James A. Meek



By Christopher A. Meek
Based in part on Home in The Wilderness by Effie Meek Maiden.

1. William Meek was born about 1792 according to family legend. Census records indicate that he was born between 1781 and 1790. He died about 1834 according to family legend. He may be the person in the 1820 census of Bedford Co., TN age 26-45 with 1 male under 10, 1 male 16-26, 3 females under 10 and 1 female 26-45. There was a person named William Meek listed in the 1830 census of Bedford Co., TN age 40-50. (Males 2 under 5, 1 age 10-15, 1 age 40-50. Females 1 age 10-15, 2 age 15-20, 1 age 20-25 and 1 age 40-50.) Although this data is not entirely consistent with Home in the Wilderness It is believed that there was only one person named William Meek in Marshall County during the time in question.

There are several deed records in Marshal County with the name William Meek dating from 1811 to 11 May 1833. Some of the land that he owned was part of the Adam Meek land grant previously owned by James Meek. James was the son of Adam Meek and Elizabeth Miller. The will of James Meek was destroyed and it is not known how William obtain the property within the land grant or what William's connection to James was.

Adam Meek was born about 1729 and resided in Mecklenburg, NC. He married Elizabeth Miller. They likely came from Cecil Co., MD in 1754. Adam obtained a land grant in Marshall Co., TN 17 Dec 1794. Adam gave his Power of Attorney for the land grant to James Meek son of Adam, Joseph Wallace, and John Wilson on 14 Jul 1808. James obtained ownership of the land when his father died. DNA tests on descendants of Adam Meek and James Allen Meek son of William proves that they were related. However, DNA indicates that James Allen Meek was not closely related James son of Adam. For instance it is unlikely that he could have been a grandson of James son of Adam. William Meek's connection to James son of Adam and the 1000 acre land grant is unknown.

William married Mary _____. She was born 9 May 1789 according to the Eli Hopkins bible. She died 20 Nov 1867. She may be the person listed in the 1840 census of Marshall Co., TN age 50-60. Also listed is an unknown male age 10-15. The identity of the person in the census is not certain. She left a will naming her son James and daughters Mary Hopkins and Sarah Robinson.

  • 11. James Allen Meek was born 21 Mar 1816 Marshall Co., TN. He died 23 Feb 1877 in Weakley Co., TN. He married Mary Henley 9 Dec 1836. She was born 27 Mar 1816. She died 17 Feb 1897. They moved to Weakley Co., TN 27 Dec 1848. She was the daughter of William Henley of Maury Co., TN. He may be the person in the 1840 census of Marshall County age 20-30. Others listed were a male age 0-5 and females age 20-30 and 0-5.

    A DNA test for a descendant of James Allen Meek indicates that he was related to several early American ancestors including Adam Meek born before 1726 a resident of Cecil Co., MD, Thomas Meek born 1745 in Ireland whose family migrated to Ontario and Joseph Meek born 1744 who resided in Washington Co., VA. DNA does not prove that James Allen Meek descended from these particular ancestors. James Allen Meek was also more distantly related to several other early Meek ancestors including two more named Adam Meek.

