History Burgoo

A Passion for Kentucky History

    The Kentucky Historical Society staff are mourning the loss this week of Dr. Anne S. Butler.  Dr. Butler connected with KHS in so many ways, a list may be all but impossible to compile.  Past Governing Board member, ardent advocate for Kentucky history, educator, enthusiastic researcher, mentor,  life-long learner, and, of course, everyone's best friend.  But we will remember her best as someone who prized engagement in community, whether that community was a physical place or a group of people with a shared mission.

Today at her memorial service, there were so many heartfelt stories told by an audience enriched by family, students, church members, faculty and others collected, touched and changed by their association with a very special person.  One community member paraphrased a Chinese proverb to describe Dr. Butler's commitment to ensuring that future generations not just hear the stories but become involved in the history of their surroundings: "Tell me, I'll forget. Show me, I'll remember. Involve me, I'll understand." 

For those not able to attend the memorial, here is the text of the Resolution of the Kentucky Historical Society honoring Dr. Anne S. Butler:

RESOLUTION

OF

THE KENTUCKY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Whereas, renowned African American and Kentucky Historian, Dr. Anne Butler dedicated her professional career to helping ensure that Kentucky’s African American heritage was preserved and shared for the benefit of all ; and

Whereas, Dr. Butler’s selfless leadership as a member of the Kentucky Historical Society’s governing board from 1998-2001 helped ensure the successful construction and opening of the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History; and

Whereas, Dr. Butler’s passionate advocacy on behalf of education and Kentucky history led to her support of and involvement with such major Kentucky Historical Society initiatives as publication of “Community Memories: A Glimpse of African American Life in Frankfort, Ky., the creation of the Kentucky HistoryMobile’s Civil War exhibition “Torn Within and Threatened Without:  Kentuckians in the Civil War Era,” and the exploration and celebration of Kentucky State University homecoming traditions at the 2007 Kentucky Folklife Festival; and

Whereas, her lifelong work as an ambassador, scholar, educator, and founder of the Center of Excellence for the Study of Kentucky African Americans (CESKAA) left an enduring legacy at the Kentucky Historical Society, Kentucky State University, and throughout the commonwealth;

Therefore be it resolved, that the members, staff, and governing board of the Kentucky Historical Society wish to extend their sincere and heartfelt condolences to Dr. Butler’s children, grandchildren and extended family.  Her life was one of purpose and meaning and all those who cherish Kentucky’s history are saddened by the passing of such a passionate and articulate champion.

Done this day of Wednesday, May 08, 2013.

 

Sheila Mason Burton, President, Kentucky Historical Society        

Kent Whitworth, Executive Director, Kentucky Historical Society              

 

 

Honor thy mother (and grandmother and great-grandmother)

One way to do that would be to find out as much as possible about them! Come to the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History this Saturday for a two part workshop on researching the women in your family.

 

The Event:  Second Saturday Family History Program
The Date: May 11, 2013
The Speaker: Pamela Lyons Brinegar, CG

The first session starts at 10:30 am. The second session starts at 12:30 pm. Lunch reservations for a simple box lunch will be taken until 12 noon on Friday May 10, 2013.

Session 1: Where O Where Can They Be?
Female ancestors, especially those who lived prior to the early twentieth century, are often difficult to trace. Our family trees may contain a woman’s likely first name, but little else. Some resources are typically more useful than others, but there is no single path to solving these mysteries. Patient researchers who learn methods can be rewarded for their effort and may even reach defensible conclusions in the absence of records. A short case study, “Did Sally Chism Exist?” illustrates the teasing out of slender threads of information that are suggestive of a Scott County Kentucky woman’s lost identity. We may also find women who did not build families of their own. Should we spend our valuable time on those who left no descendants? “Finding Julia P. Robinson,” is the unexpected story of an African American woman from Lexington, Kentucky.

Session 2: Casting a Wider Net

Studying the societies in which our female ancestors lived will inevitably lead to researching collateral relatives as well as family friends and neighbors. Our understanding of local customs can be bolstered by an examination of lawsuits, manuscripts, family papers, and other ephemera held by repositories. These items can often substitute for vital records, confirm relationships, and even surprise us. When Polly L. Ficklin of Fayette County, Kentucky died of cholera in 1849, she left property in trust for many of her enslaved individuals, especially the women. Depositions given almost a half century later laid essential groundwork for bringing forward the documented stories of these women who lacked legal surnames and marriages, left no known written journals, and died before vital records were commonplace.

After the second session you may be inspired to go up to the library to do a little research of your own or you may want to stay put for the Tech Workshop hosted by KGS, which will be discussing Google+:

"Most everyone has heard of Facebook, many know about Twitter, fewer are aware of Google+. Did you know that all of these social media platforms are useful for genealogists? This workshop will focus on Google+ since its use is growing fast in the genealogy community because of some great features it offers but we will also discuss genealogical uses for Facebook and Twitter. Join us even if you think you have no interest in social media. We may just change your mind."

The Kentucky Genealogical Society joins the Kentucky Historical Society with a series of free family history workshops each month at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History. Topics range from how to begin documenting your ancestry to specialized resources for experienced genealogists. A light lunch is available at a cost of $6 payable at the door when requested in advance. Registration for these free workshops is required by noon of the previous Friday.

For more information or to register, contact:

Martin F. Schmidt Research Library Reference Desk
(502) 564-1792, ext. 4460
KHSrefdesk@ky.gov

We look forward to seeing you!

Upcoming workshops:

June: Family Heritage Gardening with Bill Best and Cheri Daniels - Followed by the Heirloom Garden Party

July: Kentucky Land Records with Kandie Adkinson

Now Available in the Library!

 

Finish of the 1923 Kentucky Derby

 

Check out the new collections available this month at the Kentucky Historical Society’s Martin F. Schmidt Library!

Ancestors of Richard Gretna Cobbs: family tree, FF1.220

Surnames include: Cobbs, Coleman, Bedford, Bedinger, Keene, Clay, Edwards, Povall, Flippen, Ligon, Green, Gordon, Rice, Overstreet, Jeter, Bell, Rice, Gwatkin, Calloway. Places include: Denton, TX; Green County, MO; Bourbon County, KY; Shepherdstown, WV; Blue Licks, KY; Cumberland County, VA; Bristol Parish, VA; Lancaster County, VA; Harrison County, KY; Bedford County, VA; Scotland; Caroline County, VA. Pedigree chart for the Cobbs and Coleman Families from 1730-1941. Notes in the upper left hand corner: "W. Macfarlane Jones - Richmond, Gen. Bureau of VA (Granville B. Coleman), Rev. Tivyman Wmd, Hampden Sydney College, VA." Find our more!

 

Kentucky Civil Defense Family and Home Survival Kit, SC 1328

Packet sent to Kentuckians from the Office of Civil Defense, ca. 1960. Envelope contains six pamphlets with instructions on how to build a bomb shelter, survive a nuclear attack, fight fires, sanitation, home protection, and a handbook for emergencies. Instructions for a air raids are featured on the back of the envelope.  This envelope was received by Ralph Knoebber. After receiving the packet, he began to alter his basement following the instructions but never finished.  Find out more!

 

Freeland Culley ambrotype photograph, SC 1247

Portrait of Freeland Culley, who served with Company C of the 2nd Kentucky Volunteer Regiment, mounted infantry during the Civil War.  Freeland Culley served with Company C of the 2nd Kentucky Volunteer Regiment, mounted infantry during the Civil War. The 2nd Kentucky Infantry was organized in August 1861, at Camp Boone in Montgomery County, Tennessee, and became part of the Orphan Brigade. The men were recruited from Hickman, Fayette, Bullitt, Jefferson, Graves, Franklin, Harrison, Scott, Owen, Bourbon, and Anderson counties. In October of that same year, the regiment contained 832 men and, at the Battle of Fort Donelson, its force of 618 was captured. After being exchanged, the reconstituted regiment saw action at the Battle of Shiloh. It later was assigned to Hanson's, Helm's, and J.H. Lewis' Brigade. The 2nd Kentucky Infantry was involved in the battles of Murfreesboro and Chickamauga. It reported 13 killed, 70 wounded, and 21 missing at Murfreesboro, lost fifty-two percent of the 302 engaged at Chickamauga, and totaled 293 men and 214 arms in December 1863. The following summer, the regiment participated in the Atlanta Campaign. During fall 1864, the unit served as mounted infantry and took part in the defense of Savannah and the subsequent Carolinas Campaign in early 1865. On April 26, 1865, it surrendered with the Army of Tennessee at Washington, Georgia. Culley was from Hardin County, Kentucky.  Find out more!

