Bernice E. Payne letters

Access and use

Location of collection:
College of William and Mary
Special Collections Research Center
Earl Gregg Swem Library
College of William and Mary
400 Landrum Drive
PO 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (757) 221-3090
Fax: (757) 221-5440
Restrictions:

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William & Mary assumes no responsibility.

Terms of access:

Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not William & Mary Libraries.

Preferred citation:

Bernice E. Payne letters, Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.

Summary

Extent:
0.21 Linear Feet 1 half Hollinger box.
Creator:
Payne, Bernice E. (Bernice Edward)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Bernice E. Payne letters, Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains letters predominately from Bernice Edward Payne, of Roaring Springs, Texas, to his parents, Macon L. and Mattie S. Payne, and sister, Eunice Payne. Bernice Payne, a white man, served in the US Army during World War I. He began his initial training at Camp Travis, Texas as a private in the Quartermaster Corps. After successfully passing his examinations, Payne began to oversee the 322nd Labor Battalion Quartermaster Corps, an all-African American battalion. He was soon promoted to sergeant and was transferred along with the 322nd Labor Battalion to Camp Hill in Newport News, Virginia.

Letters addressed to his family reveal Payne's appreciation for his position and gratitude for not having to serve in an infantry battalion. While responsible for a group of all-African American soldiers, Payne writes in his letters that he mostly interacts with his fellow white officers and sergeants. This segregation of race and rank, is highlighted in the separate barracks and mess halls reserved solely for Payne and other white soldiers.

Following his time at Camp Hill, Payne is transferred to Termes, Ardennes, France. Letters from January 1919 onward describe his experiences in Europe, but the collection primarily consists of accounts of his training in Texas and Virginia. Occasionally, letters are supplemented by writings from someone else, perhaps his mother or sister, drafting replies to him or forwarding his letters to other relatives. Also included in this collection is an undated telegram, presumably from Europe, with neither a sender nor recipient name.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard