.
By Jason Adkins, Laura Lozier
Collection Overview
Scope and Contents of the Materials
The Richard Alexander Edwards Collection documents the Cook and Gatewood families of Trimble County, KY, of which Pauline Cook, Edwards's wife, is a descendant. In addition to these family documents dating back to the early 19th century, there are scrapbooks documenting farm activities and daily life. R.A. Edwards added to the scrapbook collection with his notes on bee-keeping. School notes and teaching materials document the education and career of Edwards, especially related to the selection of textbooks. Some materials in this collection were donated throughout his tenure at EKU and were cataloged as a part of the book collection. These have been removed from the catalog and added to this collection to provide a single point of access for family materials.
Collection Historical Note
Richard Alexander Edwards was born January 16, 1884, in Graves County, Kentucky. He taught in Graves County rural schools from 1902 to 1906. After receiving his Bachelors of Arts from the University of Kentucky in 1910, he worked as principal of Trimble County High School until 1914. From 1914 to 1918 he served as superintendent of Morganfield City Schools in Union County. He was employed by Eastern Kentucky State Normal School on September 1, 1918, as the director of the Training School. After winning the General Education Board Scholarship he studied at Columbia University, receiving his Master of Arts in 1925.
Richard A. Edwards was a member of the National Education Association (NEA), National Society for Supervisors of Student Teaching, and the Kentucky Education Association (KEA). He was appointed by Governor Fields to the State Textbook Commission and served from 1924 to 1928. From 1948 to 1951 he was on the State Personnel Council, having been appointed by Governor Clements.
Edwards initiated many programs in his career. In 1915 he helped organize the Kentucky High School Athletic Association. While principal at Trimble County and superintendent at Morganfield, he created sports teams. In 1926 Edwards organized Richmond's first permanent Boy Scout troop in the Model High School. He also wrote several books; Looking Back and Walters Collegiate Institute.
Edwards also had several articles published ranging in topic from the history of Kentucky, to education, to bee-keeping. Richard A. Edwards retired in 1954 after working at Eastern for thirty-six years. On May 25, 1964, Edwards won the Eastern Founders Merit Award, proving his lasting effects on the University. After retirement, Mr. Edwards spent many years working in the Crabbe Library binding books in the Townsend Room and organizing the University's first archives. It is obvious from R.A. Edwards's correspondence that he was respected. He gave advice freely. He was well liked by his colleagues. Thirty-eight fellow teachers signed a proclamation honoring him.
R.A. Edwards was married to Mildred Pauline Cook. They had two children Stephen Edwards, and M. Josephine Edwards. Richard Edwards died on October 8, 1982, and is buried in the Richmond Cemetery.
Subject/Index Terms
Administrative Information
Repository:
Eastern Kentucky University - Special Collections and Archives
Acquisition Source:
Edwards, Steven & Josephine Edwards Carpenter
Acquisition Method:
gift
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Series:
[Series 1: Cook/Gatewood Family],
[
Series 2: Richard A. Edwards Papers],
[
Series 3: Oversize Materials],
[
All]
- Series 1: Cook/Gatewood Family
- Box 1
- Most of the documents in this series are letters from four brothers; George Homer Cook, James B. Cook, William G. Cook, and Alexander Cook. They were sons of Charles B. Cook and Sarah Gatewood. The letters and receipts in this series tell a story of farm life from 1820 to about 1911. The series is arranged in alphabetical order by name of correspondent, and then in chronological order.
- Barcode: 31234014058588
- Folder 1: Letters and Accounts of Archibald Bain, 1823-1882
- Folder 2: Alexander Cook, 1855-1918
- Folder 3: Charles B. Cook Mathematics, 1809-1834
- A manuscript mathematics book used by Charles B. Cook concentrating on financial calculations such as simple and compound interest and record keeping. The back part of the volume was used as a ledger for personal purchases and wagon accounts from 1820 until 1834.
- Folder 4: Charles B. Cook receipts, 1826-1889
- Folder 5: Charles B. Cook receipts, 1854-1862
- Folder 6: Charles B. Cook receipts, 1863-1889
- Folder 7: G. Homer Cook Letters and Notes, 1875-1894
- Folder 8: G. Homer Cook Receipts, 1862-1897
- Folder 9: James B. Cook Correspondence, 1853-1873
- Folder 10: James B. Cook Correspondence, 1861-1866
- Folder 11: James B. Cook, Correspondence and Receipts, 1867-1905
- Folder 12: Farm Record Book of James B. Cook, Bedford, Ky, 1838-1912
- Folder 13: Trimble County, KY Tax Book, 1866
- Tax book for Trimble County kept by James B. Cook, sheriff of Trimble County, Kentucky.
