All Primary Documents from Sleeper Family Collection used in research for presentation. Used with permission of Asbury University
"Bringing Hidden Treasures into the Light: Discovering Civil War Letters in an Archives Backlog"
KLA Academic & Special Libraries Sections and SLA KY Chapter Spring 2014 Conference
April 10, 2014
Presenters:
Suzanne Gehring, MSLS, University of Kentucky
Head of Archives & Special Collections, Kinlaw Library, Asbury University
Ruth Slagle
History Major, Class of 2014, Asbury University
President, Phi Alpha Theta National Honor Society, Asbury Chapter
"Bringing Hidden Treasures into the Light: Discovering Civil War Letters in an Archives Backlog"
KLA Academic & Special Libraries Sections and SLA KY Chapter Spring 2014 Conference
April 10, 2014
Presenters:
Suzanne Gehring, MSLS, University of Kentucky
Head of Archives & Special Collections, Kinlaw Library, Asbury University
Ruth Slagle
History Major, Class of 2014, Asbury University
President, Phi Alpha Theta National Honor Society, Asbury Chapter
Photograph of several different documents and letters found in the Sleeper Collection - Image Owned by Asbury University
In the 1940s Asbury College received a shipment of four boxes of "personal papers" from a retired professor who had previously donated his library of books and his science equipment to the college. These boxes were stored for eventual processing someday. But like many projects, more pressing work kept pushing the task further and further down the list. That "someday" didn't come until 70 years later. Imagine our surprise and delight to discover that packed away for all those years was a treasure of letters, speeches, essays, and historical relics from the 1800s, including a connection to John Wilkes Booth and the assassination of President Lincoln. ~ Suzanne Gehring
Exhibit of items from the Sleeper Family Collection Display - Image Owned by Ruth Slagle
In "Bringing Hidden Treasures into the Light", I talked about the relationships between the Booth and Sleeper families, and how life drastically changed for both families after John Wilkes Booth made the fateful decision to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. When conducting my research I soon realized that I could turn what I enjoyed most, researching history and sharing with others, into a career path. Archives and Special Collections are key parts of history because they make history tangible while highlighting the personal stories of individuals. I want to be a part of sharing with the present what happened in the past. ~ Ruth Slagle
When primary sources are published, they are a finished product in that they are frequently edited or at least formatted, so they can be used for research. When working in the Archives you're doing pre-primary research. Looking at the raw material which will later be formed up into some kind of edited form and displayed for research. So this is really the molecular level almost of historical research. Very interesting in that regard. ~ Dr. Burnam Reynolds, Professor of History, Asbury University
When primary sources are published, they are a finished product in that they are frequently edited or at least formatted, so they can be used for research. When working in the Archives you're doing pre-primary research. Looking at the raw material which will later be formed up into some kind of edited form and displayed for research. So this is really the molecular level almost of historical research. Very interesting in that regard. ~ Dr. Burnam Reynolds, Professor of History, Asbury University
Suzanne Gehring and Ruth Slagle at KLA Academic & Special Libraries Conference - Image Owned by Ruth Slagle
Meet the Members of the Booth and Sleeper Families
Asia Frigga Booth Clarke
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John Wilkes Booth
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John Sleeper Clarke
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Edwin Booth with daughter Edwina
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Lizzie Coffee Sleeper
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Presumably George Washington Sleeper
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John Fremont Sleeper
