Manuscript sources, private writing, and correspondence are all key elements of archival research, showing a variety of lived experience. They often allow a more intimate look into people's lives, in comparison to the published sources which are more selective and frequently go through a more rigorous editorial process.
On this page, you will find various examples of correspondence and private writing found in the Eberly Family's Special Collections. The collections span from the 19th through the 20th century, and present information on various writers, artists, and scholars. They include contacts with their publishers and fellow writers, as well as poems and personal letters. Sources listed below are both full collections, as well as fragments of collections that might be of specific interest in the study of women, gender, and race.
Black history
- Charles L. Blockson archival collectionCall Number: 10113The Charles L. Blockson archival collection contains detailed documentation of Charles Blockson’s life and career including documents from his time at Penn State, his literary career, and activism. The collection also contains material on Black history, art, and culture.
- Slavery documents collectionCall Number: boxShare016 GST/P/1/2 bound in ShareBox 016This collection contains 31 documents which are chiefly bills of sale or indentures relating to slavery. The collection consists of 24 bills of sale for enslaved persons, two "apprentice indentures" for two children following the Civil War, two certificates of authentication, one receipt against a deed of trust, one receipt for the sale of land, and one partial illegible receipt (perhaps an indenture for separation).
Women writers
- Mary Wilkins Freeman letters and poems, 1886-1916Call Number: boxShare094 GST/P/2/2 bound in ShareBox 094The collection consists of eight pieces of poetry and correspondence, largely related to Mary Wilkins Freeman’s publishing knowledge and efforts, as well as personal sentiments. The documents in the collections span from the 1880s to the early 1900s.
- Will Cather poems and letter, 1902-1940Call Number: boxShare066 GST/P/1/4 bound in ShareBox 066The collection includes two unsigned poems in Cather's hand, "The Palatine (in the dark ages), " ca. 1909, and "Sunday on the Siene [sic], " ca. 1916-1920; and one typescript signed letter, 21 Sept. 1940, on her monogrammed stationery from Cather to [Burges] Johnson permitting him to use a quotation but requiring an explanatory paragraph to dissuade students and teachers from writing to her.
- Katherin Anne Porter correspondence, 1942-1964Call Number: boxShare085 GST/P/1/6 bound in ShareBox 085The collection consists of six items. Porter writes to Arthur B. Long, 4 Nov. 1961 (typed with handwritten corrections) describing photographs of herself by Long, to be used when her novel, Ship of fools, is published, and recounts her experiences with Long's new girlfriend, Dinah Sheean, and acquaintance Ernestine Evans. She mentions encounters with other friends, including Eudora Welty. Also, postcard to Father John Chalker, 17 Apr. 1964, thanking him for his prayer and support during her recent illness. Two letters to, and replies from, author Edna Frederikson, 1942-1943, concern Porter moving into her new house in Ballston Spa, N.Y., Eudora Welty and her books, Frederikson's writings, and Porter's personal news.
- W.G. Chambers correspondence concerning Pennsylvania State College Institute of English Education, 1924-1929Call Number: MSVF XXXX-0580UThe collection contains letters to and from Dr. W.G. Chambers in response to his requests for authors' participation in the Institute of English Education Summer Sessions at Pennsylvania State College. Correspondents include Willa Cather, Grace Hazard Conkling, Edna Ferber, Dorothy Canfield Fisher, and others.
- William Dean Howells letters and poems, 1861-1919Call Number: 03536 Folder01 A-S/ASVF/Box07The collection consists of eighty-eight items, chiefly letters, with poems and articles. Recipients include E.C. Stedman, Robert Underwood Johnson, James Pond, and various authors. The primary topic is literature and the business of writing. Also, an article on Thomas Bailey Aldrich, with Howells' corrections.
- Kay Boyle letters and poems [manuscript]Call Number: 1995-0008R A-S/ASVFThe collection contains letters to Harry Hansen, Wesley Hartley, Pack Brothers photographers, Barbara Turner, Mr. Ekstrom, Mr. Cohen, and Doug Palmer. The letters span from 1930s to 1970s, and focus on professional life, primarily connected to her own writing and her reactions to other people’s works. The collection also includes typescript signed poem, “Thunderstorm in South Dakota.”
- Zora Neale Hurston letter to Mr. Hartman, 1939 January 27Call Number: PS3515.U789Z48 1939Hurston writes to Mr. Hartman thanking him for his 18 December letter just forwarded by her publisher and is honored to autograph his copies of her books. "It makes me feel like working hard to try and make my next work something nearer to the internal concept than the last." She adds a post script hoping he had a good Christmas.
