Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Weaver Ashby letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Weaver Ashby letters
- Date
- 1943-1945, undated (inclusive)
- Creator
- Ashby, Weaver B., 1898-1977
- Extent
- 0.06 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Letters.
- World War, 1939-1945.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, American.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0151: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Weaver Ashby letters, 1943-1945, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Weaver Ashby (1910-1988) was born in Homer, Kentucky to John J. Ashby (1874-1954), a farmer, and Lena Ashby (1878-1956), a postmaster. He has one older brother, Otis Ashby (1898-1977). Weaver lived in Kentucky for a majority of his life, however during the 1940s he lived and worked in Detroit, Michigan as a shipping clerk. In 1942, Ashby enlisted in the US Army, and for the next three years he was stationed at various military camps across the United States, attached to a tank destroyer battalion; he served as mail clerk for much of his military tenure. In 1944, he deployed to Europe and assisted with Allied activities in France and the advance toward Berlin; by the time of his release in 1945, he had attained the rank of sergeant. After leaving the military, Weaver returned to Homer, Kentucky and appointed as postmaster of his hometown.
- 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 Weaver Ashby letters (dated 1943-1945, undated; 0.06 cubic feet; 2 folders) comprise letters that document the relationship between Weaver Ashby and his brother, Otis, along with Weaver's experiences in the military during World War II. Weaver discusses his experiences in the various camps, including Camp Robinson, Camp Hood, and Fort Benning; people he and his brother know who are dead or injured, his travels from England to Holland and Germany, being near a concentration camp, and his promotion to Corporal and Sergeant. Weaver also sent a map of the United States where he details his movements from Gruber, Oklahoma to Yuma, Arizona.
- The Weaver Ashby 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.
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.
