A remarkable collection of more than 200 intimate love letters, chronicling the courtship and marriage of a couple during the tumultuous years of the Second World War, has been made digitally accessible to the public through the Nashville Public Library. This poignant trove offers a deeply personal glimpse into romance flourishing amidst global conflict and uncertainty.
Discovery and Donation of the Letters
The letters were penned by William Raymond Whittaker, known as Ray, and Jane Dean. They were discovered in a Nashville residence that had once belonged to Jane and her siblings. In 2016, this precious collection was donated to the Metro Nashville Archives, where it has been carefully preserved and catalogued.
Background of the Couple
Ray hailed from New Rochelle, New York, and relocated to Nashville to attend the historically Black Meharry Medical College. It was there that he met and began dating Jane, a fellow student. According to Kelley Sirko, the library's metropolitan archivist, the pair lost contact after Ray departed Nashville. In the summer of 1942, he was conscripted into the Army, marking the beginning of their long-distance correspondence.
Reconnecting Through Letters
While stationed at Fort Huachuca in Arizona, Ray decided to re-establish contact with Jane, who was then working as a medical lab technician at Vanderbilt University. The library does not possess Ray's initial letter, but it does have Jane's heartfelt reply from 30 July 1942.
She greeted him somewhat formally as "Dear Wm R.," writing, "It sure was a pleasant and sad surprise to hear from you. Pleasant because you will always hold a place in my heart and it's nice to know you think of me once in a while. Sad because you are in the armed forces — maybe I shouldn't say that but war is so uncertain, however I'm proud to know that you are doing your bit for your country."
Jane then listed mutual acquaintances who had recently married, noting those with children or rumoured pregnancies, perhaps as a subtle hint. She signed off with, "Write, wire or call me real soon — Lovingly Jane."
An Intimate Look at History
"You can't help but smile when you read through these letters," Sirko remarked. "You really can't. And this was just such an intimate look at two regular people during a really complicated time in our history."
Nashville archivists have been unable to locate any living relatives of Ray and Jane, so most insights come directly from the letters. The couple did not have any children, as noted in Ray's obituary; he passed away in Nashville in 1989. The donation also included photographs and Ray's patch from the historically Black fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha.
Beyond a simple love story, the collection provides "this in-the-moment perspective of ... what it's like just navigating certain racial issues, certain gender issues, their work, the life of a soldier, all of these things," Sirko explained. This broader historical context motivated archivists to enhance public accessibility.
Love and Doubts Amidst War
Just two months after their initial exchange, the romance intensified. Ray was assigned to Fort McClellan in Alabama, where he helped organise the reactivated and segregated 92nd Infantry Division, which later saw combat in Europe. In an undated letter from September 1942, he teased Jane, saying, "I have something very important to tell you when I do see you and you will be surprise to know as to what it is. I might even ask you to marry me. One never knows."
He joked that if he attended officer training school, he could "draw down a fat juicy salary" — about $280 monthly if married versus $175 if single. "Really I can't leave my excess amount of money to the government and must have someone to help me spend it," he wrote.
Initially, Jane expressed skepticism. On 23 September, she asked, "What makes you think you still love me? Is it that you are lonesome and a long way from home. I'm sure I want you to love me but not under those conditions."
Ray's response on 24 September was more serious. "Events are changing so rapidly these days that one can't really plan for the future. But I am going to make a decisive decision in matters of most importances," he wrote. Ray confessed that he had thought he and Jane could not be together due to the distance between them. He mentioned dating other women but found only "trouble and more trouble," lacking the companionship and love he deeply desired.
A 'Darling Husband' and Lasting Union
Soon, Ray won her over, and they married on 7 November in Birmingham. In a letter dated 9 November, Jane addressed Ray as "my darling husband." She expressed rapture about their marriage but sadness at their continued separation, as she had returned to her job and family in Nashville while he remained at the Army base.
"It's a wonderful thing to have such a sweet and lovely husband. Darling you'll never know how much I love you. The only regret is that we didn't marry years ago... As it is now things are so uncertain and we are not together but such a few happy hours. But maybe this old war will soon be over and we can be together for always," she wrote.
She concluded, "Darling be sweet and write to me soon. I want a letter from my husband. Remember I'll always love you. Always — from Your Wife." This collection stands as a testament to enduring love and resilience during one of history's darkest periods.
