Archives

Held by The Filson Historical Society

Creator:  Arrasmith, William Strudwick, 1898-1965

Title:  Papers, 1931-2000

Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Curator of Special Collections.

Size of Collection:  1 cubic foot

Location Number:  Mss. A A773

Scope and Content Note

This collection consists of the personal and family papers of William “Arra” Arrasmith. The majority of the collection consists of correspondence and clippings. The correspondence is written by Arrasmith, his family (mostly his wife, Elizabeth “Betty” (Beam) Arrasmith), researchers, preservationists, and his biographer, Frank Wrenick. The majority of the correspondence is between Elizabeth Arrasmith and various persons interested in her husband’s work. Newspaper clippings document various examples of Arrasmith’s iconic Art Deco Greyhound bus stations, including a Washington D.C. terminal. Clippings also highlight Arrasmith’s involvement with the construction of the pontoon bridge during the 1937 in Louisville flood. Items related to Arrasmith’s military career are also present in this collection, including two World War II diaries and military correspondence related to his service as well as retirement and pension. The research binder of Arrasmith’s biographer, Frank Wrenick, is also included.

Separation Note

The collection contained photographs and books that have been removed to The Filson Photograph Collection and Library Collection, respectively. Photographs were photocopied and included in the manuscript collection when related to an item. Books in this collection were The Streamline Era Greyhound Terminals, Frank E. Wrenick and They Called it “Purple Heart Valley”, Margaret Bourke-White.

 

Biographical Note

William Strudwick Arrasmith (“Arra”) was born to Thomas and Mary (Strudwick) on July 15, 1898 in Hillsboro, North Carolina. Arrasmith attended the University of North Carolina and later graduated with a Bachelor of Science in architecture from the University of Illinois in 1921. While at Illinois he met his future wife, Elizabeth Beam. The couple had one child, Anne.

In 1922 Arrasmith and his wife moved to Louisville where he formed a partnership with Herman Wischmeyer and began the firm Wischmeyer, Arrasmith, and Elswick in 1929. Their firm was responsible for many notable Louisville structures, including: Federal Land Bank and the Scottish Rite Temple. Prior to this partnership, Arrasmith worked with Fred Morgan, Brinton Davis, and E. T. Hutchings. Later he would join forces with Bill Tyler, forming Arrasmith & Tyler. By 1965 this firm had become Arrasmith & Judd, which later evolved to Arrasmith, Judd, Rapp & Associates. Today (2015), the firm is Arrasmith, Judd, Rapp, Chovan, Inc.

Arrasmith was involved in the ROTC while at Illinois. He was a Captain of the Reserve Corps and commanded a veteran company in 1933. His military and architectural training were utilized during the 1937 Louisville flood when he led a team in the creation of his design for the pontoon bridge that linked Louisville’s downtown with the East End. Arrasmith served with the Army 6th Corps Engineers in Europe during World War II and he would later rise to lieutenant colonel in the reserves.

Arrasmith is best known for his iconic Art Deco Greyhound bus stations. He designed more than 60 of these stations, which were located throughout the United States and Canada. The first of these “steamlined” stations was located in Louisville, Ky. and opened on April 28, 1937. Rounded exterior walls divided by a pylon was the characteristic look of the newly designed stations. Nine of these stations are registered on The National Register of Historic Places.

Other commercial projects of Arrasmith’s from the Louisville area include: Methodist Hospital; University of Louisville’s Science Building, Police School, and Medical Apartments; The 800 Apartment Building; Kentucky Fairgrounds; Byck’s Department Store (St. Matthews and 4th Street); Kentucky Hotel; and several Western Kentucky University buildings, including their Library. At the time of Arrasmith’s death he was in the process of working on the Baptist Hospital (Kresge Way) and the Patton Museum at Fort Knox. See Folder 11 for a broader listing of Arrasmith’s projects.

Arrasmith was a member of the American Institute of Architects and a registered architect in nearly two dozen U.S. states. He designed the State Board of Examiners and Registration of Architects first official certificate and was awarded Kentucky’s fifth architecture license.

 

Folder List

Folder 1: Correspondence, 1931-1934

Folder 2: Correspondence, 1942-1949

Folder 3: Correspondence, 1950-1959

Folder 4: Correspondence, 1978-1979

Folder 5: Correspondence, 1980-1985

Folder 6: Correspondence, 1986-1989

Folder 7: Correspondence, 1990-2000, n.d.

Volume 8: Diary, 1942

Folder 9: Diary, 1943

Folder 10: Business correspondence, 1988-2000

Folder 11: Business papers, n.d.

Folder 12: Military papers, 1939-1976

Folder 13: Poetry and Speeches, 1992, 1943, n.d.

