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Hazel T. Ramsey family papers, 1917-1946

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Summary

Creator:
Ramsey, Hazel Townsend, 1897-1980
Abstract:
This collection is made up of incoming letters to Hazel T. Ramsey from her boyfriend (later husband) William Beale Ramsey, during World War I; and her sons William B. Ramsey, Pierce T. "Ted" Ramsey, and John T. "Jack" Ramsey during and after World War II. Father and sons provided Hazel (in Philadelphia) with information about their everyday lives in military and air forces training, news of friends and fellow African American servicemen, experiences of racism and segregation, sport and sporting events, courtship and relationships, promotions, and more. The men's service took them from stateside training and teaching, including at Tuskegee Airfield, to overseas service in the Philippines and Japan.
Extent:
148 items
Language:
English
Authors:
Collection processed and finding aid created by Heidi E. Morse, 2021; Meg Bossio and Cheney J. Schopieray, 2023

Background

Scope and Content:

This collection is made up of incoming letters to Hazel T. Ramsey from her boyfriend, later husband, William Beale Ramsey, during World War I; and her sons William B. Ramsey, Pierce Theodore "Ted" Ramsey, and John T. "Jack" Ramsey during and after World War II. Father and sons provided Hazel (in Philadelphia) with information about their everyday lives in military and air forces training, news of friends and fellow African American servicemen, their own experiences of racism and segregation, sporting events, courtship and relationships, promotions, and much more. The men's service took them from stateside training and teaching, including at Tuskegee Airfield, to overseas service in the Philippines and Japan. See the Hazel T. Ramsey Family Papers Notes for information on the contents of many letters in the collection.

The elder William Beale Ramsey wrote 27 letters from Camps Meade, Maryland; Dodge, Iowa; Pike, Arkansas; and Greene, North Carolina, between 1917 and 1918. Some of the themes of Ramsey's letters include drill, gymnastics, trench, and rifle training; meningitis and quarantine at Camp Meade, the treatment of African American soldiers and officers, and war news—particularly when Black solders were involved (such as the receipt of French War Crosses by two men in May 1918).

William Beale Ramsey the younger sent 14 letters home largely from Camp Ashby, California, and from the Philippine Islands between 1942 and 1946. Some of the themes of Ramsey's correspondence included his participation in basketball and track, races and other sporting competitions stateside and in the Philippines, visits with friends and family in California, girlfriends and near-marriages, a National Football League game in Wyoming, and the destruction of Manila.

John Townshend "Jack Ramsey" sent around 20 letters to his family, largely from Keesler Field, Mississippi; MacDill Field, Florida; the Philippines; and islands of Japan, between 1943 and 1946. Among the chief themes in his letters are training and marksmanship, promotion, race relations stateside and in Japan, interactions between Japanese work crews and black solders versus the work crews and white soldiers, speaking basic Kapampangan, and his eagerness to leave the service and return home.

Pierce Theodore "Ted" Ramsey sent 16 letters home to his parents from Keesler Field, Mississippi, and Tuskegee, Alabama, between 1944 and 1945. Ramsey wrote about the Air Corps Technical School at Keesler Field, and his time at Tuskegee Airfield, training and teaching, and aspects of flight work (bombardiers, pilots, navigators, etc.).

Hazel T. Ramsey received around 25 additional letters and ephemeral items from friends, family, and organizations, between 1918 and 1945. See the Hazel T. Ramsey Family Papers Notes for information on the contents of many letters in the collection.

Biographical / Historical:

Hazel Townsend was born on January 22, 1897, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to parents Hazelwood Townsend and Mattie Peeler. Her mother died when she was around seven years old, and Hazel moved in with her aunt and uncle Marian and James Peeler. During World War I, Hazel served as a YMCA hostess, met William B. Ramsey, and married him in 1918 in Philadelphia. Hazel had at least four sons: William B. Ramsey (1919-2001), John Townsend "Jack" Ramsey (1922-2009), Pierce Theodore "Ted" Ramsey (1925-2019), and Donald Paul "Don" Ramsey (1929-1967).

