An envelope from a Black soldier stationed in Alabama written to his wife in Nashville in 1942 shows a stamp that says "Idle Gossip Sinks Ships" Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Kristin M. Hall)2026-02-11T05:06:34Z NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Highlights from a trove of more than 200 love letters that tell the story of a couples courtship and marriage during World War II are now on display digitally through the Nashville Public Library, offering an intimate picture of love during wartime.The letters by William Raymond Whittaker and Jane Dean were found in a Nashville home that had belonged to Jane and her siblings. They were donated in 2016 to the Metro Nashville Archives.Whittaker, who went by Ray, was from New Rochelle, New York. He moved to the Tennessee capital to attend the historically Black Meharry Medical College, according to the librarys metropolitan archivist, Kelley Sirko. Thats where he met and dated Jane, another student at the college. The pair lost touch when Ray left Nashville. In the summer of 1942 he was drafted into the Army. Stationed at Fort Huachuca in Arizona, he decided to reestablish contact with Jane, who was then working as a medical lab technician at Vanderbilt University. A pleasant and sad surpriseThe library doesnt have Rays first letter to Jane, but it does have her reply. She greets him somewhat formally as Dear Wm R.It sure was a pleasant and sad surprise to hear from you, she writes on July 30, 1942. Pleasant because you will always hold a place in my heart and its nice to know you think of me once in a while. Sad because you are in the armed forces maybe I shouldnt say that but war is so uncertain, however Im proud to know that you are doing your bit for your country.Jane then goes on to list perhaps as a hint? a string of mutual acquaintances who have gotten married recently, noting those who have had children or are rumored to be having children. She signs off, Write, wire or call me real soon Lovingly Jane.A story told in lettersYou cant help but smile when you read through these letters, Sirko said. You really cant. And this was just such an intimate look at two regular people during a really complicated time in our history.Sirko said Nashville archivists have not been able to locate any living relatives of Ray and Jane, so most of what they know about them is from the letters. The couple did not have any children, according to an obituary for Ray, who died in Nashville in 1989. The donation also included a few photographs and Rays patch from the historically Black fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha. Beyond a love story, the collection gives this in-the-moment perspective of ... what its like just navigating certain racial issues, certain gender issues, their work, the life of a soldier, all of these things, Sirko said. Thats why the archivists wanted to make it more accessible to the public. Love and doubtsJust two months after the first letters, the romance has heated up. Ray has been assigned to Fort McClellan in Alabama, where he will help organize the reactivated and segregated 92nd Infantry Division, which went on to see combat in Europe. In an undated letter from September 1942, he tells Jane, 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 teases her by saying that if he goes to officer training school, he will be able to draw down a fat juicey salary about $280 a month if he is married and $175 if single. Really I cant leave my excess amount of money to the government and must have someone to help me spend it, he writes. At first Jane is skeptical. What makes you think you still love me? she asks on Sept. 23. Is it that you are lonesome and a long way from home. Im sure I want you to love me but not under those conditions. A Sept. 24 letter from Ray is more serious. Events are changing so rapidly these days that one cant really plan for the future. But I am going to make a decisive decision in matters of most importances, he writes. Ray says that he had thought he and Jane could not be together because they lived so far apart. He says he dated other women but I didnt find the companionship and love that I so dearly wanted to find. All I ran into was trouble and more trouble. A darling husbandSoon Ray wins her over, and they are married on Nov. 7 in Birmingham. In a letter from Nov. 9, Jane addresses Ray as my darling husband. She is rapturous about the marriage but sad that the couple has to remain apart for now. She has already returned to her job and family in Nashville while he has returned to the Army base. Its a wonderful thing to have such and sweet and lovely husband. Darling youll never know how much I love you. The only regret is that we didnt 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 concludes, Darling be sweet and write to me soon. I want a letter from my husband. Remember Ill always love you. Always from Your Wife RSShttps://feedx.net https://feedx.site