WOMBLE-ABELL-NORMAN FAMILY PAPERS

Mss. 4879

Inventory

Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections

Special Collections, Hill Memorial Library

Louisiana State University Libraries

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Compiled by

Neil Guilbeau

2006

Updated 2012

CONTENTS OF INVENTORY

SUMMARY .................................................................................................................................... 3

BIOGRAPHICAL/HISTORICAL NOTE ...................................................................................... 4

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE ................................................................................................... 5

INDEX TERMS .............................................................................................................................. 6

CONTAINER LIST ........................................................................................................................ 7

UNPROCESSED ............................................................................................................................ 8

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SUMMARY

Size.	5 linear feet (4 linear ft. unprocessed)
Geographic locations.	Gainesville, Georgia; Rayville, Louisiana; Baton Rouge, La.
Inclusive dates.	1917-1931
Languages.	English
Summary.	This collection consists primarily of correspondence between Evelyn Abell Norman, her brother, Edward C. Abell, III, and their mother, Annie Mamie Womble Abell during the early 1920s when Evelyn and Edward were attending Brenau College and Louisiana State University respectively.
Access Restrictions.	Access to unprocessed items (location 91:65-68) requires permission of the curator.
Copyright.	Physical rights are retained by the LSU Libraries. Copyright is retained in accordance with U.S. copyright laws.
Citation.	Womble-Abell-Norman Family Papers, Mss. 4879, Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, LSU Libraries, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Stack location.	M:27; 91:65-68

BIOGRAPHICAL/HISTORICAL NOTE

Annie Mamie Womble Abell (1880-1973) was a teacher in northeast Louisiana and the mother of Evelyn Abell Norman (b. 1902) and Edward Charles Abell, III, also known as “Bub.” Evelyn grew up in northeast Louisiana’s Winnsboro/Rayville area and attended a private college for women called Brenau University in Gainesville, Ga., from 1919-1922. At Brenau, she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi Sorority and active in sports and the Glee Club. In 1922, Evelyn married Earnest Barry Norman, Jr. of Louisville, Ky., and moved with him to Kansas City, Mo., in 1923. She would later establish a public welfare department in Opelousas, La., where she became a well-known local, working with the programs of the New Deal era and writing a column for the Opelousas Daily World newspaper. Evelyn’s older brother, Edward, attended Louisiana State University where he became a member of the Friar’s Fraternity and also sang in the Glee Club but apparently did not complete school. In their correspondence, both Evelyn and Edward mention a younger half-brother, Frank, nicknamed “Bunsie” or “Sonnyman,” who was just beginning grade school during their attendance at college.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The Abell Family Papers consist primarily of two sets of correspondence: one from Evelyn Abell Norman to her mother, Annie Mamie Womble Abell, and the other set belonging to Evelyn’s brother, Edward Charles Abell, III (Bub). Evelyn’s letters to her mother are dated 1919-1927, and were written during the time Evelyn attended Brenau College in Gainesville, Ga. She relates news of her life at Brenau, including her classes, sorority activities, day trips to Atlanta, and her travel by train between her home in Louisiana and school. Evelyn frequently wrote of needing money and clothes from her mother, permission notes to date or take day trips off campus, and included measurements and sketches of dresses that she requested her mother to make for her. Evelyn mourned her grandmother’s death in 1920 in a few letters to her mom, referring to her as “Bemammy.” The last two letters were written from Kansas City, Mo., where she and her husband had moved to in 1923. In these letters, Evelyn speaks of the apartment they found, descriptions of Kansas City, and events that she and her husband had been to, including an auto race. Throughout her correspondence, Evelyn occasionally includes a note to her little half-brother, Frank, whom she called “Bunsie” or “Sonnyman.” Included are an invitation to tea (1917), a photograph (1921) of Evelyn and her friends at Brenau College, and a transcript (1931) of Evelyn’s grades.

Edward’s correspondence (1919-1926) includes letters to and from his mother, grandmother, Evelyn (from Brenau College), his young half-brother, Frank or “Bunsie,” Uncle Percy, his fraternity brothers, and various friends around the country. Irma Buie, a mutual friend of Evelyn and Edward, wrote to him on several occasions asking him to persuade Evelyn to join her sorority, Delta Delta Delta, at Brenau College. In his letters to his family, Edward discussed playing baseball, attending track meets, undergoing ROTC inspections, and going to a few fraternity and sorority dances. He also mentioned receiving money and clothes from them while attending LSU. In addition to regular correspondence, Edward received a few invitations to country clubs, weddings, parties, and holiday celebrations. Also included are two postcards, three clippings (1921) of accidents in the Rayville area, a camp training certificate (1921) from the Reserve Officer Training Corps, two stubs for wages and payments (1922), and a photograph (1922) of Edward during his time at Louisiana State University.

INDEX TERMS

Abell family.

Abell, Annie Mamie Womble.

Abell, Edward C. III.

Alpha Delta Pi Sorority. Lambda Chapter (Brenau College)

Black-and-white photographs.

Brenau College--Students.

Certificates.

Clippings (information artifacts)

College students--Georgia--Gainesville--Social life and customs--20th century.

College students--Louisiana--Baton Rouge--Social life and customs--20th century.

