Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Earl G. Stiller letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Earl G. Stiller letters
- Date
- 1941-1946, undated (inclusive)
- Creator
- Stiller, Earl G.
- Extent
- 1.81 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Letters.
- Families.
- Military life.
- World War, 1939-1945.
- Friendship.
- Gossip.
- Moving, Household
- Parent and child.
- Travel.
- Military orders
- Pamphlets.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged into two series: Letters and Papers. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.1121: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Earl G. Stiller letters, 1941-1946, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Earl G. Stiller (1920-1993) was born in Floyds Knobs, Indiana to Edward P. Stiller (1884-1959) and Irene A. Sprigler (1894-1975). He worked as a farmer, firefighter, and truck driver over the course of his life. In 1943, he enlisted in the US Army and attained the rank of corporal. Stiller never married and remained in Indiana his entire life.
- 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 Earl G. Stiller letters (dated 1941-1946, undated; 1.81 cubic feet; 4 boxes, 16 items) comprise letters, papers, maps, and photographs that document the lives of friends and family of Earl G. Stiller in Indiana, Kentucky, and overseas during World War II. The letters are sent to Earl from friends and family, with the majority coming from his mother. His mother writes about her daily life, working on the farm, spending time with their father and neighbors, personal health, visiting his siblings, excitement at having grandchildren, rumors about the war, her worries about him joining the military, sending him small packages and money, and her hopes to see him again soon. His siblings and in-laws write about daily life, employment, life in the military, pregnancies, spending time with family and friends, moving cities, celebrating holidays, birthdays, and weddings; gossip heard from friends, their hopes that he is doing well in the military, sending gifts, and hearing from other friends serving in the military. Letters from friends discuss life in the military, reminiscing on shared memories, transferring camps, inside jokes, going on dates, gossip and news from family and friends, employment, what Earl can expect once in the military, participating in education and officer training courses, going overseas, receiving furloughs, running into old friends while in the service, and plans for what they want to do when they return home. The papers include maps, train time tables, military publications and orders, religious pamphlets, and newspaper clippings. The photographs include strips of negatives that detail desert landscapes and unidentified persons.
- The Earl G. Stiller letters 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
Letters, 1942-1946, undated
A.C. Banet to Earl G. Stiller, 1942
A.C. Banet to Earl G. Stiller, 1943
A.C. Banet to Earl G. Stiller, 1944
A.C. Banet to Earl G. Stiller, 1945
Edmund Banet to Earl G. Stiller, 1944-1945
Charles Best to Earl G. Stiller, 1943
Charles Best to Earl G. Stiller, 1944
Charles Best to Earl G. Stiller, 1945, undated
Joseph Bukausky to Earl G. Stiller, 1945
Levin Gosney to Earl G. Stiller, 1944-1945
Lucille S. Gosney to Earl G. Stiller, 1943
Lucille S. Gosney to Earl G. Stiller, 1944
Lucille S. Gosney to Earl G. Stiller, 1945
Lucille S. Gosney to Earl G. Stiller, 1946, undated
Lee Grantz to Earl G. Stiller, 1942-1944
Sara Hanna to Earl G. Stiller, 1944-1945
Hazel Pawson to Earl G. Stiller, 1943-1945
Kermit Schell to Earl G. Stiller, 1945
Colton M. Stiller to Earl G. Stiller, 1944-1945
Helen Stiller to Earl G. Stiller, 1943
Helen Stiller to Earl G. Stiller, 1944-1945
Mother to Earl G. Stiller, 1943
Mother to Earl G. Stiller, 1944
Mother to Earl G. Stiller, 1945
Mother to Earl G. Stiller, 1946
Mother to Earl G. Stiller, undated
Earl G. Stiller to family, 1943-1944
Letters to Earl G. Stiller, 1942-1945, undated
General letters, 1942, undated
Papers, 1941-1946, undated
Clippings, undated
Maps and train timetables, 1943-1944, undated
Military papers, 1944-1946, undated
Military publications, 1941-1944, undated
Pamphlets and memos, 1944, undated
Negatives, undated
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.
