Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Rowland Green Railey letters
Abstract
The Rowland G. Railey letters (dated 1887-1938; 1.8 cubic feet; 4 boxes) comprise letters that document farming practices and responses to personal advertisements at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries.
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Rowland Green Railey letters
- Creator
- Railey, Rowland Green, 1868-1932
- Extent
- 1.8 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Education, Rural -- Kentucky.
- Law -- Kentucky.
- Letters.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0097: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Rowland G. Railey letters, 1887-1932, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Rowland Green Railey (1868-1932) was born in Monroe County, Kentucky to Anthony Jett Railey (1843-1929) and Adalade Gum (1849-1933). After completing his primary education, in 1889 he attended the State College of Kentucky. He completed his degree at Southern Normal School in Bowling Green, Kentucky in 1892, and in 1893 graduated from Northern Indiana Normal University in Valparaiso with honors in Columbian Classical Class. Among his professional pursuits, he taught school in Kentucky, was principal of Summer Shade Normal School (1891) and Horse Cave Normal School (1895), elected Circuit Clerk of Monroe County, Kentucky in 1897, and elected in 1900 as a member of Monroe County Republican Executive Committee. He was also a lawyer who practiced general law, and a farmer who grew ginseng and other herbs.
- 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 Rowland G. Railey letters (dated 1887-1938; 1.8 cubic feet; 4 boxes) comprise letters that document farming practices and responses to personal advertisements at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries. The majority of the letters are responses to personal advertisements that Railey put in newspapers seeking either romantic interests or pen pals; the letters often contain physical descriptions of the women respondents as well as local news. There are other letters discussing the purchase of orange groves and tracts of land, sale of crops, and legal matters. Additionally, there are some letters in the collection which are addressed to Railey's brother, Ollie Luther Railey.
- The Rowland G. Railey 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
- Conditions Governing Access The 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
Rowland Green Railey letters, 1887
Researchers are required to have an SCRC Researcher Account in order to request or order digital copies of materials. Research Account set-up and use instructions can be found at: http://libguides.uky.edu/SCRCaccount
If you are visiting the Breckinridge Research Room, please request materials at least 48 business hours in advance of your arrival.
For all other questions, contact us at: https://libraries.uky.edu/ContactSCRC.
Researchers are required to have an SCRC Researcher Account in order to request or order digital copies of materials. Research Account set-up and use instructions can be found at: http://libguides.uky.edu/SCRCaccount
If you are visiting the Breckinridge Research Room, please request materials at least 48 business hours in advance of your arrival.
For all other questions, contact us at: https://libraries.uky.edu/ContactSCRC.
