Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Lady E. Clarkson letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Lady E. Clarkson letters
- Date
- 1867-1890, undated (inclusive)
- Creator
- Clarkson, Lady E., 1868-1930
- Extent
- 0.45 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Correspondence.
- Farm life
- Women -- Education -- Kentucky.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by subject. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0309: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Lady E. Clarkson letters, 1867-1890, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Lady "Ladie" E. Clarkson (1868-1930) was born in Big Springs, Kentucky to Jesse Fielding Clarkson (1845-1924) and Mona Wimp (1845-1910). About 1884, Lady began attending Stuart's Female College in Shelbyville, Kentucky. After finishing her program at Stuart's, Lady lived in Louisville. In 1910, she married widower Van B. Nelson (1843-1924), and after his death, she married W.C. Watts, who she remained with until her passing.
- 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 Lady E. Clarkson letters (dated 1867-1890, undated; 0.45 cubic feet; 1 box) comprise letters that document the life of Lady Clarkson while attending Stuart's Female College in Shelbyville, Kentucky and later life in Louisville in the last two decades of the nineteenth century. The majority of the correspondence is to Lady from her mother, and she writes about the cost of Lady's schooling, making her clothing, the younger children attending school, working on the farm, the sale of cattle and hogs by Lady's father, the birth of new siblings, and updates on the extended family and their health. Throughout the course of the letters, Lady's mother constantly impresses upon her the importance of performing well in school, but to watch her health and not over-do studying to the point of sickness, along with support in Lady pursuing more vocal lessons to perform on the stage. There are a few letters from relatives and friends to Lady discussing daily life, personal health, and local gossip, and two letters to Lady's parents discussing having visited Lady and assisting in a request.
- The Lady E. Clarkson 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 Jesse and Mona Clarkson, 1867
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.
