Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Saunders family letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Saunders family letters
- Date
- 1929-1945 (inclusive)
- Extent
- 0.02 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Alimony.
- Correspondence.
- Court records -- Kentucky.
- Divorce -- Costs
- Divorce mediation.
- Divorce settlements
- Divorce -- United States -- History -- 20th century
- Family.
- Legal files.
- Letters.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0411: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Saunders family letters, 1929-1945, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Oscar A. Saunders (1899-1956) was born in Brush, Colorado to David P. and Clara Saunders. He enlisted in the US Army in 1918, via enrolling in West Point Military Academy, and retired from duty in 1935. He married Louanna Wiggington (1895-1976), and together they had three children: David (1921-1996), Harry (1925-1993), and Susanne (1928-2006). The couple divorced in 1936; Oscar eventually married a second time to a Mary Agnes.
- 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 Saunders family letters (dated 1929-1945; 0.02 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise letters that document the divorce and child support agreement between Louanna and Oscar A. Saunders in the mid-twentieth century in Colorado and Kentucky. The letters were sent from Louanna to prior superior officers of Oscar's while he was in the army and detail her efforts to get the agreed-upon amount of alimony. Additionally, she discussed potentially pursuing a court martial of her ex-husband due to his behavior. The collection contains a few telegrams sent to Louanna discussing the arrest of her ex-husband for failure to pay alimony from a Kentucky sheriff, along with one from her ex-husband asking her to drop the charges. Also included in the collection is a copy of a court case involving Louanna, Oscar, his second wife Mary Agnes, and The Travelers Insurance Company.
- The Saunders family 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
Saunders family letters, 1929-1945
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.
