Mary McKim Ray Collection
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of letters written back and forth between Mary McKim and Bill Ray while they were dating during World War II. The letters were kept in their original envelopes and later Mary or another family member made some notes on the envelopes. Additionally, the collection contains photos from both sides of the family dating back to the 1800s. Some of the photographs have been identified. Other family items in the collection include funeral cards, autograph books from the 1890s, cards, school grade cards, obituaries, and family heirlooms.
Dates
- Creation: Late 1800s through 1990s
Creator
- Ray, Mary McKim (Person)
Biographical / Historical
Mary McKim was born on the family farm to Curtis Wayne McKim and Helen Spillman. Helen’s sister Ophie married Harry S. Beal who was the son of Walter E Beal and Carrie Hotchkiss. The Spillman family lived in Kansas before coming to St. Joseph, Missouri. They eventually moved to Grant City, Missouri. The McKim family moved to Grant City after Helen’s father, William P. Spellman, died in 1932. Grant City is where Mary met her future husband, William “Bill” Ray. She was fifteen and they met at a Valentine’s Day party. The following year, Mary’s family moved to Kansas City. She began corresponding with Bill in high school and continued while she attended William Jewell College. After high school, Bill enlisted in the Army Air Corps. The couple wrote almost daily to each other while he was gone for two years. Soon after his discharge from the military, they were married on October 19, 1946 in Kansas City. Together they had five children.
Full Extent
2 Boxes (2 boxes and 1 oversized folder)
Language of Materials
English
Physical Location
FOR STAFF: Rare Book Room, M14--Section 2--Shelf 3
- Title
- Mary McKim Ray Collection
- Subtitle
- A finding aid from the Midwest Genealogy Center
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Midwest Genealogy Center Repository