Notice to Our Customers

Mrs. Wm Glass Meggs and son Bill, 1925

W.G. Meggs and Son Dry Goods, abt 1924

W.G. Meggs, First Store in Miami, 1906

Meggs family, 1907, natural bridge at Arch Creek

The Meggs family is pictured with an automobile on the natural limestone arch bridge at Arch Creek in what is now North Miami.

estelle and nellie lang meggs

About 1909, 219 4th St., Miami, FL

Postmark July 6, 1899

Orange Springs

July 4

My Darling

Your letter recd today.

No Nelly it isn’t because I am not well that I have been writing short letters.  I have always been a mistery to myself but in this case I think I understand.

I have always been of a disposition to strive to succeed in everything I undertook but have fallen short quite a number of times.  Then I’m disappointed & when I’m disappointed I can but show it.  Such is the case now.  

When I left you I felt sure I’d see you in two weeks.  Now I feel sure it will be two weeks longer.  Of course for this you are not to blame & I am ashamed that I wrote you so often to come knowing when I was writing that you couldn’t come until you were ready.

All last week I was in good spirits thinking I’d see you soon & the short letters were written after all hopes had vanished.  Consequently I could but feel disappointed & my letters in spite of me would show it.  I’ve always been that way & can’t help it.  Failure at any thing makes me wear a long face & worried appearance.

Yes I love you & have put up with all your ever done me & darling had I not known I loved you the diamond today would have been in Mrs. Mcdonalds flower yard.  There isn’t many girls in this old world that ever spoke to me as you did & then have my arms around them in 30 minutes time but this is past.  Why mention it again.

It’s ok about your telling her about my throwing the ring.  I guess she knew something was wrong the afternoon I sent for you.

I could have gone to see you this week if you couldn’t come home had I not made on that sad afternoon a solemn vow to my God never to go to that dear place again unless my business called me there or unless I was specialy invited & I truly believe, that, is one vow I made my [illegible] that I’ll always keep & it hurts me to think of the affair and that I’d act so silly.

You aught to know that there isn’t anything here to interest you in a long letter.  I stay in store from 5:00 am to 8:00 pm from Monday to Saturday night.  You know all this & there is but little left for me know out side my work & don’t think I don’t love you when I send a short letter.

It has rained a little bit though the [illegible] reports a fine time & plenty music & ect.

There’s to be a dance out at Mrs. L. Friday eve and written to Guy to come stay over night with me but don’t know if he will come.

Right here this afternoon a man came in & told me he wanted to buy some cows and he had the cash to pay for them.  The word cash startled me for a moment & then I remembered a man that had owed me (or [illegible] Brother) for a piece of land sold him 3 years ago.  Wanted us to take some cows for $50.00.  So I told him I had the cows & had my horse hitched up & away we went.

I found as soon as I got there that the man didn’t care whether I took the cows or not as he wanted to owe me longer & I couldn’t Jew him so I actually turned to the other fellow & I sold him $50.00 worth of the cows at what I paid for them & all I had to handle or do in the trade was to take the money.  So now I sit here with the cash in my pocket writing to my darling sweet Nellie.  It’s 11:00.

Dear I would tear up first of this letter as I am ashamed of it as its so gloomy & this part now seems so cheerful but I’ll let it go to show to you the different effect failure & success have on me.  Had I failed to sell the cows I know I would have written a gloomy letter sure enough.

Darling did I tell you what Pa said Sunday? – Ha Ha He said you were going to teach school in Ga this summer & asked Kate if that wasn’t what Guy said.  Of cours Miss K didn’t know.

Gee whiz I didn’t say anything but I came near telling him you’d teach at the Old Globe if you taught any where but I didn’t.

Now he’s a dandy isn’t he!!

Now you talk about yarns of all kind we told them Sunday as we had lots of time together & I told lots more than we both know.

He promised to come to see me this week but hasn’t come yet.

I told him Uncle Paxton told me to come home & go to work & he said he knew I was lying that Pax wouldn’t tell me any such.