Folder 14: Clippings, 1937 Flood

Folder 15: Clippings, Washington D.C. Greyhound Station

Folder 16: Clippings, Various

Folder 17: Clippings, Various

Folder 18: Genealogy, Strudwick and Arrasmith

Folder 19: Miscellaneous

Volume 20: Binder of Frank Wrenick’s Arrasmith Biography files

 

Subject Headings

Architects – Kentucky – Louisville

Architects – United States – Biography

Architecture – Kentucky

Arrasmith, Elizabeth Beam

Art deco (Architecture)

Biography – 20th century

Bus terminals – United States

Floods – Kentucky – Louisville

Greyhound Lines, Inc.

Historic buildings – Conservation and restoration

Historic preservation

Lewis, Anne Arrasmith

Military spouses – United States

Preservation and restoration

Retired military personnel – Pensions – United States.

World War, 1939-1945

World War, 1939-1945 – Personal narratives

World War, 1939-1945 – Italy

Wrenick, Frank E.

Held by The Filson Historical Society

Creator:  Singleton family

Title:  Papers, 1907-1983

Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Curator of Special Collections.

Size of Collection:  0.66 cubic feet

Location Number:  Mss. A S617

Scope and Content Note

The Singleton family papers document the personal and professional lives of an African American family in the mid-twentieth century.  The collection contains family correspondence, writings, news clippings, and miscellanea.  A few documents relate to the National Home Finding Society, an institution founded by Octavius Singleton and located in Irvington, Kentucky.  The Society cared for homeless and needy African American children.

Folder 1 contains the correspondence of Octavius Singleton.  His correspondence, 1943, 1947-1950, is primarily comprised of letters to his daughters, especially his daughter Alzada.  In his letters, written late in his life, Octavius Singleton frequently refers to his travels through his childhood hometown of Edwards, Mississippi and the surrounding region.  He paints a picture of rural life among the African Americans who live in the region, giving detailed descriptions of their farms, crops, and animals.  His philanthropic work among the people of the area is a frequent subject; he often requests his family to send their excess possessions to the needy in Mississippi and to instruct their friends and associates to do likewise.  In an apparent effort to conserve paper, Singleton wrote letters to his family on paper used previously for other purposes.  On the verso of his letters, there are portions of letters and literature regarding the National Home Finding Society as well as some of Singleton’s other writings.

Folder 2 contains Octavius Singleton’s obituary and correspondence from friends and family related to his death.

Folders 3-4 contain the correspondence of the Singleton family.  Dated 1941-1971, these folders primarily consist of the correspondence of Alzada Singleton Buford Davis, writing to her family in Kentucky from Washington, D.C. and Cleveland, Ohio.  Letters to her daughter, Lenore, are filled with advice, including suggestions on her interactions with others, reprimands for her behavior, and how she can improve on her appearance.  She also discusses her work with Samuel Plato’s architectural firm and the U.S. Treasury Department during World War II, providing details on her work and coworkers, as well as relating office politics and gossip.  Correspondence from the early 1950s touches on the death of Octavius Singleton and the disposition of his property as well as preparations for Lenore to live abroad in France for a year.  Her work in Cleveland, Ohio as a real estate broker is mentioned in passing in some of her correspondence.  Other letters are written by Alzada’s sisters, Eunice Singleton Wilson and Annie Singleton Newhouse, as well as other relatives and friends.

Folder 5 contains resumes and autobiographical accounts of the Singleton family, including Harriet Mentor Singleton, Alzada Singleton Buford Davis, and Lenore Buford.

Folder 6 contains life insurance policies for Octavius Singleton and Harriet Mentor Singleton, as well as assorted funeral programs, and birth and death documents for a number of Singleton family members.

Folder 7 contains writings and short stories.  Most appear to be written by Alzada Singleton Buford Davis.

Folder 8 contains newspaper clippings.  Included is a 1945 article written by Octavius Singleton about the National Home Finding Society.  Other clippings mostly relate to Alzada Singleton Buford Davis’ life and work.

Folders 9-10 contain brochures of Central High School and the National Home Finding Society, respectively.  Some correspondence to supporters of the National Home Finding Society is also present.

Folder 11 contains correspondence and documents regarding the continued management of the Irvington farm property after Octavius Singleton’s death.  The farm was the former location of the National Home Finding Society.

Folders 12-14 contain receipts relating to the travel expenses of Alzada Singleton Buford Davis.

Folder 15 contains miscellaneous documents, including a 1953 reporter’s pass for the “Associated Negro Press” made out to Lenore Buford, Paris, France.

All photographs were transferred to the Filson’s photo archives.

