Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Barr, Edward Wallace, 1887-1962 (Mss 576), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 576. Papers, lecture notes and appointment book relating to Dr. E. Wallace Barr’s training and service as a dentist with the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I; includes a few items of family correspondence.

Luthene G. Kimball (Sc 2976), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archive Project 2976. Letters sent from U.S. Army Sergeant Luthene G. Kimball to his soon to be fiancé and nurse, Jane Robertson, while he was stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky, during World War II. He discusses their relationship, military life, and current events.

See also: SC 3111 "Robertson, Jane, 1925-2015"

Leap Year: Chance, Chase, Or Curse?, Sue Lynn Mcdaniel

SCL Faculty and Staff Publications

Based on a popularized legend in which St. Patrick granted to St. Bridget the right for all single women to propose marriage during leap years, the custom has produced ephemera as evidence of stereotypical old maids and bachelors and created vinegar valentines, ball invitations, dance cards, sheet music and calling cards. Between 1904 and 1916, at least 54 publishing houses created Leap Year postcards illustrated by more than 17 of the most talented artists of the day. Despite possible good intentions, the majority of the ephemera stereotypes single women as so desperate to marry that even unsuitable spouses, including alcoholics, …

Bath County, Kentucky - Letters (Sc 2958), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2958. Correspondence of two related Bath County, Kentucky families. A lonesome Sarah L. Boyd writes to her mother, Elizabeth A. “Lizzie” Rogers, from boarding school in Fleming County, Kentucky in 1865, where she discusses having her photograph taken, “hateful” schoolmates, and provisions from her family of clothing, whiskey and bitters. In the 1880s, Ida Lee Bell receives letters from cousins, friends and suitors with family news and local gossip. One of her letters voices disapproval of young men who drink when calling on ladies. The letters mention many family members by first name.

Davidson, Benjamin Gideon, Iii, 1914-1998 (Mss 559), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 559. Letters to Benjamin Gideon Davidson “B.G.,” III, Bowling Green, Kentucky, written primarily by female friends when he was a student at Bowling Green High School and Centre College, Danville, Kentucky. Includes some letters from his mother and miscellaneous papers.

Jackson, Mary Nancy "Nannie" (Taylor), 1893-1974 - Letters To (Sc 2923), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scans (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2923. Courtship letters, 1911-1919, to Nannie Taylor, Logan County, Kentucky, from “Shine” in Woodburn, Kentucky, including a letter expressing his intention to leave the state now that another has “won your love from me.” Also includes a 1919 letter from Nannie’s future husband Sam F. Jackson, and a 1945 letter from her uncle in Magnolia, Arkansas.

Browning, James Clarence, 1914-1942 (Mss 556), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 556. Letters of U.S. Army officer J.C. Browning to his wife Lila (Hardcastle) Browning, written during his World War II military service. Browning was killed in North Africa on 8 November 1942. Includes letters of condolence to his wife, papers relating to his military service, and miscellaneous family cards and letters.

Anderson, Catherine (Simmons), D. 2008 - Collector (Mss 517), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 517. Chiefly letters written to James Preston Cherry while he was sick and in a Louisville hospital (1913), in school at the University of Kentucky (1915-1917), and while in military service during World War I (1917-1918). Also includes family information related to the Cherry, Phelps, Simmons and Anderson families.

Rasdall Family Papers (Mss 542), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 542. Correspondence and papers of the Rasdall and Smith families of Smiths Grove, Kentucky, principally the two generations following Urias Rasdall (1812-1892), credited with platting the town of Smiths Grove. Includes research collected into a family history by Barbara Schan.

Shelton Family Papers (Mss 527), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scans (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Collection 527. Letters and compositions written by Butler County, Kentucky native Curran Ralph Shelton, while a student at Glasgow Normal School. Also includes a diary in which he records family, church, and local community happenings in 1891. Also includes several small diaries kept by Curran’s wife John Annie during the Great Depression.

