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

nellie meggs in an automobile

nellie meggs in an automobile, a photo by katrinaelsi on Flickr.

This undated photograph of Nellie Meggs was taken in front of the family home in Miami, FL.

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