Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Ruth Keith family papers
Abstract
The Ruth Keith family papers (dated 1882-1961, undated; 0.26 cubic feet; 3 boxes) consist of letters, diaries, certificates, newspaper clippings, a scrapbook, ephemera, and photographs that document the lives of the Keith family, natives of Indiana.
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Ruth Keith family papers
- Date
- 1882-1961, undated (inclusive)
- Creator
- Keith, Ruth, 1899-1979
- Extent
- 0.26 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Correspondence.
- Bottling -- Kentucky
- Family.
- Gossip.
- Health
- Letters.
- Arrangement
- The collection is arranged by format and thereunder alphabetically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0329: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Ruth Keith family papers, 1882-1961, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- John F. Keith a farmer in Indiana (1858-1938) and wife Elona M. Jones Keith (1862-1948) had children Carrie Keith Bunger (1883-1956), Olin Keith (1885-1967), Edith Keith Cash (1892-1972), and Ruth M. Keith VanDolah (1899-1979). Carrie Keith married farmer Clayton Bunger (1884-1970) and the couple had two children, Naomi Bunger Yeaman (1911- 2012) and Flora Alberta Bunger (1917-unkown). Olin Keith, a farmer, married Isola Rand Keith (1894-1970) and had children Jay Keith (1913-2002), Junita M. Keith Allison (1911-2003), Donald Keith (1915-1979), Wilma Keith Welch (1917-1990), and Norman Keith (1919-2009). Edith Keith married farmer, foreman, and trackman Edgar S. Cash (1893-1979) with whom she had children Eugene Cash (1919-1993), Arnold Edward Cash (1922-1981), Dale Cash (1924-1993), Virginia Cash (1927-2003), Llewellyn Stanley Cash (1929-unkown), Shirley Jean Cash (1931-unkown), and Paul Cash (1934-unkown). Ruth Keith married Robert Wayne VanDolah (1891-1965), a laborer and mechanic, with whom she had two children, Francis Wayne VanDolah (1918-1993) and Hazel Ruth VanDolah Cole (1920-1990). Hazel VanDolah married Odis Lindle Cole and had child Lindle Keith Cole (1949-1991).
- The Keith family lived in various counties throughout Indiana such as Dillsboro, Switzerland, Decatur, Ripley, and Dearborn. Between 1920 and 1930 Robert and Ruth VanDolah moved to Louisville, Kentucky for Robert's job as a mechanic at the Coca Cola Bottling Company. They both lived in Louisville, Kentucky until their deaths.
- 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 Ruth Keith family papers (dated 1882-1961, undated; 0.26 cubic feet; 3 boxes) consist of letters, diaries, certificates, newspaper clippings, a scrapbook, ephemera, and photographs that document the lives of the Keith family, natives of Indiana. Many of the items were created by or belonged to family member Ruth Keith. The collection is divided into two subseries. The first, Letters and other documents, consists of a diary and scrapbook belonging to Ruth Keith, letters and postcards, Hazel VanDolah's handwriting proficiency certificates, a valentine from Rowena Connors, a funeral announcement for Agnes Woodward, and a card with the name John H. Henschen. Ruth Keith's diary includes drawings, poetry, newspapers clippings, a photograph, and diary entries about family, friends and daily activities such as local events, weather, canning, and other topics. Topics covered in the letters and postcards include daily life, weather, gardening, events, family member and friend activities, illness, and well wishes. The postcards contain pictures of people and places, some identified and others unidentified. The Photographs series contains photographs of family and friends, gravestones, animals, and various locations. Many photographs are of unidentified individuals. Those shown in in the photographs include Ruth Keith, Carrie Keith, Isola Keith, Juanita Keith, Jay Keith, Don Keith, Eda (Edith) Keith Cash, Lindle Keith Cole, Cheryl Marie Cole, Naomi, Kate Reacher, Hazel Mildred Brown, Jewel Bryan and Oliver, Robert G. Crutcher, Chase Rogers Moors, Jessie Smith, and Rowena Connors. Locations in the photographs include the Coca Cola Bottling Company at 16th and Hill; Indiana; Canada; Ohio; Kentucky; and New York.
