Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Reverend William E. Keller papers
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Reverend William E. Keller papers
- Date
- circa 1960-1969 (inclusive)
- Creator
- Keller, William E.
- Extent
- 0.03 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Genealogy.
- Clergy.
- Clergy -- Kentucky -- Biography
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by format. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0733: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Reverend William E. Keller papers, circa 1960-1969, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Reverend William E. Keller (1840-1898) was born in Harrodsburg, Kentucky to Jacob Keller (1788-1850) and Louisa Cardwell (1806-1875). He attended Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland where he studied to become a lawyer. He was admitted to the bar about the same time the Civil War broke out and paused his legal career to join to confederate army. He served as a bugler under the command of General John Morgan, and was captured and spent several months at Camp Douglas. After the war, Keller returned to Kentucky to practice law and was elected county judge in Mercer County. In the mid-1870s, Keller felt a calling to enter the ministry and was ordained by Transylvania Presbytery in 1876. In 1878, he was chosen as a pastor in Bloomfield, Kentucky; 1880, Mt. Sterling and Springfield churches; 1884, a Bardstown church; and in 1889, to Meridian, Mississippi. He shortly returned to Kentucky after resigning from his position due to poor health, and in 1897, became a pastor in the Parkland neighborhood in Louisville, Kentucky. Over the course of his life, Keller married twice. His first wife was Cynthia Grimes (1845-1871), with whom he had one son, William (1867-1951). His second wife was Susan Harris (1852-1936), with whom he had six children, Logan (1878-1893), James (1879-1922), Horace (1881-1935), Garnett (1883-1938), Edwin (1885-1960), and Elizabeth (b. 1888).
- 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 Reverend William E. Keller papers (dated circa 1960-1969; 0.03 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprises genealogical information and a biography of William E. Keller in Kentucky during the late nineteenth century. The genealogical information includes birth, death, and marriage dates for members of the Keller and Harris families – focusing on the direct relatives of William Keller's family. The biography details a brief sketch of William Keller's life, from his career changes, military participation, and declining health.
- The Reverend William E. Keller papers 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
Reverend William E. Keller papers, circa 1960-1969
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.
