Wolford Family Photograph Collection, ca. 1870s-2010s
Held by The Filson Historical Society
Creator: Wolford family
Title: Photograph Collection, ca. 1870s-2010s
Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these photographs, contact the Collections Department.
Size of Collection: 3 cu. ft. and 1 wrapped vol.
Location Number: 021PC48
Biographical Note
The central figures in the collection are Thorp L. Wolford (1918-2012) and his wife Evelyn Cox Wolford (1920-2014). Thorp’s parents, Leo T. Wolford (1890-1971) and Leah Jackson Wolford (1892-1918) are also prominently featured. The Wolfords and other related families, particularly the Jackson family, lived primarily in Versailles, Linton, and Terre Haute, Indiana. Leo and Thorp both lived and worked in Louisville, Kentucky, later in their lives.
Leo Wolford (1890-1971)
Leo Thorp Wolford was born May 1, 1890, in Linton, Indiana, to Edwin Lafayette Wolford (1861-1913), president and general manager of United Fourth Vein Coal Company, and Anna “Annie” Emily Thorp (1863-1935). His grandfather, John William Wolford (1837-1922), ran J. W. Wolford & Sons Department Store in Linton, Indiana. Leo had three siblings: Earl Clarence (1884-1969), Raymond Elmer (1887-1951), who married Zulla Leona Burress (1888-1966) and worked as bookkeeper for the United Fourth Vein Coal Company, and Jessie Ellen (1895-1972).
Leo graduated from Franklin College in Franklin, Indiana, and from the University of Chicago. He obtained his Indiana teacher’s certificate in 1917 and worked as a history and economics teacher at New Albany High School from 1917 to 1918.
In 1916, he married Leah Jackson (1892-1918) of Versailles and New Albany, Indiana. Leah died of an infection in 1918, a week after giving birth to their son, Thorp. Leo never remarried. Thorp lived with Leo’s mother and sister Jessie in Indiana as a child.
Leo was admitted to the Kentucky Bar in 1919 and practiced law in Louisville at Bruce & Bullitt and successor firms. He served in the Army during World War I from around September 1918 to April 1919, serving at least for a time at Camp Zachary Taylor and Camp Knox. After his discharge, he returned to his practice and lived in Louisville at the Mayflower Apartments during the week while commuting to Versailles, Linton, or Terre Haute on many weekends to visit Thorp and the rest of the family.
Leo was actively involved in Louisville civic and legal groups, including serving as treasurer and president of the Filson in the 1950s and 1960s. He was also involved with the Louisville Title Insurance Company, Interstate Canning Company, Louisville Free Public Library, Louisville Bar Association, Pendennis Club, Lawyers Club, Conversation Club, Louisville Gas and Electric Company, Royal Crown Bottling Company, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and many other organizations.
He died on December 6, 1971, in Louisville.
Leah Jackson Wolford, 1892-1918
Leah Florence Jackson was born on September 7, 1892, in Versailles, Indiana, to Allie Belle Underwood (1867-1941) and Hiram Newton “Newt” Jackson (1863-1915).
She attended Franklin College, where she studied music and met her future husband, Leo Wolford. She graduated in 1912 and worked as principal at her Versailles high school the following year. In 1914 she enrolled in the University of Chicago, where she earned a Master of Arts. She was an accomplished scholar and published a book about Indiana folklore, games, and music titled The Play-Party in Indiana in 1917.
She married Leo on her twenty-fourth birthday, September 7, 1916. She gave birth to Thorp Wolford on January 8, 1918. A week later, on January 14, she died of peritonitis at age twenty-five.
Thorp Wolford (1918-2012)
Thorp Lanier Wolford was born on January 8, 1918, in New Albany, Indiana, to Leo Wolford (1890-1971) and Leah Jackson (1892-1918). He lived in Terre Haute, Indiana, with his grandmother Anna Wolford and aunt Jessie Wolford when he was a child.
He graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, in 1937 and earned his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in 1941. He served as a sergeant in the Army Signal Corps during World War II, working at intelligence gathering posts at Vint Hill, Virginia, and Honolulu, Hawaii. He earned his law degree from Harvard in 1944 and was admitted to the Kentucky Bar in 1948. He practiced law in Louisville as a partner at Middleton, Seelbach, Wolford, Willis, & Cochran. He also earned his Master of Arts from the University of Louisville in 1955.
In 1942, he married Evelyn Regina Cox (1920-2014) of Boston, Massachusetts. Thorp and Evelyn raised seven children and were actively involved in Louisville civic, social, and church groups, including the Louisville Arts Club and the Conversation Club.
He died on February 9, 2012, in Louisville.
