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Collection Number: 05082-z

Collection Title: Wylie Family Papers, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.


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Size 117 items.
Abstract The marriage in June 1905 of African Americans Jessie Early and Thomas A. Wylie united the Early family of Peoria, Ill., and the Wylie family of Coulterville, Ill. The collection consists chiefly of family photographs taken in Illinois and Kentucky between 1893 and 1982, with most dating between 1900 and 1940. Early photographs document members of Jessie Early Wylie's family in Peoria, Ill., and the family of her husband, Thomas A. Wylie, of Coulterville, Ill. Thomas's sister, Mary Wylie Blakeley, is the most frequent subject. There are also many images of Jessie Early Wylie and Thomas A. Wylie's children, especially Minnie Wylie Graves. Other extended family represented include Payne and Reed cousins. Some photographs are formal portraits; others are casual snapshots. Notable images depict Everett Wylie in his World War II uniform; Mary Wylie Blakeley's restaurant in Paducah, Ky.; E. Payne Wylie, a Cherokee Indian who was Thomas A. Wylie's cousin; and Bernice Wylie as a bridesmaid in a 1933 wedding party. Also included are copies of newspaper obituaries, an 1890 prayer card, a photocopy of an 1896 marriage license, and a postcard from the Union Depot in Coulterville, Ill.
Creator Wylie (Family : Coulterville, Ill.)
Curatorial Unit Southern Historical Collection
Language English.
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Restrictions to Access
No restrictions. Open for research.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Wylie Family Papers #5082-z, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Provenance
Received from Albert Wylie III of Peoria, Ill., in January 2001 (Acc. 99127), March 2002 (Acc. 99205), and August 2003 (99598).
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
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The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Biographical Information

The marriage in June 1905 of Jessie Early and Thomas A. Wylie united the Early and Wylie families. Jessie Early was the daughter of Joshua Early (1857-1915) of Nashville, Tenn., and Mattie Washington Early (1864-1935) of Farmville, Va. Joshua and Mattie Early were married in 1880 in Springfield, Ill., and moved in 1884 to Peoria, Ill. They had four daughters: Minnie, Elizabeth, Pinkie, and Jessie. Pinkie Early married Arthur Stewart in 1900 and had two daughters: Verlie (b. 1902) and Thelma (b. 1904). She became seriously ill with strep throat and died in 1908.

Thomas Wylie (1855-1890) and Emmaline Reed of Coulterville, Ill., had three children who lived to adulthood: Mary, Millie, and Thomas A. Mary Wylie married William Blakeley and owned a restaurant in Paducah, Ky. The extended Wylie family included cousins Marvin and Herbert King; J. Finley Wilson; and Elizabeth Gillis, who lived to be 114 years old. It also included E. Payne Wylie, a Cherokee Indian who was Thomas A. Wylie's cousin.

Jessie Early Wylie (b. 1887) and Thomas A. Wylie (b. 1884) had several children of their own, including Minnie Wylie Graves (d. 1994), Bernice Wylie, Irma Wylie McGavock, Everett Wylie (1921-1944), and Albert Wylie. Everett Wylie served in World War II and was killed at Guadalcanal on 20 July 1944. Albert Wylie died of pneumonia and liver failure in 1930.

Biographical information was provided by Albert Wylie III.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

The Wylie family papers consist chiefly of family photographs taken between 1893 and 1982, with most dating between 1900 and 1940. The majority depict the African American family in Illinois and Kentucky in the first half of the 20th century. Early photographs document members of Jessie Early Wylie's family in Peoria, Ill., and the family of her husband, Thomas A. Wylie, of Coulterville, Ill. Thomas's sister, Mary Wylie Blakeley (sometimes spelled Blakely; also identified as Mary Wylie Cannon Blakeley), is the most frequent subject. There are also many images of Jessie Early Wylie and Thomas A. Wylie's children, especially Minnie Wylie Graves. Other extended family represented include Payne and Reed cousins. Some photographs are formal portraits; others are casual snapshots.

Notable images depict Everett Wylie in his World War II uniform; Mary Wylie Blakeley's restaurant in Paducah, Ky.; E. Payne Wylie, a Cherokee Indian; and Bernice Wylie as a bridesmaid in a 1933 wedding party. Also included in the collection are copies of newspaper obituaries of Everett Wylie and Elizabeth Gillis, an 1890 prayer card for Alice Bell Wylie, a photocopy of the 1896 marriage license of Emmaline Wylie and Milton Beauford, and a postcard from the Union Depot in Coulterville, Ill.

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Contents list

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series Quick Links

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940).

44 items.

