Genealogical sources, especially probated wills, can give the name and address of an author's heir, estate representative or literary executor. Write to the author's last known address. For recently deceased authors, a letter written in care of their last known address could reach a member of the immediate family or someone who has a forwarding address for an executor. An ad in the local paper or a letter to an author's literary agent, a ny professional associations or private clubs the author belonged to could yield information. Ask your librarian to search national data bases.
Many repositories catalog their manuscript holdings online.
These records may indicate restrictions on access to materials as well as specify terms governing the use and reproduction of materials once access to a collection has been provided. The records may also contain information about past ownership of the manuscripts, as well as heirs and estates. Be aware, however, that this information pertains only to the author whose manuscripts are described in the record, not to other individuals represented in the collection. Search published references. The two most useful kinds of references are those that give addresses for authors and those that give location information for an author's papers.