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Collection Summary
Title
Mary (McKim) Ray Collection
Date
Late 1800s through 1990s
Extent
2 archival boxes and 1 oversized folder
Name and Location of Repository
Midwest Genealogy Center, Independence (Mo.)
Reference code: MGC 1170-MMRC
Processed by: Jolene Clark, 2019; Finding aid created by Jolene Clark, 2019.
Name of Creator
Mary (McKim) Ray
Biographical History
Mary McKim was born on the family farm to Curtis Wayne McKim and Helen Spillman. Helen’s sister
Ophie married Harry S. Beal who was the son of Walter E Beal and Carrie Hotchkiss. The Spillman family
lived in Kansas before coming to St. Joseph, Missouri. They eventually moved to Grant City, Missouri.
The McKim family moved to Grant City after Helen’s father, William P. Spellman, died in 1932. Grant City
is where Mary met her future husband, William “Bill” Ray. She was fifteen and they met at a Valentine’s
Day party. The following year, Mary’s family moved to Kansas City. She began corresponding with Bill in
high school and continued while she attended William Jewell College. After high school, Bill enlisted in
the Army Air Corps. The couple wrote almost daily to each other while he was gone for two years. Soon
after his discharge from the military, they were married on October 19, 1946 in Kansas City. Together
they had five children.
Scope and Content
The collection consists of letters written back and forth between Mary McKim and Bill Ray while they
were dating during World War II. The letters were kept in their original envelopes and later Mary or
another family member made some notes on the envelopes. Additionally, the collection contains photos
from both sides of the family dating back to the 1800s. Some of the photographs have been identified.
Other family items in the collection include funeral cards, autograph books from the 1890s, cards, school
grade cards, obituaries, and family heirlooms.
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Collection Inventory
System of Arrangement
These records are arranged in 6 series.
Box 1
Series 1, Letters from Mary McKim to Bill Ray
Folder 1, 1942
Folder 2, January 1943
Folder 3, February 1943
Folder 4, March 1943
Folder 5, April 1943
Folder 6, May 1943
Folder 7, June 1943
Folder 8, July 1943
Folder 9, August 1943
Folder 10, September 1943
Folder 11, November 1943
Folder 12, December 1943
Folder 13, February 1944
Folder 14, March 1944
Folder 15, July 1944
Folder 16, August 1944
Folder 17, September 1944
Folder 18, October 1944
Folder 19, November 1944
Folder 20, December 1944
Folder 21, January 1945
Folder 22, February 1945
Folder 23, March 1945
Folder 24, April 1945
Folder 25, May 1945
Folder 26, June-August 1945
Folder 27, September 1945
Folder 28, October 1945
Folder 29, November 1945
Folder 30, December 1945
Series 2, Letters from Bill Ray to Mary McKim
Folder 1, December 1942-January 1943
Folder 2, February-March 1943
Folder 3, April-May 1943
Folder 4, June-July 1943
Folder 5, August-September 1943
Folder 6, January-April 1944
Folder 7, May 1944
Folder 8, June 1944
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Folder 9, July 1944
Folder 10, August 1944
Folder 11, September 1944
Folder 12, October 1944
Folder 13, November 1944
Folder 14, December 1944
Folder 15, January 1945
Folder 16, February 1945
Folder 17, March-June 1945
Folder 18, July 1945
Folder 19, August-September 1945
Folder 20, November-December 1945
Folder 21, January 1946
Folder 22, February 1946
Folder 23, March 1946
Folder 24, April-August 1946
Series 3, Misc. Letters
Folder 1, Misc. letters, 19-1952
Folder 2, Cards and postcards
Box 2
Series 4, Photographs
Folder 1, Harry S. Beal photo album
Folder 2, Harry S. Beal scrap album
Folder 3, Helen and David Beal 50th Anniversary album
Folder 4, Beal family photos
Folder 5, Hotchkiss family photo photos and album
Folder 6, Hotchkiss photo album
Folder 7, Ray photos, South Nodaway High School photos
Folder 8, Spillman family photos
Folder 9, Tracie family photos
Folder 10, John David Beal in photo of company 299-43, Regiment 3, Battalion 10—U.S.
Naval Training station, Farragut, Idaho, June 29, 1943 [oversized folder]
Series 5, Family history documents
Folder 1, Beal family
Folder 2, Ray family
Series 6, Family items
Folder 1, Hot pad made by Ophie Beal out of crochet covered milk lids
Folder 2, Needlepoint made by Ophie Beal
Folder 3, Handcrafted items made by Ophie Beal
Item 1, Grooming kit/brush belonging to Harry Beal
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Rights and Access
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research use by appointment.
Physical Access
Most records within this collection are housed in file folder. Some items are wrapped in acid-free tissue
paper.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the Midwest Genealogy Center.
Languages and Scripts of the Material
Materials in the collection are entirely in English.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was donated by Mary (McKim) Ray.
Accruals
No further accruals are expected for this collection.
Existence and Location of Originals
Originals owned by the Midwest Genealogy Center.
Related Collections:
South Nodaway 50 year anniversary
Notes
The following sources were consulted during the preparation of the biographical history:
Ancestry.com. United States Federal Census [database-on-line].
Kansas County Marriages, 1855-1911, database with images, FamilySearch.
Find A Grave. Find A Grave.
Mary (McKim) Ray Collection
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