Hazel Townsend's husband William Beale Ramsey, Jr., was born on November 5, 1891, to parents William and Sarah Ramsey in Philadelphia. Ramsey registered for the World War I draft on June 5, 1917, at the time he attended a four-year school. He ultimately enlisted and was inducted at Camp Meade, Baltimore, Maryland, on October 27, 1917. He served in Company D of the 368th Infantry until June 17, 1918. Ramsey became Sergeant December 1, 1917, and moved to Officers’ Training School at Des Moines, Iowa. He then went to COTS at Little Rock, Arkansas, until his August 25, 1918, discharge in order to accept a commission as 2nd Lieutenant in the 2nd Dev. Battalion at Camp Greene, North Carolina. Second Lieut. William B. Ramsey received his honorable discharge on December 25, 1918. After the war, the Ramseys continued their lives in Philadelphia, where William worked as a post office clerk, pharmacist, and in multiple U.S. Government positions including employment services and veterans’ affairs. "He co-founded an organization called the Commissioners made up of a group of African American men who wanted to host social events, but were limited due to segregation precluding their access to public venues" (Mengel, Ramsey Family Letters Finding Aid, History/Biography).

Hazel and William Ramsey's son William B. Ramsey III was born on September 27, 1919. Ramsey registered for the draft on October 16, 1940, while a student at Lincoln University. By the time he enlisted on July 21, 1942, he had completed four years of college. His enlistment document states that his occupation was a semiskilled driver on mineral extraction and construction work. William Ramsey served August 3, 1942, to August 2, 1945, on active domestic service, Camp Ashby, San Francisco, and elsewhere. From August 3, 1945, to March 2, 1946, he was on active duty in the Philippine Islands. He officially concluded service May 10, 1946, at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Constance M. Fletcher (1924-2021) and William B. Ramsey married, and they had four daughters. William Ramsey became a Superior Court Judge, dying in Philadelphia on June 18, 2001. His wife, community and social activist Constance Fletcher Ramsey, was a writer and jeweler. She moved to Seattle, Washington, in 2002 and died there on February 17, 2021.

The Ramseys' second son John Townsend "Jack" Ramsey was born on September 9, 1922. He attended Overbrook High School in Philadelphia. Jack served stateside from September 10, 1943, to December 18, 1944, as an aviation technician. During that time, he was part of the 55th Training Group, Squadron 765, at the Air Corps Technical School at Keesler Field, Mississippi; then an engineer in the 1916 aviation engineer battalion at Mac Dill Field, Florida. He spent April through July 1945 in the Philippines, central Luzon region; August-at least January 1946 at Okinawa, the Ryukyu islands, and Fukuoka, Japan. He officially concluded service on March 19, 1946, at Fort Dix, New Jersey. In 1950, he owned a tailor shop and lived with his wife Barbara Taylor Ramsey, who worked as a secretary. He died on July 5, 2009, in Philadelphia.

The Ramseys' third son Pierce Theodore "Ted" Ramsey was born in Philadelphia on August 7, 1925. After three years of High School and years working, Ramsey enlisted in the United States Army on December 18, 1943, and entered service two days later. He traveled to Fort Lee, Virginia, and in January 1944 he was Class 785-1170 Training Group at Keesler Field, Mississippi. Later that spring, he served in the Corps of Aviation Cadets. He ultimately trained on the B-25 twin engine at Tuskegee, Alabama. Ramsey was formally discharged on February 28, 1946, at Fort McPherson, Atlanta, Georgia. After the war, Ramsey attended the Wharton School of Business, becoming successful in real estate. Ramsey and Harriett Vaughter married and had two sons, Theodore, Jr., and Brian. In 1985, he married Ruth Scarborough. Ted Ramsey died on June 15, 2019, at the age of 93, and is buried in Eden Cemetery at Collingdale, Pennsylvania.

Acquisition Information:
2019. M-7145 .
Arrangement:

This collection is arranged chronologically.

Rules or Conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Contents

Using These Materials

Info for Visitors

How to Request

Ordering Reproductions

Download PDF Finding Aid
RESTRICTIONS:

The collection is open for research.

USE & PERMISSIONS:

Copyright status is unknown

PREFERRED CITATION:

Hazel T. Ramsey Family Papers, William L. Clements Library, The University of Michigan

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Collection

Hazel T. Ramsey family papers, 1917-1946
Total components 5
Last indexed 2025-02-09