- Call number
- Sc MG 429
- Physical description
- 0.83 linear feet (2 boxes)
- Language
- English
- Preferred Citation
- [Item], World War II letters from African-American Soldiers, Sc MG 429, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library
- Repository
- Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
- Access to materials
- Request an in-person research appointment.
The World War II letters from African-American Soldiers collection consists of letters from African-American servicemen to Elnora (Nora) Bing Williams and her husband, Edgar Thomas (Ned) Williams of Brooklyn, New York. The correspondents are relatives and friends, and the letters describe their social and recreational activities on and off U.S. military bases. The soldiers share news about other family members and friends back home as well as those also in the military. In only a few letters were their lives as African-American servicemen portrayed, or their relationships with white military men or townspeople described. The letters from friends also describe training to become non-commissioned officers. All of the servicemen had been drafted; a few men attained the rank of sergeant, corporal and lieutenant. Several were stationed in the Pacific and Europe, and obliquely wrote about general conditions there.
Administrative information
Source of acquisition
Gift of Edgar Thomas Williams, 2011.
Processing information
Processed by Janice Quinter, October 19, 2011.
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Using the collection
Location
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801
Second Floor