Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Helen (Johnson) McCready letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Helen (Johnson) McCready letters
- Date
- 1918-1920 (inclusive)
- Creator
- McCready, C. Stephen F. (Charles Stephen French), 1893-1966
- Extent
- 0.7 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Courtship -- 1890-1930
- Love-letters
- Marriage -- United States
- Textile industry -- United States.
- Traveling sales personnel.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0040: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Helen (Johnson) McCready letters, 1918-1920, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Helen (Johnson) McCready was born January 29, 1898 to William B. Johnson (b. 1851) and Jonnie H. Johnson (b. 1865) in Valdosta, Georgia. Her father owned a lumber manufacturing company. On January 31, 1920, Helen married Winchester, Kentucky native C. Stephen F. McCready (1893-1966), the vice-president of Trippe, Barker & Co., in Fulton, Georgia. She passed away on October 28, 1940 in Ocala, Florida due to injuries from an automobile accident.
- 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 Helen (Johnson) McCready letters (dated 1918-1920; 0.7 cubic feet; 14 folders) comprise letters from her husband, C. Stephen F. McCready, that document their courtship and relationship after their marriage while Stephen was on business trips across the United States. The letters primarily discuss Stephen's emotional attachment to Helen and the day-to-day life of a travelling businessman in the early twentieth century, including descriptions of his lodgings and means of transportation. Other topics covered include concern over Helen's health issues and Stephen's frustrations at having to leave his wife behind to attend to business matters.
- The Helen (Johnson) McCready 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
- The 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
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.