- The Ruth Keith family papers 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
Letters and other documents, 1882-1947 and undated
Agnes Woodward funeral announcement, 1882 March 16
Ethel G. Spangler obituary newspaper clipping, undated
Hazel VanDolah certificate for a fifth-grade proficiency in handwriting from Louisville Public School Penmanship Department, 1931 June
Hazel VanDolah certificate for a sixth-grade proficiency in handwriting from Louisville Public School Penmanship Department, 1932 May
John H. Henschen card, undated
Letter to Ruth Keith from Elizabeth DeSmith, undated
Letter to Ruth Keith from Elona Keith, 1947 August-September
Ruth Keith diary and scrapbook, 1915-1917
Postcard to Mrs. John Keith from Elona Cash (postcard is of Dillsboro High School), 1925
Postcard to Mrs. Laura Keith from Mary A. Powell (postcard is of an unidentified man and woman in a car), 1911
Valentine from Rowena, 1930
Photographs, 1888-1961 and undated
Boy in a wagon, 1925
Buddy the cat, undated
Carrie Keith, 1902 October 20
Cat, undated
Cat in a window sill, undated
Chase Rogers Moors, undated
Cheryl Marie Cole, 1953 June
Eda (Edith) Keith Cash, Ruth M. Keith, and Jessie Smith in Gaff School photograph, 1906 September
Grandfather and Grandmother, undated
Hazel Mildred Brown, 1915
Hazel Mildred Brown photograph on a blank postcard, undated
Isola Keith, baby Juanita Keith, and three unidentified women, undated
Jewel Bryan and Oliver at Morgan and Melvina Keith's gravestone, undated
John F. and Elona Keith gravestone, undated
Juanita, Jay, and Don Keith photograph on a blank postcard, undated
Kate Reacher at South School, undated
Lindle Keith Cole, 1953 June
Lizzie and Robert Vandolah gravestone, undated
Louisville police officer, 1961 June
Manhattan, New York, undated
Mom's house at Adams, Indiana, undated
Naomi and Old Shep, undated
New York Harbor, undated
Robert G. Crutcher, undated
Rock formation, Aybuckle Mts., Highway Number 77, undated
Ruth M. Keith Vandolah and school friend Rowena Connors in school photograph, undated
Ruth M. Keith VanDolah in school photograph, 1913
The Statue of Liberty, undated
Three unidentified people at William G. and Imogene T. Taylor's gravestone, undated
Three unidentified women at the gravestone of Stephen and Mary A. Jones, undated
Two unidentified girls and a baby, undated
Two unidentified women in Canada, 1943 July 2
Unidentified baby, undated
Unidentified event on blank postcard, undated
Unidentified girl, undated
Unidentified girl at beach in Cleveland, Ohio, 1934
Unidentified group at the Coca Cola Bottling Company, 16th and Hill, undated
Unidentified man (during war service), 1945 January 18
Unidentified man, undated
Unidentified man and woman, 1961 October 22
Unidentified man and woman at the gravestone of Thomas Jesse and Ava North Cochran, undated
Unidentified man fishing, undated
Unidentified man in car, undated
Unidentified man on a blank postcard, undated
Unidentified man with three dogs, undated
Unidentified people, 1898
Unidentified people, undated
Unidentified people, undated
Unidentified people, undated
Unidentified people, undated
Unidentified people, undated
Unidentified people at the gravestone of Stephen and Mary H. Jones, undated
Unidentified people in West Baden, Indiana, 1923
Unidentified people on porch, 1916
Unidentified woman, 1888
Unidentified woman, undated
Unidentified woman, undated
Unidentified woman, undated
Unidentified woman, undated
Unidentified woman and baby, undated
Unidentified woman and girl inside the West Baden Hotel, Indiana, 1924
Unidentified woman and horse, Dillsboro, Indiana, 1917
Unidentified woman in kitchen, 1961 November 5
Unidentified woman with a car, Angle Court, Kentucky Lake, 1949 September
Unidentified woman with a note on back: "For [illegible] with love from Bob", undated
Unidentified women in Cleveland, Ohio, 1934 July
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Table of Contents
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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.
