Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Edell Frogner letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Edell Frogner letters
- Date
- 1916 May-October (inclusive)
- Creator
- Frogner, Edell, 1889-1981
- Extent
- 0.04 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Correspondence.
- Courtship -- 1890-1930
- Farm life -- Wisconsin
- Love-letters
- Marriage
- Man-woman relationships -- United States -- 20th century
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0535: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Edell Frogner letters, 1916 May-October, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Edell Frogner (1889-1981) was born in Wisconsin to John Frogner (1860-1943) and Clara Evenson (1864-1951). In 1917, she married Morris Hammersley (1892-1921), a farmer, and together the couple had two sons, Lee Norman (1918-1988) and Robert (1920-1983). After the death of Morris, Edell married a second time to Gustave Melin (1892-1952), a painter, in 1934. Edell spent the majority of her life in Wisconsin, but in the 1940s she lived in California with her second husband. She worked as a housekeeper after the death of her first husband and later worked as a practical nurse.
- 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 Edell Frogner letters (dated 1916 May-October; 0.04 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise ten letters sent to Edell from her future husband, Morris Hammersley, documenting their courtship and engagement in Wisconsin in 1916. In the letters, Morris wrote about working on his family's farm, cutting corn, milking cattle, selling crops and livestock, hunting for ducks and rabbits, and how the farm will be split amongst the family after he and Edell marry. He also writes about spending time with his sisters and friends along with his plans to visit Edell when he has to come to Madison for business.
- The Edell Frogner 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
Morris Hammersley letters to Edell Frogner, 1916 May-October
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.