Carpenter Collection (Mss 525), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 525. Correspondence, business and farm records, and genealogical data of the Carpenter family of Warren County, Kentucky, primarily Jonathan T. Carpenter, his son Luther M. Carpenter, and Luther’s children. Includes some correspondence and papers of members of the Tucker and Hardcastle families.

Mediated Mate Selection And Courtship: The Lived Experience Of Muslim American Women In Using Online Matchmaking Websites, Annisa M. P. Rochadiat

Wayne State University Theses

This thesis examines how technology affects two major components of courtship among Muslim American women: (1) mate selection and (2) cross-gender interactions between Muslim men and women. Sixteen individuals who self-identify as Muslim American women who are active users of online matchmaking websites participated in interviews conducted through Skype about their online dating experience. Qualitative data analysis suggests that these women balance the perceived advantages of online dating (e.g., increased individual agency in initiating romantic relationships) with their desire to maintain traditional cultural and religious courtship practices. This study contributes towards a deeper understanding of CMC and online dating among …

Mayo, George Morrow, 1896-1983 (Mss 521), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 521. Scrapbooks (2) documenting the life and times of journalist George Morrow Mayo and his fashion designer wife Muriel L. Van Norden. Scrapbooks contain a historical narrative, articles written by Mr. Mayo, as well as photographs and other ephemera such as postcards, small maps, etc. Also includes news clippings, photos of Mayo’s Family and an autographed copy of his book Los Angeles (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 193)

Clagett, Marjorie Elizabeth, 1900-2000 (Mss 513), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 513. Correspondence and papers of Marjorie E. Clagett, a WKU faculty member who taught French from 1928-1964. Includes field notes and slides relating to her studies of flora in south central Kentucky, Great Britain and other habitats in the United States, and research materials relating to the history of the French in Kentucky. Includes correspondence, photographs and genealogical data of the Clagett, Northcott, Strange and associated families. Also includes notes (Click on "Additional Files" below) of a Northcott ancestor's encounter with Lost River Cave in Warren County during the Civil War.

Larkins Family Letters (Sc 2868), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scans (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2868. Letter, 11 April 1859, of Carroll Larkins, Trigg County, Kentucky, to his future wife Verona Mary Bard in Greenville, Kentucky, discussing his upcoming visit; also letter, 6 December 1863, of Josephine (Brandon) Larkins to her husband (Carroll’s brother) Samuel Larkins, then serving as a state representative in Frankfort, Kentucky, with family news and greetings from home. Includes data about the correspondents.

Martin Family Papers (Mss 511), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 511. Invitations sent to and correspondence of Emma Johnson (Irvan) Martin. Most of the social invitations pre-date her marriage to Joseph Marshall Martin in 1875. The correspondence deals chiefly with family matters. The collection also contains genealogical information about the Martin, Tibbs, Bard, and Willson families and photographs of the same.

Jones, Drucilla Montgomery (Stovall), 1907-2007 (Mss 493), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 493. Correspondence, chiefly from the Fort and Flowers families of Logan County, Kentucky, which includes prisoners of war correspondence from the Civil War. Also includes cemetery, church, and funeral home records, as well as news clippings about historic sites, people and events in Logan County.

Lanier Collection (Mss 488), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and full text of post-World War II pen pal letters and selected images from ciphering book of Collins Lanier from Manuscripts Collection 488. Collection consists chiefly of letters written to Deanna June (Linville) Lanier by friends and her family, particularly her mother Lena (Harris) Linville. Includes some interesting pen pal letters with a German child, 1948 to 1950. Includes genealogical material about the Lanier and Linville families. Also includes early Warren County, Kentucky material from brothers, Byrd Lanier and Collins Lanier, including a little correspondence, bills and notes, receipts, and property records.

Read Family Papers (Sc 1350), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1350. Letters and business papers chiefly of the Read family, Shelby County, Kentucky, 1856-1890; also Presley George business papers, 1840-1855; letter (1877) and article (1989) of Columbus, Kansas financier Robert A. Long; and autograph album of John E. Tyler, 1887-1890.

