William H. Davis and Elnora Benford Davis collection, 1940-1944
26 items
The collection consists of 26 items, the majority of which are 14 love letters written by Staff Sergeant William H. Davis to his wife, Elnora Benford Davis of Detroit during his Army service between 1943 and 1945. Other documents include military change of address notices and visitation requests, union dues receipts, and a W-2. One ration book granted to Elnora Benford Davis contains a partial sheet of ration stamps for "BCN Cooperative." One snapshot photograph shows an unidentified African American woman, possibly Elnora Benford Davis.
The first of the letters, dated July 2, 1940, is written to Miss E. Elnora Benford ("Billie") during her visit to relatives in Milledgeville, Georgia, and references a violent encounter with "a white fellow." Subsequent letters written while Davis served abroad include requests for items from home, news of family and friends, and expressions of affection for "Buster." In his last two letters, he questions Elnora's faithfulness and ultimately agrees to end the relationship. The bulk of the letters were sent as V-Mail.