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.
This collection was rehoused and a summary created with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities; this finding aid was created with support from NC ECHO.
Size | 1.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 480 items) |
Abstract | William Oscar Spears (1885-1966) of Chattanooga, Tenn., was a United States naval officer who retired as a rear admiral. The collection contains the personal and family papers of Spears, the bulk consisting of detailed letters to his wife, Blanche Snodgrass Spears, concerning his missions to Brazil, 1919-1927, and Peru, 1930-1933; and his service visits to Panama, Cuba, and other South American countries. There are many references to social activities and local political events, including references to riots and political strife in Lima, Peru, 1930-1932; and descriptions of conflict in Havana, Cuba in 1933-1934. Other topics of discussion include Spears's command of various ships in the Atlantic Fleet, his shore life in the United States, naval staff affairs in Washington, D.C., and activities of his family in Chattanooga. Letters from his son, William Junior, relate to his first year at the United States Naval Academy, 1934. Volumes include the household account book of Blanche Spears, 1915-1917, and three volumes of Spears's addresses, printed in Spanish, circa 1930, and an account ledger, 1888. |
Creator | Spears, William Oscar, 1885-1966. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection. |
Language | English |
Processed by: SHC Staff
Encoded by: Noah Huffman, December 2007
Updated by: Adam Fielding, Kate Stratton, and Jodi Berkowitz, January 2011
This collection was rehoused and a summary created with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
This finding aid was created with support from NC ECHO.
Diacritics and other special characters have been omitted from this finding aid to facilitate keyword searching in web browsers.
Back to TopThe 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.
William Oscar Spears (1885-1966) of Chattanooga, Tenn., was a United States naval officer who retired as a rear admiral. His assignments included service in Brazil, Peru, Cuba, and Panama.
Back to TopThe collection contains the personal and family papers of William Oscar Spears (1885-1966). The bulk of the collection consists of detailed letters to his wife, Blanche Snodgrass Spears, concerning his missions to Brazil, 1919-1927, and Peru, 1930-1933; and his service visits to Panama, Cuba, and other South American countries. There are many references to social activities and local political events, including references to riots and political strife in Lima, Peru, 1930-1932; and descriptions of conflict in Havana, Cuba in 1933-1934. Other topics of discussion include Spears's command of various ships in the Atlantic Fleet, his shore life in the United States, naval staff affairs in Washington, D.C., and activities of his family in Chattanooga, Tenn. Letters from his son, William Junior, relate to his first year at the United States Naval Academy, 1934. Volumes include the household account book of Blanche Spears, 1915-1917, and three volumes of Spears's addresses, printed in Spanish, circa 1930, and an account ledger, 1888.
Back to TopFolder 1a |
Original finding aid |
Folder 1 |
Collection survey |
Folder 2 |
1914, 1917-1918 |
Folder 3 |
April-December 1919 |
Folder 4 |
1920, 1922 |
Folder 5 |
May-December 1923 |
Folder 6 |
1924-1926 |
Folder 7 |
1927-1928 |
Folder 8 |
1929 |
Folder 9-10
Folder 9Folder 10 |
1930 |
Folder 11 |
1931 |
Folder 12-13
Folder 12Folder 13 |
1932 |
Folder 14 |
1933 |
Folder 15-16
Folder 15Folder 16 |
1934 |
Folder 17 |
Furniture receipts from Brazil, 1923-1925; unidentifed photographs |
Folder 18 |
Volume 1: Notebook, 1915-1917 |
Folder 19 |
Volume 2: Conferencias del Curso de la Escuela Superior de Guerra Naval: Derecho Internacional, undated |
Folder 20 |
Volume 3: Conferencias del Curso de la Escuela Superior de Guerra naval: Por el Capitan de Navio W. O. Sparks, de la Mision Naval Norteamericana , 1930 |
Folder 21 |
Volume 4: Reglamente de la Base Naval de San Lorenzo, 1930 |
Folder 22 |
Volume 5: Account ledger, 1888 |