Evelyn Wolford (1920-2014)
Evelyn Regina Cox was born on January 4, 1920, in Boston to Henry F. G. Cox and Alice Cox. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Simmons College in Boston before marrying Thorp Wolford in 1942. Together they lived in Louisville and had seven children.
Evelyn was involved in many clubs and organizations, including the Louisville Ballet, the American Association of University Women (AAUW), the Arts Club of Louisville (for which she became the first female president), the University of Louisville Women’s Club, the Crescent Hill Woman’s Club, and the Woman’s Missionary Union of the Southern Baptist Convention. She was a writer and poet, and in 2010 she and Thorp published a book of their poetry titled “Going On.”
She died on August 6, 2014.
Jessie Wolford (1895-1972)
Jessie Ellen Wolford, sister of Leo Wolford, was born on December 26, 1895, in Linton, Indiana, to Edwin Lafayette Wolford (1861-1913) and Anna “Annie” Emily Thorp (1863-1935).
Jessie graduated from Linton grade school around 1910, from Alhambra High School in California in 1914, and from Franklin College in Indiana in 1918. She did graduate work at the University of Wisconsin in 1919 and 1920. She also took some classes at Columbia University in New York in 1925 and at Indiana State Teacher’s College in 1944.
She taught at Concannon High School in Terre Haute, Indiana, for 34 years, from about 1919 until her retirement in 1953. She was also involved in several social, civil, and academic organizations throughout her life. She was president of Delta Kappa Gamma honorary teacher’s society, a member and one-time president of her chapter of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), a member of Delta Zeta alumnae chapter, and a member of First Baptist Church in Terre Haute.
She died on May 13, 1972.
Flo White (1877-1943)
Florence “Flo” Jackson was born on February 6, 1877, in Johnson, Ripley County, Indiana, to James B. Jackson and Nancy Hyatt. She was the sister of Hiram Newton Jackson, aunt of Leah Jackson, and great aunt of Thorp Wolford. Flo wrote many letters to Leo and Thorp Wolford over the years.
In 1893, she married Lewis “Lew” Lester White (1874-1930), and they lived together in Versailles, Indiana, throughout their lives. Lew worked with Flo’s brother Newton Jackson in the mercantile business for many years before opening his own department store, located at U.S. Road 50 and State Road 29 in Versailles. The store eventually burned down, and Lew later became the southeastern Indiana representative for the securities department of the Meyer-Kiser Bank of Indianapolis. In 1930, Lew died in a car accident.
Flo was a writer and had an interest in genealogy—she wrote several genealogical sketches about the Hyatt family, Jackson family, and other relatives.
She died on August 18, 1943.
Scope and Content Note
This collection consists of photographs of various formats and snapshot, cartes-de-visite, and cabinet card albums of the Wolford family of Linton, Terre Haute, and Versailles, Indiana, and Louisville, Kentucky. Also included in the collection are three cased ambrotypes and four framed photographs
Folders 1-33 include photographs and five photographic albums of Thorp Wolford, Evelyn Cox Wolford, and their children.
Folders 34-37 include photographs of Leo Wolford.
Folders 38-43 include photographs of Leah Jackson Wolford.
Folders 44-49 include photographs and a photographic album of Jessie Wolford.
Folders 50-64 include photographs of family members and other miscellaneous identified and unidentified people.
Folders 65-70 include photographs grouped by family, including the Wolford, Thorp, Underwood, Carr, Fainot, and Otter families.
Folders 71-79 include photographs of businesses, places, and events, mostly in Indiana.
Folder 80 includes two oversized photographs. One is a school group photograph featuring Thorp Wolford and the other a portrait of seven men, all likely law professionals in the Louisville area, including Thomas R. Gordon.
Volumes 81-84 are photographic albums of the Wolford, Thorp, Underwood, Jackson, and Warman families.