Now hasn’t this been a glorious 4^th.  You might say I made a good sale.  3 small Fla cows for $48 cash.

That’s better than an excursion to the beach or all kinds of picnics wasn’t it darling.

Well you should be with me tonight.  God only knows how I love you & appreciate you.  I can never act so you’ll think I love you half as well as I do because I am to stupid & let things worry me that doesn’t amount to a thing.

Sometimes I can imagine all kind of things as to what you are doing & why you stay away so long but when I come down to bolts I know there’s no foundation to any such ideas & I cast them aside.

I am glad my [illegible] thinks so much of me but for Heaven sake don’t because the fellow to come away down here to Ole Miss Kate.  I was teasing her because she didn’t acknowledge recpt of fan he mailed her but I am sure from what she said she doesn’t mean to acknowledge.  She is a charm isn’t she.  Do in every [illegible] to her warn her not to let a cracker like Glass get a heart from her as I have from you.  She deserves a good man and not a Fla. crock.

A lady told me today that now was the time to do our quarreling & not after we married as she & her husband quarreled all the time until they were married & then quit it for good.

I told her if we wasn’t doing it all now I pitied the after marry quarrel.

Then I told her I had just heard you were to teach school in Ga this summer & that we were broken up.

Yes dear you should take time as you say to prepare to give your whole life to me as that is what you wrote for I will always want you with me after we marry & you mustn’t leave me for even one day.

Glass must go to Nelly do pray that I may be a good boy until you get here to take care of me for God knows I want to be.  Then I’ll be in your hands & I know I’ll be.

Regards to all.

Lovingly yours always

Glass

Postmark July 1, 1899

Friday Eve

My Darling Nell

Your letter of yesterday just recd today on the road 2 days.

Darling I expected a long letter & this was so short I was disappointed.

I fear I have been writing such long letters that you are tired out with them & write me short ones to balance up.

Well you ask such funny questions sometimes.

Why do you ask me if we realy love each other like we make out we do.  Of course you know I would say yes & [illegible] I do believe it’s true too.

No darling I haven’t bought the gloves neither the license.

You haven’t told me to & you know I’m waiting for you to say so & now you’ll be home in time.

I can go or send anytime for them & now I have the $2 ready for them.

Darling you won’t get this until Monday & it will be old so won’t write very much this time.

Darling come home this week & we can see all the summer here at Orang Springs as we have lots of shore time.

Come Come Home Home this week without fail as I am crazy to see you.  You needn’t invite sister Bernice to stay with us if you don’t want to but I don’t want you to go to Beach a week so do come home to me.

Lovingly yours

Glass

Postmark June 29, 1899

Wednesday aft.

My Darling

Deceived!! Yes I do believe I am deceived in you.

Well dear I am surprised at you.

And truly is it possible that youv always looked for & prayed to find one like myself!!  Well I am sure I am deceived in you for I surely though[t] your aspirations were based on a higher platform & that I had found a girl looking high up in the world for something.  This is how I am deceived & well I am certainly proud that I am deceived for you are all on earth I am looking for.

You often hear me say I feld sure Id never marry & I did!!  Not because I didn’t think it best for me.  Not because I didn’t have a number of friends to tell me it was better & ect & I would at times wish I could find a true good girl & then Id marry if she was willing.

This I had long since given up finding & this is why I would always think I’d never marry.  There are so many girls that are so weak in more than one thing.  Consequently when you put all their weak points together there isn’t anything left only nice girls for company & ect.  When I would think of marrying any one of these girls I would think marrying was a horrible crime & Id be miserable until such an idea would vanish from my mind entirely.  When I met you I could realize that you were more than worthy of my love & that I was not worthy of you for a wife but I made my mind to tell you all & let you decide & praise to my God youv considered the matter & consented to marry me.  Consequently I believe my miserable life will turn out to be a life of pleasure.

