Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: John and Nettie Winchester-Boomer letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: John and Nettie Winchester-Boomer letters
- Date
- 1897-1905 (inclusive)
- Creator
- Winchester, John, 1871-1944
- Extent
- 0.45 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Death
- Disciples of Christ -- History -- 20th century.
- Letters.
- Family farms
- Printers.
- Race relations.
- Widowhood
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0138: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: John and Nettie Winchester-Boomer letters, 1897-1905, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- John Merritt Winchester (1871-1944) was born in Wisconsin to Harlon E. Winchester (1841-1926) and Margaret E. Stevenson (1844-1882). Nettie Boomer (1875-1901) was born in Flint, Michigan to Benjamin Boomer (d. 1876) and Unity Forten (1836-1917). John and Nettie married on September 14, 1898, and lived in Washington, D.C. where John worked as a printer for the Government Printing Office (GPO). John was a member of the militia in Washington, D.C. during the Spanish-American War but was not chosen to serve. Nettie died in 1901 after giving birth to a son, Merritt H. Winchester (1901-1971). In 1902, John remarried to Mary B. Sherman (1875-1944) and continued to work as a printer for the GPO until moving to Detroit in 1920, where he worked as an accountant.
- 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 John and Nettie Winchester-Boomer letters (dated 1897-1905; 0.45 cubic feet; 1 box) comprise letters between John Winchester, Nettie Boomer, and her family in Flint, Michigan and Washington, D.C. at the turn of the twentieth century. From 1897 to 1901, the letters are addressed to either Nettie or Nettie and John, and from Nettie's family or John. These letters discuss family news, social life surrounding women's participation in church, the Ladies Aid Society, farmer meetings held in Flint, Michigan, the couple's decision to be baptized in the Disciples of Christ Christian Church, concern over the influence the high number of African-Americans in Washington, D.C. would have on Nettie, and the temperance movement. After Nettie's death in 1901, the letters are addressed to John and discuss watching over his son, condolences over Nettie's death, and his second marriage to Mary Sherman.
- The John and Nettie Winchester-Boomer 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.