 

Fall family papers, MSS 4

These are the personal papers of prominent minister Philip Slater Fall and his family, including wife Anne Bacon Fall, children Elizabeth, Catherine, Caroline, William and Albert Bacon Fall. The bulk of the collection consists of the letters of Philip and Anne Fall to each other and to their children. These letters discuss family news, Fall’s work, and other items of general interest. Of particular significance are Fall's letters home from England during his 1851 visit, and his letter to his children describing the brief military service and death on the battlefield of his son, Albert, in 1862. Incoming correspondence includes discussions of business and financial matters by relatives and associates, invitations to teach, and letters concerning arrangements for Falls English tour. There are also two letters concerning the history of the formation of the Disciples of Christ and dissension within the group. The collection includes letters by Charlotte Fanning, Fall’s sister, and her husband, Tolbert, both prominent Tennessee educators. Correspondence of Elizabeth (Bettie) Fall Taylor, her daughter Jouett Taylor Cannon, and other members of their immediate families constitute a substantial portion of the letters. Other items in the collection include a letter by George Fall, an ancestor of Philip, written during his apprenticeship in Fareham, England, in 1748; two letters of a family nature written by Philip’s grandson, Albert Bacon Fall, who was later Secretary of the Interior in the administration of Warren G. Harding and was convicted for his role in the Teapot Dome scandal; a number of letters from C. I. Lewis, Philip Fall's nephew, when he was a naval officer in the 1870s on a ship that traveled to Spain, Portugal, and Brazil; and a number of Civil War-era letters written by Confederate soldier Albert Boult Fall before his death in 1862. The collection includes manuscripts of sermons written by Rev. Fall and a 13-page typescript relating to the history of the Fall family in England and America.  Find out more!

 

For over 100 years, the Martin F. Schmidt Library and Special Collections has collected research materials which document the people, places and events in Kentucky’s history.  The library’s resources include manuscripts, microfilm, county records, maps, published genealogies, oral histories, photographs, land records, and rare books. Discover more about our collections by checking out our Digital Collections and Library Catalogs!   The Kentucky Historical Society is open to the public Wednesdays 10-4; Thursday 10-8; Friday 10-5; Saturday 10-5.

KHS Collections Corner: The NAFMAB Collection Part 2

Hi again, this is Kurt Robinson, the Museum Collection and Exhibitions intern this semester. You might remember my post about the National Armed Forces Museum Advisory Board Collection and how I got my hands dirty within the many different kinds of mortars we have in the collection. Well now I’ve moved on to the bigger guns and by bigger I mean heavier, longer, and a much larger caliber. These are the kinds of guns that it takes two to four people to move because they are so heavy. These guns are aircraft cannon.

The United States was one of the first, behind Great Britain, to develop aircraft cannon during World War II. The first model the U.S. Navy developed was the U.S. M1 20mm around 1942, but this gun had its problems because it was simply made. The barrel of the weapon was about 65 inches long with a barrel adapter to lighten the recoil. The receiver and trigger mechanism was also rather simple. The receiver was opened on both the top and bottom to allow the rounds to enter from the top and the empty shells eject from the bottom. It fed with a magazine or belt. The trigger was attached to a steel wire with a metal handle, which was attached to the firing mechanism on the plane.

 

This is the M1 from about 1942.