Parker Family Papers (Mss 118), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 118. A wide array of materials, chiefly correspondence, of the Liddell and Spencer families of Alabama and the Parker family of Bowling Green, Kentucky. Of particular interest are Civil War letters written to Mary E. “Mollie” Liddell, items related to Howard College and Judson Institute in Marion, Alabama, letters to Lorena Parker from a missionary in Ethiopia, and a letter mentioning Texas politics in 1860.

Jriles, Benjamin Edward (Sc 1218), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 1218. "Christmas 1893," a poem written by Benjamin Edward Jriles, of Henderson County, Kentucky, detailing his adventure of driving a buggy from his home in Cairo, Kentucky to Ridgway, Kentucky, to eat Christmas dinner.

Dallas, William Robert, Sr., 1910-1997 (Mss 472), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 472. Correspondence, almost exclusively between William Robert Dallas, Sr., and his girlfriend, fiancé, and later wife Virginia “Ginny” Eileen Lindsay. Dallas was in the Army Air Corps and stationed in Louisville, Kentucky, while Ginny was living in her hometown of Ventnor, New Jersey, right outside Atlantic City. The letters are courtship related and are filled with plans for their wedding on 15 September 1945.

Topmiller Family Papers (Sc 2778), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 2778. Letters and papers of various members of the Topmiller family of Kentucky, Tennessee and New Mexico. Includes letters of Benjamin E. Topmiller to his wife Jessie; letters of condolence to Jessie on her husband’s death; postcards from a World War I serviceman to a young lady in Owensboro, Kentucky; and letters to Victor Topmiller regarding his service to the Davet Home and School for Spastic Paralysis in Owensboro.

Eddings, B. C. (Sc 1169), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 1169. Letter written by B.C. Eddings, Yost, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, to Opalrae Johnson, Bowling Green, Kentucky. He is responding to Johnson’s letter breaking off their courtship.

Tippins, George Kenneth, 1915-1999 (Sc 2772), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text of typescripted letters (Click on "Additional Files) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2772. Typescripted (22) and handwritten letters (9) of George Kenneth Tippins to his future wife Pearl “Pat” Tipton in Alcoa, Tennessee. He writes from Lynch, Kentucky of the rigors of his work in the coal mines, including accidents and injuries, his affection for her, and his efforts to save money from his earnings for their married life. Also includes three letters from Pat to Ken.

Moore, Carlos Wright, 1884-1951 (Mss 156), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 156. Family and business papers of Warren County, Kentucky farmer Carlos W. Moore and school teacher Mae White, who became his wife. Topics include courtship, farming and school teaching.

Poe Family Papers (Sc 1116), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1116. Chiefly letters to James E. Poe, a Warren County, Kentucky native, who later lived in Colorado and Washington Territory, from his family in Kentucky. They write of crops, weather, and their health. They also ask Jim to lead a sober life and consider returning home. Evidently Poe went west after a run-in with the law concerning the making of illegal alcohol. Also, data related to the collection.

Wall Family Papers (Sc 1094), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "additional files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 1094. Documents mainly of Wall family members of Cynthiana (Harrison County), Kentucky, and Dallas, Texas. The family correspondence includes three Civil War era letters. The financial receipts include one for the cost of an 1841 servant’s coffin.

Coombs Family Collection (Mss 349), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid for Manuscripts Collection 349. Correspondence, photographs, business records and miscellaneous papers of the Coombs, Robertson and related families of Warren and Simpson counties in Kentucky and of Alabama, Texas and Tennessee. Includes correspondence, personal papers and research of Elizabeth Robertson Coombs, librarian at the Kentucky Library, Western Kentucky University. Several documents from this collection have been scanned are available for viewing by clicking on the "Additional Files" below.

Cooper, John Robert, 1864-1937 (Sc 2747), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scans (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 2747. Letter, 5 September 1900, of J.R. Cooper, Todds Point, Kentucky, to Miss Pricie Rodgers, Shelbyville, Kentucky, asking her to use her “influence with the young men” to promote a slate of local election candidates and praising their personal qualities. A second letter of 17 September asks to call on her.