Is it true that distance makes the heart grow fonder? Even with modern-day resources like instant messaging and video calls, long-distance relationships can be daunting, but it was a wholly different experience 80 years ago. Continuing our commemorative series on World War II, Reference Archivist Katherine Crickmore, Podcast Intern Chris Deitner, and Military Archivist Ashley Latta Post discuss several love letters and couples’ correspondences from an era when unreliable snail-mail was the only option. Find love in unexpected places, even in the Military Collections at the State Archives! 

Letters read by: Colin Reeve, Annabeth Poe, Erin Fulp, Bill Brown, Ian Dunn, Danielle Shirilla, and Erin Templeton. For full transcriptions of the letters that are read in this episode, contact the Archives Search Room at [email protected]. 

Primary Sources:   

Kenneth Zollinger and Mary Brantley Papers, Military Collections, WWII 282: Box 1, Folder 1 and; Box 2, Folder 5 

Geraldine M. Beveridge Papers, Military Collections, WWII 188: Box 1, Folder 3 and Folder 7 

James C. Bland Papers, Military Collections, WWII 68: Box 1, Folder 1 and Folder 4 

John B. O'Donnell Papers, Military Collections, WWII 118: Box 1, Folder 6; Box 2, Folder 1 and; Box 5, Folder 1 

Margaret I. Saunders Papers, Military Collections, WWII 16: Box 1, Folder 2 

Additional Collections to Explore: 

Charles M. Allen Jr. Papers, Military Collections, WWII 141  

William P. Ricks Papers, Military Collections, WWII 162  

Thomas S. Elder Papers, Military Collections, WWII 110  

Holland Family Military Papers, Miscellaneous Military Papers, MMP 32 

John F. Mallard Papers, Miscellaneous Military Private Collections, MMP PC 

Mark B. Burwager Papers, Military Collections, WWII 232 

Thomas B. Lenoir Papers, Military Collections, WWII 123  

Harry Lee Ward Papers, Military Collections, WWII 67  

To read more World War II letters, visit the World War II digital collection on the N.C. Digital Collections website. 

To contact the Archives about donating your records, please email [email protected] , call (919) 814-6840, or fill out a contact form online at: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/contact/questions-about-services-or-research