 

Biographical Note

Octavius Singleton was born in 1869 in Edwards, Mississippi to Alex Singleton and Martha Briggs.  He attended Southern Christian Institute in Beulah, Mississippi, and then undertook ministerial studies at Hiram College in Ohio.  He graduated from Hiram in 1894 and was ordained as a minister.  In 1894, he married Harriet Ann Mentor and moved to Louisville, where he was the pastor of Hancock Christian Church, and the principal of the Louisville Christian Bible School.  In 1908, he founded the Kentucky Children’s Home, with the assistance of Rev. C. H. Parrish and Mrs. Bessie Allen.

Octavius Singleton’s concern for homeless and neglected black children throughout the south led him to later found the National Home Finding Society.  In 1912, the Society purchased a home at 1716 West Chestnut Street.  Initially, Singleton planned to find homes for the children with good families.  However, adoption rates were slow and more space was needed.  The Society purchased 600 acres of farmland in Irvington, Kentucky, eventually expanding to own close to 1,000 acres.  In this location, the young boys of the Home learned to till the soil and the girls learned homemaking skills.  The Irvington property accommodated a school and teacher’s cottage, barns and farm buildings, and housing for the children.  The Society cared for and trained black orphans for over 30 years, prior to the state of Kentucky assuming responsibility for the children.

World War II brought times of increasing hardship to the Home.  When combined with the ill health of his wife, these troubles forced Singleton to release the children in his care or find placement for them in other homes.  He would spend his final years seeking a church or religious organization to continue the work at Irvington.  Singleton also devoted the remaining years of his life to raising money and awareness to the plight of blacks living in his hometown of Edwards, Mississippi and the surrounding region.  He died on December 31, 1950.

Alzada Singleton Buford Davis (1898-1983) was one of six children of Octavius Singleton and Harriet Ann Mentor Singleton.  She majored in mathematics at Wilberforce University, and also received a Master’s Degree in Music Education from Ohio State University.  She was a teacher for several years in Oklahoma and Kentucky.  She also worked for the Urban League in Louisville, and was head of the Music Department at Wilberforce.  During World War II, she worked for the Samuel Plato Construction Company and later, the War Bonds Division of the U.S. Treasury in Washington, D.C.  After the war, she became a real estate broker in Cleveland, Ohio, forming her own company.  She was also the treasurer for the National Home Finding Society.  Alzada had one daughter, Lenore V. Buford, who was Professor of Romance Languages at Cuyahoga Community College.

 

Folder List

Folder 1:              Octavius Singleton correspondence, 1943, 1947-1950, undated

Folder 2:              Octavius Singleton obituary and correspondence re: his death, 1951-1952

Folder 3:              Singleton family correspondence, 1941-1949

Folder 4:              Singleton family correspondence, 1950-1971 & undated

Folder 5:              Resumes and autobiographical accounts, undated

Folder 6:              Life insurance policies, vital records, and funeral programs, 1907-1983

Folder 7:              Writings & short stories, undated

Folder 8:              Newspaper clippings, 1945-1983

Folder 9:              Central High School brochures, 1952, 1957

Folder 10:            National Home Finding Society correspondence, brochures, etc., ca. 1940s-1951

Folder 11:            Letters & documents re: management of Irvington farm property, 1950-1954

Folder 12:            Receipts, 1956-1958

Folder 13:            Receipts, 1959

Folder 14:            Receipts, 1960-1962

Folder 15:            Miscellaneous

 

Subject Headings

A. M. Buford Real Estate Company.

Administrative assistants.

Adoption.

African American children – Education.

African American churches.

African American singers.

African Americans.

African Americans – Education – Kentucky.

African Americans – Education – Mississippi.

African Americans – Housing – Washington (D.C.)

Agriculture – Kentucky.

Agriculture – Mississippi.

Anderson, Marian, 1897-1993.

Banks and banking.

Buford, Lenore Victoria, 1930-2014.

Businesswomen.

Central High School (Louisville, Ky.)

Child support.

Child welfare.

Children – Institutional care.

Christian life.

Christianity.

Clergy – Kentucky.

Clothing and dress.

Communism.

Communism and Christianity.

Cooking, American.

Dating (Social customs)

Davis, Alzada Singleton Buford, 1898-1983.

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Domestic relations.

Easter, Luke.

Edwards (Miss.)

Etiquette for children and teenagers.

Eugenics.

Fisk University.

Football.

Gospel music.

Greek letter societies – United States.

Hinds County (Miss.)

Hiram College.

Homeowners.

Human beings – Effect of environment on.

Interracial marriage.

Journalism.

Mentally ill.

Missionaries – Africa.

Mississippi – Description and travel.

National Home Finding Society.

Nature and nurture.

Newhouse, Annie Singleton, 1895-1983.

Oil wells.

Orphanages – Kentucky.

Orphans – Kentucky.

Plato, Samuel, 1882-1957.

Political activists.

