Walter and Osie Lewis Family Papers
Collection
Collection Number: A&M 2304
Papers of Walter Dix Lewis (1891-1958), a carpenter and facilities worker, and Osie Grose Lewis (1891-1979), his wife, of Morgantown, West Virginia. The collection is divided into six series and contains letters (Series 1), diaries (Series 2), cards (Series 3), financial and legal materials (Series 4), family material (Series 5), and printed material (Series 6) chiefly from the 1930s to the 1970s.
Series 1. Letters, 1908, 1923, 1934-1979 and undated (bulk 1962-1979) is located in Box 1 and Box 2. Letters from the 1930s to 1950s are written from family and friends to both Walter and Osie Lewis. Topics include Walter's work in construction and building homes; religious revivals; work in West Virginia coal mines, mills, and a plant; family news (activities and health), and the weather. Letters from the 1960s and 1970s are written to Osie after Walter's death in 1958. These letters are chiefly from their children and grandchildren and Osie's siblings. Topics generally include the health and illness of various family members, children and grandchildren's activities, house and garden work, revivals and religious meetings, and visits from family and friends. Letters from the mid-1970s frequently comment on Osie's ill health.
Series 2. Walter Lewis Diaries, 1927-1957 are located in Box 3. These small pocket diaries contain brief descriptions of Walter Lewis's daily activities. These notations chiefly document his construction work (where he worked and how many hours), social events (church and prayer meetings and visits with family and friends), and work in his home and garden. In the 1940s and 1950s Walter's work notes center on facilities work at West Virginia University.
Series 3. Cards, 1940, 1951-1979 and undated (bulk undated) are housed in Box 3-Box 8. These are special occasion greeting cards primarily sent to Osie Lewis between 1950 and 1970, though the majority of the cards are undated. Most of the cards are signed only and do not contain additional notes or letters. Greeting cards include Christmas, Easter, Mother's Day, birthday, get well soon, and religious cards. Most of the cards were separated from their envelopes, but these envelopes are also included in this series.
Series 4. Financial and Legal Materials, 1927-1978 (bulk 1940s-1950s) are located in Box 9 and Box 10. These materials include bank account statements and canceled checks (1943-1957), check stubs (1937-1955), savings and loan deed of trust and checks (1936-1941), several small notebooks with lists of expenses (undated), receipts (1930s-1940s), tax receipts (1930s-1960s), bills from the Methodist Publishing House (1949-1954), state retirement and insurance materials (1950s), deeds (typescript copies of deeds made in 1889, 1907, 1928, and 1929), and vital records (1950s).
Series 5. Family Material, 1960-1974 and undated is located in Box 11. These papers contain religious materials such as memorial cards (1960-1988), church service programs (1962-1974), Christian publications, and hymnals. Also included are Walter Lewis's World War I registration card and a Red Cross service star.
Series 6. Printed Material, 1931-1977 and undated (bulk undated) is located in Box 11. These miscellaneous publications include a dictionary, financial calculator reference book, pamphlets on fishing regulations, a handbook of games, and pamphlets related to power tools. Also included are three 1941 handbooks from the Office of Civilian Defense.
Collection also contains an oversize 1937 map of the buildings at West Virginia University and the school's underground telephone conduits.
English
No special access restriction applies.
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Osie Eleanor Grose Lewis was born on February 6, 1891, in Persinger, West Virginia, the daughter of Andrew Dixon Grose and Margaret Armentrout Grose. Walter Dix Lewis was born in September 1891, the son of Frank and Lillie Lewis of Nicholas County, West Virginia. Osie and Walter Lewis were married in 1911. They lived in Morgantown, West Virginia, and had six children. Walter chiefly worked as a carpenter. Walter Lewis died in 1958. Osie Eleanor Lewis died on November 11, 1979.
5 Linear Feet (Summary: 5 ft. (12 document cases, 5 in. each); (1 oversize folder, 1 item))
Papers of Walter Dix Lewis (1891-1958), a carpenter and facilities worker, and Osie Grose Lewis (1891-1979), his wife, of Morgantown, West Virginia. The collection is divided into six series: Series 1. Letters, 1908, 1923, 1934-1979 and undated; Series 2. Diaries, 1927-1957; Series 3. Cards, 1940, 1951-1979 and undated; Series 4. Financial and Legal Materials, 1927-1978; Series 5. Family Material, 1960-1974 and undated; and Series 6. Printed Material, 1931-1977 and undated. Collection also contains an oversize 1937 map of the buildings at West Virginia University and the school's underground telephone conduits.
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / Fax: 304-293-3981 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository