Collection: Haydn Neal Thompson Letters | Special Collections & Archives

Scope and Contents

Contents of the collection include correspondence, primarily handwritten and of a personal nature. The bulk of materials are from Thompson’s family members, including his mother, Marie Thompson, and sister, Janet Thompson, with a few letters from aunts and cousins. The remaining majority consists of letters from friends, primarily girlfriends. While most of this collection consists of Thompson's incoming correspondence, there is one folder of letters written by Thompson to a high school girl friend.

The conversation across letters emphasizes school and social happenings. Politics and the economy (Great Depression) do not receive much notice, though a change in the tone of letters is noticeable from the 1920s to the 1930s, becoming more sober and fatalistic.

Dates

1924 - 1935

Biographical / Historical

Born in Gas City, Indiana, in 1912, Haydn Neal Thompson attended Western Military Academy in Alton, Indiana, for four years before moving to Miami, Florida, to finish high school. Upon graduation, he enrolled at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He later attended Duke University in North Carolina.

Extent

1 Linear Feet (Correspondence)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Overview

Haydn Neal Thompson’s family members, including mother, Marie Thompson, and sister, Janet Thompson, as well as a few aunts and cousins, write to Thompson while he is away at military school and later, college. There is also a large representation of friends, primarily girlfriends, socializing through correspondence, discussing entertainments and dating.