Lillian Cunningham and Daphne Cunningham Papers

Collection

Identifier: MSS-2691

Scope and Contents

Contains love letters and friendly correspondence addressed to Lillian Cunningham of Tuscaloosa, with the bulk of the contents originating in the latter part of the 1910s. While there is a small collection of letters from Cunningham’s mother and from a girlfriend, Neavis Quarles, the majority of letters represent the love interests of young men of Alabama and Mississippi, from such towns as Tupelo, Mississippi; Shannon, Mississippi; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Birmingham, Alabama; and Mobile, Alabama. One young man, Miller Allen, moved to Fresno California, and wrote a majority of his correspondence from there. A few of the young men, prominently including Miller Allen and Tip Robins, were enlisted during the Great War (World War I), with Miller Allen serving as a sergeant in France and Germany, and Tip Robins training at naval air force bases around the East Coast and Southeast.

This collection also includes a small collection of similar letters addressed to Lillian Cunningham’s older sister, Daphne (nee Cunningham) Smith. Among the miscellaneous papers are Lillian’s notice of acceptance into the Kappa Delta social sorority of the Univeristy of Alabama, a 1911 Certificate of Confirmation for Daphne (nee Cunningham) Smith’s husband, Merrill Pratt Smith, and assorted snapshots of unidentified girls and boys, dated 1905. There are also a handful of postcards and greeting cards; most letters are handwritten, though a few are typewritten.

Dates

1907 - 1967
Majority of material found within 1915 - 1920

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Due to the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to certain materials may require additional advance notice.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers are responsible for using the materials in conformance with United States copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any copyright claimants in collection materials. Copyright for official University records is held by The University of Alabama. The library claims only physical ownership of many manuscript collections. Anyone wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of literary property rights or copyrights. Please contact Special Collections (archives@ua.edu) with questions regarding specific manuscript collections. For more information about copyright policy, please visit: https://www.ua.edu/copyright/. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals without the consent of those individuals may have legal implications, for which the University of Alabama assumes no responsibility.

Biographical / Historical

Lillian Cunningham was born in 1900 in Mississippi and lived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She attended The University of Alabama and was a member of the Kappa Delta social sorority. She passed away in Tuscaloosa in 1995.

Born October 5, 1894, Daphne Cunningham lived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and was a student at The University of Alabama. A member of Kappa Delta social sorority, she received an A.B. degree in 1916. Cunningham later married Merrill Smith. She died January 28, 1986, in Tuscaloosa.

Extent

2.0 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Overview

A collection of love letters and friendly correspondence from Alabama and Mississippi, addressed to Lillian Cunningham of Tuscaloosa, with the bulk of the contents originating in the latter part of the 1910s. There is also a small series of older sister Daphne Cunningham's correspondence.

Related Materials

Daphne Cunningham diaries, The University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections

General

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