Scope and Contents:
This collection contains letters sent by Ray Stephen White, a prison inmate, to Reverend Newton Nesmith. The letters cover a wide range of topics but primarily focus on White’s health, family, religion, and concerns over parole and his sentence length.
Ray Stephen White was incarcerated in Joliet, Illinois, from 1947 until 1950, serving four years for assault with attempted robbery. At the time of his incarceration, White was married with children, and his wife Virginia was pregnant. The two separated or divorced while he was in prison, and White began referring to her as his ex-wife starting 1948. Sometime prior to his prison sentence, White served in the Civilian Conservation Corps and worked as a barber.
This collection consists of twenty-four letters written by Ray Stephen White, a prison inmate in Joliet, Illinois, to Reverend Newton Nesmith in Poplar Grove, Illinois, and Sandwich, Illinois. In the letters, White commonly discussed his family, including his wife/ex-wife and children, his mother and his desire for her to visit him, his sisters, and his brother. In the last letter, White described his reaction to the distressing news that his sister’s husband had “raped or tryed [sic] to rape [his] sister’s two little girls” and was also now in prison.
In 1947, White participated in a human drug trial for malaria. He wrote to Rev. Nesmith about the trial, including the symptoms he experienced because of malaria, such as fever, weight loss, and headaches. White hoped participation in the study would increase his chances of parole.
White also discussed religion, conversations he had with other ministers, and his baptism. He also wrote on the Parole Board.
This collection was purchased by the Library in 2025 with the support of the Bruce C. Creamer Fund.
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