The Wylie family papers consist chiefly of family photographs taken between 1893 and 1982, with most dating between 1900 and 1940. The majority depict the African American family in Illinois and Kentucky in the first half of the 20th century. Early photographs document members of Jessie Early Wylie's family in Peoria, Ill., and the family of her husband, Thomas A. Wylie, of Coulterville, Ill. Thomas's sister, Mary Wylie Blakeley, is the most frequent subject. There are also many images of Jessie Early Wylie and Thomas A. Wylie's children. Some photographs are formal portraits; others are casual snapshots.

Notable images depict Everett Wylie in his World War II uniform; Mary Wylie Blakeley's restaurant in Paducah, Ky.; and E. Payne Wylie, a Cherokee Indian. Also included in the collection are copies of newspaper obituaries of Everett Wylie and Elizabeth Gillis and an 1890 prayer card for Alice Bell Wylie.

Folder 1

Papers

Image Folder PF-5082/1

Photographs: Early family

P-5082/1: Mattie Washington Early, undated #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/1
P-5082/2: Joshua A. Early and Jessie Early Wylie, 1893 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/1
P-5082/3: Jessie Early Wylie, Minnie Wylie, and Albert Wylie, 1911 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/1
P-5082/4: Pinkie Early Stewart, 1906-1907 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/1
P-5082/5: Arthur Stewart, Verlie Stewart, and Thelma Stewart, 1910 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/1
P-5082/6: Arthur Stewart, undated #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/1
Image Folder PF-5082/2

Photographs: Wylie family

P-5082/7: Emmaline Reed Wylie, 1900 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/2
P-5082/8: Sara Reed, 1935 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/2
P-5082/9-10: Thomas A. Wylie, 1905, 1906 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/2
P-5082/11: Minnie Wylie Graves, Thomas A. Wylie, Mary Wylie Blakeley, and Mr. Graves, undated #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/2
P-5082/12: Millie Wylie, undated #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/2
P-5082/13: William Blakeley, 1898 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/2
P-5082/14-16: Mary Wylie Blakeley, 1898-1928 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/2
P-5082/17: Mary Wylie Blakeley and friend, 1933 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/2
P-5082/18: Mary Wylie Blakeley and friend, 1935 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/2
P-5082/19: Mary Wylie Blakeley, 1939 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/2
P-5082/20: Mary Wylie Blakeley and Thomas A. Wylie, 1950 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/2
P-5082/21: Mary Wylie Blakeley and friend, undated #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/2
P-5082/22: Restaurant owned by Mary Wylie Blakeley, 1900 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/2
P-5082/23: Mary Wylie, undated #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/2
P-5082/24: Marvin King and Herbert King, 1929 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/2
P-5082/25: J. Finley Wilson, 1925 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/2
P-5082/26: E. Payne Wylie, undated #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/2
Image Folder PF-5082/3

Photographs: Jessie Early and Thomas A. Wylie family

P-5082/27-28: Albert R. Wylie, 1906, 1928 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/3
P-5082/29: Albert Wylie and Herbert King, 1929 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/3
P-5082/30: Jessie Wylie and friends, 1932 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/3
P-5082/31: Jessie Pickett Wylie, 1929 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/3
P-5082/32: Bernice Wylie and friends, 1933 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/3
P-5082/33: Bernice Wylie, 1933 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/3
P-5082/34-35: Irma Wylie McGavock, 1947, 1948 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/3
P-5082/36: Everett Wylie, Mary Wylie Blakeley, and Thomas A. Wylie, 1939 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/3
P-5082/37: Everett Wylie in uniform, 1943 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/3
P-5082/38: Minnie Wylie Graves, 1934 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/3
P-5082/39: Minnie Wylie Graves, Mr. Graves, and Mary Wylie Blakeley, undated #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/3
P-5082/40: Minnie Wylie Graves, 1979 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/3
P-5082/41: Minnie Wylie Graves with friends and relatives, 1982 #05082-z, Series Original Deposit, 1893-1982 (bulk 1900-1940)., Imagefolder PF-5082/3
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Addition of 2003.

73 items.

The addition consists of more photographs of the Early and Wylie families, a photocopy of the 1896 marriage license of Emmaline Wylie and Milton Beauford, and a postcard from the Union Depot in Coulterville, Ill. Many of the photographs are of Mary Wylie Blakeley (sometimes spelled Blakely; also identified as Mary Wylie Cannon Blakeley), and of the children of Jessie Early and Thomas A. Wylie, especially Minnie Wylie Graves. Other extended family represented include Payne and Reed cousins. Some photographs are formal portraits; others are casual snapshots. Of note is a photograph of Bernice Wylie as a bridesmaid in a 1933 wedding party.

