Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Sawyer family letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Sawyer family letters
- Date
- 1902-1911, 1941, undated (inclusive)
- Extent
- 0.45 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Correspondence.
- Family.
- Gossip.
- Lawyers -- Correspondence.
- Letters.
- Parenting
- Women college athletes
- Young women -- United States -- Correspondence -- 20th century
- Young women -- United States -- Social life and customs -- 20th century
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by subject. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0470: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Sawyer family letters, 1902-1911, 1941, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- The Sawyer family of Lowell, Massachusetts included Alfred P. Sawyer (1856-1936), his wife Addie Louise Gibson (1858-1953), and their daughter Mary (1889-1978). Alfred worked as a lawyer in Massachusetts. He married Addie in 1887. Mary attended Wellesley College and became a teacher; she never married.
- 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 Sawyer family letters (dated 1902-1911, 1941, undated; 0.45 cubic feet; 1 box) comprise letters between the members of the Sawyer family that document their lives in Massachusetts and Mary Sawyer's time in college at Wellesley in the early twentieth century. The majority of the letters were sent to Mary from her parents while she attended Wellesley College. The letters discuss daily life in Lowell, having friends come visit them, their opinions on her grades, suggestions on clothing and hats, thoughts on her playing basketball, attending church and social clubs, and their plans to visit. Letters to Alfred discuss his work as a lawyer, mostly requests for assistance on cases. Addie received letters from friends, discussing daily life, local gossip, and advertisements for goods. Additionally, the collection contains an informational pamphlet on the Raven Mining Company.
- The Sawyer family 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
Letters to Addie Sawyer, 1902-1908, 1941
Letters to Alfred P. Sawyer, 1906-1911
Aunt Annie to Mary Sawyer, 1902-1908
Friends to Mary Sawyer, 1904-1908
Parents to Mary Sawyer, 1908
Parents to Mary Sawyer, 1909
Parents to Mary Sawyer, 1910
Parents to Mary Sawyer, undated
Raven Mining Company pamphlet, 1906
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.
