If you follow us on YouTube, Instagram, or Facebook, you know that in the past four years we have made significant gains in the structural restoration of The League-Kempner House. We are now well on the way to fulfilling our mission of making this beautiful Broadway Beauty a historic house museum that celebrates the fascinating history of Galveston and provides cultural and educational programs that enrich the local community.
With the house stabilized, now there’s time for an additional kind of fun – a deep-dive into the Rosenberg Library archives for a better understanding of day-to-day life in Galveston over the past one hundred thirty years, and of the families and individuals that have called The League-Kempner House home.
The Rosenberg Library is a fascinating place. Not only is it the oldest continually operating library in Texas, it has its own rather interesting history. And we may blog a bit on that later, but for right now we’re focused on the fact that a part of their massive archival collection is 122 boxes of the papers of J.C. League. There are complex legal documents (many handwritten) regarding J.C.’s real estate inquiries and transactions. There are receipts for travel, doctor visits, employee pay, and home goods. There are telegrams and handwritten letters both personal and professional. Sorting through these boxes – file by file, delicate paper by delicate paper – is a tedious but fascinating step back in time.
There is much to show and tell, but for this first archival blog we’re going to go simple with two receipts that show a lighter side to the hard-working J.C. League.
On April 30, 1893, J.C. League was issued a receipt from Peter Gengler – Fancy and Staple Groceries on Market Street. The bill is for one bottle of Brandy at a cost of $2.50. J.C. paid promptly on May 10th.
Peter and John Gengler were the sons of Prussian immigrant Nicholas Gengler who arrived in Galveston in 1843. By 1851 the brothers were selling fruits and vegetables by horse cart. Business was conducted by going door-to-door to take orders that were later delivered. While John went on to become a ship captain, Peter opened a store front in 1854 at the corner of 20th and Market Street. Peter Gengler Fancy and Staple Groceries became one of the first and longest-running family operated groceries in the U.S. from 1851-1946. Interestingly, because of its downtown location, the grocery survived the 1900 storm and quickly resumed business.
The second receipt leads us to uncover another interesting tidbit of Galveston history. Did you ever wonder how people got from one place to another before cars? What if you couldn’t afford your own carriage, or your buggy only had room for two? Check out the receipt dated December 15, 1893 with a charge of $3.00. It’s written to Mr. League from J. Levy and Brothers Livery and Sales Stables on Church Street. It’s for a carriage hire for six passengers. We don’t know where J.C. was going or who he might have been with but December 15th that year was a Friday. Was there a dinner party at home followed by a trip to the theater or could this have been J.C. taking business clients out to view property? The possibilities are endless.
But wait, there’s more. Check out the top left corner of the receipt. J. Levy and Bro. were also undertakers.
A quick Google search tells us that, remarkably, J. Levy and Brothers remains alive and well, so to speak.
An immigrant from France, Joseph Levy arrived in Galveston and began buying and selling horses. His brothers soon joined him. They expanded with the addition of buggies and carriages. Like many of Galveston’s early businessmen, seeing an unfilled need in the community often led to additional business ventures.
Before funeral homes, the deceased were handled by family. If the family did not own a buggy, they had to hire one for transportation of the body to the graveyard. Seeing an increasing need for funeral transportation, the Levy brothers purchased a beautiful horse-drawn hearse and several carriages. As Galveston families increasingly depended on the kindness and compassion of the brothers in the care of their deceased family members, the additional service of undertaking was added.
The company continued family operation until 2001 when it was purchased by D.J. and Jill Termini. Still in operation today, J. Levy and Termini, at 2128 Broadway, is Texas’ oldest funeral home.
All this history from two small scraps of paper. Imagine what else we might find in those 122 boxes. Check back as we uncover more about the lives of J.C. and Nellie League as our volunteers work their way through this treasure trove of information. We will post alerts on Facebook when new blogs are posted so be sure to follow/like our page so you don’t miss out.
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