Presidents – United States – Election – 1948.

Race relations.

Rationing – United States.

Real estate business.

Religious leaders.

Samuel Plato Construction Company.

Secretaries.

Segregation and the press.

Singleton, Harriet Mentor, 1878-1947.

Singleton, Octavius, 1869-1950.

Schools – Kentucky.

Southern Christian Institute (Edwards, Miss.)

Teachers – Employment – Kentucky.

Transportation – Washington (D.C.)

United States. Department of the Treasury.

United States. War Relocation Authority.

Wilson, Eunice Singleton, 1900-1983.

Women – Education.

Women – Employment.

Women-owned business enterprises.

World War, 1939-1945.

World War, 1939-1945 – Children.

Held by The Filson Historical Society

Creator: Charles P. Moorman Home for Women

Title: Records, 1901-1995

Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Curator of Special Collections.

Size of Collection: 3 cubic feet, plus 1 volume, & 1 ovsz. folder

Location Number: Mss. BF C476

Scope and Content Note

Collection contains the records of the Charles P. Moorman Home for Women, an organization formed by the will of Charles Moorman to care for the indigent elderly of Jefferson County, Kentucky.  Records consist of correspondence, meeting minutes, financial records, and miscellaneous documents.  Records relate to the opening and construction of the Home, its daily operations, and the care of its residents.  Also included are documents relating to a protracted legal battle between members of the Moorman family over the terms of Charles Moorman’s will.  Related to the legal battle are reports of the Standard Detective Agency.  The agency, led by Col. J. H. Haager, was hired by the Moorman Home’s Board of Directors to follow and report on the activities of Mrs. Elizabeth Warren.  (Mrs. Warren was presumably the main instigator behind the challenge to the will.)

Correspondence, 1901-1922, is primarily comprised of letters between members of the Moorman family.  Family correspondence concerns the health of Charles P. Moorman’s granddaughter, Lucy Moorman, her education at a Washington, D.C. school, and also requests for Charles P. Moorman to render financial assistance.  Much of this family correspondence was saved by the Board of Directors to be used as evidence in the event of a challenge to Moorman’s will.  There are also letters regarding legal proceedings and matters relating to the management of the Moorman estate.

Correspondence, 1925-1947, relates to business of the Moorman Home.  Included are details regarding preparations for opening the Home, the hiring of employees, expenses and bills to be paid.  Other letters are related to the construction of the residence at Cherokee Road and Highland Avenue.  Several letters offer suggestions as to the ideal location for the new home.  Also included is correspondence with the architect, E. T. Hutchings, correspondence relating to construction bids, and applications from area contractors interested in providing services to the facility.  There are also a few letters regarding applications for admission to the Home.

Minutes, 1917-1995, record the meetings of the Home’s Board of Directors.  Minutes for the time period prior to July 1925 primarily concern the protracted legal battle over the Moorman estate.  Minutes from 1917 in particular, discuss the hiring of Col. J. H. Haager to investigate Mrs. Elizabeth Warren’s affairs.  Also detailed in the minutes are meetings with attorneys and proposed settlements.  Other legal and financial matters relating to the estate are discussed, including the maintenance and sale of property and other items, and the investment and management of the estate’s money.  Reports on the health and well-being of the invalid Charles Moorman, Jr. are also occasionally included, especially in the weeks leading up to his death on July 3rd, 1925.

Meeting minutes from July 1925 and subsequent contain details about preparations to open the Home at 245 East Chestnut Street.  Minutes discuss details such as the hiring of staff, property renovations and maintenance, the purchase of furniture and equipment, and the medical care of elderly women in the Home.  By 1927, architect E. T. Hutchings had been selected to plan a new home and meeting minutes discuss his design plans for the new residence.  Minutes from the 1990s include a few reports of the resident’s council, which commented on maintenance issues, dietary complaints, and resident activities.  Minutes from the 1990s also include budget planning spreadsheets, providing evidence of the Home’s increasing operating expenses.

Financial records, 1917-1968, provide evidence of the Home’s assets and expenditures.  Included are monthly statements from the Louisville Trust Company, Executor of the Charles P. Moorman will.  The reports contain itemized statements of all income and disbursements of the Estate, and any changes in investments of the principal of the Estate.  Statements for Lucy Moorman’s account are occasionally included, and sometimes list her expenditures, providing insight into the lifestyle of a wealthy teenager in the early 1900s.

Miscellaneous materials include the records of the Standard Detective Agency’s investigation of Mrs. Elizabeth Warren.  The agency investigated Mrs. Warren in 1917 on behalf of the Moorman Home’s Board of Directors.  Included are the reports and letters of operatives, as well as a selection Mrs. Warren’s letters and other documents collected by the agents following her.  Also present is a bill for the Standard Detective Agency itemizing the costs of the investigation.  Operatives from the agency followed Mrs. Warren during her visit to Louisville in March 1917, and also sent a female operative to infiltrate her business in Silver City, New Mexico.

