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Charles W. Edwards research notes on Coffee County, Alabama

 Collection
Identifier: W-0106

Scope and Contents

This collection contains research notes, newspaper clippings, and correspondence compiled by researcher Charles W. Edwards for his study on local government and social welfare organizations in Coffee County, Alabama. The majority of the materials are dated between 1925 and 1926, although some later material is included. The collection includes reports on the operation and organizational structure of several political and social organizations in Coffee County, including descriptions of the community's probate court, educational system, and almshouse.

Edwards, working as a research assistant in the Department of Rural Social Economics at the University of North Carolina, compiled his research into a 165-page report. This report, County Government and County Affairs in Coffee County Alabama, was one of forty-one such reports on rural counties in the South compiled by Edwards and four other research assistants. This collection contains two typescript drafts of the Coffee County report, both of which contain handwritten edits. This report was never published.

Dates

  • 1925 - 1928

Creator

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.

Biographical / Historical

Charles W. Edwards was born on November 5, 1900, in Dale County, Alabama, and spent his childhood in Coffee County, Alabama. In 1920, Edwards graduated from Alabama Polytechnic Institute (now Auburn University), earning his BS. He completed his studies at Harvard University in 1924, where he received his MA. He then became a research assistant at the University of North Carolina, compiling reports on local government for the Department of Rural Social Economics. In 1927, Edwards returned to the Alabama Polytechnic Institute where he taught courses in history and government until 1930. He then accepted the position of associate registrar. He was promoted to registrar in 1937 and held the office until his retirement in 1966. He died on February 15, 1993, in Auburn.

Sources: Research in Progress: North Carolina State University Graduate School, July 1924-July 1925 (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1925).

Alabama Official and Statistical Register (Wetumpka: Wetumpka Printing Company, 1955).

Extent

0.25 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Overview

This collection contains research notes, newspaper clippings, correspondence, and other materials compiled by Charles W. Edwards and related to his study of Coffee County. The collection also includes two drafts of his completed report, County Government and County Affairs in Coffee County Alabama.

Physical Location

The A. S. Williams III Americana Collection, Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library, The University of Alabama.

Provenance

Gift of A. S. Williams III, 2010

Related Materials

Charles W. Edwards Papers: 1920-1984, Department of Special Collections, Auburn University Libraries, Auburn, Alabama.

General

Title on Spine: History and Government of Coffee County, Alabama by Charles Edwards, Manuscripts and Letters, 1926

Processed by

Haley Aaron, 2013

Creator

Source

Title
Guide to the Charles W. Edwards research notes on Coffee County, Alabama
Status
Completed
Date
January 2014
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the The University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Box 870266
Tuscaloosa AL 35487-0266
205.348.0513