Letters found in home show messages between WWII soldier, future wife

4 days ago 10

Highlights from a trove of much than 200 love letters that archer the communicative of a couple's courtship and matrimony during World War II are present connected show digitally done the Nashville Public Library, offering an intimate representation of emotion during wartime.

The letters by William Raymond Whittaker and Jane Dean were recovered successful a Nashville location that had belonged to Jane and her siblings. They were donated successful 2016 to the Metro Nashville Archives. Sarah Arntz with Metro Archives told CBS affilaite WTVF the letters were recovered adjacent a fireplace astatine a location adjacent to what is present Music Row.

Whittaker, who went by Ray, was from New Rochelle, New York. He moved to the Tennessee superior to be the historically Black Meharry Medical College, according to the library's metropolitan archivist, Kelley Sirko. That's wherever helium met and dated Jane, different pupil astatine the college.

The brace mislaid interaction erstwhile Ray near Nashville. In the summertime of 1942 helium was drafted into the Army. Stationed astatine Fort Huachuca successful Arizona, helium decided to reestablish interaction with Jane, who was past moving arsenic a aesculapian laboratory technician astatine Vanderbilt University

A "pleasant and bittersweet surprise"

The room doesn't person Ray's archetypal missive to Jane, but it does person her reply. She greets him somewhat formally arsenic "Dear Wm R."

"It definite was a pleasant and bittersweet astonishment to perceive from you," she writes connected July 30, 1942. "Pleasant due to the fact that you volition ever clasp a spot successful my bosom and its bully to cognize you deliberation of maine erstwhile successful a while. Sad due to the fact that you are successful the equipped forces — possibly I shouldn't accidental that but warfare is truthful uncertain, nevertheless I'm arrogant to cognize that you are doing your spot for your country."

Jane past goes connected to database — possibly arsenic a hint? — a drawstring of communal acquaintances who person gotten joined recently, noting those who person had children oregon are rumored to beryllium having children. She signs off, "Write, ligament oregon telephone maine existent soon — Lovingly Jane."

A communicative told successful letters

"You can't assistance but grin erstwhile you work done these letters," Sirko said. "You truly can't. And this was conscionable specified an intimate look astatine 2 regular radical during a truly analyzable clip successful our history."

Sirko said Nashville archivists person not been capable to find immoderate surviving relatives of Ray and Jane, truthful astir of what they cognize astir them is from the letters. The mates did not person immoderate children, according to an obituary for Ray, who died successful Nashville successful 1989.

The donation besides included a fewer photographs and Ray's spot from the historically Black fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha.

Beyond a emotion story, the postulation gives "this in-the-moment position of ... what it's similar conscionable navigating definite radical issues, definite sex issues, their work, the beingness of a soldier, each of these things," Sirko said. That's wherefore the archivists wanted to marque it much accessible to the public.

The letters besides connection glimpses of what beingness was similar for an African American worker successful World War II, WTVF reported. In 1 of the letters, Jane urges Ray to beryllium cautious erstwhile helium was successful Alabama.

Love and doubts

Just 2 months aft the archetypal letters, the romance has heated up. Ray has been assigned to Fort McClellan successful Alabama, wherever helium volition assistance signifier the reactivated — and segregated — 92nd Infantry Division, which went connected to spot combat successful Europe.

In an undated missive from September 1942, helium tells Jane, "I person thing precise important to archer you erstwhile I bash spot you and you volition beryllium astonishment to cognize arsenic to what it is.

"I mightiness adjacent inquire you to wed me. One ne'er knows."

He teases her by saying that if helium goes to serviceman grooming school, helium volition beryllium capable to "draw down a abdominous juicey salary" — astir $280 a period if helium is joined and $175 if single.

"Really I can't permission my excess magnitude of wealth to the authorities and indispensable person idiosyncratic to assistance maine walk it," helium writes.

At archetypal Jane is skeptical. "What makes you deliberation you inactive emotion me?" she asks connected Sept. 23. "Is it that you are lonesome and a agelong mode from home. I'm definite I privation you to emotion maine but not nether those conditions."

A Sept. 24 missive from Ray is much serious. "Events are changing truthful rapidly these days that 1 can't truly program for the future. But I americium going to marque a decisive determination successful matters of astir importances," helium writes.

Ray says that helium had thought helium and Jane could not beryllium unneurotic due to the fact that they lived truthful acold apart. He says helium dated different women but "I didn't find the companionship and emotion that I truthful dearly wanted to find. All I ran into was occupation and much trouble."

A "darling husband"

Soon Ray wins her over, and they are joined connected Nov. 7 successful Birmingham.

Once Raymond was discharged from the military, the mates lived extracurricular of New York City for a portion earlier relocating to Nashville, archivists told WTVF.

In a missive from Nov. 9, Jane addresses Ray arsenic "my darling husband." She is rapturous astir the matrimony but bittersweet that the mates has to stay isolated for now. She has already returned to her occupation and household successful Nashville portion helium has returned to the Army base.

"It's a fantastic happening to person specified and saccharine and beauteous husband. Darling you'll ne'er cognize however overmuch I emotion you. The lone regret is that we didn't wed years ago... As it is present things are truthful uncertain and we are not unneurotic but specified a fewer blessed hours. But possibly this aged warfare volition soon beryllium implicit and we tin beryllium unneurotic for always."

She concludes, "Darling beryllium saccharine and constitute to maine soon. I privation a missive from my husband. Remember I'll ever emotion you. Always — from Your Wife"