Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Helen Fehr papers

Abstract

The Helen Fehr papers (dated 1915-1974, undated; 2.13 cubic feet; 8 boxes) comprise letters, papers, a diary, photographs, and booklets that document the life and work of Helen Fehr in Indiana, India, and Pakistan in the twentieth century.

Descriptive Summary

Title
Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Helen Fehr papers
Date
1915-1974, undated (inclusive)
Creator
Fehr, Helen
Extent
2.13 Cubic Feet
Subjects
Letters.
Friendship.
Missionaries
Missionaries -- Correspondence.
Education -- Women.
Religion
Travel.
Arrangement
Collection is arranged by format. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
Finding Aid Author
Sarah Coblentz
Preferred Citation
2009ms132.1087: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Helen Fehr papers, 1915-1974, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
Repository
University of Kentucky

Collection Overview

Biography / History
Helen E. Fehr (1901-1999) was born in Indianapolis, Indiana to John C. Fehr (1874-1959) and Midde Haldy (b. 1878). She attended DePauw University and went on to become a missionary in India and Pakistan for 39 years before her retirement in 1972. She returned to Indianapolis where she became an active volunteer in her community working on low-income family housing projects.
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 Fehr papers (dated 1915-1974, undated; 2.13 cubic feet; 8 boxes) comprise letters, papers, a diary, photographs, and booklets that document the life and work of Helen Fehr in Indiana, India, and Pakistan in the twentieth century. The letters are sent from friends and family, discussing daily life, local gossip, marriage, education, travel, families, visiting with friends, missionary work, religion, building schools and churches, local weather, and employment. The papers include a diary from Helen documenting her first year completing missionary work in India. She details the duties she has to do, meeting the local residents, experiencing a new culture, traveling around the province, making new friends, and efforts to continue working with large barriers. There is also an expired passport of Helen's, loose pages from a scrapbook, writing by Helen, informational booklets and pamphlets on colleges and special events, and newspaper clippings. Additionally in the collection, there are letters and papers of missionaries James and Judith Kinder, detailing their missionary work across the globe, relationships they made and held, personal health, and finances. The photographs in the collection are a mixture of Helen Fehr's and the Kinder's, depicting travel to Japan, Bethlehem, India, Pakistan; family reunions, portraits of family members, and daily life in the United States.
The Helen Fehr papers 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

B. Banerji to Helen Fehr, 1937-1941

  • Box 1, folder 1
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Blanche to Helen Fehr, 1934-1941, undated

  • Box 1, folder 2
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Mildred Currens to Helen Fehr, 1915-1916, undated

  • Box 1, folder 3
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Ethel to Helen Fehr, 1924-1926

  • Box 1, folder 4
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Franz W. Fackler to Helen Fehr, 1915-1927, undated

  • Box 1, folder 5
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Florence to Helen Fehr, 1960-1961, undated

  • Box 1, folder 6
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Tabitha Gerlach to Helen Fehr, 1924-1927, undated

  • Box 1, folder 7
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Betty Hauss to Helen Fehr, 1925, undated

  • Box 1, folder 8
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Hedwig to Helen Fehr, 1941-1961, undated

  • Box 1, folder 9
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Ethel Linton Morris to Helen Fehr, 1924-1925

  • Box 1, folder 10
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Ethel Linton Morris to Helen Fehr, 1926

  • Box 1, folder 11
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Ethel Linton Morris to Helen Fehr, 1927-1939, undated

  • Box 1, folder 12
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Louise Oliver to Helen Fehr, 1940-1941

  • Box 2, folder 1
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Louise Oliver to Helen Fehr, undated

  • Box 2, folder 2
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Parents to Helen Fehr, 1926-1927, 1941, undated

  • Box 2, folder 3
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Doris Rend to Helen Fehr, 1924-1925

  • Box 2, folder 4
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Doris Rend to Helen Fehr, 1926

  • Box 2, folder 5
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Doris Rend to Helen Fehr, 1927

  • Box 2, folder 6
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Doris Rend to Helen Fehr, 1939-1941, undated

  • Box 2, folder 7
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Nellie Shepherd to Helen Fehr, 1922-1924

  • Box 2, folder 8
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Nellie Shepherd to Helen Fehr, 1925

  • Box 2, folder 9
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Nellie Shepherd to Helen Fehr, 1926

  • Box 2, folder 10
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Nellie Shepherd to Helen Fehr, 1927

  • Box 3, folder 1
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Nellie Shepherd to Helen Fehr, undated

  • Box 3, folder 2
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"Shorojo" to Helen Fehr, 1935-1940

  • Box 3, folder 3
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"Shorojo" to Helen Fehr, 1941

  • Box 3, folder 4
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"Shorojo" to Helen Fehr, 1943-1961

  • Box 3, folder 5
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"Shorojo" to Helen Fehr, undated

  • Box 3, folder 6
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Margaret Spitznogle to Helen Fehr, 1940-1941, undated

  • Box 3, folder 7
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Celia W. Staley to Helen Fehr, 1926-1927, undated

  • Box 3, folder 8
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Lofton Wesley to Helen Fehr, 1923-1926

  • Box 3, folder 9
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Letters to Helen Fehr, 1917-1926

  • Box 3, folder 10
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Letters to Helen Fehr, 1927

  • Box 4, folder 1
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Letters to Helen Fehr, 1939-1961

  • Box 4, folder 2
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Letters to Helen Fehr, undated

  • Box 4, folder 3-4
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Clippings, 1950, 1960, undated

  • Box 4, folder 5
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Helen Fehr diary, 1928

  • Box 4, folder 6
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Informational booklets and programs, 1918-1927, 1951-1959

  • Box 4, folder 7
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Helen Fehr papers, 1918, 1942, 1956-1959, undated

  • Box 4, folder 8
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Helen Fehr passport, 1948

  • Box 5, folder 1
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Scrapbook pages, 1921-1923, undated

  • Box 5, folder 2
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Helen Fehr writings, 1928-1931, 1960-1974, undated

  • Box 5, folder 3
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Letters from James and Judith Kinder, 1926, 1961-1962, undated

  • Box 5, folder 4
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Letters to James and Judith Kinder, 1960-1966, undated

  • Box 5, folder 5
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James and Judith Kinder papers, 1960-1965, undated

  • Box 5, folder 6
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Photographs, 1927, 1948-1965, undated

  • Box 6, item 1-72
  • Box WH-140, item 73-110
  • Box WH-138, item 111-124
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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.