When I stop & think of marrying you it seems as though it will be a pleasure rather than look upon it as being a horrible crime.  I never think of anything but to marry & then what are we to do & of course this will be to decide later.  That is one reason I could assure myself at first that I loved you because I meant to marry you from the beginning.  Then not until this day have I found a fault in you.  Now darling as to what I said about believing Fitz was dead.  I was sure you understood it.  You are always guying me about being stingy & I was merely joking thinking youd think I was to stingy to feed the poor fellow.   Yes I can still say Il love every thing Nelly loves.

Realy you have time to write every day but thought I didn’t.  Now darling who failed to keep this up even after we agreed to write every two days.  Ive been writing every day except this one.

Now then you haven’t done this.  So lets write every day.  I mean to write you every day & if I am busy Il only write a short note & let me beg of you to do like wise as surely I get lonely without your letters to read as you know they are all I look for nowadays.

And you like long cheerful letters do you?  Well I must say I have been felling much better since I returned home.  A few days rest (tell Uncle Paxton) did me lots of good & I am more able to keep up with my work.

I feel sure had I tried to have worked another week without rest I would have had to have gone to my bed as I was near broken down the day I left here.

Now Nelly I fear what I have said to you about the people of this place that youl learn to dislike them from the beginning (& so you may if you wish) but I want you to greet them all with a friendly (Smile).  It doesn’t matter to me about the young ladies or the old ones wishing Id come back here.  They all know I love Nelly & they all know I haven’t confidence enough in them to be influenced by them in anything.

Nelly I love to write it: Yes We’ll Marry no matter what they say & praise to my God if he led us in such a way as to cause us to meet as you seem to think.

You must come by all means next week.  I can live this Sunday all alone but the next I must see you.  One more Sunday is all I can stand so try & arrange to be at old Klondy on Sunday week as it’s a better more [illegible] than Folkstone.

I am not hurrying the wedding at all & if youl come & Sister Burnice cant come we could wait a few days until she can come home so we can be together.  Nell if I could only be with you this lovely evening Id be the happiest boy in this old town & you can have your [illegible] sent on by express & honey I’l pay the express to get to see you but wouldnt spend that much for anything else.

Yes if we are ever rich (we) can have a nice horse cow & dog.  Also cat if you wish but darling don’t be disappointed if we are never rich!!  Miss Godson came in today to stay a month with Mrs. Livingston.  She & Miss Clark live near each other & are best of friends.  No other visitors yet.  Mrs C Thomas & a croud I guess from (Pine) Greenwood will be here next Saturday to Picnic under the oaks.

If it was & affair of ours Id send out for Miss Kate & the others but don’t know just who will be here.

Why do I put two 2¢ stamps on some of my letters.  Well I guess youl know time you finish reading this one as I know it will take 4¢.

Do Darling be at home by Sunday week.  You know dear I love you & want to see you.

Love to all

Glass

Didn’t you say you liked long letters!!

Postmark June 26, 1899

Orange Springs

June 23

My Darling Nell,

Your long letter recd today & strange it is that we were thinking of the same thing.  You [remember] that I had written you on last night that our little affair had opened my eyes too.

Yes dear I’ll [illegible] you & from this out we will both lay down our willfulness & learn to be affectionate to each other.

Yes dear those words pierced me to my very heart however I have always been of a nature to forgive & in a short time over come such feelings.  I felt sure when you wouldn’t take the ring we were done with & in 30 minutes after I reached the Hotel I would have followed you to the new world or had another talk with you & so nice in you to come after me which you said you were had I not come.

No I’ll never regret my trip to Folkstone though it cost me the $16.  [illegible] why is it such trip always cost me more than any one else.

I’ll venture any boy in this place could have made the trip on less.  Now suppose I’d gone to some city but we are not on that subject are we?

Nell I realize every day I love you better thinking all the time too it’s impossible for me to love you any better.

Darling I didn’t think of Fritz’s until I was near home.  Darling was you realy meaning for me to bring the poor fellow? I am realy ashamed of myself because I was only teasing you & would have been glad to have brought him for you. But its to late now.

The first thing Sister said to me was Did you have a good time!! Now guess the second. = = =

The second was “ Well have you guessed & what did you guess before you turn over.