However, that version of the aircraft cannon was very unreliable because it was inaccurate, jammed, and misfired constantly. So, the Navy came out with the M2, which was just as unreliable as the M1. Next was the M3, which was a smaller version of the two and did work better, but also had continued flaws. Finally, after World War II was over the Navy developed the M24. This version was the best of the series because it was finally able to fire continually without any problems.

The M24 was used for years after World War II and was still in use during the Vietnam War. This weapon had an electric or gas powered trigger mechanism with hoses connecting to the airplane and discharged when a button was pressed in the cockpit. It was smaller than its previous versions and the new parts, such as the electric or gas powered triggers, made it much easier to fire during combat. This gun developed very well and became one of the most widely used weapons for Navy planes. The Kentucky Historical Society has three M24s in the collections.

This is the M24 still in its packing crate, still oiled and greased, in near perfect condition. This one is from around 1960.

These weapons will be my last to work on this semester, but they were a good transition from smaller weapons like the mortars. Being able to see the change in weaponry in the mortars and aircraft cannon was very interesting and was very exciting to learn. These weapons developed so much in such a short period of time that is was interesting to learn about the amount of trial and error the designers went through, especially in the aircraft cannon.     

--Kurt Robinson, Collections Intern, Museum Collections and Exhibitions

KHS Collections Corner: Mount-making for unusual objects

Every once in a while we come across an object that needs a unique storage mount to help fully support it and prevent it from deteriorating due to its storage conditions. Recently, I had the opportunity to make a storage mount for a trunk cover for a Louis Vuitton steamer trunk. Some of you may be familiar with the piece after reading Beth’s blog about the trunk earlier this week.

Before I even got started with the mount I spent some time cleaning the piece. The piece had been stored for years in a plastic bag inside the trunk. When we removed it we found that the leather on the piece had become unstable in areas and in some cases showed a type of damage called red rot. Red rot is where the leather actually powders because the fibrous structure of the leather has broken down. The red rot left a loose red powder on the canvas that we cleaned off by vacuuming the piece with a screen as a protective barrier for the fabric.

 

Next I began making the mount for the piece by cutting down sheets of ethafoam to make the sides of a fake trunk.

 

Next we put the pieces together with archival hot glue.  

Then I covered the mount with unbleached cotton muslin. The cotton muslin was held in place at the ends by gluing the fabric to the ethafoam structure. Then the ends of the fabric were sewn shut.

We determined that the leather straps were either broken or too brittle to close the cover around the mount. Instead we used cotton twill tape to hold the piece to the mount.

In the end, we have a custom made mount that is made entirely of archival materials. The piece will be stored on the mount instead of inside the trunk to try and minimize the stress on the damaged leather.

--Deborah Rose Van Horn, Registrar

This Kentuckian traveled in style!

I recently cataloged one of my favorite artifacts at KHS: a Louis Vuitton steamer trunk from the late 1890s or early 1900s. Louis Vuitton is a name synonymous with high fashion and luxury. Open a fashion magazine and you will likely find a Louis Vuitton advertisement with models sporting the design house’s latest collection. Occasionally, you will come across an ad highlighting what the name “Louis Vuitton” was originally known for: luggage.

This French fashion house was founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (1821-1892). When he was sixteen years old, Vuitton moved to Paris and began an apprenticeship to Monsieur Maréchal, a layetier (box maker) and emballeur (packer). Goods and luggage were roughly handled on boats, carriages, and trains. Wealthy travelers relied upon skilled packers and trunk-makers to protect their belongings. Louis Vuitton developed a strong reputation, even packing crates for Napoléon III’s wife, Empress Eugénie.  After seventeen years of working under Monsieur Maréchal, Louis Vuitton opened his own workshop.

Louis Vuitton’s trunks were unique. First, the lids were flat. Other trunks had domed tops that allowed for rain to run off. Vuitton’s flat-top trunks stacked easily. Also, to create a lighter, waterproof trunk, Vuitton replaced traditional leather with a waxed canvas. This canvas was scratch resistant and offered a modern, durable alternative to leather. Finally, the trunk had an “unpickable” lock called the “tumbler lock.”

