By David Bond
Title: Jett Jacob West papers, 1937-1946
ID: 1/6/MSS 345
Primary Creator: West, Jett Jacob
Extent: 1.0 Boxes
Arrangement: Arranged inby material type.
Date Acquired: 00/00/2006
Subjects: Coal mines and mining - Illinois
Forms of Material: Flood damage - Illinois - Photographs, Writings.
Languages: English
Jett Jacob West (1886-1947) was the father of Anne West Lindsey, Jett West was a traveling auditor for the Peabody Coal Company in Illinois, Kentucky, and West Virginia. He inspected all mines and storerooms for 19 individual coal mines, writing recommendations for reorganization, improvements, and general articles about the Illinois coal industry for local newspapers. He also edited and wrote for an in-house Peabody newsletter, titled “Screenings.”
Besides this work-related writing, West produced creative works for himself and his friends, from high school onward. In this small collection, there are poems and prose by West, as well as non-fiction, correspondence, and some biographical materials. In every case, he displays intelligence, wit, and a great sense of humor. Upon examining this collection, it’s apparent that daughter Elizabeth Anne inherited her writing talent from father, Jett West.
The familial connection between father and daughter is apparent in letters from both Jett and Anne’s collections. Each loved reading, writing, and libraries, as is apparent in one letter thanking Jett and Anne for setting up a library system in Kenvir, Kentucky, through the Peabody Library Association.
Repository: Southern Illinois University Special Collections Research Center
Access Restrictions: Unrestricted access.
Use Restrictions: To quote in print, or otherwise reproduce in whole or in part in any publication, including on the World Wide Web, any material from this collection, the researcher must obtain permission from (1) the owner of the physical property and (2) the holder of the copyright. Persons wishing to quote from this collection should consult Special Collections Research Center to determine copyright holders for information in this collection. Reproduction of any item must contain the complete citation to the original.
Acquisition Source: Gift
Related Materials: Anne West Lindsay papers.
Preferred Citation: [Item], Jett Jacob West papers, Special Collections Research Center, Southern Illinois University Carbondale.