Folder 2

Papers

Image Folder PF-5082/4

Photographs: Early family

P-5082/42: Joshua Early, 1913 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/4
P-5082/43: Minnie Early, 1902 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/4
P-5082/44: Pinkie Early and Arthur Stewart, 1905 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/4
Image Folder PF-5082/5

Photographs: Wylie family

P-5082/45: Millie Wylie, 1899 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/5
P-5082/46: Millie Wylie, 1902 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/5
P-5082/47: Millie Wylie, 1904 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/5
P-5082/48: Emmaline Beauford, ca. 1913 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/5
P-5082/49: Milton Beauford, undated #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/5
P-5082/50: Mary Wylie Cannon Blakely, ca. 1900 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/5
Image Folder PF-5082/6

Photographs: Wylie family

P-5082/50-54 Mary Wylie Cannon Blakely, 1906 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/6
P-5082/55: Mary Wylie Cannon Blakely, 1907 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/6
P-5082/56: Mary Wylie's lunch room (Paducah, Ky.), 1910 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/6
P-5082/57: Mary Wylie Blakely and friends, 1925 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/6
P-5082/58: Mary Wylie Blakely and Mr. Jones, 1925 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/6
P-5082/59: Mary Wylie Blakely, 1933 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/6
P-5082/60: Mary Wylie Cannon Blakely, 1934 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/6
P-5082/61: Mary Wylie Blakely and friends, 1935 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/6
P-5082/62: Mary Wylie Blakely, 1936 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/6
P-5082/63: Mary Wylie Blakely, Everett Wylie, and Thomas Wylie, 1939 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/6
P-5082/64: Mary Wylie and husband F. Cannon, undated #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/6
Image Folder PF-5082/7

Photographs: Wylie family

P-5082/65: James Williams, friend of Mary Wylie Blakely, undated #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/7
P-5082/66: Friends of Mary Wylie Blakely at Coulterville, Ill., undated #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/7
P-5082/67-68: Friends of Mary Wylie Blakely at Paducah, Ky., 1922 and undated #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/7
P-5082/69-70: Tillie Brown and family?, cousins of Mary Wylie Blakely, 1915 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/7
P-5082/71-72: Cousins of Mary Wylie Blakely, undated #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/7
Image Folder PF-5082/8

Photographs: Wylie and Early family

P-5082/73-74: Albert Wylie, 1906 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/8
P-5082/75: Everett Wylie, 1921 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/8
P-5082/76: Everett Wylie, 1942 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/8
P-5082/77: Bernice Wylie and friends, 1929 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/8
P-5082/78: Bernice Wylie, 1933 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/8
P-5082/79: Bernice Wylie, 1934 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/8
Image Folder PF-5082/9

Photographs: Wylie and Early family

P-5082/80-81: Irma Wylie, 1939 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/9
P-5082/82: Irma Wylie, Jessie Early Wylie, and Ramona, 1947 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/9
P-5082/83: Irma Wylie, 1948 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/9
P-5082/84: Thomas Wylie and Bev Graves, 1957 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/9
P-5082/85: Thomas Wylie and friends at work for Caterpillar, 1949 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/9
P-5082/86: Inez Wylie, undated #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/9
Image Folder PF-5082/10

Photographs: Wylie and Early family

P-5082/87: Minnie Wylie, 1920s #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/10
P-5082/88: Minnie Wylie and friends (5 pictures on a photo album page), undated #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/10
P-5082/89: Minnie Wylie and cousin, 1930 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/10
P-5082/90: Minnie Wylie Graves and husband, Harold Graves, 1940 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/10
P-5082/91: Minnie Wylie Graves, 1941 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/10
P-5082/92: Minnie Wylie Graves, 1950 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/10
P-5082/93: Minnie Wylie Graves and Sylvia Ellis, 1952 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/10
Image Folder PF-5082/11

Photographs: Payne family

P-5082/94: Clarence Payne and wife, undated #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/11
P-5082/95: Clarence Payne and son Harold Payne, 1937 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/11
P-5082/96-97: Clarence Payne and family, 1939 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/11
P-5082/98: Clarence Payne, undated #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/11
P-5082/99: Sara Payne and daughter, undated #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/11
P-5082/100: Cousin Payne, 1915 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/11
P-5082/101: Cousin Payne, undated #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/11
Image Folder PF-5082/12

Photographs: Reed family

P-5082/102: Cousin Reed and wife, undated #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/12
P-5082/103: Cousins of Reeds and Paynes, undated #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/12
P-5082/104: Cousin Reed, 1910 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/12
P-5082/105: Cousin Reed, 1900s #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/12
P-5082/106: Cousin Reed, undated #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/12
Image Folder PF-5082/13

Photographs: Miscellaneous

P-5082/107: Cordell Watson and Sultan, 1945 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/13
P-5082/108: Cousin Corine, 1927 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/13
P-5082/109: Jessie Penson, undated #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/13
P-5082/110: U. S. Grant, 1860s #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/13
P-5082/111: Mary Wylie Blakely home, undated #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/13
P-5082/112: Workplace of Thomas Wylie, ca. 1911-1912 #05082-z, Series Addition of 2003., Imagefolder PF-5082/13
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Items Separated

Items separated include image folders PF-5082/1-13.

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