Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Whitefoord R. Cole scrapbooks

Abstract

The Whitefoord R. Cole scrapbooks (dated 1877-1926; 0.46 cubic feet; 2 items) comprise two scrapbooks that document the life and career of Whitefoord R. Cole and family working in the railroad industry in Tennessee in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Whitefoord R. Cole scrapbooks

Date: 1877-1926 (inclusive)

Creator: Cole, W. R. (Whitefoord R.), 1874-1934

Extent: 0.46 Cubic Feet

Subjects: Scrapbooks; Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.); Tennessee.; Railroads.; Business enterprises; Families.; Cole family; Cole, W. R. (Whitefoord R.), 1874-1934

Arrangement: Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.

Finding Aid Author: Sarah Coblentz

Preferred Citation: 2009ms132.1135: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Whitefoord R. Cole scrapbooks, 1877-1926, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.

Repository: University of Kentucky

Collection Overview

Biography / History: Whitefoord R. Cole (1874-1934) was born in Nashville, Tennessee to Edmund W. Cole (1827-1899) and Anna Russell (1846-1926). He attended Vanderbilt University and graduated in 1894. In 1900, he was appointed as a director of the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway; became chairman by the beginning of World War I, and appointed president in 1918. He resigned as president of the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway in 1926 and became president of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad from 1926 to 1934. He was also president of the Napier Iron Works and vice president of the First Savings Bank & Trust Company and Bransford Realty Company. He served on multiple boards of directors, including First and Fourth National Bank, Western Railway of Alabama, Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Company, and Fidelity & Columbia Trust Company. Cole was very active in his civic life, serving on the board of trustees of the Brookings Institution, Tennessee Industrial School, and the University School of Nashville.; In 1901, Cole married Mary Conner Bass (1873-1945) and together they had one child, Whitefoord R. Cole, Jr. (1903-1994). Cole, Jr. went on to marry Helen Lane Moore (1907-1996), who was the daughter of Tennessee State Librarian and Archivist John Trotwood Moore.; 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 Whitefoord R. Cole scrapbooks (dated 1877-1926; 0.46 cubic feet; 2 items) comprise two scrapbooks that document the life and career of Whitefoord R. Cole and family working in the railroad industry in Tennessee in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The scrapbooks primarily include article clippings from newspapers and magazines, describing the achievements of Whitefoord in school and business, the philanthropic activities of the Cole family, gossip about prominent Tennessee families, activities of railroads managed by Whitefoord. There are a few letters pasted into the scrapbooks as well, thanking Whitefoord and other Cole family members for donations, participation in organizations, and invitations to events.; The Whitefoord R. Cole scrapbooks 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

Whitefoord R. Cole scrapbook, 1877-1897

Item 1

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Whitefoord R. Cole scrapbook, 1897-1926

Item 2

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Abstract
Descriptive Summary
Collection Overview
Preferred Citation
Restrictions on Access and Use
Contents of the Collection

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