Monthly reports, 1947-1965, contain details on the day-to-day operations of the Moorman Home.  Included are reports of admissions to the Home, and on the health of the women, including details on those in the Home’s infirmary, as well as office visits and admissions to the hospital.

Historical Note

 Charles P. Moorman, a fabulously wealthy Louisvillian and retired distiller, died from a heart attack in February 1917.  Moorman left part of his estate to his son, Charles P. Moorman, Jr., who had been crippled by meningitis as a child.  Another son, Elmore Moorman, had died some years ago from tuberculosis, but had left a daughter: Lucy Moorman of Silver City, New Mexico.  Another portion of Moorman’s estate was given in trust to this granddaughter.

In his will, Moorman also made provision for the establishment of a home to care for elderly, poor white women who resided in Jefferson County, Kentucky.  Additionally, money remaining after the death of Charles Moorman, Jr. (who would presumably die without an heir) was to also go towards the establishment of the institution.  Displeased with these terms, a legal challenge to the will was mounted by Lucy Moorman, her mother Joan (Warren) Moorman, and her grandmother Elizabeth Warren.  Members of the Moorman Home’s newly established Board of Directors hired the Standard Detective Agency to follow and report on the activities of Mrs. Elizabeth Warren, who was presumably the main instigator behind the challenge to the will.

In 1925, Charles Jr. passed away.  In his will, he left the entirety of the money he inherited from his father to the establishment of the home for the elderly.  Additionally, Charles Jr. desired that his inheritance from his mother’s estate be used towards the establishment of a parallel institution for elderly black women.  This home was to be named after his mother as a testament to her work among the African American community: The Lucy Beckley Moorman Home for Colored Women.  Perhaps the desire to open the home for black women was also influenced by Charles Jr.’s relationship with Matilda “Mammy” Jennings, the family’s African American attendant and nurse to Charles Jr.  (This home does not appear to have ever been established; terms in Charles Jr.’s will stated that if the establishment of this parallel institution was deemed impracticable, resources should be reassigned to the Moorman Home for indigent white women.)

The Charles P. Moorman Home for Women opened at 245 East Chestnut St. – the former home of the Moorman family – on September 15, 1925.  There were initially 6 residents accepted into the home.  The original members of the board of directors were Arthur Broad (president), Dr. Leon L. Solomon (vice-president), and Caldwell Norton (secretary).  Mary Lou Howington was the first superintendent of the home.

Due to space constraints, only a limited number of elderly women could be admitted to the home in its initial years.  In 1928, a new home was constructed under the direction of architects E. T. Hutchings and Edd R. Gregg.  The new home was located at 966 Cherokee Road, at the intersection of Cherokee Road and Highland Avenue.  It opened in 1929.