Competitors tried to mimic Louis Vuitton designs. Copying had been a problem since the launch of the company. A new design was introduced in 1896 as an effort to hinder counterfeiters. Louis Vuitton’s son, Georges, introduced the company’s patented “Monogram Canvas” featuring flowers, quatrefoils, and an “LV” monogram.  This design became the identity of the company, and it is a pattern that we are familiar with today.

This trunk, which is covered with the “Monogram Canvas,” was owned by a Kentucky native, Jessie Fremont Preston Draper. She was the wife of George Albert Draper, a wealthy businessman from Hopedale, Massachusetts. Jessie was also the daughter of Major General William Preston, who was the American Ambassador to Spain (1858-1861), and Margaret Howard (Wickliffe) Preston. On the sides of the trunk, you will notice Jessie Draper’s initials which read, “J.P.D.” The latches, lock, twill luggage straps in the trays, leather along the corners, and the ribbon crisscrossing the interior of the lid are all monogrammed “L.V” or labeled “Louis Vuitton.” There is a serial number on the lock and also on the interior of the lid.

When we opened this trunk we discovered a canvas cover made for this trunk. The sides of the cover also once had the initials “J.P.D.”  The original initials are now covered by those of a relative that reused the trunk: C.P.S. The cover also says "Lex. Ky.” on the side. Additionally, there are several travel labels adhered to the canvas. It is common to see these types of stickers on the actual trunk. The cover is peculiar as there is no indication that this is a Louis Vuitton piece. The cover may have been purchased as an aftermarket accessory to protect the trunk.

Additional research needs to be done on the trunk, the cover, and the life of Jessie Fremont Preston Draper and where she may have taken this Louis Vuitton steamer trunk.  I look forward to possibly writing a follow up blog in the future on this research. For more details and photographs on the trunk, the trunk cover, or other artifacts, visit the KHS Objects Catalog online.

--Beth Carter, KHS Collections Management Assistant

Transforming students’ lives through the power of history!

On April 26 and 27, roughly 1,000 students from across the Commonwealth will meet at the University of Louisville for the 51st annual Kentucky Junior Historical Society Conference and Kentucky History Day. 

During their time in the Kentucky Junior Historical Society, KJHS students conduct research individually and in groups, cultivating skills of communication, collaboration and creativity and critical thinking.

Students presenting a project to judges during the 2012 conference.

 

Working in-depth on a personally-chosen project, participants collect oral histories, restore local landmarks, create dramatic interpretations of historical events and develop websites, competing to be one of the top students who will take their project to the University of Maryland in a bid for national honors.

The culmination of a year of work may lead up to just one day, but the impact can transform a student's life.

Take Emma, for example. "This has made a huge impact on Emma’s life," writes her mother, Rebecca. As a young child, Emma had a pronounced speech impediment affecting her confidence speaking in a public setting. Through years of speech therapy and small class settings she was able to present to her classmates, but it was her involvement with Kentucky History Day that changed everything.

"Kentucky History Day gave Emma an opportunity to become an expert in her topic of choice, which in turn, made her feel like she could speak with academic authority. The issue wasn’t about public speaking anymore; it was about sharing her expertise."

To ensure that any qualifying student has the opportunity to compete on the national level, the Kentucky Historical Society subsidizes the cost of each student's trip to Washington D.C. and the University of Maryland.

Donors are the people who make this dream a reality – state funding isn't available to send one single student to National History day.

Join Rebecca, Emma and other supporters of history education on April 24^th as the KHS Foundation, in partnership with the Kentucky Nonprofit Network, participates in Kentucky Gives Day, a special 24-hour day of giving.

During this one-day event you can make a tax-deductible donation to the Kentucky Historical Society Foundation, instantly making Kentucky History Day a reality for more students like Emma!

