William Henry Gleason and William H. H. Gleason correspondence, 1870-1886

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 rarely 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.