Delta Kappa Epsilon. Zeta Zeta Chapter (Louisiana State University)

Invitations.

Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College--Students.

Norman, Evelyn Abell.

Personal correspondence.

Receipts (financial records)

Transcripts.

CONTAINER LIST

Stack Location	Box	Folder	Contents
M:27	1	1	Invitation (1917)
		2-9	Correspondence: Evelyn Abell Norman (1919-1927), includes photograph of Evelyn and friends
		10	Brenau College Transcript (1931)
	2	1-7	Correspondence: Edward C. Abell, III (1919-1925), includes clippings, photograph of Edward, and payroll stubs/receipts
		8	Reserve Officer Training Corps Certificate (1921)

Accretion, received 11/4/2011

UNPROCESSED

	Stack Location 91:65-68
Box 1	Items related to Pan (Patricia Ann Norman Thistlewaite, sister of Evelyn Norman Raser)- mostly photographs, letters, and ephemera from LSU
	“Letters to and from my mother to my grandmother, 1930s. Depression years-- (employment fears) Mother’s letters from Bunkie to us in Rayville”-- Mostly letters to Annie Mamie Womble Abell from Evelyn Abell Norman	1931-1939
	“Letters to Bemammy from: Mother, Ev, Pan, Ara, Lura Hope Rutledge - 1. Letters from Ev to Mother - 2. 40s, 50s, 60s” (Mother- EAN, Ev- ENR)	1941-1963 (bulk 1940s)
	“Mother 1902-1994”-- correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, programs related to Evelyn Abell Norman	Ca. 1921-1989
	“Bemammy 1880-1973 Womble Abell-Purvis”-- correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs related to Annie Mamie Womble Abell Purvis	1880-1972
	Autobiography by Evelyn Abell Norman, 11/21/1975 and photo of 4 generations: Annie Mamie Womble Abell, Evelyn Abell Norman, Evelyn Norman Raser, William Reed Raser, Jr.	1975

Box 2	“1920s letters and misc.”-- mostly letters to Evelyn Norman; photos of her and her grandparents’ house in Rayville; 1981 letters	1920s, 1981
	“Correspondence from Uncle Colgan and the Louisville Normans” (brother of Earnest Barry Norman)	1941-1953
	“Letters to Ev 1943-1965”-- Evelyn Norman Raser	1943-1965
	“Letters- 1951-1955, Duxbury to Opelousas”-- mostly from Pan Thistlewaite and Evelyn Raser to Evelyn Abell Norman	1951-1955
	“Letters 1960s”-- Annie Mamie Purvis to Evelyn Norman; photos of Evelyn Norman as child (1903)	1960s, 1903
	“Old Family pictures and obits”-- Norman, Womble, Buie, Abell photos	ca. 1899-1914

Box 3	Buie and Abell family history
	Clippings, photos, photocopies of obits (can be used for identifying people and then may not keep)
	Photo of Evelyn Abell Norman upon retirement from welfare department; portrait of Earnest Barry Norman, WWII
	Evelyn Abell Norman: Department of Welfare work, Opelousas	ca. 1955-1978
	Evelyn Abell Norman personnel file from Welfare department and newspaper article re her retirement in 1969 [donor gave permission to take personnel file]
	Album presented to Mrs. L.B. Womble by J.W.W., Winnsboro, La. Jan. 25, 1881	1881 (with entries of 1884)
	LSU-- mostly 1944; football programs, “L” book (with drawings of soldiers and co-ed on front), letters Evelyn received from a soldier, script from LSU broadcast (Oct. 12, 1944), primer for LSU Rushee, dance cards for Bub from Deke/Friar’s dances (1920-21)	1920, 1921, 1944
	Earnest Barry Norman photographs and letters (personal and business)	1905-1972


Box 4	“Letters Misc. 1946-49”
	“Also: ‘Life in Opelousas in the ‘50s’ history of mother’s divorce efforts and letters exchanged with Dad in re”-- photos: Kay Norman (1930-1933) daughter of Evelyn Abell and Earnest Barry Norman (story of her death is on back); Evelyn Abell Norman with daughter Evelyn; Opelousas Little Theater programs for EAN and Pan performances; few letters to EAN including some from EBN in Korea; wedding invitation for Pan’s wedding to John Thistlethwaite; photo of Evelyn Abell and brother Ed Charles Abell (1908) and school items including Little Rock High School (1910s)	1908-1951
	“Re Uncle Ed Abell and family”-- Edward C. Abell, mostly letters to sister Evelyn Abell and mother Annie Mamie Womble Abell Purvis, including some while at LSU; some photos	1920-1951
	“Letters from Dad 1939- also some from close family members” and “Letters from Dad see also Mother”-- letters mostly from Earnest Barry Norman to Evelyn Abell Norman as he traveled looking for work in the Depression; later letters include some from Evelyn Norman (later Raser) at LSU and a few from Colgan Norman.	1939-1941
	Letters, 1943-1951, to Evelyn Abell Norman from Earnest Barry Norman, Evelyn Norman (Raser), and a few from Colgan Norman; and to Evelyn Norman Raser from husband William Reed Raser	1943-1951
	Correspondence (1930s and 40s) mostly from EBN to EAN [were originally in Box 5. After box was removed from the freezer, folders were moved to Box 4]	1930s-40s