Fox family papers

Descriptive Summary

Title
Fox family papers
Date
1852-1995 (inclusive)
Bulk, 1852-1920 (bulk)
Extent
6.5 Cubic feet
Subjects
Education--Kentucky.
Russo-Japanese War, 1904-1905.
Spanish-American War, 1898.
Teachers--Kentucky.
Arrangement
Collection is arranged by format.
Finding Aid Author
Finding aid prepared by Heather J. Burke
Preferred Citation
64M122: [Identification of item], Fox family papers, 1852-1995, bulk 1852-1920, University of Kentucky Special Collections.
Repository
University of Kentucky

Collection Overview

Biography / History
John Fox, Sr. was a schoolteacher in Kentucky. He operated a school, first in Montgomery county, then in Mason county, before moving it to Stony Point, in Bourbon county, where John Fox, Jr. was born in 1862. His son, John, Jr. attended his father's school then Harvard University. He emerged as a prolific Southern writer and novelist, penning such titles as Trail of the Lonesome Pine and Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come. He was also a war correspondent for Scribner's magazine in both the Spanish-American War and the Russo-Japanese War. John Fox, Jr. died in 1919.
"About John Fox, Jr." The John Fox, Jr. Museum. Lonesome Pines Arts & Crafts, Inc., 2008. Web. 21 Dec. 2011.
Scope and Content
The Fox family papers span the years 1852-1962. The papers covers two main figures in the Fox family, John Fox, Sr. and John Fox, Jr. The papers of John Fox, Sr. include 54 diaries from the years 1857-1912, with the exclusion of 1892, account books for the school and a botanical notebook.
Another part of the papers comprises family correspondence, including some letters written by John Sr.'s father, Boaz, and brother, Hiram. The correspondence also encompasses letters from John Jr. to his family, written while he was a war correspondent in the Spanish-American war, and later during the Russo-Japanese war. John Jr. corresponded with many literary figures, including James Lane Allen, Thomas Nelson Page, James Whitcomb Riley, and Robert Burns Wilson. The family correspondence contains their letters as well as several to John Jr. from Theodore Roosevelt. Photocopies of letters from Elizabeth Fox Moore to Harriet R. Holman (then at work on a book about Thomas Nelson Page) concerning John Fox, Jr., Ms. Moore's brother, also make up the family correspondence.
A large portion of the papers holds the manuscripts for John Jr.'s novels, articles, and short stories, including two versions each for A Mountain Europa and A Cumberland Vendetta. The final portion of the papers comprises notebooks containing more of Fox's writings, along with biographical materials, a few photographs, scrapbooks on his literary career, class notebooks, lectures and posters.

Restrictions on Access and Use

Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
Use Restrictions
The letters from Elizabeth Fox Moore to Harriet R. Holman may not be quoted during Ms. Holman's lifetime without her written permission.

Contents of the Collection

John Fox, Sr. papers, 1857-1912

Scope and Contents note

The John Fox, Sr. papers consist of diaries, notebooks, and accounting books of John Fox, Sr. The diaries span from 1857 to 1912, and available as well are copies of the diaries made by Oliver E. Fox. The notebooks comprise a Kentucky University composition book, a botanical book and an address book. The accounting books cover the majority of years from 1837 through 1890.

Diaries, 1857-1912

, 1857-1859

  • Box 1, Folder 1
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, 1860-1862

  • Box 1, Folder 2
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, 1863-1865

  • Box 1, Folder 3
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, 1866-1868

  • Box 1, Folder 4
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, 1869-1871

  • Box 1, Folder 5
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, 1872-1875

  • Box 1, Folder 6
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, 1876-1878

  • Box 1, Folder 7
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, 1879-1881

  • Box 1, Folder 8
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, 1882-1884

  • Box 1, Folder 9
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, 1885-1887

  • Box 2, Folder 1
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, 1888-1890

  • Box 2, Folder 2
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, 1891, 1893-1894

  • Box 2, Folder 3
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, 1895-1897

  • Box 2, Folder 4
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, 1898-1900

  • Box 2, Folder 5
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, 1901-1903

  • Box 2, Folder 6
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, 1904-1906

  • Box 2, Folder 7
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, 1907-1909

  • Box 2, Folder 8
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, 1910-1912

  • Box 3, Folder 1
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Photocopies by Oliver E. Fox, 1858-1912

  • Box 3, Folder 2
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Notebooks, 1861

Composition Book, Kentucky University, 1861

  • Box 3, Folder 3
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Botanical Notebook and Address Book, undated

  • Box 3, Folder 6
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Accounting Books, 1837-1890

, 1837-1856, 1859-1869

  • Box 3, Folder 4
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, 1874-1890

  • Box 3, Folder 5
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Fox family correspondence, 1852-1920, 1948-1968

Scope and Contents note

The Fox family correspondence comprises numerous letters sent from and received by members of the Fox family between 1852 and 1920, including a 1948 letter to John Fox, Jr. from T.R. Roosevelt. Some letters are incomplete or undated. Notable correspondents include James Lane Allen, T.R. Roosevelt, Thomas Nelson Page, and Robert Burns Wilson. The correspondence also incorporates a series of letters beginning June, 1967 from Elizabeth Fox Moore to Harriet R. Holman regarding John Fox, Jr.'s literary career.

