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Mary Hamilton Meginniss was born February 21, 1915 in Tallahassee, Florida to Benjamin Andrews Meginniss and Mary Murphree Meginniss. Benjamin A. Meginniss was an attorney and later a judge in Leon County. Mary Hamilton Meginniss graduated in 1933 from Florida High School, a demonstration school operated by the Florida State College for Women. She continued her studies at the Florida State College for Women, graduating in 1937 with a Bachelor of Science degree in home economics. She taught home economics at Leon High School and at one point ran the school's cafeteria.
On December 25, 1939, Mary Meginniss married Joseph Richard Harris, son of James Richard and Emma Harris of Tallahassee. Joseph worked in the lumber industry with his father in Leon County. Mary and Joseph Harris had one son, Joseph Richard Harris, Jr., born October 24, 1947. Joseph, Jr. graduated from Florida State University in 1969, whereupon he was commissioned into the United States Army Armor School. He served during the Vietnam War, and was killed at Tay Ninh on April 8, 1972.
Summary:
This collection consists of correspondence, photographs, and ephemera that Mary Meginniss Harris collected during her teenage and early adult years. The bulk of the correspondence is from the early 1930s while she high school and college. Virginia Fleming Maybin (later Vaughn), who also attended Florida High School in the 1930s, authored a significant portion of these letters. The letters describe social activities in Tallahassee, Virginia's travels throughout North Florida, school routines, and relationships. The collection also includes series of letters to Harris that Joseph Richard Harris, Jr. wrote during his military service, as well as several letters addressed Benjamin and Mary Murphree Meginniss.
The collection includes approximately 50 photographs depicting a variety of local scenes and people including Harris and Meginniss family members, the 1968 Civil War battle reenactment at Natural Bridge, Florida State College class of 1902 (with Benjamin A. Meginniss), and the Meginniss home on South Adams Street. Also included are four daguerreotypes, two ambrotypes, and three tintypes dating from the 1850s to the 1950s; all are unidentified portraits, likely of members of the Harris and/or Meginniss families.
There is a variety of ephemera in this collection: an 1889 menu from the Ponce de Leon Hotel in St. Augustine; meeting programs of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows; club membership cards from Pensacola in the 1890s; and various programs and announcements from the Florida State College for Women, Florida State University, the Marion Military Institute (Alabama), the Florida State Agricultural College at Lake City, and the Florida Presbyterian Conference. The collection also includes Mary's "memory book" with ephemera from Florida High School, Leon High School, and several organizations in Tallahassee.
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Subject Access Fields:
Harris, Joseph Richard, 1912-1963. Harris, Joseph Richard, Jr., 1947-1972. Meginniss, Benjamin A., 1884-1972. (Benjamin Andrews), Meginniss, Mary Murphee. 1891-1983.
Women History 19th century Florida Women Social conditions and status Florida
Photographs. aat Clippings. aat Tintypes. aat Ambrotypes (photographs). Daguerreotypes. aat
Leon County (Fla.) Tallahassee (Fla.)
for detailed listing.