Folder List

Folder 1:          Articles of Incorporation

Correspondence

Folder 2:          Correspondence, 1901-1916

Folder 3:          Correspondence, January-March 1917

Folder 4:          Correspondence, April-June 1917

Folder 5:          Correspondence, July-December 1917

Folder 6:          Correspondence, 1918

Folder 7:          Correspondence, 1919

Folder 8:          Correspondence, 1920-1922

Folder 9:          Correspondence, July-September 1925

Folder 10:        Correspondence, October-December 1925

Folder 11:        Correspondence, January-March 1926

Folder 12:        Correspondence, April-June 1926

Folder 13:        Correspondence, July-September 1926

Folder 14:        Correspondence, October-December 1926

Folder 15:        Correspondence, 1927

Folder 16:        Correspondence, 1929-1933

Folder 17:        Correspondence, 1934-1947 & undated

Minutes

Folder 18:        Minutes, March-April 1917

Folder 19:        Minutes, May-December 1917

Folder 20:        Minutes, January-June 1918

Folder 21:        Minutes, July-December 1918

Folder 22:        Minutes, January-March 1919

Folder 23:        Minutes, March-June 1919

Folder 24:        Minutes, July-December 1919

Folder 25:        Minutes, January-April 1920

Folder 26:        Minutes, May-August 1920

Folder 27:        Minutes, September-December 1920

Folder 28:        Minutes, January-March 1921

Folder 29:        Minutes, May-July 1921

Folder 30:        Minutes, August-December 1921

Folder 31:        Minutes, January-May 1922

Folder 32:        Minutes, June-December 1922

Folder 33:        Minutes, December 1922-December 1923

Folder 34:        Minutes, December 1923-April 1924

Folder 35:        Minutes, May-September 1924

Folder 36:        Minutes, October 1924-July 1925

Folder 37:        Minutes, July-August 1925

Folder 38:        Minutes, September-December 1925

Folder 39:        Minutes, January-February 1926

Folder 40:        Minutes, March-December 1926

Folder 41:        Minutes, 1927

Volume 42:     Minute book, 1921-1927

Volume 43:     Minute book, 1927-1936

Volume 44:     Minute book, 1936-1969

Volume 45:     Minute book, 1969-1993

Volume 46:     Minute book, 1994-1995

Volume 47:     Minute book, 1995

Financial records

Folder 48:        Moorman estate statements, March-July 1917

Folder 49:        Moorman estate statements, August-October 1917

Folder 50:        Moorman estate statements, November-December 1917

Folder 51:        Moorman estate statements, January-March 1918

Folder 52:        Moorman estate statements, April-June 1918

Folder 53:        Moorman estate statements, July-September 1918

Folder 54:        Moorman estate statements, October-December 1918

Folder 55:        Moorman estate statements, March-May 1919

Folder 56:        Moorman estate statements, June-August 1919

Folder 57:        Moorman estate statements, September-November 1919

Folder 58:        Moorman estate statements, January-March 1920

Folder 59:        Moorman estate statements, April-July 1920

Folder 60:        Moorman estate statements, August-December 1920

Folder 61:        Moorman estate statements, January-April 1921

Folder 62:        Moorman estate statements, May-November 1921

Folder 63:        Moorman estate statements, January-April 1922

Folder 64:        Moorman estate statements, May-August 1922

Folder 65:        Moorman estate statements, September-December 1922

Folder 66:        Moorman estate statements, January-April 1923

Folder 67:        Moorman estate statements, May-August 1923

Folder 68:        Moorman estate statements, September-December 1923

Folder 69:        Moorman estate statements, February-June 1924

Folder 70:        Moorman estate statements, July-December 1924

Folder 71:        Moorman estate statements, January-April 1925

Folder 72:        Moorman estate statements, July-September 1925

Folder 73:        Moorman Home expenses, October-December 1925

Folder 74:        Moorman Home expenses, January-March 1926

Folder 75:        Moorman Home expenses, July 1926-1927

Folder 76:        First National Bank statements & returned checks, October-December 1930

Folder 77:        First National Bank statements & returned checks, January 1931

Folder 78:        First National Bank statements & returned checks, February 1931

Folder 79:        First National Bank statements & returned checks, March 1931

Folder 80:        First National Bank statements & returned checks, April 1931

Folder 81:        First National Bank statements & returned checks, May 1931

Folder 82:        First National Bank statements & returned checks, June 1931

Folder 83:        Social Security & Old Age Assistance receipts, 1952-1953

Volume 84:     Account book, 1947-1957

Volume 85:     Account book, 1958-1968

Folder 86:        Moorman Home investments

Folder 87:        Miscellaneous financial documents

Miscellaneous

Folder 88:        C. P. Moorman estate inventory

Folder 89:        Standard Detective Agency operative reports, March 1917

Folder 90:        Standard Detective Agency operative reports, March 1917

Folder 91:        Standard Detective Agency operative reports, April-September 1917

Folder 92:        Court documents re Lucy Moorman Bartlett’s challenge to the Moorman will

Folder 93:        Court documents re Lucy Moorman Bartlett’s challenge to the Moorman will

Folder 94:        Court documents re Lucy Moorman Bartlett’s challenge to the Moorman will

Folder 95:        Home of the Innocents lease, 1931, 1933

Folder 96:        Moorman Home monthly reports, 1947-1958

Folder 97:        Moorman Home monthly reports, 1960-1965

Folder 98:        Newspaper clippings re death of C. P. Moorman & Lucy Moorman’s inheritance

Folder 99:        Elevator installation quotes

Folder 100:      Interior paint recommendations

Folder 101:      Miscellaneous

Wrapped volume

Volume 102: Visitor register, 1925, 1929-1930, 1959

Oversize folder

Folder 103: Auditor reports, 1911-1926; court documents re: Lucy Moorman Bartlett’s challenge to the Moorman will

 

Subject Headings

Antisemitism.

Detectives.

Discrimination – Kentucky – Louisville

Distilling industries – Kentucky.

Elderly poor – Kentucky – Louisville.

Espionage.

Haager, J. H.

Moorman, Charles P., d. 1917.

Moorman, Charles P., Jr., d. 1925.

Moorman, Joan Warren.

Moorman, Lucy.

Nursing homes – Kentucky – Louisville.

Old age homes – Kentucky – Louisville.

Older people – Institutional care.

Private investigators.

Prohibition – Kentucky.

Segregation – Kentucky – Louisville.

Senior centers.

Standard Detective Agency.

Spies.

Warren, Elizabeth.

