Introduction to the series:

This subseries consists of the general incoming correspondence of Eudora Welty. Unlike the Select Correspondence in Series 29b, the letters in this series are not usually part of regular, substantive, or numerous exchanges with Welty, but are rather penned for occasional greetings, or for specific queries or purposes. Indeed, a considerable part of this General Correspondence could be classified as “fan mail.” There are letters of admiration from members of the public, strangers to her. Inspired by her work, her appearances on television, or news articles about her, these letters request autographs, book signings, photographs, or even meetings with Welty herself, and sometimes take the form of birthday or Christmas cards. A number of such letters or cards are from high school and college students, sometimes sent as part of a class exercise, expressing admiration after reading one of Welty’s works for a class assignment, or asking questions of Welty for a paper or project.

Nevertheless, the General Correspondence should be seen as a complement to the Select Correspondence, furthering the information available on Welty’s family, her life in Jackson, and her professional career. Some letters contain information on Welty’s own family. There is correspondence from genealogists investigating the various branches of the Welty family, some of them being Welty family members themselves. Other letters are from people who directly knew members of Welty’s family, such as her brother Edward. A number of letters in the General Correspondence come from residents of Jackson who knew Welty and her family: neighbors; friends of mutual friends, and people who worked for Welty and her family in her home or garden. Further glimpses of Welty’s life in Jackson may be obtained from letters of representatives of Jackson organizations in which Welty took an active interest herself, such as New Stage Theatre or Millsaps College. Indeed, the General Correspondence contains numerous letters regarding Welty’s support of both local and national philanthropic, civic, and arts organizations, including some requests from prominent national or local celebrities such as Patricia Kennedy Lawford, José Ferrer, or Thalia Mara.

The General Correspondence may also be of use for documentation of Welty’s professional career and activities. There are numerous letters from publishers and editors. Some concern works of Welty in publication; some are requests for literary contributions, such as essays, short stories, or introductions by her; and others are invitations for her to read or review works of other writers. Similarly, the General Correspondence contains many letters from presidents and professors of universities and colleges transmitting requests and arrangements for Welty to read or lecture at their institutions, and some from friends or acquaintances she made on such trips. Letters in the General Correspondence also trace the honors received by Welty: the degrees awarded by educational institutions; the monetary grants received from foundations or endowments; literary prizes like the PEN/Malamud Award; and marks of international acclaim such as the French Légion d’Honneur.

There are occasional letters in the General Correspondence that directly relate to those contained in the Select Correspondence. These include both letters sent by acquaintances of Welty’s long-standing friends such as Rosie Russell or Charlotte Capers, and requests received from students or scholars seeking Welty’s help in their research on Welty’s friends, such as Elizabeth Bowen.

Of particular interest for the researcher are the notes by Welty herself that sprinkle envelopes and letters of the General Correspondence as they did the Select. Sometimes these notations take the form of a simple direction to self or secretary to “reply,” or an extraneous list or a macaroon recipe, but they may also consist of comments by Welty on her own work, or the draft of a substantive response.

Note on the Arrangement:

The General Correspondence is arranged by the date of the principal piece of correspondence. The bulk of this collection falls between 1980 and 2001. The dates have been established from the items themselves; lacking such a date, from the postmark of the envelope; or, in the case of an announcement, the date of the event. Undated correspondence and cards follow the dated correspondence. Placed last in the subseries are the oversized items.

Some correspondence mentions gifts or work sent to Welty. If these are not present with the letters, it indicates that these items no longer accompanied the correspondence at the time of processing. In those cases in which letters to Welty still enclosed substantive pieces of work, both the works (whether poetry, stories, genealogy, art or other genres) and their accompanying letters have been removed to another series where their context will be preserved and they may better serve the researcher.

Box List:

Letters lacking exact dates or bearing only approximate ones may be found near folders for the relevant months or years.

