Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Frank Delzell letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Frank Delzell letters
- Date
- 1917-1919, undated (inclusive)
- Creator
- Delzell, Frank
- Extent
- 0.025 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Letters.
- Correspondence.
- Military life.
- World War, 1914-1918.
- World War, 1914-1918 -- France.
- Basic training (Military education)
- Family.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0685: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Frank Delzell letters, 1917-1919, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Frank Delzell (1894-1985) was born in Damascus, Ohio to Charles Delzell (1860-1944) and Abbie McClain (1855-1946). Delzell enlisted in the Army during World War I, serving from September 1917 to July 1919. In 1930, Delzell married Helen Miller (1903-1997) and together the couple had two children, Mary (1931-1977) and Bruce (1935-2003). Delzell worked in his family's sheet metal business, C.G. & Sons.
- 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 Frank Delzell letters (dated 1917-1919, undated; 0.025 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises letters sent from Frank Delzell to his family in Ohio that document his experiences as a soldier stateside and overseas during World War I. In the letters, Frank writes about daily life in the camps, opinions of other soldiers, receiving medical and dental care, doing drills, and going to the shooting range. He also writes about his motorcycle, asking family members to take care of it and pick up parts from garages. Delzell occasionally asks his family to send him clothing and trunks to store items in, sends them camp-produced newspapers, and informs them when he gets leave to go home. Once overseas in France, Delzell writes about his duties as a truck driver, saving money, the weather, and plans for his return to the states.
- The Frank Delzell 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
Frank Delzell to family, 1917-1919, 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.