Removed from collection
021PC48.03: Ambrotype of an unidentified boy, ca. 1870
021PC48.04: Ambrotype of an unidentified woman, ca. 1870
021PC48.05: Ambrotype of an unidentified woman, ca. 1870
021PC48.06: Linton High School group photo featuring Leo Wolford, ca. 1908-1909
Related collections
Wolford family papers [Mss. A W859]
Related library material [uncataloged as of September 2024]
Folder List
Box 1
Thorp and Evelyn Wolford
Folder 1: Thorp Wolford, 1918-ca. 1927
Folder 2: Thorp Wolford with friends and family, ca. 1928-1934
Includes photos of Thorp during childhood illness in 1928 and photos of Thorp at Boy Scout camp
Folder 3: Thorp Wolford photograph album, ca. 1929-1934
Includes photos of family members
Folder 4: Thorp Wolford photograph album, 1932-1934
Includes photos of friends and family members in Terre Haute and Versailles, Indiana
Folder 5: Thorp Wolford Baptist Young People’s Union album, ca. 1935
Includes mostly photos of friends at BYPU
Folder 6: Thorp Wolford Baptist Young People’s Union album, ca. 1935
Includes mostly photos of friends at BYPU
Folder 7: Thorp Wolford photograph album, ca. 1935
Includes photos of friends and family members
Folder 8: Thorp Wolford family and friends (removed from album), 1935
Folder 9: Thorp Wolford at Phillips Academy, 1935-1937
Includes photographs of Thorp Wolford at Phillips Academy (Andover, Mass.) from the
fall of 1935 to the spring of 1937. Of special interest are photos of a “Veterans of Future
Wars” rally in 1936, photos of a skiing trip, and a trick photo of a friend pretending to be
a knife-wielding ghost
Folder 10: Thorp Wolford at Phillips Academy, 1935-1937
Includes photos of Thorp’s friends, mostly from Phillips Academy (Andover, Mass.)
Folder 11: Thorp Wolford at Harvard, ca. 1939-1942
Folder 12: Thorp Wolford Harvard graduation, June 1941
Includes photos of Evelyn Cox and a graduation parade
Folder 13: Thorp Wolford World War II friends and portrait photographs, ca. 1940s
Folder 14: Thorp Wolford World War II Hawaii, 1945-1946
Includes photos of military barracks and offices, military personnel relaxing on the beach, and a victory parade
Folder 15: Thorp Wolford portrait photographs, ca. 1919-1940
Folder 16: Thorp Wolford, ca. 1950s-2012
Folder 17: Evelyn Cox Wolford, 1941-1960s
Includes photos of Evelyn’s wedding and graduation from Simmons College (Boston, Mass.)
Folder 18: Thorp and Evelyn Wolford’s home “Paradise” in Warrenton, Va., 1943-1944
Folder 19: Evelyn and Thorp Wolford and their children in Warrenton, Va., 1943-1944
Folder 20: Evelyn and Thorp Wolford and their children, 1945-1947
Includes photos of a Halloween party
Folder 21: Evelyn and Thorp Wolford and their children, 1948-1949
Includes photos of Halloween and Christmas, as well as a photo of an unidentified Black woman, possibly Mary Howard White
Folder 22: Evelyn and Thorp Wolford and their children (removed from album), ca. 1950s
Folder 23: Evelyn and Thorp Wolford and their children, 1950-1951
Includes photos of Easter baskets and decorations
Folder 24: Evelyn and Thorp Wolford and their children, 1952-1953
Folder 25: Evelyn and Thorp Wolford and their children, 1954-1955
Includes photo of one of the Wolford boys getting a haircut at the barber shop
Folder 26: Evelyn and Thorp Wolford and their children, 1956-1958
Folder 27: Evelyn and Thorp Wolford and their children, 1959-1960
Folder 28: Evelyn and Thorp Wolford and their children, 1961-1964
Includes photos of the Atherton High School (Louisville, Ky.) senior prom
Folder 29: Evelyn and Thorp Wolford and their children, 1965-1967
Includes photo of a Black woman identified as Mary Howard White
Folder 30: Evelyn and Thorp Wolford and their children, 1968-1969
Folder 31: Evelyn and Thorp Wolford and their children family portraits, ca. 1950s-1970s
Includes mostly Christmas cards
Folder 32: Friends of the Wolfords, 1940s-2000s
Folder 33: Evelyn and Thorp Wolford Arts Club of Louisville, ca. 1980s-2000s
Leo Wolford
Folder 34: Leo Wolford, ca. 1900s-1930s
Includes photos of New Albany High School building and faculty
Folder 35: Leo Wolford, ca. 1950s-1971
Folder 36: Leo Wolford portrait photographs, ca. 1900s-1920s
Folder 37: Leo Wolford portrait photographs, ca. 1920s-1960s
Leah Jackson Wolford
Folder 38: Leah Jackson Wolford portrait photographs, 1892-ca. 1910s
