Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: R.C. Curtiss diaries
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: R.C. Curtiss diaries
- Date
- 1883-1924 (inclusive)
- Creator
- Curtiss, Roswell C.
- Extent
- 0.90 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Farm life
- Family.
- Friendship.
- Travel.
- Livestock
- Crops
- Marriage
- Death
- Health
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0577: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: R.C. Curtiss diaries, 1883-1924, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Roswell C. Curtiss (1833-1934) was born in Connecticut to John Milton Curtiss (1796-1884) and Helen Goodrich (1796-1893). He worked as a farmer for the majority of his life, but does some work in the legal system and insurance. Curtiss married Margaret Elizabeth Adkins (1839-1922) and together the couple had six children: George (1858-1955), Julia (b. 1860), Alice (b. 1861), John Milton (1863-1952), Elwin (1865-1918), and Anna (b. 1866).
- 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 R.C. Curtiss diaries (dated 1883-1924; 0.90 cubic feet; 2 boxes) comprises twenty-four diaries that document the life of R.C. Curtiss in Alexander, New York at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century. In the diaries, Curtiss describes his daily life, planting and harvesting crops, taking care of his farm, participating in court trials, visits from friends and family, buying, selling, and slaughtering livestock; social outings with business peers, family, and friends; trips to surrounding towns and villages, marriages and deaths of friends and family, his personal health, and the daily weather. In the back of many of the diaries are sections for cash accounts, which Curtiss occasionally fills out.
- The R.C. Curtiss diaries 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
R.C. Curtiss diaries, 1883-1887
R.C. Curtiss diaries, 1889-1893
R.C. Curtiss diaries, 1898-1910
R.C. Curtiss diaries, 1911-1913
R.C. Curtiss diaries, 1914-1917
R.C. Curtiss diaries, 1918-1919
R.C. Curtiss diaries, 1921-1922
R.C. Curtiss diaries, 1923-1924
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.
