Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Frank William Major papers
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Frank William Major papers
- Date
- 1835-1881, undated (inclusive)
- Creator
- Major, Frank William, d. 1864
- Extent
- 0.05 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Colonies -- Great Britain -- 1800-1900.
- Letters.
- Military service, Voluntary
- Military service, Voluntary -- Great Britain.
- Peninsular War, 1807-1814.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by subject. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0378: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Frank William Major papers, 1835-1881, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Frank William Major (d. 1864) was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. In 1809, he joined the British Army as personnel of the Commissariat and was attached to various regiments and cavalries during his tenure. He was first sent to Walcheren Island, then from 1810-1815 (the Peninsular War) he was in Portugal, Spain, and France; 1816-1818 was spent in Waterloo, 1818-1836 in the West Indies, and 1836-1843 he was in Malta. In 1821, Major married Mary Skinner, and together they had a son, Robert Clement Major (1822-1895). While serving as a commissary during the Peninsular War, he was attached to a cavalry unit involved in many major battles including: Salamanca, Vitoria, Pyrenees, Nivelle, Orthez, and Toulouse.
- 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 Frank William Major papers (dated 1835-1881, undated; 0.05 cubic feet; 5 folders) comprise letters and statements that document the efforts of Frank W. Major to be recognized and promoted for his duties as a commissary in the British Army in the first half of the nineteenth century. The letters mainly discuss Major's concern of men with less experience than him being promoted over him and support for his requests for promotion from peers. There is one letter addressed to Mary Major, which discusses the death of Frank and the author providing an family member's address to Mary. The statements include a breakdown of Major's service as a commissary, statement of monies received, and a list of furniture and costs of the items.
- The Frank William Major 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
Statement of services of Deputy Commissary General Frank W. Major, 1852 June 18, undated
Accounts paid and balances left over, 1881, 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.
