Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Ivan Heft papers

Abstract

The Ivan Heft papers (dated 1903-1961, undated; 0.9 cubic feet; 2 boxes) comprise letters, essays, and notebooks that primarily document the education and early pastoral career of Ivan Heft in New Jersey, Ohio, Montana, Colorado, New York, and Kentucky in the first half of the twentieth century.

Descriptive Summary

Title
Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Ivan Heft papers
Date
1903-1961, undated (inclusive)
Creator
Heft, Ivan, 1892-1981
Extent
0.9 Cubic Feet
Subjects
Correspondence.
Education, Higher.
Essays.
Pastoral care
World War, 1914-1918.
Arrangement
Collection is arranged by subject. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
Finding Aid Author
Sarah Coblentz
Preferred Citation
2009ms132.0303: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Ivan Heft papers, 1903-1961, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
Repository
University of Kentucky

Collection Overview

Biography / History
E. Ivan Heft (1892-1981) was born in Louisville, Kentucky to William Heft (1862-1898) and Bertha L. Schuman (1868-1938). From 1911-1915, Heft attended Princeton University, and then from 1915-1919, he attended Hamma Divinity School which was a part of Wittenberg College in Springfield, Ohio. Over the next couple of years Heft moved frequently, serving as a Lutheran pastor for communities in Montana, Colorado, and New York before returning to serve his home community of Louisville, Kentucky. Heft never married.
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 Ivan Heft papers (dated 1903-1961, undated; 0.9 cubic feet; 2 boxes) comprise letters, essays, and notebooks that primarily document the education and early pastoral career of Ivan Heft in New Jersey, Ohio, Montana, Colorado, New York, and Kentucky in the first half of the twentieth century. The majority of the letters are from Heft to his mother, Bertha, between 1911 and 1932. In these letters Heft discusses moving to Princeton, attending classes, making friends, joining a literary society, health issues, studying to keep his scholarship, voting for the first time, and Germany's actions at the onset of World War I. As time passes, his letters begin to discuss his time at the Hamma Divinity School, accepting his first pastoral position in Montana, moving to and life in Livingston, sermons he gave, the people in his congregation, his moves from Montana to Colorado and New York, baptizing babies, presiding over funerals and weddings, purchasing his first car, receiving an invitation to watch a Ku Klux Klan initiation, and his acceptance of a position in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Other letters in the collection include ones between Bertha and her sister-in-laws, letters to Ivan from his aunts, and letters from Ivan to his sister-in-law. These letters discuss visiting each other, financial difficulties, birth announcements, daily life, and employment. The essays are written by Heft and include research on local Lutheran churches, sermons, and church updates. The notebooks come from Edgar Dormer and Joseph Bowman, both army chaplains, and contain information and notes taken in classes most likely at the US Army Chaplain School.
The Ivan Heft papers ares 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 Bertha Heft, 1912-1928, undated

  • Box 1, folder 1
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Hattie Heft letters to Bertha Heft, 1913-1928

  • Box 1, folder 2
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"T" letters to Bertha Heft, 1911-1928

  • Box 1, folder 3
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Letters to Ivan Heft from his aunts, 1912, 1929-1931

  • Box 1, folder 4
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Letters from Ivan Heft, 1920-1945, 1959-1961, undated

  • Box 1, folder 5
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Ivan Heft letters to Alethea Heft, 1919-1922

  • Box 1, folder 6
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Ivan Heft letters to "Memie", 1916-1922, undated

  • Box 1, folder 7
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Ivan Heft letters to Mother, 1911

  • Box 1, folder 8
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Ivan Heft letters to Mother, 1912

  • Box 1, folder 9
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Ivan Heft letters to Mother, 1913

  • Box 1, folder 10
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Ivan Heft letters to Mother, 1914

  • Box 1, folder 11
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Ivan Heft letters to Mother, 1915

  • Box 1, folder 12
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Ivan Heft letters to Mother, 1916

  • Box 1, folder 13
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Ivan Heft letters to Mother, 1917

  • Box 1, folder 14
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Ivan Heft letters to Mother, 1918

  • Box 1, folder 15
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Ivan Heft letters to Mother, 1919

  • Box 1, folder 16
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Ivan Heft letters to Mother, 1920

  • Box 1, folder 17
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Ivan Heft letters to Mother, 1921

  • Box 1, folder 18
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Ivan Heft letters to Mother, 1922

  • Box 2, folder 1
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Ivan Heft letters to Mother, 1924

  • Box 2, folder 2
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Ivan Heft letters to Mother, 1924-1932, undated

  • Box 2, folder 3
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Marriage invitations, 1903-1921, undated

  • Box 2, folder 4
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Administrative Chaplains Conference notes, 1943 June 28

  • Box 2, folder 5
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Edgar A. Dormer Army chaplain class notebooks, undated

  • Box 2, folder 6
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Ivan Heft papers and photograph, 1915-1927, undated

  • Box 2, folder 7
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Joseph J. Bowman Army chaplain class notebook, undated

  • Box 2, folder 8
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Lutheran churches in Kentucky histories, 1932, undated

  • Box 2, folder 9
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"Remove Not the Ancient Landmark" short story by Ivan Heft, circa 1929

  • Box 2, folder 10
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Short writings by Ivan Heft, undated

  • Box 2, folder 11
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The University School of Bethany Lutheran Church report, 1932 April 11

  • Box 2, folder 12
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UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 10:00am to 4:30pm. 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.