This Payne family portrait was taken in the early 1960s.
Pictured, L to R: Martha Kernells Payne (William's wife), William Payne (brother), James Payne (father), Harold Payne (brother), Blanche Peden Payne (mother), Margaret Payne. Lillian Payne Gilreath (sister) is missing. Children in the photo may be David and Walter, Jr. (Walter and Martha's children).
In this letter, John talks of driving Margaret and her mother Blanche around to cemeteries. The map above shows the route to the two cemeteries where Margaret had family. Margaret's brothers James and Raymond and her paternal grandfather are all in the Rehoboth Baptist Church Cemetery just down the road from their house in Piedmont. Margaret's maternal grandparents are in the Fairview Presbyterian Church Cemetary in Fountain Inn. I'm not sure if they would have visited any other cemeteries in the area
The following object description information includes basic elements from the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI). An additional notes field is included to list dates from the actual letter, envelope postmark locations, and any other identifying details.
Notes – Handwritten letter dated March 8,1943, three pages. Includes envelope, postmarked March 9, 1943, 4:30PM, from Greenville, SC.
Amid war-time conditions, segregation laws came under pressure. The influx of non–South Carolinians with different ideas on social customs led to temporary changes, especially on military bases. Nevertheless, African Americans remained at the bottom rung of the social ladder. Although some minorities gained promotions to skilled jobs, most of these went to recent arrivals. Segregated United Service Organizations, restaurants, and movie houses remained standard throughout the war. When reports reached South Carolina congressmen about “violations” of southern traditions on military installations, those congressmen did not hesitate to protest. U.S. Senator Burnet Maybank wrote a strong objection to the captain of the Charleston Navy Yard after a constituent protested that blacks were working alongside whites and that some minorities were getting promotions above whites. Although segregation would remain entrenched in the early postwar period, seeds of change were planted during the war, particularly through landmark court decisions. In 1944 the federal district court ordered South Carolina to provide equal salaries to black and white teachers. In the same year, in the case of Smith v. Allright, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the all-white primary unconstitutional. Politicians in the state, led by Governor Olin D. Johnston, fought these and subsequent court rulings, but African Americans in South Carolina were slowly but steadily gaining voting rights by the end of the war. Between 1940 and 1946 the number of registered African American voters in the state increased from fifteen hundred to fifty thousand."
Citation: Hamer, F. (2022, August 26). World War II. South Carolina Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 27, 2023, from https://www.scencyclopedia.org/sce/entries/world-war-ii/
Over 6 million women entered the workforce for the first time during World War II. Civilian jobs for women included almost everything – office work, manufacturing, computer programming, journalism, nursing, scientific research, and more. Any man who could fight in the war was expected to do so, and his job was often temporarily filled by an able-bodied woman. Even the military officially opened its doors to women. WAACs (Army), WAVES (Navy), and WASPS (Air Force) attended boot camp, donned uniforms, and served in the armed forces in the United States and abroad.
"World War II was a turning point for women. Before the war, few married women had jobs – in fact, most men considered a working wife a shameful sign that he couldn’t provide for his family. Unmarried women found few careers open to them, namely in nursing, teaching, and as secretaries."
Citation: Sundin, S. (2021, November 26). Lessons from the 1940s woman - work is fulfilling. Sarah Sundin | Drama, Daring, Romance. Retrieved March 24, 2023, from https://www.sarahsundin.com/lessons-from-the-1940s-woman-work-is-fulfilling/
Citation: Boomer, L. (2023, January 21). 1920 – 1948 Confidence and Crises World War II. Women & the American Story. Retrieved April 4, 2023, from https://wams.nyhistory.org/confidence-and-crises/world-war-ii/