The digital collection consists of letters written by Katharine Wright Haskell ranging from 1922 to 1926. They contain a variety of details from her personal life, from major historical moments to minor details of her daily life and interpersonal connections. Throughout her life, Katharine assisted her brothers in their engineering and business ventures, was an activist in the first-wave feminist movement, taught high school, and was an Oberlin College Board of Trustees member.
These letters illustrate her life in her later years, allowing us a glimpse of who she was as a private person. She writes of her thoughts on a variety of topics and her daily life. Among other topics and events, we get insight into her life as companion and assistant to her brother Orville, her work on the Oberlin College Board of Trustees, her romantic relationship with Henry, and the many friendships she fostered throughout her life.
These letters were written prior to Katharine's marriage to Henry Haskell. We have chosen to refer to her as Katharine Wright in descriptions to reflect the time in her life when she was writing them.
The Wright State University Archives would like to make a special acknowledgment to Lois E. Walker for sharing her transcriptions of these letters.
For more information on this collection, please view the collection finding aid or visit Wright State University Special Collections and Archives.
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Letter, April 16, 1926, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
In this letter, Katharine Wright writes to Henry Haskell about her and her friends' individual travel plans, Orville's plans to go to Little Rock for the balloon races, Henry's son, and other aspects of her daily life.
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Letter, April 15, 1926, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
In this letter, Katharine Wright writes to Henry Haskell about the journalist Menken, her friend's stay with her, and their individual travel plans, among other aspects of her daily life.
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Letter, April 14, 1926, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
In this letter, Katharine Wright writes to Henry Haskell about her friends' travel plans, Henry's career, and other aspects of her daily life.
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Letter, April 13, 1926, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
In this letter, Katharine Wright writes to Henry Haskell about his work, her thoughts on Sinclair Lewis, and other aspects of her daily life.
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Letter, April 12, 1926, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
Katharine Wright pens a love letter to Henry Haskell.
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Letter, April 11, 1926, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
In this letter, Katharine Wright writes to Henry Haskell about her day with her friend, including how they talked about Oberlin College President King and other colleagues' usage of funds during the Endowment Campaign. She talked about a faculty member assisting in establishing a scientific school in Greece, Ohio taxation law, Henry's job, and other aspects of her daily life.
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Letter, April 10, 1926, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
In this letter, Katharine Wright writes to Henry Haskell realizing her dating mistakes over the last week. She tells Henry about her day with her friend, including seeing a movie that included film reels from the burning of Smyrna and showing her McCook field. She also talked about Henry's and Orville's individual work.
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Letter, April 9, 1926, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
In this letter Katharine Wright mis-dates the letter. She writes to Henry Haskell about her opinion on different individuals and writers' articles and work including Mencken, their finances, her and Orville's travel plans, expresses her anxieties over the new experience of their relationship, and other aspects of her daily life.
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Letter, April 8, 1926, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
In this letter Katharine Wright mis-dates the letter. She writes to Henry Haskell about her friends, colleagues at Oberlin College, a writer of a physics textbook reaching out to Orville about him and William, and other aspects of her daily life.
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Letter, April 7, 1926, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
In this letter Katharine Wright mis-dates the letter. She writes to Henry Haskell about her day shopping with her friend and long term guest, Nan.
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Letter, April 6, 1926, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
In this letter Katharine Wright mis-dates the letter. She writes to Henry Haskell expressing her support of any decision he makes regarding his career, either staying at The Star or looking for work in other places.
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Letter, April 5, 1926, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
In this letter Katharine Wright mis-dates the letter. Katharine pens a love letter to Henry Haskell.
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Letter, April 4, 1926, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
In this letter Katharine Wright mis-dates the letter. Katharine writes to Henry Haskell about her Easter visitors and other aspects of her daily life.
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Letter, April 3, 1926, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
In this letter Katharine Wright mis-dates the letter. Katharine writes to Henry Haskell about his tour, the ongoing ownership issues at The Kansas City Star, and other aspects of her daily life.
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Letter, April 1, 1926, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
In this letter, Katharine Wright writes to Henry Haskell about disagreements in a discussion on politics between Orville and a friend of theirs who was visiting.
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Letter, March 31, 1926, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
In this letter, Katharine Wright writes to Henry Haskell about the continuing visit of her college friend, more discussion of The Kansas City Star, and aspects of her daily life.
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Letter, Undated #30, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
This letter is undated and unattached to any other letter, but is believed to have been written on March 30, 1926. In this letter, Katharine Wright writes to Henry Haskell about her daily life, including the coal delivery and friends' visits. She updates him on some Oberlin College Board of Trustee business and reminisces about some of their days attending the college themselves.
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Letter, March 29, 1926, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
In this letter, Katharine Wright writes to Henry Haskell discusses a professor at Oberlin College and a favored student of his, as well as other aspects of her daily life.
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Letter, Undated #28, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
This letter is undated and unattached to any other letter, but is believed to have been written on March 29, 1926. In this letter, Katharine Wright writes to Henry Haskell about The Star employee buyout and trustee board being set up for it, her lunch with a friend - where they discussed paintings and artists, and her plan to drive up to Lawrence among other aspects of her daily life.
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Letter, March 28, 1926, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
In this letter, Katharine Wright writes to Henry Haskell describing the process of designing the book-plate she had made for his as a gift and attempts to assuage his anxiety about the still uncertain ownership of The Kansas City Star.
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Letter, March 26, 1926, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
In this letter, Katharine Wright writes to Henry Haskell about Henry's coworkers, her fellow Board of Trustee members, and other aspects of their daily life.
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Letter, March 25, 1926, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
In this letter, Katharine Wright writes to Henry Haskell about internal politics at within the Oberlin College Board of Trustees and Committees, and expresses some of her thoughts on the impending employee ownership of The Kansas City Star.
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Letter, March 24, 1926, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
In this letter, Katharine Wright writes to Henry Haskell about Women's Pages in newspapers and a story she read in The Bookman to generally express her amusement and distaste at men who decide what women should be reading and what women are found 'exceptional'. She also discusses the book plate she bought for Henry for Christmas that is still being created, and other aspects of her daily life.
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Letter, Undated #31, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
This letter is undated and unattached to any other letter, but is believed to have been written on March 23, 1926. In this letter, Katharine Wright writes to Henry Haskell about the transitory and uncertain state of The Kansas City Star and how Henry might move on from the paper to further his career.
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Letter, Undated #32, Katharine Wright to Henry J. Haskell
Katharine Wright Haskell
This letter is undated and unattached to any other letter, but is believed to have been written on March 22, 1926. In this letter, Katharine Wright writes to Henry Haskell about sick friends and presents she sent him. She pokes fun of his Unitarian beliefs and addresses her feelings about the Nelsons and how they ran the Star.
