Foster Family Letters

Collection

Identifier: A-0284

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The bulk of the letters are from the daughters Clydene and Nelva. Clydene writes mostly about her travels. She was a student, teacher, worked in a war office, and liked movies. She writes from several locations including California, Washington D.C., Arizona, and Oklahoma. One of the most noteworthy letters in the collection comes from Clydene, in which she writes about the school explosion in New London, Texas (Box 1 Folder 4).

Nelva’s letters consist almost entirely of letters written to her mother and father about the condition of her brother, Conrad (or Allen, as he signs his letters). These letters were sent from Shreveport, Louisiana and Rochester, Minnesota, and they detail the days spent in the hospital while she was with her brother. Nelva wrote letters to her parents almost every day while staying in Rochester.

Dates

Creation: 1899-1951

Language of Materials

The collection is in English.

Conditions Governing Access

Open for research.

Biographical or Historical Information

This collection consists of letters between family members with the surname of Foster. These include the following individuals: Daniel M. Foster (father), Blanche Wall Foster (mother), Conrad Allen Foster (son-eldest child), Lauren Clydene Foster Spear (daughter-middle child), and Nelva Foster (daughter-youngest child). There are letters to the Fosters from additional family members and friends as well.

The Wall and Foster families were longtime residents of Panola County.

*Foster Family members are buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Carthage, Texas.

1 Joe Conrad Wall (1857-1896) m. Laura Naomi Allison Wall (1859-1955)

...2 Blanche Wall Foster (1878-1975) m. Daniel M. Foster (1876-1952)

......3 Conrad Allen Foster (1900-1951) m. Ivy Ophilia Foster Neal (1902-1992)

......3 Clydene Foster Spear (1906-1979) m. Winfred J. Spear (1915-1987)

......3 Nelva Gladys Foster (1909-1993)