Gleason Family Papers, 1869-1946.

5.2 linear ft. (11 boxes and 10 vols.)          

 

      The collection is divided into four parts: Correspondence files, Financial and legal documents, Subject files, and Letter books.

      The Gleason Family came to Florida from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, in the post-Civil War period.  The family played a significant role in the development of Florida's agricultural, commercial, and residential lands.

      William Henry Gleason (1829-1902) and his wife, Sara G. Gleason (?- 1912), arrived in Florida in 1866.  He was trained as an engineer and as a lawyer.  His principal business activities involved real estate development and a law practice, W. H. Gleason & Co., which specialized in land cases.  Gleason is perhaps best remembered, though, for his political activities during Reconstruction.  He served as Lt. Governor from 1868-1870 and in the state legislature from 1871-1874.

      Gleason's sons, William H. H. Gleason and George G. Gleason, continued in their father's business and political footsteps.  They operated a land development company, Gleason Brothers (incorporated 1899), and William took up his father's law practice.  The Gleason brothers were also involved in intracoastal shipping and operated steamships (both were licensed pilots) and dry dock facilities.

      W. Lansing (William Lansing) Gleason was the son of William H. H. Gleason.  Like his father and grandfather, he pursued a career in real estate law and continued to develop the family's land holdings.  All of the Gleason generations were active in Florida's Republican Party. W. Lansing Gleason was also involved in Eau Gallie's local politics serving as the town's mayor in the 1930s.

      Much of the family's land dealings were in present day Brevard, Broward, and Dade counties.  The family owned approximately one third of the old Delespine Grant and founded the town of Eau Gallie (now part of the City of Melbourne).  The Gleason's donated the original site for Florida's land grant college in Eau Gallie, but the college never opened.  The single campus building was later used as the Hotel Granada which the Gleason Family owned and operated after the lands were sold back to the Gleason Family in 1884.  George Gleason was the hotel's manager.  

      The collection consists primarily of the papers of William H. H. Gleason and records of Gleason Brothers.  The collection also contains papers of William Henry Gleason, George G. Gleason, and W. Lansing Gleason.          

      The papers of William Henry Gleason are contained in the earlier correspondence files and in the financial and legal documents.  Both deal primarily with his law practice and his business interests, most notably the Southern Inland Navigation and Improvement Company.  This company was created in 1869 for the purposes of dredging existing waterways and building canals along the St. Johns River and Florida's east coast and developing lands granted to the company by the State of Florida.  Gleason's political activities are only occasionally mentioned. 

      William H. H. Gleason makes his appearance in the correspondence files around 1885.  His letters, and those of his brother, reflect the family's growing interest in residential and commercial properties, particularly in Dade County, as well as the family's continued interest in the development of Eau Gallie.  In addition to the correspondence files, the career of William H. H. Gleason is also documented in a subject file, covering the years 1885-1940, and six letter books for the years 1896-1901.

      The papers of W. Lansing Gleason are contained in a subject file for 1925-1946 and reflect, among other things, his involvement in local and state politics.  Of special interest, in this regard, are the letters and publications of the Florida Taxpayers' Association as well as his files on local elections.

      Included with the letter books is a volume containing letters of A. W. Buie, Superintendent of the Indian River Steamship Company, for the year 1898.  The relationship of the Indian River Steamship Company, which operated steamers on Florida's east coast, to the Gleason family is unclear.  There is also a letter book containing George Gleason's correspondence of 1893-1894 and a very brief letter book from the Hotel Granada.

      Also attached to the collection is a volume containing newspaper clippings for recipes, home remedies, and gardening and cleaning tips.  The clippings, from the 1880s, are pasted into the account book of William Henry Gleason when he was a sutler for the 43rd New York State Volunteer Regiment in 1861.  

 

Correspondence Files: William Henry Gleason and William H. H. Gleason:

 

Box 1: 1870-1886.

Box 2: 1887-June 1892.

Box 3: July 1892-September 1894

Box 4: October 1894-1899 and undated letters.

 

Correspondence of William H. H. Gleason:

 

1896-1898, A-Z.

1903, A-F.

 

Box 5:

 

1903, G-Z.

1916, A-Z.

 

Box 6:

 

1938 (personal correspondence only)

 

Financial, legal and miscellaneous documents of William Henry Gleason.

 

[Cross Florida shipping canal] Untitled, undated article by William Henry Gleason

Florida Agricultural College, deed to Sara Gleason, 1884.

William H. Gleason vs. J.V. Harris (disputed lands in Miami) 1866-1876.

Republican State Committee, 1875.

Southern Inland Navigation & Improvement Co.-- Documents (2 folders)

 

Box 7:

 

Subject Files,1885-1940, William H. H. Gleason:

 

Southern Inland Navigation & Improvement Co. --stock certificates.

Agreements, legal papers, and other documents, 1869-92.

Agreements, legal papers, and other documents, William H. H. Gleason and George G. Gleason, 1890-1895 (includes documents related to steamships operated by the Gleason's).

Daily journals (William H.H. Gleason), 1887 and 1891:

Attorney opinions.

Banana River Inlet, 1903-1907.

Bankruptcy proceedings, 1900- .

Boats & canal traffic, 1910.

Brevard County—Superintendent of Schools election, 1920.

Brickell claim (Miami), 1895.

Council of Defense/Selective Service Legal Advisory Board, 1918-1919.

Drainage districts, 1913-1928.

East Coast Lumber & Supply Co., 1911-1912.

 

Box 8:

 

Subject Files,1885-1940, William H. H. Gleason (cont.):

 

East Coast Marine & Railway Co., 1889-1905.

East Coast Realty Co. --Stock certificates.

Eau Gallie.

Boundary change, 1915.                      

Certificates of indebtedness, 1940-1944.

Deed to city by Gleason Land Corp., 1937.

Elections, 1890’s.

School trustees, 1912-1916.

State Bank -- Gaulden suit, 1894-1896.

Voter lists and poll tax receipts, 1893-1895.

Florida East Coast Railway, 1904-1908.

Gleason, George, 1904-1908.

Gleason, George, estate papers.

Gleason, Sarah, 1904-1908.

Gleason, Sarah, Estate of .

Gleason vs. Bergin, 1885-1888.

Gleason, William H., Agreements with State of Florida.

 

Box 9:

 

Subject Files, 1885-1940, William H. H. Gleason (cont.):

 

Gleason, William H., Letters, 1887-1888.

Hawkins, Walter, 1909.

Lazarus lands (part of Delespine grant) 1897.

Miami Beach Improvement Co., 1921-1924.

Miscellaneous.

Nelson, Thomas, 1910.

Pent case (Miami) 1892-1931.

[Politics].

Republican Party, 1896-1927.

State Comptroller, 1899-1904.

Turpentine lease, 1904

 

Box 10:

 

Subject Files, 1925-1946, W. Lansing Gleason:

 

Baseball file, 1937.

Dixie Highway, 1932.

East Coast Marine Railway Co. -- Bonds, 1929-1931.

Eau Gallie.

Election, 1926.

Election, 1928.

Election, 1941.

Election, 1943.

Florida Power and Light.

Harbor, 1933.

Harbor project, 1946.

Inlet channel, 1936.

Kissimmee Highway.

Primary election, 1938.

Special road & bridge #10.

State Bank receivers certificates.

Florida League of Municipalities, 1932-1935.

Florida Municipal Bonds.

Harbor City Hotel Company.

Hillsborough County Bonds, 1932-1935.

Investment & bonds.

Republican Party.

Ridge Mortgage Investment Co. vs. Gleason Bros., 1938-41.

[Florida] Taxpayers’ Association (publications of state organization and other local chapters).

[Brevard County] Taxpayers’ League (local chapter of the Florida Taxpayer’ Association).

 

Letter books, 1893-1901:

 

Letter book 1: George G. Gleason, 1893-1894.

Letter book 2: William Henry Gleason, 1895.

    William H. H. Gleason, (Gleason Brothers), 1899-1902.

Letter book 3: William H.H. Gleason (Gleason Brothers), 1896-1897.

Letter book 4: William H. H. Gleason (Gleason Brothers), 1897-1898.

Letter book 5: William H.H. Gleason (Gleason Brothers), 1898-1899.

Letter book 6: William H.H. Gleason (Gleason Brothers), 1899-1900.

Letter book 7: William H.H. Gleason (Gleason Brothers), 1900-1901.

Letter book 8: A.W. Buie, Superintendent of the Indian River Steamship Company, 1898.

Letter book 9: Hotel Granada (30 pages only) 1900-1901.

 

Account book of William Henry Gleason, sutler, 43rd NYSV, 1861, with clippings from 1880s.