Scope and Contents From the Collection: Primarily this is a collection of love letters written between 1942-1944 to Gertha Barbara Jean Sykes residing in St. Louis, Missouri and James NMI Dansby, an African-American soldier in the United States Army. There are also letters from two other Army soldiers, Jack Smith, stationed in the Pacific and Benjamin D. Collins, an aircompany soldier, whom Sykes married in 1949. The letters begin when Dansby joined the Army and started basic training in Camp Shelby, Hattiesburg,...

Scope and Contents Scope and Contents This folder contains numerous love letters from Pvt. Dansby to Gertha Sykes, written from basic training in Camp Shelby, Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Dansby was assigned to one of the many all-black units activated during WWII, Company C, 262nd Quartermaster Battalion (Service) established in March 1942. The letters begin when Dansby joined the Army in October 1942 and indicate that Dansby and Sykes's romantic relationship predated Dansby's joining the Army to when both of...

Scope and Contents Scope and Contents Just like folder 1, this folder also contains love letters from Dansby to Sykes. Dansby was still undergoing basic training in Camp Shelby, Mississippi and continued complaining about it, viewing it as too extensive and strenuous. Within a month's time, he advanced from the rank of Pvt. to Pfc., and later Cpl. and his unit moved out on maneuvers and on 1 April 1943 to the port of embarkation. Just like the letters from 1942, these also contain much description of everyday...

Scope and Contents This folder contains love letters written to Sykes by Dansby, now a Private again, from new Army installations. It also contains two cards issued by the War Department notifying Sykes of Dansby's arrivals at the new destinations. Letters written between April and the end of May seem to have been sent from Camp Stoneman in Pittsburg, California and the San Francisco Port of Embarkation, California. On the other hand, letters written thereafter seem to have been sent from a classified location...

Scope and Contents Scope and Contents Just like letters in folders #2 and 3, these letters are an extension of those in the previous folder. Dansby continues to write love letters to Sykes from the South Pacific island. During the time span of the letters, Sykes moved within St. Louis, for the second time since October 1942, changed her job, from which she was laid off soon thereafter (letter of 30 October), and had her divorce finalized (letter of 21 November). Dansby, on the other hand, became progressively...

Scope and Contents Scope and Contents The initial letters from 1944 were written from the same classified location in the South Pacific as the letters in the previous folder. Starting in late January, however, they were written from a new location. Dansby wrote, "I feel better too, now that we're all back together again" (27 January 1944) and mentioned he had been very busy since moving (29 February 1944). In addition to having been relocated, Dansby's military unit changed in April, from Co. C 262nd to...

Scope and Contents This folder contains the largest variety of letters of this collection. Some letters are to Sykes and some are to Collins. There are love letters from Dansby to Sykes and from Collins to Sykes, letters from Smith and various friends from Los Angeles and San Francisco to Sykes, as well as letters from Collins's mother and aunt to Collins. The latter, although addressed to Collins only, were actually written to Collins and Sykes as a married couple. In addition to letters, the folder contains...