- Folder 14: William G. Cook Correspondence, 1855-1873
- Folder 15: William G. Cook Correspondence, 1873-1891
- Folder 16: William G. Cook Letters and Receipts, 1891-1911
- Box 2
- Barcode: 31234014058570
- Folder 1: Cook Family Daughters Correspondence, 1857-1880
- Folder 2: Cook Family Daughters Correspondence, 1880-1883
- Folder 3: Mildred H. Cook Scrapbook, 1847-1929
- This scrapbook has newspaper clippings of jokes, poems, and social announcements. This scrapbook could be useful for finding birth and death announcements. The scrapbook is in chronological order.
- Folder 4: Mildred Cook Scrapbook, Loose Pages
- Folder 5: Gatewood and Cook - Family Record Book
- Book contains financial records, handwriting samples, poetry, and other miscellaneous notes.
- Folder 6: William Gatewood Notes, 1820-1832
- Folder 7: William Gatewood Notes, 1832-1834
- Folder 8: William Gatewood Notes, 1835-1840
- Folder 9: Trimble County, KY Tax Books, 1837-1838
- Two tax books kept by William Gatewood, sheriff of Trimble County, Kentucky.
- Box 3
- Barcode: 31234014058562
- Folder 1: Gillis and Cook Family Photograph Album, ca. 1870 - ca. 1920
- The photographs in this album had birth and death dates noted on many photos and these are included in the item title. This album was originally given to the Dorris Museum. (accession #: 80-3-2)
- Item 1: W.B. Gillis, 1829-1918
- Item 2: Mr. and Mrs. W.B. Gillis and granddaughter Ollie Spillman, 1876-1896
- Item 3: Andrew Graham Gillis, 1860-1888
- Item 4: Mrs. Martha (Cooke) Latty, 1802-1896
- Mother of Mrs. Elizabeth (Latty) Ewing.
- Item 5: Clyde, Elizabeth, and Guy Cook
- Item 6: Mildred H. Cook, 1845-1929
- Item 7: Ora Cook, 1857-1938
- Item 8: Sallie Goode, 1869-1905
- Item 9: Willie Goode, 1871-1891
- Item 10: Leslie "Bud" Goode, 1873-1893
- Item 11: Ben. Cook, 1869-1934
- Item 12: Fred Cook, 1864-1919, and wife Minnie
- Item 13: Sarah Wright, d. 1935; Josephine Wright, b. 1874; Dorothy Wright, b. 1868
- Item 14: Tom Terrell
- Item 15: Dora Latty, 1862-1951
- Item 16: Richard A. Edwards, b. 1884
- Item 17: Mrs. R.A. Edwards, b. 1893 and son Stephen b. 1916
- Mildred Pauline Cook.
- Item 18: Hurley Lee, b. 1888
- Item 19: Frank Biggerstaff
- Son of Sallie Martin Biggerstaff.
- Item 20: Harry Campbell
- Item 21: Joe Campbell
- Item 22: Vera Cutshaw, b.1981 and Clarence Cutshaw, b.1888
- Item 23: Chan. Cutshaw, b.1893
- Item 24: Ray and Guy Cook
- Item 25: Susan Baker Gillis, 1828-1922
- Item 26: James W. Skidmore
- Item 27: James H. Goode, b.1880
- Item 28: Unidentified Man
- Item 29: Judge John Lee
- Item 30: Mrs. Sarah Gillis Lee, 1859-1896
- Item 31: John Adams of Sulphur
- Item 32: Mrs. Lena Tague Adams
- Item 33: John Lee, Jr.
- Item 34: Unidentified Child
- Item 35: Unidentified Child
- Item 36: Unidentified Child
- Item 37: Mildred Pauline Cook
- Item 38: Mildred Josephine Edwards
- Item 39: Charles B. Cook and buddies
- Taken during WWI in Coblenzer, Germany.
- Item 40: Mr. and Mrs. W.B. Gillis and Stephen Edwards, 1918
Browse by Series:
[Series 1: Cook/Gatewood Family],
[
Series 2: Richard A. Edwards Papers],
[
Series 3: Oversize Materials],
[
All]
