Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Jesse Mitchell family letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Jesse Mitchell family letters
- Date
- 1910, 1922-1945, undated (inclusive)
- Creator
- Mitchell, Jesse
- Extent
- 0.68 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Letters.
- Correspondence.
- Family.
- Military correspondence.
- Military life.
- World War, 1939-1945.
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, American.
- Signal Corps (U.S.)
- Health
- Parent and child.
- Travel.
- Military training camps.
- Basic training (Military education)
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by subject. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0612: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Jesse Mitchell family letters, 1910, 1922-1945, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Jesse Mitchell (1872-1960) was born in Indiana to John Mitchell (1840-1927) and Phoebe Sandage (1850-1914). In 1898, Jesse married Martha Smith (b. 1872), and together they had at least one son, Wilfred (1909-1987). Jesse had a second son, Verne (1892-1979), but his mother is unknown. Jesse was a farmer and blacksmith in Tell City, Indiana. Both sons served in the Army, Verne in World War I and Wilfred in World War II; Verne later worked for the Internal Revenue Service and it is unknown what Wilfred did after his service – no occupation is listed in any US Census record he appears in.
- 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 Jesse Mitchell family letters (dated 1910, 1922-1945, undated; 0.68 cubic feet; 2 boxes) comprises letters sent to Jesse Mitchell that document the experiences of his sons, grandsons, and nephews during World War II in Indiana. Jesse receives a majority of letters from his son Wilfred, who was serving in the US Army Signal Corps. Wilfred writes about the various camps he moves to while training, saving money, running into relatives, his health, preparations to go overseas, and his duties in the various camps. Jesse's other son, Verne, also writes, discussing his family's participation in military service, requests for Jesse to come visit, personal health, his wife having to stay in a sanatorium, and requests for Jesse to write him and his family more frequently. Jesse's nephews and grandsons write to him, writing about their experiences in the military, attending school, requests for him to visit, and personal health. Jesse also receives letters from his sister-in-law and she writes about finding work as an attending in a hospital, money concerns, looking for housing, inquiries on his sons, and her blunders while traveling to visit him and other family.
- The Jesse Mitchell family letters 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
Verne Mitchell to Jesse Mitchell, 1939-1945, undated
Wilfred Mitchell to Jesse Mitchell, 1942
Wilfred Mitchell to Jesse Mitchell, 1943
Wilfred Mitchell to Jesse Mitchell, 1944
Wilfred Mitchell to Jesse Mitchell, 1945, undated
Maggie Smith to Jesse Mitchell, 1943-1945
Mitchell relatives to Jesse Mitchell, 1941-1944, undated
Letters to Jesse Mitchell, 1910, 1938-1945
Letters to Maggie Smith, 1943-1945
General letters, 1922-1944, 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.
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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.
