Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction .

Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Harry Baker Cawley Collection, 1918-1922, 1926, undated, Ms2023-062, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Harry Baker Cawley Collection was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives in November 2018.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Harry Baker Cawley Collection was completed in June 2023. Additional processing, arrangement, and description was completed in March 2024.

Biographical Note

Harry Baker Cawley was born on July 14, 1900, to Robert Lee and Mary Lynn Callahan Cawley in Lexington, Kentucky. He served in the United States Navy from 1918-1920. Cawley then studied at Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute (VPI) from 1920-1921. While at VPI, he was a member of the Episcopal Club. After school, he worked as a salesman. Cawley married Martha Lucille McDonald on April 7, 1942, in Duval, Florida, divorcing two years later. Cawley died on March 23, 1946, in Roanoke, and is buried alongside his family in Evergreen Burial Park in Roanoke.

External sources:

U. S. Census, 1910-1920

"Harry Baker Cawley", findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/83829087/harry-baker-cawley/ , accessed on June 28, 2023.

"Virginia, U.S., Death Records, 1912-2014", ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/1934208:9278?tid=&pid=&queryId=49bd69b1853ecd14b66ef313ac9280b0&_phsrc=KIa72&_phstart=successSource , accessed on June 28, 2023.

"Harry B Cawley" in the Florida, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1823-1982, ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/264476:61369 , accessed on March 18, 2024.

"Harry Baker Cawley" in the Florida, U.S., Divorce Index, 1927-2001, ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/406948:8837 , accessed on March 18, 2024.

Scope and Content

This collection contains letters, cards, and envelopes, dated 1918-1926, to Harry B. Cawley from his parents Mary and Robert Cawley, his brothers Marvin and Raymond, and friends, including Eugenia Rea and Kathleen A. Turner. The collection also includes school notes, two writings by Cawley, and two undated photographs - one each of Paul Guthrie Jones and of Lyn Bunting, possibly schoolmates in the 1920s.

Arrangement

The material in this collection is arranged by material type into two series:

Series I: Correspondence, 1918-1926, undated, which is divided into two subseries.

Subseries A: Letters to Harry B. Cawley, 1918-1921, undated, which is arranged by correspondent and chronologically.

Subseries B: Other Correspondence, 1926, undated

Series II: Ephemera, 1918-1922, undated, which is arranged by material type.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Local/Regional History and Appalachian South
• Roanoke (Va.)
• Students and alumni
• Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute (1896-1944)

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Harry Baker Cawley Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).