World War, 1914-1918.

Held by The Filson Historical Society

Creator:  Van Stockum, Ronald Reginald, 1916-

Title:  Diaries, 1926-1937

Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Curator of Special Collections.

Size of Collection:  .33 cu. ft.

Location Number:  Mss. A V217c

Scope and Content Note

This collection of diaries documents the adolescence of Marine Brigadier-General Ronald R. Van Stockum while he lived in Bellingham, Yakima, and Seattle Washington, from 1926-1937. Van Stockum’s diaries reflect the thoughts, feelings, and activities of a middle class American youth of the era. The entries contain numerous references to his parents, friends, pets, hobbies, interests, and activities at both home and school. An avid reader, young van Stockum also enjoyed playing marbles, collecting stamps, riding his bicycle, playing games, fishing, swimming, and other childhood activities. He also records his activities as a paper boy as well as his membership in the Boy Scouts. A number of references record his step-father’s business activities and participation in both the American Legion, a veterans’ organization, and the U.S. Army Reserve.  He makes frequent references to favorite radio programs including Two Black Crows, The Circus, Amos n Andy and the early sitcom Joe and Vi. He also listened to sporting and political events as well as celebrity interviews on Voices from Filmland and Grantland Rice’s sports program.

Every diary contains numerous entries reflecting his interest in motion pictures. His diaries reflect the evolution of film from the close of the silent era to the advent of “talkies” and color film. Most entries are extremely brief; however, he occasionally records his comments on certain features. He found King Kong (1933) to be far more funny than frightening. Numerous other entries reflect his interest in sports at the local, state and national level, including baseball, football and boxing. Still others reveal his keen interest in aviation, especially air shows, air derbys, endurance flights and tragic accidents.

Later entries describe his attendance at the University of Washington in Seattle, and include references to courses, participation in the R.O.T.C, social life, dating, and summer employment at a saw mill. Notable entries refer to the Student Peace Movement of the 1930s and the 1935 timber industry strike in Washington.

His diaries from 1933 to 1936 contain numerous references to his relationship with Margaret Jeanne Houghton (1915-2011) of Bellingham, WA. He mentions correspondence, phone calls, swim dates, auto rides, parking, and other dating activities that emerged in the early 20^th century. Some passages bearing on their relationship were written in Spanish (April-June, 1934) or afterwards crossed out.  His diary for 1937 contains several entries regarding his new relationship with Florence Daphne Epler (1910-2012) of Seattle. (Note: Florence Daphne Epler Huntington later became a well known California artist.) The diaries conclude with his graduation from college in 1937 and enlistment in the Marine Corps.

No diary exists for the year 1927. Many of the diaries include newspaper clippings, drawings, and other ephemera along with the handwritten entries. The collection also includes a “Daily Reminder” book (1928-1932) which includes diary entries from November 28 through December 31, 1928, but was mainly used for newspaper clippings and drawings, and random notes and lists kept by Van Stockum, including information about his education, time as School Club president (February 1929), earnings from selling newspapers, 1929-1932, and lists of books he was reading.

Folder 9 in the collection includes a 1925 letter to Van Stockum from his parents and an address book (circa 1937).

Related Collections:

Ronald Reginald Van Stockum Papers, 1937-2001 [Mss. A V217]

Ronald Reginald Van Stockum Historical Writings and Research Papers [Mss. A V217b]

 

Biographical Note

The son of Reginald George Bareham (1894-1916) and Florence Rosetta Freestone (1894-2005), Ronald Reginald Van Stockum was born on 8 July 1916 in Cambridge, England. After his father was killed in action in World War I, his widowed mother married Anton William Van Stockum (1890-1988) who adopted Ronald and raised him as his own son. Raised in Washington, he graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle in 1937. He attended Marine Officers School and served in both the Atlantic and Pacific Theaters in World War II.

General Van Stockum retired from active duty with the rank of Brigadier-General in 1969 and moved to Shelbyville, Kentucky. He worked for the University of Louisville and served as interim director of The Filson Historical Society in 1992-1993.

 

Folder List

Volume 1: Diary, 1926

Volume 2: Diary, 1928

Volume 3: Diary, 1929

Volume 4: Diary, 1930

Volume 5: Diary, 1931

Volume 6: Diary, 1932

Volume 7: Diary, 1933-1937

Volume 8: “Daily Reminder” Book, 1928-1932

Folder 9:  Letter, July 1925 and Address Book, circa 1937

 

Subject Headings

Adolescence – United States

American chronicles (Series)

American Legion

Armed Forces day

Ballroom dancing – United States

Bareham, Reginald G., 1894-1916

Boxing matches

Boy Scouts

Brockway, Fenner, 1888-1988

Burke, Fred “Killer”, 1893-1940

Byrd, Richard Evelyn, 1888-1957

Dating (Social Customs)

