Postmark July 8, 1899

*Note* This is the last of the letters I received and transcribed. Nellie and Glass were married on August 10, 1899, in Ocala, Marion County, Florida.

Tuesday am

My Darling Nellie

I am feeling very badly this am & hope visiting to you will bring about a change for the better.

I guess I did to much driving Sunday am & it was very warm too.  But hope I’ll feel better ere the day begins by.

And for us all a treasure his.
Buried deep from human eyes.
In the hereafter angels may.
Roll the stone from the treasure away.

Nellie you are the treasure and I feel that it was an angel’s hand that brought you to these desolate woods to me.

A treasure!! Yes! I value you more than I would Silver & Gold. Something that I’ve always valued more than anything on earth save my dear Parents.

I only wish I could see you today then I know I’d feel better.

I don’t see how I can see you this week as we’ll be very busy the whole week.  Only one order so far in your direction & that goes to Daisy & guess we’ll send that up on boat.  However providence may provide that I see my darling before the week glydes by.

I have thought of you since Sunday & the more I think of you the more I love you.  There isn’t a doubt in but what you are the girl for Glass.

Hope no one has caused you to loose confidence in me this week as you did last by remarking to you things that cause you to imagine I don’t love you.

Just let the people do the talking  & we will do the balance. Can’t we dear!!  I don’t see why you need let what they say tease you for you know you don’t care what they think or what they say about it if you’ll only stop to study it out.

Nellie I could write more but it’s no use to cover 14 pages with the only one meaning that I could get on one line.

I love you best of all –

So I’ll just [leave] it & say good bye write me a good long letter.

Lovingly your boy
W. Glass
4/25

[postscript] Are you coming Saturday!

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 April 18, 1899

Monday Eve 7:00


Miss Nellie Lang

Ft. McCoy

My Dear Miss Nellie,

An honest confession is good for the soul. Were I to write to you every day it would be a pleasure to me to confess my love for you. Without you life would be no pleasure. I feel that I could never get over any unkind thing you could say or do to me. It would hurt me to the heart.

You say you keep all my letters. Indeed you may. You seemed as though I was very careless with yours by tearing it to pieces and throwing it away. That my dear doesn’t show lack of affection. Every line of that dear letter is written plainly before my eyes consequently I can never forget even a line of it.

You made a vow before heaven did you; that you’d be true to me. I have been thinking of you the whole day & winding up my days toil. I can’t sleep until I write to my own dear Nellie & confess to her that too make the same vow before my God that I’l be true to you & love you to the end.

There is only one reason I dislike to approach your Father with this subject & that is I fear he’l think we are to hasty & rather insist that we wait awhile. Then you see we would wish we had waited longer however if you think it’s the thing to do I can & will make an attempt Sunday after we return from S.S. I am yours & you are my all. Then why not if you think best ask him. Just when you want me to. Miss Nellie it has worried me some about your asking me if I didn’t have an idea you had money as though you thought I’d be disappointed. Now my dear this wouldn’t be a disappointment at all. There is only one way I could be disappointed & that is were you to prove not to be a good true Christian girl. Now don’t think that I have a doubt in my mind but what you have a true & noble heart. I only write this to explain the one & only thing I could be disappointed in.

My dear girl I fear all the disappointment will be on your side. I am a poor hard working boy but I believe I can truthfully say that no man can ever love you better than your old Glass. I can’t promise you a better home than you have yet I’l love you & welcome you in the kind of home we may have. I know that I am n ot worthy of you yet I want you & must have you when the time comes. (before Sept)

While we may not have a fortune to begin with I feel that with your good influence love & help we can strive together and accumulate maybe enough to get along on.

While I am & have been living an aimless life I feel were I to get a girl (Nellie I mean) with as much thought of life & as much energy as you, we together could make our lives a pleasure to each other & could by some means manage to live. Now my dear please don’t think I can’t trust you or that I am jealous is why I don’t want you to go to Ga. Just imagine how lonely I’d be without you. Its hard for me to live without seeing you from one Sunday until the next then why should I not get the blues and get lonely were you to leave me. I give you my heart & ever spare moment of my life. This I understood of you would make you happy now I beg of you my own dear girl to give me all & be mine & live for my pleasure & not leave me all alone.

While I can love you in your plain dress yet I’d much rather you’d buy your white silk with the Ga trip money.

You seemed to think you couldn’t give up your young [illegible] correspondence.

Well my dear it’s OK if you don’t want to, however I wrote the two fatal letters this a.m. that I told you of Sunday. Now I had several correspondents I got letters near every day. When I give these all up I’l get no letters only from you & these days are very lonely when I don’t get a letter so my dear I’l want you to write real much to your old white head boy. I will expect your first letter this week on Wednesday. Shall I live until that day in Suspense only to be disappointed!! I truly hope not.

Do try to answer this one in Thursdays mail & I’l get it Friday.

I [illegible] will be out Thursday aftnoon.

With much love I am your own boy
Glass

A Courtship

This blog is dedicated to the courtship of William Glass Meggs and Julia Eleanor "Nellie" Lang, which took place over the course of the spring and summer of 1899. The young couple, my husband's great-grandparents, met in the springtime of that year and married on August 10, 1899.

The letters presented here are Glass' letters to Nellie. Although I am certain she wrote to Glass as well, it appears that he did not save her letters, as she saved his. So, we only have one side of the story, but it is easy to deduce how things went over the course of their courtship. Nellie was a strong-minded girl set to be a teacher, Glass a hard-working young man, working for relatives in a general store. They only saw one another about once a week, on Sundays. Much of their new relationship, then, was formed via the written word, using the U.S. Mail, which traveled quite quickly in those days. Glass wrote at least twice a week to Nellie for the four months between meeting, betrothal and wedding.

Nellie kept his letters, and they were given to me and my husband in a neat bundle, tied up with a ribbon. It's amazing that they survived so well in a non-archival environment, and before they deteriorated, I wanted to transcribe them. My husband asked, "Well, what are you going to do with them now?" So, I came up with the idea to post the letters weekly in a blog and share them with our family, and with anyone who stumbles across this blog.

I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did!