, 1852-1880

  • Box 4, Folder 1
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, 1881-1884

  • Box 4, Folder 2
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, 1885-1888

  • Box 4, Folder 3
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, 1889-1890

  • Box 4, Folder 4
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, 1891-1893

  • Box 5, Folder 1
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, 1894-1895

  • Box 5, Folder 2
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, 1896-1897 July

  • Box 5, Folder 3
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, 1897 August-1898

  • Box 5, Folder 4
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, 1899-1903

  • Box 5, Folder 5
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, 1904-1910

  • Box 6, Folder 1
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, 1911-1920

  • Box 6, Folder 2
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James Lane Allen, 1886-1891

  • Box 6, Folder 3
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T.R. Roosevelt to John Fox, Jr., 1894-1918, 1948, undated

  • Box 6, Folder 4
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James Lane Allen to John Fox, Jr. and James Fox, 1895-1893

  • Box 6, Folder 5
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Thomas Nelson Page to John Fox, Jr., 1891-1910

  • Box 6, Folder 6
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Robert Burns Wilson to John Fox, Jr., 1887-1903, undated

  • Box 6, Folder 7
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Incomplete and Undated, undated

  • Box 6, Folder 8
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Elizabeth Fox Moore to Harriet R. Holman, 1967 June-1967 November, 1968 April

  • Box 11, Folder 22
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Manuscripts, 1886-1920

Scope and Contents note

The Manuscripts series contains books, short fiction and articles by John Fox, Jr., the majority of which are undated. This series also holds a short story called "Summer in Arcady" by James Lane Allen.

A Mountain Europa, 1892

  • Box 7, Folder 1-2
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The Kentuckians, undated

  • Box 7, Folder 3
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Crittenden, undated

  • Box 7, Folder 4
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A Cumberland Vendetta, undated

  • Box 8, Folder 1-2
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Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come, undated

  • Box 8, Folder 3
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The Heart of the Hills, Scribner's Magazine, 1912 April

  • Box 8, Folder 4
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The Heart of the Hills, undated

  • Box 8, Folder 5
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The Heart of the Hills, undated

  • Box 9, Folder 1-2
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Erskine Dale, Illustrations and Correspondence, 1919-1920

  • Box 9, Folder 3
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Erskine Dale, undated

  • Box 9, Folder 4-6
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"Death Bed Pardon of Becky Day," 3 versions, undated

  • Box 10, Folder 1
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"A Trick O'Trade", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 2
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"The Angel from Viper", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 3
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"Passing of Abraham Shivers", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 4
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"On Horseback to Kingdom Come", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 5
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"Damsel and the Dulcimer", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 6
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"Christmas Night with Satan", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 7
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"Courtin' on the Cutshin'", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 8
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"The Blight in the Hillls", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 9
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"The Marquise of Queensbury", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 10
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"The Trail of the Saxon", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 11
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"Hell for Sartain", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 12
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"Trail of the Lonesome Pine", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 13
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"Day Senator Mahone Spoke", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 14
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"An Intersectional Episode", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 15
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"Which Won?", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 16
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"The Kentucky Mountaineer", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 17
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"Through the Shadows of the Big Black", 1889

  • Box 10, Folder 18
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"Happy Valley", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 19
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"A Crisis for the Guard", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 20
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"The Happenings at the Gap", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 21
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"Stories of Some Stories", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 22
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"Sermon of Red Trox", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 23
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"Battle-Prayer of Parson Small", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 24
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"The Auricular Talent of the Hon. Samuel Budd", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 25
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"Christmas Eve on Lonesome", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 26
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"Compact of Christopher", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 27
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"The Lord's Own Level", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 28
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"Billy", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 29
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"Hom sait qui mal y pense", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 30
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"Kentucky Chronology", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 31
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"Henry Clay", undated

  • Box 10, Folder 32
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Allen, "Summer in Arcady", 1896

  • Box 10, Folder 33
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"The Wanderers", 1886 March 26-1886 May 8

  • Box 10, Folder 34
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"Aunt Ailsie", undated

  • Box 11, Folder 1
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"Through the Gap", undated

  • Box 11, Folder 2
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"Courtship of Allaphair", undated

  • Box 11, Folder 3
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"Grayson's Baby", undated

  • Box 11, Folder 4
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"Message in the Sand", undated

  • Box 11, Folder 5
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"Pope of the Big Sandy", undated

