ABOVE: Photo of Ms. Dorothy Nash holding a photo of her father Mr. George Nash.
Dorothy Louise Nash’s great grandfather Charles Franklin McQuaig came to Orlando in 1871. Her grandmother, Lorena McQuaig, was born on a little lake in Conway in 1878. Dorothy, who was born in Orlando on June 7, 1941, tells the story of the day her great grandfather’s friend, a seven foot tall Seminole Indian, stopped by the house and her great grandmother offered hospitality. Filling in the details where Mr. Gore leaves off in The History of Orlando, Ms. Nash describes her family’s shift from Georgia plantation life to Orlando and family visits to 719 W. Central Avenue to see Aunt Ida McQuaig and Uncle Charley McDowell.
Louise McDowell Nash
Her family has a history of outstanding business and civic leadership. Her great grandfather Charles McQuaig is described by Gore as “a very active man” whose building and real estate activities helped to make for a better Orlando. Her father, George Nash, worked as a sports writer for the Chicago Tribune before coming to Orlando to start Central Florida Title and Abstract Company, and serve as Orlando City Commissioner, President of Orlando Rotary, and director of Orlando Chamber of Commerce. Dorothy’s mother, Louise McDowell Nash, a champion typist, who could type 125 words per minute, worked at the courthouse and later worked for Bob Carr in his abstract title business until he sold it to run for mayor.
Edwin Clayton and Lorena McQuaig McDowell
Lorena McQuaig McDowell
In this oral history interview and accompanying family photos, Dorothy Louise Nash, shares the history of one of Orlando’s pioneer families, the neighborhoods they lived in, the community life they shared, and the background of the day, from slavery to WWII to her view of the Lake Eola fountain from her downtown high rise. We see the history of business, family, and community life in an Orlando retrospective.
LISTEN Part I (26:12)
LISTEN Part II (26:08)
Click here for more images and information on the McQuaig, McDowell and Nash families.
Read more:
McQuaig Pioneers
Interview conducted on May 25, 2013 with Ms. Dorothy Louise Nash at Westminster Towers in Orlando.
Interviewer is Jane Tracy.
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The McQuaig Pioneers
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The McDowell Family
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Mr. Charles McQuaig
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George S. Nash
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Charles Franklin McQuaig
Photo of Orlando pioneer Charles Franklin McQuaig from the family archives of Dorothy Nash.
Mrs. Louise McDowell Nash
Photo of Mrs. Louise McDowell Nash courtesy of her daughter, Ms. Dorothy Nash.
Lorena McQuaig McDowell
Photo of Lorena McQuaig McDowell from the family archives courtesy of her granddaughter Ms. Dorothy Nash.
Mr. Edwin Clayton McDowell and Mrs. Lorena McQuaig McDowell
Wedding photo of Edwin Clayton McDowell and Lorena McQuaig McDowell. Photo courtesy of their granddaughter Ms. Dorothy Nash.
Mr. George Nash and daughter Dorothy Nash
Photo of Ms. Dorothy Nash holding a photo of her father Mr. George Nash.
Dorothy Louise Nash's great grandfather Charles Franklin McQuaig came to Orlando in 1871. Her grandmother, Lorena McQuaig, was born on a little lake in Conway in 1878. In this part one of her oral history interview, Dorothy tells the story of the day her great grandfather's friend, a seven foot tall Seminole Indian, stopped by the house and her great grandmother offered hospitality. Filling in the details where Mr. Gore leaves off in The History of Orlando, Ms. Nash describes her family's shift from Georgia plantation life to Orlando and family visits to 719 W. Central Avenue to see Aunt Ida McQuaig and Uncle Charley McDowell.
Oral history interview at Ms. Nash's residence in downtown Orlando, May 25, 2013.
Part 1 - From Georgia Plantation Life Through WWII Search Lights in Orlando. (26 minutes)
For further references on the subjects in this interview see History of Orlando by E. H. Gore, 1951.
The McQuaig Pioneers: An Orlando Retrospective, Part II
Dorothy Louise Nash remembers her grandmother's baptism in Lake Eola and family visits to 719 W. Central Avenue to see Aunt Ida McQuaig and Uncle Charley McDowell at their homestead in downtown Orlando.
Oral history interview at Ms. Nash's residence in downtown Orlando, May 25, 2013.
Part 2 - From WWII to the Present (26 minutes)
For further references on the subjects in this interview see History of Orlando by E. H. Gore, 1951.
