Emily Meggett Husband: Was Emily Meggett Married?

Jessie Meggett was the husband of Emily Meggett a community leader, chef, and author of American Geechee-Gullah descent. The couple got married on July 28, 1951.

Emily Meggett’s husband, Jessie, was a Gullah culture member. He was raised in a two-room cabin that had previously housed slaves. His childhood home was relocated to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC, in 2017.

Jessie Meggett preceded his wife in death. Emily Meggett died on Friday, April 21 2023,  at the age of 90. Emily Meggett died surrounded by family and friends after a brief illness, according to her family.

Emily Meggett was so beloved in the Edisto Island community that, according to The New York Times, “no one charges her for anything.” Most days, she cooked more food than she needed and left her side door open so that neighbours knew that she had a meal to spare.

Rep. Jim Clyburn presented her with the President’s Volunteer Service Award on July 22. President Joe Biden wrote in an accompanying note, “we are living in a moment that calls for your hope and your light.” The city of Charleston’s mayor, John Tecklenburg, declared July 22 “Emily Meggett Day.”