R.C. Ballard Thruston collection
Collection — Folder: S2123
Identifier: S2123
Scope and Contents
This collection includes correspondence sent by R.C. Ballard Thruston of Louisville, Kentucky to Miss Mildred C. Stoler and Miss Esther U. McNitt, librarians at the Indiana State Library, in December 1931 and January 1932. The letters were sent following his visit to the library and relate information about watermarks. The collection also includes photographs of a watermark on an October 7, 1776 letter from the Hyacinth Lasselle family collection (L127) and a watermark from the January 2, 1778 secret orders from Gov. Patrick Henry to George Rogers Clark. The photograph of the Clark letter watermark was taken of the Indiana Historical Society's copy of the letter. The Indiana State Library also has facimiles of this letter (S0638).
Dates
- 1776-1778, 1931-1932
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Biographical Note
Rogers Clark (R.C.) Ballard was born November 6, 1858 in Louisville, Kentucky to Andrew Jackson and Frances Ann (Thruston) Ballard. His great-grandmother was the sister of George Rogers Clark. At the request of his mother, he began using her maiden name when he was 16 and legally changed his surname to Thruston in 1884. An 1880 graduate of the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University, he worked for several different companies, including the Monon Railroad, the Kentucky Geological Survey, the Interstate Investment Company, and the Big Stone Gap Iron Company of Virginia. He later gave up his mining interests to focus on his interest in history and is credited with saving the Filson Club, the institution now known as the Filson Historical Society in Louisville. In 1929, he gave the organization his historical library and collections and an endowment fund of $100,000. He increased the endowment by another $50,000 in 1940. He remained a bachelor all his life and passed away at the age of 88 on December 30, 1946.
Sources:
FindaGrave.com. "Rogers Clark Ballard Thruston." Find a Grace Memorial No. 34134745. Accessed December 30, 2020. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34134745/rogers_clark-ballard-thruston.
"Rogers Clark Ballard Thruston, Historian, Dies at 88." The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.), December 31, 1946. https://www.newspapers.com.
Sources:
FindaGrave.com. "Rogers Clark Ballard Thruston." Find a Grace Memorial No. 34134745. Accessed December 30, 2020. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/34134745/rogers_clark-ballard-thruston.
"Rogers Clark Ballard Thruston, Historian, Dies at 88." The Courier-Journal (Louisville, Ky.), December 31, 1946. https://www.newspapers.com.
Extent
0.01 Cubic Feet (1 folder)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection is arranged chronologically.
Custodial History
This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation from R.C. Ballard Thruston in 1932/01.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
Collection processing completed 2021/01/05 by Laura Eliason. EAD finding aid created 2021/01/05 by Laura Eliason.
Creator
- Title
- R.C. Ballard Thruston collection
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository
Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
