Scope and Contents From the Collection: The collection consists mostly of love letters between Ella-May Abbott of New Orleans, Louisiana and Walter James Rathbun who is based in ship ports in the United States, Europe, Nicaragua and the Panama Canal Zone.  Letters from Walter Rathbun’s Mother, Mrs. J. Baird of Floral Park, New Jersey and other family members are included. Ella-May and Walter begin a correspondence courtship in 1916, then breakup in 1919. They begin writing to each other again in 1926 and finally marry...

Scope and Contents From the Collection: The collection consists mostly of love letters between Ella-May Abbott of New Orleans, Louisiana and Walter James Rathbun who is based in ship ports in the United States, Europe, Nicaragua and the Panama Canal Zone.  Letters from Walter Rathbun’s Mother, Mrs. J. Baird of Floral Park, New Jersey and other family members are included. Ella-May and Walter begin a correspondence courtship in 1916, then breakup in 1919. They begin writing to each other again in 1926 and finally marry...

Scope and Contents From the Collection: The collection consists mostly of love letters between Ella-May Abbott of New Orleans, Louisiana and Walter James Rathbun who is based in ship ports in the United States, Europe, Nicaragua and the Panama Canal Zone.  Letters from Walter Rathbun’s Mother, Mrs. J. Baird of Floral Park, New Jersey and other family members are included. Ella-May and Walter begin a correspondence courtship in 1916, then breakup in 1919. They begin writing to each other again in 1926 and finally marry...

Scope and Contents

Walter was relieved of command of the S.S. Sacandego.  He is home and there are no letters between June 1931 and May 1932.

Scope and Contents From the Collection: The collection consists mostly of love letters between Ella-May Abbott of New Orleans, Louisiana and Walter James Rathbun who is based in ship ports in the United States, Europe, Nicaragua and the Panama Canal Zone.  Letters from Walter Rathbun’s Mother, Mrs. J. Baird of Floral Park, New Jersey and other family members are included. Ella-May and Walter begin a correspondence courtship in 1916, then breakup in 1919. They begin writing to each other again in 1926 and finally marry...

Scope and Contents

Walter's port is in the Soloman Islands and Ella-May lives in Pasadena, California.  She writes Walter almost every day, but only one letter from Walter has survived.

Scope and Contents

Walter and Ella-May have moved to Long Beach, California where they continue to live until the 1940's. They are living frugally. Ella-May's family live nearby. Walter works on the George Washington and the America in August 1934. Walter's Mother writes in 1937 that she is sorry Walter is going to lose his job. She also informs him that Charles' ship blew up and he lost his job.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents Walter's Mother talks about moving from New Jersey and regrets time spent with "that man" but decides she is too old to move. There are very few letters between Walter and Ella-May since his port is near their home.

Scope and Contents

Ella-May writes to Walter while he is in San Jose, Costa Rica, Central America, La Paz, Baja California and Mexico.

Scope and Contents From the Collection: The collection consists mostly of love letters between Ella-May Abbott of New Orleans, Louisiana and Walter James Rathbun who is based in ship ports in the United States, Europe, Nicaragua and the Panama Canal Zone.  Letters from Walter Rathbun’s Mother, Mrs. J. Baird of Floral Park, New Jersey and other family members are included. Ella-May and Walter begin a correspondence courtship in 1916, then breakup in 1919. They begin writing to each other again in 1926 and finally marry...

Scope and Contents

In May, Walter is in Vancouver, Canada but by October he is a Lt. Commander of the USNR in San Francisco, California.