Z 1997.000 Ray (William Henry and Martha Grace) Papers

Z 1997.000
RAY (WILLIAM HENRY AND MARTHA GRACE) PAPERS

William Henry Ray, son of Martha G. Ray, a widow by 1850, was born in Mississippi on January 30, 1838. Ray, his mother, sisters Sarah and Claramon, and brother Augustus were living in Lexington, Holmes County, Mississippi, by 1850. He accepted a teaching position at Lexington Male Academy in Holmes County around 1859.

Martha Grace, daughter of James Walker and Martha P. Grace, was born in Mississippi on October 21, 1842. She met William Henry Ray around 1859 at the age of seventeen. After approximately one year of courtship, the couple eloped in 1860. The Rays made their home in Lexington, Mississippi, with William Henry Rays mother until 1862, when he joined Company A of the Twenty-eighth Regiment, Mississippi Cavalry, as a second lieutenant. While seeing action in Columbia, Tennessee, and Vicksburg, Mississippi, Ray rose to the rank of captain. Ray resigned his commission in August of 1864 and returned home to Lexington, where he and wife established their own farm and raised four children: Harry, Grace, Katie, and Mollie Ray.

William Henry Ray died on March 8, 1872, and he was interred at Wesley Chapel Cemetery in Lexington. Martha Grace Ray died between 1900 and 1909, and she was interred at Lexington Cemetery.

This collection contains correspondence of William Henry Ray to his wife, Martha Grace Ray, miscellaneous correspondence of Martha Grace Ray, and miscellaneous correspondence of William Henry Ray. William Henry Ray wrote the majority of the letters during his tenure at Lexington Male Academy between 1859 and 1860. The letters discuss his love for Martha Grace and his hopes for their future together. Five letters were written during Rays service in the Twenty-eighth Regiment, Mississippi Cavalry. Rays letters include his opinions on fellow soldiers, war and family news, and requests for supplies from home.

Correspondence of Martha Grace Ray includes letters to her husband; a letter to her brother, Walker Grace; letters from her cousins, Sallie, Annie, and Nealie Stovall, and her aunt, Sarah R. Taylor; and a letter from her brother, John M. Grace The letters from Martha Grace Ray to her husband and her brother, Walker Grace, contain family news. The letters from her cousins, aunt, and brother John M. Grace also contain family news and discuss the effects of war on family members.

Miscellaneous correspondence of William Henry Ray includes letters to and from his mother, Martha G. Ray, discussing family and financial matters. Also included is an 1871 letter from the Peabody Academy in Durant, Holmes County, Mississippi, offering Ray a teaching position for the upcoming year.

1. Correspondence (William Henry Ray to Martha Grace Ray). 1859-1864. 1 folder.
2. Correspondence (Martha Grace Ray--Miscellaneous). 1859-1876. 1 folder.
3. Correspondence (William Henry Ray--Miscellaneous). 1860-1871. 1 folder.