Ruth M. Kilgo and Ray E. Hall WWII Letter Collection, 1943-1946
Content Description
The "Ruth M. Kilgo and Ray E. Hall WWII Letter Collection, 1943-1946" is an extensive collection of V-Mail correspondence between Ensign Ruth M. Kilgo and Private Ray E. Hall. (By the time they were discharged, Kilgo rose in rank to Lieutenant Junior Grade, and Hall rose to Second Lieutenant.) Their letters discussed daily life, military happenings, their love for one another, and a variety of other topics. The letters are in a variety of formats, with some microfilmed for more efficient transport, and others handwritten, typewritten, or on postcards or telegrams.
Some correspondence also include comics, photographs, small artifacts (e.g., seashells, matchbooks, buttons), holiday cards, and newspaper clippings in the envelope. There are also issues of "The Daily Beacon," which was a newsletter created by and dispersed to those on base during WWII.
Collection materials are in good condition and dated 1943-1946. Materials are arranged in three series:
Series 1: Correspondence, 1943-1946. Bulk of the collection. Contains correspondence between Kilgo and Hall numbered and arranged in numerical order. The following letters are not included in this collection: 1-275; 344; 351; 399-420; 495-500; 530; 573; 607; 612-640; 642; 666; 725-980; 982-983. A vast majority of the letters are addressed to Kilgo, with very few addressed to Hall.
Series 2: General, 1946-1960. Includes a bronze plate used for printing wedding invitations, John C. Kilgo Jr. obituary, and a pack of unused Dill's Pipe Cleaners.
Series 3: Photographs and Negatives, undated. Contains photographs and negatives of Ruth Kilgo and Ray Hall, their families, and other miscellaneous photos. Almost all are unidentified and undated.
Dates
- Majority of material found within 1943 - 1946
- 1915
- 1947
- 1960
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open to the public without restriction. The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material.
Conditions Governing Use
Permission to duplicate or publish material from this collection must be obtained from the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.
Biographical / Historical
Ray Efird Hall (1919-2002) was born on October 6, 1919 in Columbus Ohio to John Oscar Hall and Bess Efird Hall. Ray attended the Charlotte City Schools, graduated from Central High School in 1937, and later studied at Davidson College. In 1943, he entered the US Army, was assigned to the Thirteenth Air Force, and shipped out to Australia. While in Australia, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant, and was sent to the Philippines to train Filipino troops. He was employed by Kilgo Motor Freight (John Carlisle Kilgo, Jr. was the president and founder of this business), then by Associated Grocers Mutual, and he later purchased and operated Case Trucking Company until retirement. He died on December 9, 2002 at Brian Center on Reddman Road.
Ruth Morris Kilgo (1921-2001) was born on December 24, 1921 to John Carlisle Kilgo, Jr. and Ruth Robinson Kilgo. She was the granddaughter of Methodist Bishop John Carlisle Kilgo Sr. and Fannie Turner Kilgo, and Carr Robinson and Georgia Robinson. Ruth attended Charlotte City Schools and graduated from Central High School in 1940. She studied at Queens College and served as the Valedictorian of her Senior Class, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 1943. She was a member of the Phi Mu sorority. She later entered the US Navy Waves program and was commissioned an Ensign and rose to Lt. JG at the time of her discharge in 1946. Following her discharge, she worked at Kilgo Motor Freight, Carolina Freight Carriers Corp., Northeastern Trucking Co., and Guignard Inc. In addition to her military service, she involved herself as a charter member of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. She died on February 23, 2001 at her home in Charlotte, NC.
Following Japanese surrender in 1945, Hall returned to Charlotte and married Kilgo on June 15, 1946 at Kilgo United Methodist Church. The newlyweds moved to Chapel Hill, where he studied and graduated from UNC in June 1950. The couple had 3 children: Heather Hall (Rohrer), Holly Hall (Adkisson), and Hamilton C. Hall.
Extent
2.25 Linear Feet
2.42 Cubic Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The "Ruth M. Kilgo and Ray E. Hall WWII Letter Collection, 1943-1946" is an extensive collection of V-Mail correspondence between Ensign Ruth M. Kilgo and Private Ray E. Hall. (By the time they were discharged, Kilgo rose in rank to Lieutenant Junior Grade, and Hall rose to Second Lieutenant.) Their letters discussed daily life, military happenings, their love for one another, and a variety of other topics. Collection materials are in good condition and dated 1943-1946.
Arrangement
Materials are arranged in three series:
Series 1: Correspondence, 1943-1946. Bulk of the collection. Contains correspondence between Kilgo and Hall numbered and arranged in numerical order. The following letters are not included in this collection: 1-275; 344; 351; 399-420; 495-500; 530; 573; 607; 612-640; 642; 666; 725-980; 982-983. A vast majority of the letters are addressed to Kilgo, with very few addressed to Hall.
Series 2: General, 1946-1960. Includes a bronze plate used for printing wedding invitations, John C. Kilgo Jr. obituary, and a pack of unused Dill's Pipe Cleaners.
Series 3: Photographs and Negatives, undated. Contains photographs and negatives of Ruth Kilgo and Ray Hall, their families, and other miscellaneous photos. Almost all are unidentified and undated.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was donated to the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room by Jo Ann Darby, December 2017.
Bibliography
"North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011." Ray Efird Hall. AncestryLibrary.com. Accessed December 2020.
"Obituary for Ray Efird Hall, 1919-2002 (Aged 83)." The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, NC), Dec. 25, 2002. Accessed via Newspapers.com.
"Obituary for Ruth Kilgo Hall (Aged 79)." The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, NC), Mar. 17, 2001. Accessed via Newspapers.com.
"Ruth Kilgo. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: Queens College; Year: 1940.
"Ruth Kilgo Hall. North Carolina, U.S. Death Indexes, 1908-2004 [Ancestry.com database on-line]." Accessed December 2020.
"Ruth M. Kilgo. U.S., Select Military Registers, 1862-1985 [Ancestry.com database on-line]." Accessed December 2020.
Ruth M. Kilgo and Ray E. Hall WWII Letter Collection, 1943-1946. Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library.
"Ruth Morris Kilgo. Web: Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, U.S. Birth Index, 1865-2012 [database on-line]." Accessed December 2020.
The National Archives at Atlanta, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; WWII Draft Registration Cards for North Carolina, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group; Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 147.
Condition Description
Materials are in good/fair condition. The military newsletters are printed on newspaper-like paper and will deteriorate over time.
Processing Information
The processing, arrangement, and description of this collection was completed by Sydney Carroll, December 2020.
- Correspondence Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Military Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Military correspondence Subject Source: Local sources
- Negatives Subject Source: Local sources
- Photographs Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Postcards Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- The Daily Beacon Subject Source: Local sources
- United States. Air Force. Air Force, 13th
- United States. Naval Reserve. Women's Reserve
- Victory Mail (V-Mail) Subject Source: Local sources
- World War, 1939-1945 Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Title
- Ruth M. Kilgo and Ray E. Hall WWII Letter Collection, 1943-1946
- Author
- Sydney Carroll
- Date
- 2020-12-10
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Repository
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library-Main
310 N. Tryon Street
Charlotte NC 28202 USA
carolinaroom@cmlibrary.org
