Paula Wells diary

Abstract

The Paula Wells diary (dated 1941-2006; 0.35 cubic feet; 1 box) comprises three volumes of a typescript diary kept by Paula Wells from late December 1941 through 2004, with additions up to 2006, which document her life and career as a stenographer and writer.

Descriptive Summary

Title
Paula Wells diary
Date
1941-2006 (inclusive)
Extent
0.35 Cubic Feet
Subjects
Women -- Appalachian Region
Women -- Kentucky -- Social life and customs.
Finding Aid Author
Megan Mummey
Preferred Citation
2012ms387 : [identification of item], Paula Wells diary, 1941-2006, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
Repository
University of Kentucky

Collection Overview

Biography / History
Paula Wells was a stenographer/typist and writer. She was born in Washington, D.C., on November 25, 1923, and died in Ashland, Ky., on January 6, 2011. She lived in Sugar Camp Hollow, Ky., between Greenup and South Shore, Greenup County, Ky. and attended McKell High School in South Shore, Eastern Kentucky State Teacher's College (1941-1942), George Washington University (1943), and the University of Kentucky (1945-1946). She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Kentucky in June 1947. She worked for the U.S. Civil Service in Washington, D.C., as a stenographer/typist from 1947-1951. She then returned to Kentucky and worked at the Detroit Steel Corporation in Portsmouth, Oh., from 1952-1980, commuting from Sugar Camp Hollow across the Ohio River. After taking early retirement, she began writing and several of her poems and prose sketches were published.
Scope and Content
The Paula Wells diary (dated 1941-2006; 0.35 cubic feet; 1 box) comprises three volumes of a typescript diary kept by Paula Wells from late December 1941 through 2004, with additions up to 2006, which document her life and career as a stenographer and writer. The pages are numbered consecutively from 1 through 844, plus unnumbered pages for 2004-2006. There are several individual entries for each month for all years of the diary, which describe and commenting on Wells' daily life, the weather, her activities, her family and friends, and local, national, and international current events. Wells also prepared summary pages per month for each year and also summary paragraphs of each year from 1971 to 2003. The diaries also include a "Who's Who" list; a chronology of what had happened in her family prior to the start of the diary; some of her poems and prose sketches (some of these were also published); a few pasted-in clippings and cartoons; and summaries (in the third volume) of her income taxes, appliances and repairs, savings and bonds, house plan and measurements.

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

Paula Wells diary, 1941-2006

  • Box 1
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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.

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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.