Write me what you guessed.

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The second was I have a Pitcher of Ice milk. Do you want it

Of course I said yes & gave it a fair test too because I had not eaten anything except a 5 cent lunch in Pol & couldn’t eat that.

Dear one!! Do go to the Hotel & eat one biscuit for me but for Heaven sake don’t mention it as I thanked the lady 3 times for her kindness of taking such good care of me.

Nellie it’s late & I’ll have to retire as I am a little bit tired.  After this week I won’t have so much to do. I could write a whole book but no use.

I love you & you only.

Lovingly your boy,

Glass

Postmark: May 30, 1899

[Note: I missed this letter in my list of files and so it is out of order, but just by one!]

Tuesday

My Own Darling

No one will ever know how I love you & were something to cause me to loose you I would soon grow miserable for I could never find another Nellie.

Were you to go to Ga & not write to me I’d go crazy. Nellie I truly hope your trip will prove a pleasant trip because I know you must get lonely where you are.
Pleasant as well as profitable because you must get your dress & have it ready by July.

I think that in that time Mr. Brinson will be well. He & I can easily get off to come to see you & most any time that suits you. You always say that there will be girls here & for to stay home. [Illegible] them if I want to.

Well Nellie there will be more than the [illegible] I told you of. Yet when you write me to come I’ll board the next train to see you. Of course there will be plenty of girls here the whole summer but there won’t be plenty of Nellies.

Mrs. McBride had a letter from Miss Cora stating she was going North 15th June & she wanted to come spend a week with her before she left. Then too in a few week there will be a very good crowd.

I have been hoping you ask me to Ga & propose to pay my way to have me drive you about & wait on you in general but you haven’t done so yet. So I have done spoken to borrow the money on my own face to go on & have already asked my Boss if I could get off to go. So if Nellie goes Glass means to go if not Glass will not.

Strange how people change. When I came to Fla I had a train ticket to Jaxville via of Waycross. When I struck west Fla thinking I never had & would never love anything in Ga & that my whole fortune would be in Fla & of course wanted to see it all.

I had my ticket transferred to F.C. & P. & came across the northern part of Fla. I don’t know whether it was so much to see Fla or to keep from having to see Ga.

Ha”Ha” how the wind blows these days. Now my whole life is in a Ga girl & so yes I’ll gladly go to Ga or anywhere else to see you & I know the trip will not only be a pleasant one but will be a good rest for me. I think maybe I can come anytime but can tell you Sunday.

Honey don’t stay long.

Lovingly your boy
Glass

Postmark May 25, 1899

Thursday

My own Dear Nelly,

Your letter didn’t arrive yesterday but guess it will come in today.
Sleepy!! Don’t talk about how sleepy. I did get [Carriey?] home & it was real much late too.

Had some rain yesterday & I think it will help the people as much as the crops. I know I feel better already.

I had some fun yesterday with the Old Globe (our mansion).
The colored man was over there Hoeing Corn. I took my sling shot & would shoot shot on top of it & he didn’t know what it was. I had him hoeing backwards part of the time as he was afraid to turn his back to the House. He said he thought something was in it.

I went over yesterday to make a close examination of it & found 2 chairs one table & a bench. We’ll be in luck won’t we with all that much furniture.
Did Guy hear anything more!! We must tell him to go easy that he may want to court some time & we will tell on him.

I wish you all could come up here this week but guess no use to look for you.
Sunday seems a long time away but we’ll make good use of it when it gets here won’t we?

Lovingly your own boy
Glass

5/25

Julia Eleanor (Nellie) Lang Meggs

The following is an account of the life of Julia Eleanor (Nellie) Lang Meggs from the publication Miami of the Pioneers: A Picture History by Marjorie Meggs Gowin and Peter Thomas Skaggs Gowin, copyright 1976.

Was born in Georgia on a farm named “Solitude”. She was born into the Reconstruction period that followed the War of the 1860’s. As a daughter of an officer in the Georgia Cavalry, CSA, her early years were shadowed by the fact that her father, like all other Confederate soldiers could not vote, hold office, or own land until the repeal of the law making them outlaws.