Diaries

Depressions – 1929

Endurance flights

Flight

Friendship in adolescence

Graf Zeppelin (Airship)

Hearst, William Randolph, 1863-1951

Hoover, Herbert, 1874-1964

London Naval Conference

Louis, Joe, 1914-1981

Madison, Helene, 1913-1970

Meany, Edmond S., 1862-1935

Motion pictures – Social aspects

Nye, Gerald P. (Gerald Prentice), 1892-1971

Paperboys

Peace movements

Powder Puff Derby

Presidents – United States – Election – 1932

Presidents – United States – Election – 1936

Radio programs

Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945

Ruth, Babe, 1895-1948

Spain – History – Civil War, 1936-1939

Sports – United States

Stamp collecting

Strikes and lockouts

Tennis

United States. Army Reserve

United States. Army. Reserve Officers’ Training Corps

United States. Marine Corps

University of Washington.

Van Stockum, Anton William, 1890-1988

Van Stockum, Florence Rosetta Freestone Bareham, 1894-2005

Washington (State) – Travel and description

Held by The Filson Historical Society

Creator:  Smalley, Jack

Title:  Cartoon collection, 1912-1943 (bulk: 1940-1943)

Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these papers, contact the Curator of Special Collections.

Size of Collection:  2 cu. ft.

Location Number:  Mss. A S635

Scope and Content Note

The Jack Smalley collection of political cartoons dates from the early to mid 20th century.  The collection, clipped and gathered by Ray Remley, a postmaster and stamp collector of Mishawaka, Indiana, primarily contains cartoons documenting foreign affairs and World War II.  Cartoons concern U.S. involvement in the war, the progress of the war in Europe, and the actions of the Axis powers – particularly Germany and the Nazis.  Other cartoons relate to domestic matters and U.S. party politics.  Cartoons have been clipped from newspapers, especially the Chicago Tribune, although other newspapers such as the Kansas City Star and the Detroit Free Press are also represented.  Clippings from British newspapers such as the London Daily Herald are also occasionally included.  Various cartoon artists are represented in the collection. Most cartoons are black-and-white; a few are printed in color.  Cartoons have been arranged chronologically.

Biographical Note

Ray Remley, a postmaster and stamp collector of Mishawaka, Indiana, was the initial collector of these cartoons.  The collection passed through the hands of Jack Smalley and his descendents before eventually being donated to The Filson; no further biographical information about Remley or Smalley is known.

 

Folder List

Volume 1:       Political cartoons, 1912-1938

Volume 2:       Political cartoons, 1939-May 1940

Volume 3:       Political cartoons, June 1940

Volume 4:       Political cartoons, July-August 1940

Folder 5:          Political cartoons, September 1940

Folder 6:          Political cartoons, October 1940

Volume 7:       Political cartoons, November-December 1940

Folder 8:          Political cartoons, January 1941

Folder 9:          Political cartoons, January 1941

Volume 10:     Political cartoons, February 1941

Volume 11:     Political cartoons, March 1941

Volume 12:     Political cartoons, April-June 1941

Volume 13:     Political cartoons, July-September 1941

Folder 14:        Political cartoons, October 1941

Folder 15:        Political cartoons, November 1941

Folder 16:        Political cartoons, December 1941

Folder 17:        Political cartoons, December 1941

Volume 18:     Political cartoons, January 1942

Folder 19:        Political cartoons, February 1942

Folder 20:        Political cartoons, February 1942

Folder 21:        Political cartoons, March 1942

Folder 22:        Political cartoons, March 1942

Folder 23:        Political cartoons, April 1942

Folder 24:        Political cartoons, April 1942

Folder 25:        Political cartoons, April 1942

Folder 26:        Political cartoons, May 1942

Folder 27:        Political cartoons, May 1942

Folder 28:        Political cartoons, June 1942

Folder 29:        Political cartoons, July 1942

Folder 30:        Political cartoons, July 1942

Folder 31:        Political cartoons, August-December 1942

Volume 32:     Political cartoons, January-April 1943

 

Subject Headings

Caricatures and cartoons.

Cartooning – United States.

Economic conditions – United States – 20^th century.

Flight.

Germany – Foreign relations – Great Britain.

Germany – Foreign relations – United States.

Hitler, Adolf, 1889-1945.

Japan – Foreign relations – China.

Japan – Foreign relations – United States.

Pearl Harbor (Hawaii), Attack on, 1941.

Political cartoons.

Politicians – Caricatures and cartoons.

Spain – History – Civil War, 1936-1939.

United States – Politics and government – 1901-1953 – Caricatures and cartoons.

Wit and humor.

World War, 1939-1945 – Caricatures and cartoons.