Letters from A. C. Williams to Leonora Kennedy
Scope and Contents
Letters from A. C. Williams to Leonora Kennedy contains four letters written by A. C. Williams addressed to his cousin Leonora Kennedy in Florin, California. The first letter, dated November 22, 1903, discusses the author's dislike of Austin, Nevada, as well his recent trip to visit Leonora and family. The second letter from February 12, 1904, contains a description of winter in Austin including a "bob" called the Manhatten [sic]. He also talks about the Austin Railroad Depot and working for the Nevada Central Railroad, which was located a mile outside of town. In the third letter, dated May 26, 1904, he talks about having Leonora come visit her relatives in the "sage brush state" as well as the weather. He also mentions that his mother went to Tonopah to visit his father and the possibility of the family relocating there within the year. The final letter from September 25, 1904, contains a detailed description of travelers coming through Tonopah "bound for the Gold fields or bust." He also discusses the squalid conditions of Tonopah for living and food, stating that Goldfield is the "real thing."
Dates
- 1903-1904
Creator
- Williams, Bert (Creator, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research. Materials must be used on-site; advance notice suggested. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
Biographical Note
Albert C. Williams was born in Nevada in 1883. His mother, also born in Nevada in June 1864, had two other children, daughters named Evelyn and Mabel. The daughters were born in December 1888 and April 1885 respectively.
Much of what is known about A. C. Williams is learned from his letters to cousin Leonora Kennedy who lived in Florin, California. At the turn of the 20th Century, Williams was living with his mother in Austin, Nevada, a place for which he did not care. In one of his letters to Leonora, he writes "Well I arrived in this berg OK, and my how dull it is here." He goes on to say, "I never knew what a God forsaken place this town was." His father moved to Tonopah, Nevada, one of the many who relocated there to try his luck with the "gold or bust" mentality associated with prospectors and businessmen at the time.
In February 1904, Williams worked at the Nevada Central Railroad train station, which ran from Austin to Battle Mountain, Nevada, and connected to the Southern Pacific. By September of the same year, he found a new job at a bank in Tonopah.
[Biographical note written with the assistance of research completed by Fred Holabird through census records and a close reading of the letters.]
Extent
0.41 Linear Feet (4 items)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Albert C. Williams was born in Nevada in 1883 and lived in Austin and Tonopah, Nevada. In 1904 he worked for the Nevada Central Railroad train station, which ran from Austin to Battle Mountain, Nevada and connected to the Southern Pacific. By September of the same year, he found a new job at a bank in Tonopah. The collection contains four letters from Williams to his cousin Leonora Kennedy who lived in Florin, California.
Arrangement
Arranged without hierarchy.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC in July 2017.
Creator
- Williams, Bert (Creator, Person)
- Title
- Guide to Letters from A. C. Williams to Leonora Kennedy
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Jessica Maddox
- Date
- August 2017
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the University of Nevada, Reno. Special Collections Department Repository
Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center
1664 N. Virginia St.
Reno Nevada 89557-0322 USA
775-682-5665
775-682-5724 (Fax)
specoll@unr.edu