Box Number	Folder Numbers	Principal Dates of Correspondence
285	Fol. 1	1936 – 1937
285	Fols. 2-3	1941 – 1949
285	Fols. 4-10	1950 – 1959
285	Fols. 11-18	1960 – 1969
285	Fols. 19-28	January – November 1970
285	Fol. 29	1971
285	Fol. 30	1972
286	Fols. 1-4	January – December 1973
286	Fol. 5	1974
286	Fol. 6	1975
286	Fol. 7	1976
286	Fol. 8	1977
286	Fols. 9-10	January – December 1978
286	Fols. 11-14	January – December 1979
286	Fols. 15-18	January – December 1980
286	Fols. 19-21	January – May 1981
287	Fols. 1-6	June – December 1981
287	Fols. 7-13	January – December 1982
287	Fols. 14-22	January – December 1983
288	Fols. 1-15	January – August 1984
289	Fols. 1-7	September – December 1984
289	Fols. 8-19	January – July 1985
290	Fols. 1-8	August – December 1985
290	Fols. 9-21	January – June 1986
291	Fols. 1-16	July – December 1986
291	Fols. 17-19	January 1987
292	Fols. 1-14	February – October 1987
293	Fols. 1-2	November – December 1987
293	Fol. 3	ca. 1986 – 1987[?]
293	Fols. 4-13	January 1988 – April 1988
294	Fols. 1-14	May – December 1988
295	Fols. 1-19	January – April 1989
296	Fols. 1-8	Birthday cards, April 1989
296	Fols. 9-16	May – July 1989
297	Fols. 1-17	August – December 1989
298	Fols. 1-21	January – August 1990
299	Fols. 1-10	September – December 1990
299	Fols. 11-17	January – March 1991
300	Fols. 1-20	April – November 1991
301	Fols. 1-4	December 1991
301	Fols. 5-19	January – December 1992
302	Fols. 1-17	January – October 1993
303	Fols. 1-4	November – December 1993
303	Fols. 5-19	January – September 1994
304	Fols. 1-5	October – December 1994
304	Fols. 6-14	January – July 1995
305	Fols. 1-11	August – December 1995
305	Fols. 12-21	January – May 1996
306	Fols. 1-11	June – December 1996
306	Fols. 12-13	1996 – 1997
306	Fols. 14–19	January – April 1997
307	Fols. 1-10, 12	May – December 1997
307	Fols. 11-24	January – July 1998
308	Fols. 1-12	August – December 1998
308	Fols. 13–16	January – March 1999
309	Fols. 1-18	April – December 1999
310	Fols. 1–19	January – October 2000
311	Fols. 1-8	November – December 2000
311	Fols. 9–21	January – September 2001
311	Fol. 22	2002
312	Fols. 1–19	Undated correspondence: A – Y
312	Fol. 20	Undated correspondence bearing no last name
312	Fol. 21	Undated unsigned correspondence
312	Fol. 22	Undated cards
312	Fol. 23	Undated empty envelopes
313	Fols. 1–5	Undated Birthday Cards: A – W; cards bearing no last name
313	Fol. 6	Undated birthday cards by students and children
313	Fols. 7-12	Undated Christmas cards: A – V
314	Fol. 1	Undated Christmas cards: W – cards bearing no last name
314	Fol. 2	Undated gift and flower cards
314	Fol. 3	Undated miscellaneous hand-made cards
314	Fol. 4	Undated miscellaneous cards
315	Fol. 1	Oversized Birthday card from Centennial High School, Roswell, Georgia, postmarked March 30, 1999
315	Fol. 2	Natchez Literary Celebration material June 1999
315	Fol. 3	Jack Daniel distillery correspondence and certificate, November 30, 1990
316	Fol. 1	Material concerning Third Annual Eudora Welty Writers’ Symposium, October 10-12, 1991
316	Fol. 2	Correspondence and newsletter regarding the American Society of the French Legion of Honor, May - June 1996
316	Fol. 3	Newsletters of American Society of the French Legion of Honor, March 2000 - March 2011.
316	Fol. 4	Drawing of Welty by Jackson Academy student, n.d.
317	Fol. 1	October 16, 1990 correspondence of Therese Steffen with genealogical chart of the Welti [sic] family
318		90th Birthday Banner for Eudora Welty from Newton High School, Covington, Georgia [April 13, 1999]
377	Fols. 1-3	Davis Magnet School (Jackson, Miss.) birthday cards for Eudora Welty, n.d.
379	Fol. 1	Birthday card and envelope for Welty from Brenan University, Gainesville, Georgia, English 101 class, 2000
379	Fol. 2	Empty envelope, n.d.
380	Fol. 1a	Oversized 90th birthday card for Welty from Olive Branch High School, Olive Branch, Mississippi [1999]
380	Fol. 1b	Material accompanying 90th birthday card from Olive Branch High School: letter, news article, and photographs
380	Fol. 2	Oversized 90th birthday card with many signatures [1999]
381		White House and Presidential families, 1961-2000; n.d.
381	Fols. 1-4	The Kennedy family
381	Fols. 5-6	White House correspondence and invitations
381	Fol. 7	Note from Rosalyn Carter
381	Fols. 8-11	The Clinton family

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