Go to Dear Sweetheart
About
Dear Sweetheart
In 1929, while living far apart during their engagement, Clara and Riley exchanged daily love letters- sometimes writing multiple letters in a day. Over 140 letters in 2 months. The letters were lost, until their death, when our family found them while clearing their attic.
Note from the editor

Enjoy hearing the intense love in these letters. Their anticipation of marriage reverberates off the page. Their tender emotions expressed here bring back happy memories of a blushing time in my own life, infatuated with a new love for my future wife. I hope they do something similar for you. May you never pass on an opportunity to write a love letter to your “sweet dear precious.” Even if a future grandchild ends up publishing it online. These letters of the late Clara and Riley are shared here with permission from their children and grandchildren. Of the 146 letters found, the ones shared here stood out for their choice of words and stories. When these letters were written in the summer of 1929, Clara was finishing her masters degree at State Teachers College (now the University of Southern Mississippi) in Hattiesburg, and Riley was finishing his masters degree at George Peabody College (now part of Vanderbilt University) in Nashville, Tennessee. I’m grateful for this unique portal into their lives, -Eric Burns (grandson)

Editors
Go to the profile of Eric Burns
Eric Burns
Full-time Dad. UX Designer. Design Manager. Design Ops Specialist. Uber and frog design Alum. Husband. Electric Vehicles Nut.
Go to the profile of Clara Conn
Clara Conn
Masters graduate, educator, and wearer of knickers. Engaged to medium.com/@martinlutherriley.
Go to the profile of Martin Luther Riley
Martin Luther Riley
Teacher, state legislator, and beekeeper. Engaged to medium.com/@claraconn.