Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Ellen Andrew letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Ellen Andrew letters
- Date
- 1896-1921 (inclusive)
- Creator
- Andrew, Ellen Rudd, 1842-1923
- Extent
- 0.12 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Correspondence.
- Dentists
- Farm life -- Illinois
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by subject. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0515: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Ellen Andrew letters, 1896-1921, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Ellen Andrew née Rudd (1842-1923) was born in Hamburg, New York to Joel Rudd (1794-1856) and Caroline Estee (1807-1874). In 1849, Ellen moved to Illinois with her father. In 1866, Ellen married Ellis Andrew (1838-1909) and together the couple had two children: Lewis Judson (1869-1955) and Charles (1870-1955). Ellis was born in England, and immigrated to Illinois with his father in 1844. The family owned and operated a 92 acre farm.
- 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 Ellen Andrew letters (dated 1896-1921; 0.12 cubic feet; 4 folders) comprise letters that document the lives of Ellen's children, relatives, and friends in Illinois in the late-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Ellen wrote to her son while he attended dental school in Chicago, describing her pride in his achievements, daily life at home, visits with friends and family, his brother's marriage, the health of the family, death announcements, and local gossip. There is one letter from Ellen to her husband updating him on chores completed at home such as corn husking and driving the cattle and horses to a new pasture. Ellen received many letters from her sister, Clarissa, who wrote about her daily life, personal health, visits from friends and family, her children, chores, marriages, pregnancy, the death of her estranged husband, moving to Rockford, and requests for Ellen to come visit her. Letters from friends to Ellen discuss daily life at home, local gossip, personal health, arguments with friends and neighbors, and death announcements. Additionally, there are letters in the collection written to Ellen's son, Lewis, from his cousins, discussing social events, excitement over his commencement from dental school, and visits to each other.
- The Ellen Andrew 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
- 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.