Folder 39: Leah Jackson Wolford in groups, ca. 1900s-1910s
Folder 40: Leah Jackson Wolford horseback riding and farm work, 1900s-1910s
Box 2
Folder 41: Leah Jackson Wolford outdoor exploration, ca. 1900-1910s
Includes photos of Leah and her parents at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs
Folder 42: Leah Jackson Wolford theater and basketball, ca. 1900s-1910s
Folder 43: Leah Jackson Wolford candid shots and with friends and family, ca. 1900s-1910s
Jessie Wolford
Folder 44: Jessie Wolford portrait photographs, ca. 1900s-1960s
Folder 45: Jessie Wolford with friends, ca. 1910s-1950s
Folder 46: Jessie Wolford with unidentified friends, ca. 1910s-1950s
Folder 47: Jessie Wolford with groups, 1910s-1950s
Folder 48: Jessie Wolford with friends, ca. 1910s
Includes photos of girls wearing swimming costumes and dressed as Native Americans
Folder 49: Jessie Wolford Concannon High School (Terre Haute, Ind.) album, ca. 1920s
Other Individuals
Folder 50: Flo Jackson White, ca. 1900-1943
Folder 51: Hiram Newton Jackson, ca. 1880s-1910s
Includes photos of a group of men and women posing after a fishing trip
Folder 52: Allie Jackson, ca. 1900s-1930s
Folder 53: Ray and Zulla Leona Burress Wolford, ca. 1910s-1930s
Folder 54: Anna Thorp Wolford, ca. 1880s-1930s
Folder 55: John William Wolford, mayor of Linton, Ind., 1904-1908
Folder 56: Edwin Lafayette Wolford, ca. 1880s-1910s
Folder 57: Stephen, Richard, John, and Roger Wolford (brothers), ca. 1960s-2000s
Folder 58: Thomas L. Wolford, ca. 1890s
Thomas Wolford was the brother of Edwin Wolford
Folder 59: Lillian Wolford, 1936
Folder 60: Ida Thorp Field and family, ca. 1880s-1950s
Folder 61: Jim Tribble and family, ca. 1890s-1910s
Folder 62: Tom and Dorothy French, 1952 and 2016
Folder 63: Mabel Thorp Cummins and children Lois Jane and Billy Cummins, ca. 1900s-1930s
Folder 64: Unidentified/unknown relation, ca. 1890s-1960s
Family Groups
Folder 65: Wolford family, ca. 1900s-1960s
Folder 66: Thorp family, ca. 1900s-2000s
Folder 67: Underwood family, ca. 1900s-2010s
Folder 68: Carr family, ca. 1920s-1960s
Folder 69: Fainot family, ca. 1900s-1960s
Pricilla “Cill” Thorp, sister of Anna Thorp Wolford, was married to Fredrick Fainot
Folder 70: Otter family, ca. 1900s-1910s
The Otter family was possibly related to the Wolfords on Flo Jackson White’s side
Businesses, Places, and Events
Folder 71: Hiram Newton Jackson General Store (Versailles, Ind.), ca. 1890s
Folder 72: J.W. Wolford & Sons (Linton, Ind.), ca. 1900s-1930s
Includes photos of advertising floats and people shopping inside the store
Folder 73: Jackson house (Versailles, Ind.), ca. 1900 and 1994
Folder 74: Versailles, Indiana, Pumpkin Show, September 1985
Folder 75: Ripley County, Indiana, Pumpkin Festival, 2002
Folder 76: Versailles, Indiana, 26 May 2004
Folder 77: Cliff Hill Cemetery (Versailles, Ind.), 1990
Folder 78: Linton, Indiana, Cemeteries (including Jerusalem and Fairview), 20 September 1991
Folder 79: Miscellaneous, ca. 1900s-1980s
Includes a photograph of the United Fourth Vein Coal Company’s Black Creek Mine (Linton, Ind.) and a photograph of the congregation of the Terre Haute, Indiana, First Baptist Church’s 75th anniversary
Folder 80: Oversized photographs, ca. 1910s and 1930s
Includes a school group photograph featuring Thorp Wolford and a portrait of seven men,
all likely law professionals in the Louisville area, including Thomas R. Gordon
Box 3
Volume 81: Wolford and Thorp families album, ca. 1870s-1890s
Includes cabinet cards, cartes-de-visite, and tintypes of the Wolford and Thorp families of
Linton, Indiana
Volume 82: Underwood family album, ca. 1870s-1890s
Includes cabinet cards, cartes-de-visite, and tintypes of the Underwood family of Versailles, Indiana
Volume 83: Underwood, Jackson, and Warman families album, ca. 1870s-1890s
Includes cabinet cards, cartes-de-visite, and tintypes of the Underwood, Jackson, and Warman families of Versailles, Indiana
Wrapped on Shelf
Volume 84: Jackson family album, ca. 1870s-1890s
Includes cabinet cards, cartes-de-visite, and tintypes of the Jackson family of Versailles, Indiana
Removed from Collection
021PC48.03: Ambrotype of an unidentified boy, ca. 1870
021PC48.04: Ambrotype of an unidentified woman, ca. 1870
021PC48.05: Ambrotype of an unidentified woman, ca. 1870
021PC48.06: Linton High School group photo featuring Leo Wolford, ca. 1908-1909