Series 1. Joseph George Ray personal papers, 1919-2022
1.6 cubic feet
This series includes Ray’s enlistment papers, religious souvenirs, photographs of Ray and other soldiers during wartime, Ray’s personal scrapbook, and a shadow box of military awards and items placed by Marie Fraley.
Series 1. Subseries 1a. WWII materials, 1919-2022
0.65 cubic feet
This subseries contains enlistment papers, religious souvenirs, photographs, and a shadow box pertaining to Ray’s WWII service. A majority of the items in this subseries were originally organized in a binder by Marie Ray Fraley, Ray’s daughter. Items in the shadow box were placed there by Fraley, and contain Ray’s dog tags, campaign ribbons, lapel pins, patches, and a photograph.
| Box 1, Folder 1 |
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Autobiographical information; Original service photograph of Joseph George Ray
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circa 1942-1995 |
| Box 1, Folder 2 |
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Honorable Discharge Certificate, Service Certificate, Separation Qualification Record, application for Servicemen’s Readjustment Allowance, Certificate of Eligibility and Entitlement, National Service Life Insurance Certificate
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1943-1946 |
| Box 1, Folder 3 |
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The History of 623rd Engineer Light Equipment Company WWII [xerox copy]
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1945 |
| Box 1, Folder 4 |
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Furlough ticket, photograph of Ray with two unnamed soldiers, service ID card, Selective Service System Notice of Classification
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1944-1950 |
| Box 1, Folder 5 |
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Commentary on war times: “a Time when Raven Sing,” Kent Times poem “Introspective of Holocaust,” autobiography of time in the Army, Battle of the Atlantic xerox map of route
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1939-1945 |
| Box 1, Folder 6 |
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Religious souvenirs: My Military Missal/Father Stedman book pocket edition and wax heart souvenir of confirmation at St. Gabriel’s convent
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1942-1944 |
| Box 1, Folder 7 |
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Photographs: Camp Shelby, NY; before war, Paris, Austria, Remains of Hitler’s residence
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1943-1951 |
| Box 1, Folder 8 |
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General Harry Taylor troopship record, 623rd Engineer’s Association INC invitation in Boston, hotel brochure, army song book, Ode to Soldier John Sthrom [Strohm], photograph of Ray and Strohm 1945, Social Security administration request for Strohm
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1945-1993 |
| Box 1, Folder 9 |
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Currency collection: British coins 1919-1944; Third Reich membership pen; Third Reich coins 1937-1941; Luxembourg bills 1943-1944; Russian bill 1938
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1919-1944 |
| Box 6 |
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Military display shadow box with legend. Display contains military photo, WWII European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal, dog tags, campaign ribbons, lapel pins, patches
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1943-2020 |
Series 1. Subseries 1b. Notebook and notes, undated
0.01 cubic feet
| Box 1, Folder 10 |
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Notebook of facts and definitions
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undated |
Series 1. Subseries 1c. Leavers Lace samples, circa 1965
0.2 cubic feet
| Box 4 |
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Two samples of leavers lace
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circa 1966 |
Series 1. Subseries 1d. Scrapbook, 1978-1999
0.4 cubic feet
Oversized scrapbook containing tribute for contributions concerning Portuguese heritage in West Warwick, RI, Amby Smith newspaper articles about Francis Carley, Valley Lace, and the Hindenburg disaster, Ralph the Barber; Hurricane story; Hormidas “Meddy” Payette tribute; Photograph of Alfred Rey 1978 at Frontier Manufacturing Inc; Hindenburg recollection article; Sketch of the Ledge; Poetry Corner poems; Letters to the editor
| Box 5, Item 1 |
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Oversized scrapbook containing tribute for contributions concerning Portuguese heritage in West Warwick, RI, Amby Smith newspaper articles about Francis Carley, Valley Lace, and the Hindenburg disaster, Ralph the Barber; Hurricane story; Hormidas “Meddy” Payette tribute; Photograph of Alfred Rey 1978 at Frontier Manufacturing Inc; Hindenburg recollection article; Sketch of the Ledge; Poetry Corner poems; Letters to the editor
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1978-1999 |
Series 1. Subseries 1e. Correspondence, poems, stories, handwriting samples, and other papers, 1941-2011 (bulk 1991-1997)
0.24 cubic feet
This subseries contains letters to politicians, contributions to newspaper articles, handwriting samples, letters to Marie Fraley and her husband Dave Fraley, poems, and notes.
