Our Collection

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Advanced Search
Back to Collection Search

Williams, Cordelia Shelton, 1889-1978 Dear Children

Order a pdf of this item here.

Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC09587.316 Author/Creator: Williams, Cordelia Shelton, 1889-1978 Place Written: Roanoke, Virginia Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 12 March 1974 Pagination: 4 p. ; 26.5 x 20.2 cm. Order a Copy

Cordelia writes to her children, saying that the weather is rainy and storms are expected. There was snow earlier, but it has melted. She notes she is very excited for Christmas, when she will be able to see her family. She has recently gotten over a cold and still has a cough. Mrs. Neely and Myra are home after operations. Ruth Anderson, president of the "Helping Hand" Club at Cordelia's church had a contest for small children to help raise money, which ended up raising $4,580. She notes that the politicians are terrible because they do not care about the poor while utilities prices are rising. Several African American students from Patrick Henry High School demonstrated and were suspended for the rest of term. Many have tried to reverse this, but the City Council refused. Cordelia felt it was extreme because no one was hurt but remarks that their foul language was disgusting. She sends love and blessings, signing off, "Mom."

Williams, Cordelia Shelton, 1884-1978
1945 to the Present
African American History
Children and Family
Christianity
Civil Rights Movement
Segregation
Poverty
Politics
Health and Medical
The Seventies

Citation Guidelines for Online Resources

The copyright law of the United States (title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve violation of copyright law.