The Lang family survived by farming a one hundred acre farm, a gift from her grandfather, Josiah Mizell, who was too old for military service. Also, her father, Felder Lang, became a lumber surveyor for the Dodge Lumber Company and did a lot of surveying of land in south east Georgia. It was hard for the Langs but they survived it.

She had two brothers and three sisters all born at Solitude. There was little educational opportunity, however, the St. Vincent’s Academy in Savannah offered some and she attended that school. It was Catholic and the Langs came to the colonies with Ogelthorpe and the Wesley’s and never departed the Methodist faith. So her school days were not easy.

She taught school in Folkston. At that time she stayed with her sister, Bernice, and her brother-in-law, B.G. McDonald. She also played piano at church, presumably the Old Mill’s Methodist Church.

In the late 1890’s the Langs sold everything in Georgia and moved to Florida to Dexter (near Ocala). There her father ran a turpentine operation, assisted by his two sons. He was also Postmaster of Dexter. Everything was going well until Felder Lang decided it was too cold in Dexter. He sold all his holdings and bought an Orange Grove on the Miami River, in Miami, Florida.

Meanwhile, Nellie had met and married William Glass Meggs. Glass had a brother who also ran a turpentine operation so the families were often thrown together. Glass’ brother, L.L. Meggs, decided to move to Jacksonville and wanted his brother with him. Felder Lang also wanted his family with him in Miami. Having seen Jacksonville, the Meggs’ obtained a “Homeseekers Ticket” and went to see Miami. If you stayed in Miami, you paid not fare. If you went back, you paid round trip fare. By now there were three Meggs’ since Donald their oldest son had been born. Nellie and Glass decided in favor of Miami and never regretted it.

They did not know then their life in Miami would be divided in three phases, the BOOM, the BLOW, AND THE BUST! These came in the period between about 1905 when the Meggs arrived and 1926 when a September storm ravished the area.

However, the Meggs family opened a successful business with money borrowed from Nellie’s father, Felder Lang. They were busy with a growing town and a growing family. Five Meggs’ were born in their second home, a large home bought from a Mrs. Knowles.

There were no hospitals so the children were born at home, with Dr. Jackson attending; and a Mrs. Pinder to care for the patient and the baby and to keep things in the home running.

Shortly thereafter, Dr. P.T. Skaggs and Dr. James M. Jackson told their patients there would have to be a hospital. So the ladies of Miami, including Nellie Meggs and Kate Gowin, stood on Flagler Street with ice cream cartons and collected nickels and dimes and quarters. Enough was raised to purchase a Spanish Mission located in the vicinity of Jackson Memorial Hospital. This was the beginning.

Meanwhile, Nellie was not idle. With all her large household, and competent help non-existent, she became a member of:

· Dade County and Greater Miami YWCA (Charter Member)

· Daughters of the American Revolution

· Gold Star Mothers (Her son Bill was killed in WWII)

· Hibiscus Garden Club

· Miami Pioneers Club

· Trinity Methodist Church (now First United Methodist of Miami)

· United Daughters of the Confederacy (Real Daughter)

She lived a full and active life. Her husband, Glass Meggs, expressed it very well. When he was dying he said of her, “I got me a good wife.” The Bible, which she lived, says, “A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband ---“

Nellie lived to be ninety-seven years old, and is interred in Woodlawn Cemetery, Miami, Florida.

William Glass Meggs

The following is an account of the life of William Glass Meggs from the publication Miami of the Pioneers: A Picture History by Marjorie Meggs Gowin and Peter Thomas Skaggs Gowin, copyright 1976.

William Glass Meggs was born in Mississippi near Ebenezar, Mississippi. Like his wife, Nellie, he was the son of an officer of the Cavalry, CSA. He was born into the Reconstruction era. The Meggs family survived when his father, James Meggs, took a job as overseer, with a property owner who did not wear Confederate grey.

