimmarron Tavern. He published his first novel, The Gabriel Horn, in 1951. His second novel, Dan'l Boone Kissed Me, was published shortly before his death in 1954. The Gabriel Horn was adapted for the Hollywood film The Kentuckian (1955), starring Burt Lancaster.
Source: Jackson Purchase Historical Society, "Felix Holt, The Man Who Told The Purchase Story", http://jacksonpurchasehistory.org/, accessed 2020 August 10.
Scope and Content
The Felix Holt papers (dated 1903-1964; 7.5 cubic feet; 10 boxes, 12 items) comprise author and cartoonist Felix Holt's manuscripts and the personal papers. The collection contains the manuscripts for The Gabriel Horn and Dan'l Boone Kissed Me, along with several scripts for episodes of The Lone Ranger and almost the entire run of scripts for Cimarron Tavern, dating from April 1945 to September 1946. Also included are some of his cartoons, newspaper articles, short stories, radio scripts and publicity materials. Some financial papers are in the collection, including cancelled checks and income tax records for the early 1950s. Among Holt's personal papers are family correspondence, including letters of Holt's daughter, Patricia, and his sister, Louise Holt Dick of Murray, Ky. There is a scrapbook and a notebook of quotations and poems by Holt's mother, Mrs. Duncan Holt. The diaries and appointment books of Holt's wife, Margie Sies Holt, record the progress of Holt's final illness and his death in June 1954.
Also included are materials gathered by Lawrence S. Thompson for his article on Holt, which appeared in the Register of the Kentucky Historical Society for July 1955. In addition, there are genealogical charts and newspaper clippings of interest on the movie, The Kentuckian, based on the author's novel, The Gabriel Horn. Correspondents include Fran Striker, creator of The Lone Ranger, H. L. Mencken, Frank Murphy, Wendell Wilkie, and Lawrence Thompson.

Restrictions on Access and Use

Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
Use Restrictions
The physical rights to the mateerials in this collection belonged to the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.

Contents of the Collection

Correspondence, 1917-1918

  • Box 1, folder 1
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Correspondence, 1919-1926

  • Box 1, folder 2
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World War I scrapbook, undated

  • Box 1, folder 3
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Material removed from World War I scrapbook, undated

  • Box 1, folder 4
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Correspondence, 1940-1941

  • Box 1, folder 5
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Correspondence, 1942-1943

  • Box 1, folder 6
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Correspondence, 1944-1945

  • Box 2, folder 1
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Correspondence, 1946-1949

  • Box 2, folder 2
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Correspondence, 1950-1951

  • Box 2, folder 3
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Correspondence, 1952

  • Box 2, folder 4
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Correspondence, 1953

  • Box 2, folder 5
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Correspondence, 1954-1964

  • Box 2, folder 6
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Correspondence, undated

  • Box 2, folder 7
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Photographs, undated

  • Box 2, folder 8
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Cartoons, undated

  • Box 2, folder 9
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World War I cartoons, undated

  • Item 1
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Radio scripts, westerns, undated

  • Box 3, folder 1-2
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Radio scripts, The Lone Ranger, undated

  • Box 3, folder 3-4
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Radio scripts, Cimarron Tavern correspondence and story outlines, 1945-1947

  • Box 3, folder 5
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Radio scripts, Cimarron Tavern: episodes 1-175, 1945 April 1-December 19

  • Box 4, folder 1
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Radio scripts, Cimarron Tavern: episodes 176-370, 1945 December 11-1946 September 27

  • Box 5, folder 1
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Radio scripts, Cimarron Tavern: records of episodes, 29 records, 1945 December 11-1946 January 25

  • Box 5, folder 1-29
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Radio scripts, Cimarron Tavern, 1945-1946

  • Item 2-3
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Radio scripts, Custer material, undated

  • Box 6, folder 1
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Short stories and articles, undated

  • Box 6, folder 2
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Red Bedford; unfinished novel and Will O'Wisp; outline for novel, undated

  • Box 7, folder 1
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Notes for unfinished stories, undated

  • Box 7, folder 2
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Clippings, undated

  • Box 7, folder 3
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Obituaries and The Road of Life Tribune, recorded, 1954 June-July

  • Box 7, folder 4
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Bucks County, Pennsylvania material, undated

  • Box 7, folder 5
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Thompson, Lawrence S., "Felix Holt, Kentucky Historical Novelist," Kentucky Historical Society Register, LIII, 247-256., 1955 July

  • Box 7, folder 6
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Miscellaneous materials, undated

  • Box 7, folder 7
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Duplicates, undated

  • Box 7, folder 8
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Envelopes, undated

  • Box 7, folder 9
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The Gabriel Horn, rough draft, undated

  • Box 8, folder 1
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The Gabriel Horn, publisher's rough draft, undated

  • Box 8, folder 2
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The Gabriel Horn, typesetter's copy, undated

  • Box 8, folder 3
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The Gabriel Horn, excerpts and early versions, undated

  • Box 8, folder 4
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The Gabriel Horn, correspondence and reviews (Walle, Alf H., "From the Lone Ranger to Daniel Boone: The Writing of Felix Holt," paper presented at the annual meeting of the Kentucky Philosophical Society, 1979 March 2

  • Box 8, folder 5
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Daniel Boone Kissed Me; version entitled: A Jew Comes to Calvary, undated

  • Box 9, folder 1
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Daniel Boone Kissed Me; final revised edition, undated

  • Box 9, folder 2
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Daniel Boone Kissed Me; typesetter's copy, undated

  • Box 9, folder 3
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Daniel Boone Kissed Me; reviews, undated

  • Box 9, folder 4
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Bills, receipts, miscellany culled tax records, undated

  • Box 10, folder 1
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Tax records, undated

  • Box 10, folder 2
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Canceled checks, undated

  • Box 10, folder 3
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Appointment book, 1942-1943

  • Item 4
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Appointment book, 1951-1952

  • Item 5
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Appointment book, 1952

  • Item 6
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Diary, 1953

  • Item 7
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Diary, miscelleaneous notes, 1954

  • Item 8
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Diary, contains information relating to illness and death of Felix Holt, 1954

  • Item 9
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Diary, miscelleaneous notes and financial situation, 1960

  • Item 10
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Telephone numbers, undated

  • Item 11
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Income book; scattered expenditures, 1952-1959, 1961

  • Item 12
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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.

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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.