Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: James Clark Courtenay letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: James Clark Courtenay letters
- Date
- 1900-1948, undated (inclusive)
- Creator
- Courtenay, James Clark, 1897-1991
- Extent
- 1.14 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Letters.
- Correspondence.
- Love-letters
- Families.
- Friendship.
- Man-woman relationships -- United States -- 20th century
- Long-distance relationships.
- Marriage
- Male friendship -- United States -- History.
- Kentucky.
- Louisville (Ky.)
- Gossip.
- Health
- Education
- Young women -- United States -- Social life and customs -- 20th century
- United States -- Social life and customs.
- Travel.
- Negatives (photographic)
- Construction
- Courtenay, James Clark, 1897-1991
- Courtenay, Louise Johnson, 1896-1938
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by subject. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0672: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: James Clark Courtenay letters, 1900-1948, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- James Clark Courtenay (1897-1991) was born in Louisville, Kentucky to William H. Courtenay (1858-1934) and Isabel Clark (1868-1945). In 1920, Courtenay married Louise Johnson (1896-1938) and together the couple had two children, Martha (1921-2001) and James Jr. (1925-1978). After the death of Louise, James remarried in 1948 to Lillian Noell (1900-1983). James worked as a salesman in Louisville.
- 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 James Clark Courtenay letters (dated 1900-1948, undated; 1.14 cubic feet; 3 boxes, 24 items) comprise letters, photographs, and photo negatives that document the life of upper middle-class families in Louisville, Kentucky in the early twentieth century. The majority of the letters are written to James from his future wife, Louise Johnson, and she writes about her daily activities, spending time with friends and family, placing fun bets with James, her desire for him to return home, local gossip, wedding and death announcements, personal health, and her excitement at planning their wedding after their engagement. James also receives a number of letters from family members, discussing their daily lives, trips taken, personal health, school, employment, and inquiries on his health. Friends mainly write to James about social events and outings, who went out with whom, and wishes for him to be back in town to join them. The photographs depict children of the Courtenay family and the negatives in the collection depict construction work on an unknown building.
- The James Clark Courtenay 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
Eleanor to James Clark Courtenay, 1918-1920, undated
Erskine H. Courtenay to James Clark Courtenay, 1909-1913, undated
Family to James Clark Courtenay, 1900-1932, undated
James Clark Courtenay to Louise Johnson-Courtenay, 1935-1938, undated
Louise Johnson to James Clark Courtenay, 1916
Louise Johnson to James Clark Courtenay, 1917-1918
Louise Johnson to James Clark Courtenay, 1920, undated
Martha Courtenay to James and Louise Courtenay, 1934-1938, undated
Martha Courtenay to James C. Courtenay, Jr., 1934
Mother to James Clark Courtenay, 1902-1912
Mother to James Clark Courtenay, 1913-1915, undated
Nomina T. Cox to James Clark Courtenay, 1918, 1944-1946
Nomina T. Cox to James Clark Courtenay, 1947-1948, undated
Sophie Preston Hill to James Clark Courtenay, 1915-1916
James Clark Courtenay to Father, 1915-1918, undated
James Clark Courtenay to Mother, 1918-1919
Letters from James Clark Courtenay, 1906, 1945-1946, undated
Letters to James Clark Courtenay, 1908-1938, undated
Letters from Louise Johnson Courtenay, undated
Letters to Louise Johnson Courtenay, 1934-1936, undated
James Clark Courtenay papers, 1916, 1936, 1939
Photographs, 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.