As the youngest of a large family, the only one born after the war, he hardly knew his brothers and sisters. They had left home long ago. Mississippi was recovering very slowly from the war’s desolation. There were no educational opportunities except what his mother could teach him.

At the age of eighteen he left Mississippi to find his oldest brother, L.L. Meggs, who was in Ocala, Florida. Glass registered at the hotel and asked the clerk where he could find L.L. Meggs. The clerk asked why he wanted to find him, and he said, “I’m his brother, I’ve come to visit him.” So the clerk said, “He is standing beside you.” Thus began a business association for the brothers that lasted until L.L. died in 1922.

Glass’ first job was to manage a “Company Store”. That was a store where you charged everything all week and hoped your salary would cover it on Saturday night. The store manager was to see that it did. L.L. Meggs had a large turpentine operation and employed many men. It was near Orange Springs, Florida (Ocala). He owned property in many parts of Florida. After Glass came when he bought property he would form a company and make Glass an officer. They made a lot of money that way. It was before 1899 and Florida was opening up fast.

Then L.L. decided to move to Jacksonville. He wanted his brother to go with him. However, Felder Lang, Glass’ father-in-law, had moved to Miami, Florida, and he wanted his daughter, Nellie, and his grandson, Donald, with him. On August 10, 1900, Glass and Nellie had been married, so both families were involved.

Obtaining a “Homeseekers Ticket”, Glass and Nellie went to Miami. They liked what they saw and decided to stay. The brothers continued in business, mostly land, and Glass opened a grocery store. They arrived in Miami in 1905.

The business prospered so well that in 1908 Glass had to build a larger store. It was one of the first two story mercantile buildings north of Flagler Street. Meanwhile he had bought a home for his growing family, and he soon built on to his original building. Then he built four more stores across the street to rent for income. Whenever a property near his store was sold, he bought it, and built up a large estate. The main store was at the N.E. 1^stth Street. Avenue and 8

Meanwhile, at home there were more children who rarely saw their father because he worked from can’t see to can’t see and then some.

So, when Christmas approached, he decided he would have a Christmas holiday. He called in his order boys and told them, “I would like to close this store on Christmas Day and this morning if that will inconvenience them, then write it on your order sheet.” All the votes were “Yes, close.” The news spread, as it will in a small town, and a committee of merchants came to see Glass. They told him he would ruin them, asked if he were out of his mind, etc. Glass listened carefully, then he said, “My business here depends on my customers, not my competitors, and they are in favor of closing. Thank you, gentlemen, for coming.” He spent his first Christmas holiday since he had gone to work planting Royal Poincianas in front of his home. He also saw his children opening their presents.

In early 1920, he retired from active business. He turned it over to his son Donald, who ran it. Glass played golf, fished, and kept season tickets to the Polo games, where he was a fixture. He did not know the end of the BOOM was coming.

The BLOW arrived in September of 1926. So great was the property damage to the Meggs’ property, it impoverished Meggs to repair it. His tenants had no business and no jobs so there was no income.

The BUST began then. All he could salvage was a small property in the S.W. section with a small house on it, and six stores that could be rented for income. There he moved and lived until his death in 1958.

Meanwhile, with all these business interests, he educated his children. He always said they should have everything he didn’t have. He sent a son to Stanton Military Academy and then to Emory in Atlanta. His oldest daughter went to Ward Belmont and graduated with honors. His youngest son, Bill, attended school in Gainesville and was commissioned in the army. He was killed in WWII. His youngest daughters earned degrees from the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida.

He always had an avid interest in politics, but he would not run for office, nor would he accept a political appointment. However the district where he lived usually voted as he did. Every Sunday morning, as long as they were able, his best friend, J.E. Lummus, picked him up and they toured Miami. They looked at proposed parks, bridges, streets, etc. Mr. Lummus was for many years a city commissioner and he valued Glass’ opinion.

The Methodist Pastor who concluded his services said of him, “That he lived in a house by the side of the road, and was a friend to man.” Glass is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Miami, Florida.