    • 101. William H. Meek was born about 1838 in Tennessee. He died in 1864.
    • 102. Mary Eliza Meek was born 30 Aug 1840 in Tennessee. She died 22 Nov 1926. She married J. E. Leffler.
    • 103. Franklin Meek was born about 1842 in Tennessee. He died in 1856.
    • 104. Sarah J. Meek was born 31 Jan 1844 in Tennessee. She married M. S. Hawkins.
    • 105. John W. Meek was born about 1845 in Tennessee. He died in 1866.
    • 106. Rufus Meek was born about 1847 in Tennessee. He died in 1854.
    • 107. Susan Ophelia Meek was born 18 Sep 1848 in Tennessee. She died 22 Feb 1885. She married William E. Hoggard.
    • 108. Felix McCager Meek was born 10 Aug 1850 in Tennessee. He married Charlotte Temperance Atkison 17 Feb 1876. She was born 8 Jun 1859. She died 3 Jul 1919.
      • 201. Effie Vivian Meek was born 14 Mar 1878. She died 7 Oct 1954. She married Royal Edward Maiden. She was the author of Home in the Wilderness.
      • 202. Charlie Marvin Meek was born 8 Feb 1880. She died 8 Jul 1966. She married George Dillard Brooks 25 Dec 1896.
        • 370. Dillard Brooks
      • 203. Thomas Harris Meek was born 16 Jul 1886. He died 22 Feb 1922. He married Maude E. Mathes 20 Jul 1911 in Jonesborough, TN.
        • 301. Mary Evelyn Meek was born 30 May 1912. She died 15 Dec 1989. She married Clifton Ford 13 Jul 1947.
        • 302. Thomas Harris Meek was born 9 Apr 1915. He died 10 Dec 1987. He married Florence Anderson.
          • 404. Terry Harris Meek was born 6 Jul 1945. He married Barbara L. Giles 15 Apr 1951.
          • 405. Jerry Clifton Meek was born 25 Apr 1951. He married Doris A. Jameson 16 Mar 1985.
            • 501. Stephanie Michelle Meek was born November 13, 1989
      • 204. James Russell Meek was born 23 Apr 1894. He died 3 Jun 1968. He married Lelia Ellen McCrary.
        • 311. Mary Blount Meek was born 22 Nov 1916. She died 14 Feb 1961. She married George Winter 22 Nov 1937.
        • 312. James Russell Meek was born 27 Jul 1920. He married Barbara Joy Bragg 30 Sep 1943.
          • 401. Suzanne Meek was born 7 Jun 1945.
          • 402. James Russell Meek was born 25 Feb 1955. He married Enid Diane Sisson 18 May 1979.
          • 403. Cynthia Meek was born 25 Feb 1955. She married David W, Earls.
      • 205. William Paul Meek was born 9 Feb 1897 in Weakley Co., TN. He died 2 Nov 1972. He married Martha W. Campbell.
        • 321. John Paul Meek was born 12 Nov 1925. He married Rachael L. Williams 6 Jun 1947.
          • 406. Paul Winston Meek was born 16 Aug 1956. He married Dawita Hadi.
          • 407. Mary Melati Meek was born 12 Feb 1964. She married Anthony J. Busto 10 Apr 1986.
        • 322. David Campbell Meek was born 12 Sep 1930. He married Louise S. Duncan 10 Feb 1951.
          • 411. David Campbell Meek was born 2 May 1954. He died 2 Feb 1989.
          • 412. John Duncan Meek was born 29 Jun 1955. He married L. Katrina Albright. ***DNA kit# 131778
          • 413. Rebecca Louise Meek was born 11 Jun 1958.
        • 323. Martha Anne Meek was born 20 Aug 1936. She married Robert K. Roney 14 Jun 1957.
    • 109. Pleasant Anderson Meek was born 3 May 1852 in Tennessee. He died 7 Mar 1937. He married Lydia Ann Mahan in 1875. She was born about 1852. She died 1887.
      • 211. Jacob William Meek was born 12 Feb 1876 in Weakley Co., TN. He died 17 Jan 1949. He married Ada J. Sikes 7 Apr 1900.
        • 331. Myrtle May Meek was born 7 Jan 1902. She died 4 Jan 1972.
        • 332. Eva Mae Meeks was born 1905.
      • 212. James Allen Meek was born 12 Feb 1878. He died in 1956. He married Frances Creasy.
        • 341. Dovie Meek was born in 1903. She married Rufus Watkins 10 Oct 1922.
        • 342. James A. Meek was born 27 Feb 1911. He died 19 Jul 1912.
        • 343. Minnie Joy Meek married ____ Whitby.
        • 344. Leslie Paul Meek
        • 345. Auther Meek
        • 346. Myrtle Meek was born 22 Oct 1913. She died 5 Nov 1913.
      • 213. Robert Anderson Meek was born 30 May 1886. He died 26 Jan 1956. He married (1) Minnie Mae Creasy 25 Jul 1910.
        • 351. Eva Iceie Meek was born 17 Jun 1911.
        • 352. Iva Blain Meek was born Jan 1913.
        • 353. Claud Anderson Meek was born 6 Jan 1914. He died in 1914.
        • 354. James Albert Meek was born 17 Oct 1915. He died 18 Jun 1996.
        • 355. Hazel Ann Meek was born 20 Jan 1918. He died 12 Jun 1979.
        • 356. Virginia Lee Meek was born 30 Apr 1920.
        • 357. Letha Mae Meek was born 17 Jul 1922.

        He married (2) Pauline Sanders 25 Aug 1928.
        • 358. Robert Joseph Meek was born 6 Jun 1932.
        • 359. Denver Ray Meek was born 8 Jan 1935.
        • 361. Bonnie Maxine Meek was born 28 Sep 1940.
        • 362. Shirley Ann Meek was born 28 Sep 1947.
        • 363. Brenda Kay Meek was born 10 Dec 1952.
      • 214. Bertha W. Meek

      He married (2) George Ann Jackson in 1891.
      • 215. Kesiah Ann Meek
    • 110 Bertha Parlee Meek was born 18 Dec 1858 in Tennessee. She died 20 Nov 1923. She married James M. Mahon 28 Dec 1879.
    • 111. Madison C. Meek was born 14 Sep 1858 in Tennessee. He died 11 Sep 1889. He married Alace C. Jackson. They had no children.
  • 12. Mary Jane Meek was born 4 Dec 1817. She died 28 Mar 1893. She married Eli Hopkins 17 Dec 1835 according to bible records. (See Eli Hopkins bible records in Marshall County Historical Quarterly, Vol. VIII, No. IV, Winter 1976-77, p. 84.) They were listed in the 1840 census of Bedford Co., TN.
  • 13. Sarah Matilda Meek was born between 1820 and 1825 according to the 1840 census. She married David Robinson (1822-1896) 14 May 1840 in Marshall Co., TN according to marriage records. He was born between 1810 and 1820 according to the 1840 census of Marshall Co., TN where he lived next to James Meek. Their identity in the census is not certain.

Hopkins Bible

Eli H. hopkins born Oct. 3, 1811, died July 31 1849 married December 17, 1835 Mary Meek, born Dec. 4, 1817 died March 28,1893

Births:
Eli H. Hopkins was born October the 3rd, 1811
Mary J. Meek was born December the 4th, 1817 Ed. note: daughter of William Meek
William Houston Hopkins was born the 14th of May 1838
Alexander D. Hopkins was born the 24th of June 1840
Margaret Jane Hopkins was born the 7th of May 1842
Mary Matilda Hopkins was born the 16th of Dec. 1844
Martha Virginia Hopkins was born the 17 of Oct. 1846
Eli James Hopkins was born the 21 of Feb. 1849
Truman Hopkins was born the 26 of December 1882
Hugh Woods departed this life the 4th day of June 1842
Mary Meek was born May the 9th, 1789 and departed this life the
20th of Nov. 1867, age 78 years, 6 mos., 11 days. Ed. note: wife of William Meek
Eli J. Hopkins and Sarah Angeline Carlton were married
Jan. 5, 1881 by J.W. Cook.

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