Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Ellen Kays letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Ellen Kays letters
- Date
- 1860-1862 (inclusive)
- Creator
- McLaughlin, Ellen Kays, 1830-1915
- Extent
- 0.014 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Correspondence.
- Letters.
- Love-letters
- Politics
- Politics -- New York City.
- Politicians.
- Politicians -- New York (State).
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0352: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Ellen Kays letters, 1860-1862, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Ellen S. Kays (1830-1915) was born in Lafayette, New Jersey to Martin Kays (1789-1875) and Mary Ann Dusenberry (1800-1893). Ellen was the granddaughter of John Kays, a Revolutionary War officer and aide to General George Washington. In 1862, she married Hugh "Boss" McLaughlin (1827-1904), whom she met while he was a foreman at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Together the couple had at least one child, Helen (1868-1936). Throughout her life, Ellen was an active worker in the Catholic Church in Brooklyn, focusing on hospitals and homes for children, but she also erected the Church of St. Hugh in memory of her husband in Long Island. Due to her work for the church, Pope Pius X gave her the title of Marchioness of the Papal nobility in 1908.
- Ellen's husband, Hugh McLaughlin, was a prominent American politician and was the boss of the Democratic Party in Brooklyn for many years. He ran for sheriff of Kings County in 1860, but failed to win the vote. In 1861, he was elected to the office of Kings County Register of Deeds, which he held for three consecutive terms. By 1862, he had become the boss of the "Brooklyn ring", a well-known political machine in Brooklyn, and dominated local politics for many years even though many mayors attempted to roll back the machine's influence. McLaughlin was integral to the creation of Prospect Park and the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. In 1898, Brooklyn merged with New York City and McLaughlin's ring came into conflict with political machine Tammany Hall; by 1903, McLaughlin was forced to retire from politics and within a year he had passed away due to a heart attack.
- 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.
- Sources:
- McNamara, P. (2011, December 07). Marchioness Ellen McLaughlin (1829-1915), Brooklyn, New York. Retrieved March 21, 2019, from https://www.patheos.com/blogs/mcnamarasblog/2011/12/marchioness-ellen-mclaughlin-1829-1915-brooklyn-new-york.html
- Wikipedia contributors. (2019, February 22). Hugh McLaughlin (politician). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 15:41, March 21, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hugh_McLaughlin_(politician)&oldid=884496630
- Scope and Content
- The Ellen Kays letters (dated 1860-1862; 0.014 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise letters sent to Ellen Kays from Hugh McLaughlin and Nancy Fitzgerald that document the political and social life of Brooklyn, New York in the early 1860s. The majority of the letters are from Hugh to Ellen, who he affectionately calls Nellie, and discuss his work at the Brooklyn Naval Yard, his desire to visit her, visiting her family, going out with friends, running for sheriff in 1860 and losing, running for Register of Deeds in 1861 and winning, his thoughts on politics and politicians of the time, and the effect of the election of Lincoln as President. He also writes about going to the theatre, going "gunning" in the country for wild game, and his feelings for her. There are two letters from a friend or possible sister-in-law, Nancy Fitzgerald, and she writes about the health of her brother, family members in the hospital, visits from the McLaughlin family, and her personal health.
- The Ellen Kays 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.
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.
