Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Osborn family letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Osborn family letters
- Date
- 1859-1864, 1893, undated (inclusive)
- Extent
- 0.08 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Correspondence.
- Family.
- Friendship.
- Health
- Letters.
- Soldiers -- Correspondence
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by subject. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0360: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Osborn family letters, 1859-1864, 1893, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- The Osborn family of Cedarville, Ohio included Adam Wesley Osborn (1813-1899), his wife Maria Nancy Baldwin (d. 1850), and their six children: Mary, Susan "Sue", Maria, John W. (d. 1842), Joseph J. (1838-1910), and Martha C. (1848-1877). After Maria Nancy's death, Adam remarried to a Mary Allen of Xenia, Ohio in 1851. Of Adam and Maria's children it is unknown whether the sons ever married, but the daughters did; Mary married Rev. A.N. Spahr, Susan married David Barns, Maria married Jasper Gowdy, and Martha married Henry Townsley. Joseph served in the Civil War in Co. I of the 15th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
- 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 Osborn family letters (dated 1842-1864, 1893, undated; 0.08 cubic feet; 4 folders) comprise letters between the family members and loved ones that document life in Ohio during the Civil War and mid-to-late nineteenth century. The majority of the letters are between Susan Osborn and her future husband, David Barns. They write to each other about the weather, visiting each other, social visits from friends and family, personal health, and their feelings for each other. There are two letters from Joseph Osborn, one to his sister Susan that talks about his experience in the Union Army, and a partial letter, which includes lines from songs and poetry. There are letters to and from other Osborn family members that discuss funerals, visits from friends and family, gossip, and daily life.
- The Osborn family 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
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.