  • Box 11, Folder 6
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"After Bear in Colorado", undated

  • Box 11, Folder 7
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"Down the Kentucky on a Raft", undated

  • Box 11, Folder 8
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"Tarpon Fishing at Boca Grande", undated

  • Box 11, Folder 9
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"Hotel Four Seasons, Harrogate Term", undated

  • Box 11, Folder 10
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"A Hunting Peep into Jackson's Hole", undated

  • Box 11, Folder 11
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"How the South was Conquered", undated

  • Box 11, Folder 12
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"The Senator's Last Trade", undated

  • Box 11, Folder 13
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"Hardships of the Campaign", undated

  • Box 11, Folder 14
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"White Slaves of Haicheng", undated

  • Box 11, Folder 15
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"On the Dragon's Trail", undated

  • Box 11, Folder 16
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Untitled, undated

  • Box 11, Folder 17
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Scrapbooks, class notebooks, lectures, etc., 1870-1971, 1995

Scope and Contents note

This series comprises John Fox, Jr.'s notebooks, including class notebooks, notebooks for various literary works and a group of notebooks called "Odds and Ends." Eight scrapbooks on John Fox, Jr.'s family and his literary career also appear in this series, and they contain news materials as well as photographs of John, Jr. and the Fox family. The series also holds John, Jr.'s lectures, posters advertising his literary achievements and Harriet R. Holman's Southern Literary Journal article on him from 1971. Biographical materials for Richard Talbott Fox, writings on Fort Omaha by Oliver E. Fox, a plant record kept by James W. Fox and a 1939 scenic photograph make up the series as well.

Scrapbook, "Family and Friends", circa 1870-1919

  • Item 1
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Scrapbook, "Author and Reader", circa 1890-1911

  • Item 2
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Scrapbook, "A Cumberland Vendetta" and "A Mountain Europa", 1892-1900

  • Item 3
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Scrapbook, "Crittenden", 1897-1901, 1910

  • Item 4
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Scrapbook, "The Kentuckians" and Other Stories, 1896-1904

  • Item 5
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Scrapbook, "Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come", 1903-1904

  • Item 6
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Scrapbook, "Following the Sun Flag", 1904-1907

  • Item 7
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Scrapbook, "Trail of the Lonesome Pine", 1901, 1905-1912, 1936, 1940

  • Item 8
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John Fox, Jr., Manchurian Notebooks, 3 volumes, undated

  • Box 9, Folder 7
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John Fox, Jr., "Play" Notebooks, undated

  • Box 11, Folder 18
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John Fox, Jr., Notebooks for "Brei Rabbit and Brei Coon in Ole Kentucky", undated

  • Box 11, Folder 19
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John Fox, Jr., Notebook, undated

  • Box 11, Folder 20
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Harriet R. Holman, "John Fox, Jr.: Appraisal and Self-Appraisal," Southern Literary Journal, 1971

  • Box 11, Folder 21
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John Fox, Jr., Biographical Materials, 1904-1962, 1995, undated

  • Box 11, Folder 23
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John Fox, Jr., General, 1893, 1896, 1900s, undated

  • Box 11, Folder 24
Scope and Contents note

The John Fox, Jr. general folder contains various notes and newspaper clippings. Among the notes, the majority of which are undated, there are lists of "mountain" names, items and expressions.

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Oliver E. Fox, Materials on Fort Omaha, Nebraska, 1895

  • Box 11, Folder 25
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Richard Talbott Fox, Biographical Materials, 1940 April, undated

  • Box 11, Folder 26
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John Fox, Jr., Class Notebook: Roman Law I, 1882 February 15-1882 May 31

  • Box 12, Folder 1
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John Fox, Jr., Class Notebook: Ethics, 1882 October

  • Box 12, Folder 2
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John Fox, Jr., Odds and Ends notebooks, Vol. I and II, 1882 December 16-1885 November 13

  • Box 12, Folder 3
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John Fox, Jr., Odds and Ends notebooks, Vol. III through VI, 1885 November 17- 1888 February 9

  • Box 12, Folder 4
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John Fox, Jr., Themes, 1883

  • Box 12, Folder 5-6
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John Fox, Jr., Lectures, 1901, 1902, 1904, 1910, undated

  • Box 12, Folder 7
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James W. Fox, Plant Record, 1875 April 10-1875 September 4

  • Box 12, Folder 8
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Photograph, 1939

  • Box 13, Item 1
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Poster, "A Cumberland Vendetta", 1894

  • Box 13, Item 2
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Poster, "Christmas Eve on Lonesome", circa 1904

  • Box 13, Item 3
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Poster, "John Fox, Jr. in the March Metropolitan", circa 1906

  • Box 13, Item 4
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Poster, "A Knight of the Cumberland", circa 1908

  • Box 13, Item 5
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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.

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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.

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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.