| Box 1, Folder 11 |
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Correspondence to Rush Limbaugh, Sen. John Chafee, Warren Rudman & Times Magazine [Note: Letter to Chafee is misdated as 1944 instead of 1994]
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1994 |
| Box 1, Folder 12 |
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Kent County Daily Times article on Sgt. George Luz of West Warwick by Amby Smith, “Silent Brave Men of the Valley” story by Ray, copies of pages from “Band of Brothers” book by Stephen Ambrose, notes on Battle of the Bulge in Belgium, envelope from Sgt. George Luz
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1996 |
| Box 1, Folder 13 |
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Ice flow story and newspaper articles
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1997 |
| Box 1, Folder 14 |
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’38 hurricane story from Ray’s autobiography, local newspaper articles on hurricanes
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1997 |
| Box 1, Folder 15 |
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Poem, letters to Amby Smith regarding Mr. Kelly and Frank Gibney, article on Gibney
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1997 |
| Box 1, Folder 16 |
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Letter to Amby Smith regarding Joe King, article on King by Amby Smith
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1995 |
| Box 1, Folder 17 |
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Article on Portuguese parade honoring Sgt. George Luz, letter of thanks to George Luz
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1997-2011 |
| Box 1, Folder 18 |
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Story on Hormisdas “Meddy” Payette, photograph copies of Meddy and family and 1942 plane crash, photo negatives, letter from Donat Payette, newspaper article on Meddy by Amby Smith
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1997 |
| Box 1, Folder 19 |
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Letter to Amby Smith regarding Francis Carley, letter from Francis Carley, photographs of Carley with wife Lois, photograph of Carley and baseball team at Roger Williams Park 1941, newspaper article on Carley by Amby Smith
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1941-1996 |
| Box 1, Folder 20 |
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Handwriting samples pre-Parkinson’s disease
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1984-1992 |
| Box 1, Folder 21 |
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Letters to Marie Fraley and Dave Fraley, poems, articles on personal interests
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1995-2002 |
| Box 1, Folder 22 |
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Poems, letters, handwriting samples, notes
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1995-2000 |
| Box 1, Folder 23 |
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Letters to Marie Fraley, biography of Joseph’s father Frank, Face on the Barroom Floor story, letter of thanks from Governor John Chafee about Project Leavers Lace, cards to Marie, poems, news articles, story about Ralph Caldamone
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1994-1999 |
| Box 1, Folder 24 |
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Collection of newspaper articles written by Brian Dickinson, former columnist at the Providence Journal
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1995-1999 |
| Box 1, Folder 25 |
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Newspaper article clippings on a variety of topics including local politics, finance, tinnitus, Wendy Marech articles from the Column
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1995-1997 |
Series 1. Subseries 1f. Vintage Valley Views Calendars, 1988-1996
0.05 cubic feet
| Box 5, Folder 2 |
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Vintage Valley Views Calendars
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1988-1997 |
Series 1. Subseries 1g. Saint Anthony’s Parish and choir reunion programs, 1942-1961
0.05 cubic feet
| Box 2, Folder 1 |
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Programs from Saint Anthony’s Parish in West Warwick
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1942-1962 |
Series 2. Materials compiled by Marie Ray Fraley, 1921-2022
0.4 cubic feet
Materials compiled in a binder in preparation for the publication of her book, “My Buffalo Nickel.” Materials include poetry, original accounts, photographs, artwork, information on the lace mill where Ray worked, and Leavers Lace samples. The series is organized based on groupings in the original binder created by Fraley.
Series 2. Subseries 2a. Early life, 1921-1996
0.05 cubic feet
| Box 2, Folder 2 |
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Birth info, original birth certificate and card, certificate of baptism, First Holy Communion certificates, 9th grade certificate, early childhood memories written by Ray, original sketches, poems including My Buffalo Nickel, My Mother’s Daughter, copy of mother and father’s eulogy, Mary Angel Farias (Ferris) and father Frank Joseph Ray w/ photographs, Hindenburg eyewitness account, watercolor painting, funeral information for sister and brother, school memories, and teacher appreciation letters
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1921-1996 |
Series 2. Subseries 2b. Military years, 1995
0.05 cubic feet
| Box 2, Folder 3 |
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“A Soldier’s Story,” copy of Honorable Discharge certificate
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1995 |
Series 2. Subseries 2c. Family, 1947-2020
0.05 cubic feet
| Box 2, Folder 4 |
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Certificate of marriage between Ray and Furtado, biographical notes on Mary Lillian Ray Furtado, poems, stories, and memories written by Ray, copy of eulogy for Truth Fraley, Red Sox ticket
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1947-2020 |
Series 2. Subseries 2d. Lace trade, 1949-2022
0.03 cubic feet
| Box 3, Folder 1 |
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Newspaper articles on Rhode Island lace business, sketch of rinse bath and warp truck by Ray, Constitution of the Amalgamated Lace, Operatives of America pamphlet, notes on lace trade, Lace Aristocrat of Textile Fabrics pamphlet, Ciba Review pamphlet, Project Levers Lace document for Governor Chafee, original photograph of Ray and Chafee at Leavers Lace Ceremony, the American Lace Worker Pamphlets, RI magazine of Business Finance Industry article on Concordia manufacturing
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1949-2022 |
Series 2. Subseries 2e. Politics and community service, 1970-1997
0.08 cubic feet
| Box 3, Folder 2 |
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Letter to Amby Smith on Our Lady of Peace Retreat, Holy Name Society blue ribbon and lapel pin [Pin and ribbon have been moved to box 5], newspaper article on the Holy Name Society of St. Anthony’s Parish, Providence Journal Evening Bulletin candidate form for school committee, Documents on run for tax assessor and “vote for Joseph Ray for tax assessor” cards, newspaper articles on fire department and arson in West Warwick
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1970-1997 |
| Box 5, Folder 3 |
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Holy Name Society blue ribbon and lapel pin
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undated |
Series 2. Subseries 2f. Musings, 1994-2010
0.14 cubic feet
| Box 3, Folder 3 |
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Poems, correspondence to Norman DeBaene, letters and commentary, newspaper article on Joe King, Assisted Living View from the Hill brochure, the Villa newsletters 2005, 2006, 2008 with his poems, letters from Tara Finlay (waitress employed at the Villa), typed vocabulary
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1944-2008 |
| Box 3, Folder 4 |
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“Reflections on the Infinite Goodness of God,” by Frank Wey
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2010 |
| Box 3, Folder 5 |
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Health, ravages of Parkinson’s Disease on handwriting
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circa 2008 |
| Box 3, Folder 6 |
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Poem to be read at passing, letters, favorite poem, “Ode to Those Born Before 1945,” newspaper article on Portuguese immigrants in the Providence Journal
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1996-2009 |