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KJHS is administered by the Kentucky Historical Society, which is an agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. KHS is committed to helping people understand, cherish and share Kentucky's history by providing connections to the past, perspective on the present and inspiration for the future. For more about the Kentucky Historical Society and its programs, visit www.history.ky.gov.

KHS Collections Corner: Creating a New Home – Re-housing the Martin F. Schmidt Collection

During a printmaking class that I attended while I was at Georgetown College, I learned that prints are best stored flat and on acid free mounts within large folios. My professor, Daniel Graham, also advised to keep prints stored in dry and dark environment. Keeping these ideal storage methods in mind will better protect the paper fibers and ensure a long survival of the print. This knowledge imparted from my professor about caring for his artwork is also a necessity for the museum collections care.

 

How the Schmidt Collection was previously housed.

The Schmidt collection represents a perfect example of a large body of print based work. This collection was originally stored by the staff in Mylar sleeves laying them flat inside acid-free folders in numerical order. The series was then organized into sets of 30 prints and placed in large folders that were then separated in groups of three or four in acid-free gallery boxes. This method did ensure that these prints were stored flat.

 

Although effective for small print collections, this housing method is not efficient for housing the 629 prints found in the Schmidt collection. One of the problems with housing this many works in folders is the shifting of the artifacts in the boxes. This jumbling additionally creates uneven extra weight that can damage the prints as well as foster unintentional disorganization. The staff felt a new type of housing would be required to better protect and organize the work.

After helping with the cataloging of this collection, I was assigned to re-house the prints. I worked with the staff and we decided that the best way to care for the works was not through folders, but through using large sheets of acid-free matte board. This matte board could easily be cut to fit the size of the boxes the pieces were already stored in and would allow for the pieces to continue lying flat. Next we would attach the encapsulated pieces to the matte board with photo corners. From simply revising this method of housing, the prints gain various benefits including better organization, reduction of stress on the prints and a sturdier support or backing.  

--Devon Stivers, Collections Intern, Museum Collections & Exhibitions

The Process

1. Make sure the print is housed in a Mylar sleeve of appropriate size. After completing a folder, organize the prints in numerical order.

 

Mylar needs cutting...

 

...Mylar cut down to correct size.

 

2. Cut the matte board sheets down to fit the size of the box.

 

Matte board after being cut down for the box.

 

3. Plan out the layout on the matte board (ideally in numerical order, however this can change based on sizes of the pieces).

4. Stick on photo corners on each piece. Best to have two on each diagonal for small print and three to four on each corner for large pieces.

5. Write down catalog number on the matte board underneath each of the prints in pencil.

6. Cut out half an inch triangles on both sides of the matte board for easier handling when moving the sheets within the boxes.

An in-progress sheet.

7. Label each sheet in its box its own sheet number.

Organizing all the finished sheets in the box.

8. Update sheet number and box number for each page in the database.

Churchill Weavers: A Brand with Modern Style and Traditional Quality

This 1969 ad features a cape woven by Churchill Weavers.

The Churchill Weavers sold more than a product. They sold a brand. Although Churchill Weaver’s center of production was in Berea, they sold products all over the nation, including some of America’s largest cities, like New York, Chicago, Detroit, and Los Angeles. They had an entire fleet of sales representatives that worked with shops, from small independently owned boutiques to large department stores. By creating a brand based on American craftsmanship, quality products, and modern styles, and selling their products using a variety of advertising technologies, the Churchill Weavers managed to create and maintain a business that lasted over eighty years.

The 1960s cape from the Churchill Weavers fabric archive.

I first learned about the Churchill Weavers during my internship with KHS in the summer of 2012. At that time, I helped catalog and photograph a small part of the massive textile collection. Even then, I knew that I wanted to learn more about the company and the collection, so I decided Churchill Weavers would be the focus of my Master’s thesis. After my internship ended, I continued to help catalog the textiles collection as a volunteer, but I also began to look into the Churchill Weavers material housed in Special Collections at KHS, which included over one hundred boxes of account records, correspondences, and advertisements.

A 1950s Churchill Weavers scarf in style 15447.

