Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Minnie Dobbins letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Minnie Dobbins letters
- Date
- 1912-1937, 1951, undated (inclusive)
- Creator
- Dobbins, Minnie, 1876-1967
- Extent
- 0.13 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Correspondence.
- Employment -- Indiana.
- Farm life
- Health
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged alphabetically by sender. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0299: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Minnie Dobbins letters, 1912-1937, 1951, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Minnie Dobbins nee Ray (1876-1967) was born in Indiana to Jesse Ray (1846-1889) and Nancy Hendrickson (1846-1906). In 1896, Minnie married her first husband, Fred Bird (1865-1900), a grocer. Together they had one child, Raymond A. Bird (1897-1937). After the death of Fred in 1900, Minnie married again, this time to teamster Albert Dobbins (1874-1951), in 1910. The couple had no children together.
- 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 Minnie Dobbins letters (dated 1912-1937, 1951, undated; 0.13 cubic feet; 7 folders) comprise letters to Minnie from family members and relatives that document everyday life, employment, and personal health in Indiana in the early twentieth century. The majority of the letters to Minnie are sent from her son, Raymond Bird. In his letters he writes about his and his family's health, finding employment, different jobs he accepts, being in the hospital, the possibility of moving, personal expenses, and the antics that his son gets up to. Other letters come from Ray's wife, Minnie's sister, cousins, and nieces. The letters discuss trips taken, personal health, life on a farm, the weather, and plans to visit each other. Additionally, there is a letter in the collection sent to Albert Dobbins that contains a certificate from the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and a newspaper clipping about a tree planted to honor local men lost at war.
- The Minnie Dobbins 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 Minnie Dobbins, 1912, 1918, 1937, undated
Pauline Bird to Minnie Dobbins, 1918
Ray Bird to Minnie Dobbins, 1921-1927, undated
Lanta Ray to Minnie Dobbins, 1918-1922
Cousin Maggie to Minnie Dobbins, 1918-1920
Letter to Albert Dobbins, 1951
Newspaper clipping, 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.
