'''Thomas Meikle''' (4 December 1861<ref name="Geni"/> – 8 February 1939<ref name="Times1939020901"/>), born in Scotland, was a businessman and pioneer in Southern Rhodesia, the African country now known as Zimbabwe.

He travelled to Durban, Natal (in present-day South Africa), in December 1869 with his parents, his brothers John and Stewart and his sister Jeannie. He worked initially as a transport rider, then as a gold prospector, finally settling as a trader in Mashonaland. In 1894 he set up stores in Bulawayo and Gwelo (present-day Gweru) with his brother John, who pulled out of the venture two years later. He took over his brother Stewart's original idea to set up a chain of hotels, which culminated in the present day Meikles Hotel in Salisbury, today Harare.<ref name="Bridger1973"/>

He died at Hillside, Bulawayo on 8 February 1939 after a long illness, and was survived by his widow and four daughters.<ref name="Times1939020919"/>

==References== {{Reflist|refs= <ref name="Bridger1973">{{cite book|author=Peter Anthony Bridger|title=Encyclopaedia Rhodesia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8UhPPgAACAAJ|year=1973|publisher=College Press}} (a scan of the entry can be seen [http://photos.geni.com/p13/6a/52/04/dd/5344483ac587a62f/meikle_new_original.jpg here])</ref> <ref name="Geni">{{cite web|url=http://www.geni.com/people/Thomas-Meikle/6000000013376654552|title=Thomas Meikle (1862 - 1939) - Genealogy|date=4 December 1862 |publisher=geni.com|access-date=2015-12-19}}</ref> <ref name="Times1939020901">{{cite newspaper The Times|url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=hamlib&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=&docId=CS17249353&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0|title=Deaths|date=9 February 1939|page=1|column=2|issue=48225|access-date=2017-02-27}}</ref> <ref name="Times1939020919">{{Cite newspaper The Times|title=Mr. Tom Meikle|author=The Times Bulawayo Correspondent|department=Obituary|date=9 February 1939|page=19|issue=48225|column=3|url=http://find.galegroup.com/ttda/infomark.do?&source=gale&prodId=TTDA&userGroupName=hamlib&tabID=T003&docPage=article&searchType=&docId=CS319501385&type=multipage&contentSet=LTO&version=1.0}}</ref> }}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Meikle, Thomas}} Category:History of Rhodesia Category:1861 births Category:1939 deaths Category:Scottish emigrants Category:British emigrants to the Colony of Natal Category:British emigrants to Southern Rhodesia