Although the Churchill Weavers firmly rooted themselves as a hand-weaving industry, they also established themselves as a modern company. They used advanced advertising technologies like three dimensional color catalogs and color film in the 1940s and 1950s to sell their products. One of their more innovative advertising methods included stereocards. On each card, a black and white photograph displays a trendy, urban woman modeling Churchill Weavers products. Beneath the photograph, transparencies show the same image in vibrant colors. By using a device like a stereocard viewer, the color transparencies would appear as brightly lit and three-dimensional scenes that highlighted the quality of the Churchill Weaver products.

On this stereocard, a woman atop a bicycle shows off her Churchill Weavers scarf tied across her shoulders.

Color image of stereocard advertisement.

My intention for my thesis is to discuss how the Churchill Weavers combined modernity and tradition to sell their products and their brand nationwide. Perhaps my favorite part of researching this topic is that I have a chance to piece together their history through the wide variety of records the company collected over the decades. I love coming across advertisements for products that I have actually had a chance to help catalog, photograph or rehouse; the experience helps me create a vivid image of history that I hope to convey in my own work.

--Cassie White-Fredette, Graduate Student, University of Kentucky, Art History and Visual Studies

Now Available in the Library!

A Joyous Easter

Check out the new collections available this month at the Kentucky Historical Society’s Martin F. Schmidt Library!

Genealogical chart of the family of Robert E. Lee, FF2.33

Surnames include: Lee, Romnoy, Bondy, Corbin, Fitzhugh, Custis, Ludwell, Steptoe, Robinson, Bland, Grymes, Carter, Edwards, Childe, Washington. Places include: England; Westmoreland County, VA; New York; Mexico; Jefferson Barracks, MO; Camp Cooper, TX; Lexington, VA; Alexandria, VA. Genealogical Chart of the Family of Robert E. Lee: Family Tree. Created by Karl Smith of Charlotte, NC, 1949. Heavily illustrated chart that outlinesLee's prominent Lee family line plus details of his major accomplishments before, during and after the Civil War. Drawings include his former residences, place of burial, Washington & Lee University, battle snippets and famous Civil War soldiers he served alongside. Background includes a map of partial sections of the following states: Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.  Find out more!

Frazier family photographs, MSS 143

This collection contains photographs of the Robert E. and Mary Louisa (Lula) Frazier family of Greenville, Kentucky, including images of their children and some of their grandchildren. Photographs were identified by the donor.  Robert E. Frazier and Mary Louisa (Lula) Taylor Frazier lived in Greenville, Kentucky. Mary Louisa was the daughter of Samuel Taylor of Richwood, Kentucky. The couple had five children: James, Lewis, Elijah, Frank, and Annabelle.  Find out more!

Charles Sumner Oddfellows Lodge collection, MSS 185

This collection consists of ledgers, receipts, lists of members, and miscellaneous notes concerning the Charles Sumner Lodge, No. 1780 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The ledgers are "Promise-to-Pay" pledges made by the members of the order. A separate ledger contains a list of members and notes taken during meetings. Additionally, there are scraps of paper making references to members who had fallen on hard times or suffered a loss in the family. The Charles Sumner Lodge was an African-American fraternal organization of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The lodge was located in Lancaster, Garrard County, Kentucky. Some members lived in Hyattsville, also in Garrard County.  Find out more!

Waller Overton Pardon, FF1.255

Pardon for Waller Overton from President Andrew Johnson and signed by Secretary of State William H. Seward, dated 31 July 1865. The pardon is contingent upon Waller taking the oath of allegiance to the United States and could be voided if he was ever found to own slaves.  Find out more!

 

For over 100 years, the Martin F. Schmidt Library and Special Collections has collected research materials which document the people, places and events in Kentucky’s history. The library’s resources include manuscripts, microfilm, county records, maps, published genealogies, oral histories, photographs, land records and rare books. Discover more about our collections by checking out our Digital Collections and Library Catalogs! The Kentucky Historical Society is open to the public Wednesdays 10-4; Thursdays 10-8; Fridays 10-5; Saturdays 10-5.