JOHN VINES MEADOR (1803 – 186?)

From Chesterfield Dist., SC to Lafayette Co., MS

Did they leave him behind...or did he choose to stay?

John Vines Meador (56), his wife Martha (48), sons, Reuben (24), William (14), and daughter, Martha (15) are last found in the 1860 census in Lafayette Co., MS. The youngest daughter, Rebecca, was buried in Abbeville Cemetery in 1859 at age 9, one of the oldest stones recorded in that cemetery. What happened to the remainder of this family remains a mystery to me. I can find no trace of them after the war. Reuben paid personal taxes in 1857-1858. Both Reuben and William likely served in the Civil War, but, as yet, I have not been able to determine that for sure.

UPDATE December 2015: A John Meador is listed on an indigent/destitute list as a single person in Lafayette County, MS during the Civil War (1864). This was a long list indeed as the devastation must have been enormous in that area. I assume that his wife died earlier. The other three children may have died during the war, or perhaps were married. John V. has also just been discovered on a 1867 voter registration list in Dresden, Navarro County, TX, having lived for only one year in that area. Dresden is the area where the other members of his extended family settled after leaving Mississippi in 1850--some 16-17 years earlier.

John Vines Meador was born in Chesterfield Dist., South Carolina in 1803 per an extract of the Bible records of his father, Obadiah Meador (1773 VA – 1855 Navarro Co., TX). Obadiah was found in that county in both the 1800 and 1810 censuses.

According to Victor P. and Bernal Meador in Our Meador Families in Colonial America, 1983, Obadiah’s grandfather, Jason Meador I, in 1761, joined in a group who traveled from Bedford County, VA to Craven County, SC (later to become Fairfield District, SC). His four sons and one daughter had all married children of Edward Moberly, one of the other parties in that group. His son Jason II, father of Obadiah, married Sarah Moberly sometime before 1752.

Obadiah Meador had the following children:

• William (1797 – 1867, Navarro Co., TX), m. 1823 Greene Co., AL to Sarah Derden
• Clement (1801 – 187_, Navarro Co., TX), m. ca. 1823 Olive Melton, m. 2nd ca. 1854 to Martha Hunt
  
• John Vines (1803 – 186_, Lafayette Co., MS), m1.(shown below) 1824, Greene Co., AL to Mary Brazile; m. 2nd 1833, Greene Co., AL to Martha Meador (a 2nd cousin, once removed)
  
• Sarah Jane (1805 – 1863, Navarro Co., TX), m. 1820 prob. Green Co., AL to William Melton

Sometime after 1810, Obadiah packed up and moved his family to Georgia, possibly to Richmond Co., where in 1818, he was required to declare his slaves per this Slave Declaration. It is unknown how long they may have been in Georgia, but by the very early 1820’s they arrived in Greene Co., AL, where sons William and John Vines married, in 1823 and 1824 respectively, and Sarah, according to several researchers, married in 1820.

Obadiah and his son William both purchased land in Greene County, AL in 1824; sons John and Clement followed with purchases in 1825 and 1829. John apparently did not use his middle initial ‘V’ until later, when another John Meador arrived in the area. Son-in-law, William Melton also purchased land there in 1824.

John V. Meador, married Mary Brazile on 24 April, 1824 in Greene Co., AL. Most extracts report this to be John B. Meador, but examination of the original marriage record show it is a ‘V’, with a big curly-cue finish, resembling a ‘B’. It is an old way that was sometimes used to finish letters like ‘V’ and ‘Z’. One can clearly see the difference in this "V" and the "B" used for the name Brazile.

In examining deeds from that time in Greene County, I discovered two deeds where a John and a John V. sold land and his wife signed away her dower rights. Her name was given as Polly (a nickname for Mary) on this Jan. 1827 deed transcription, and Mary R. on this Feb. 1832 deed transcription.

The census record for Jno. Medder (Meador) in 1830 Greene County, AL shows that he and his wife had 2 children, a boy and a girl, both under 5 years of age. Reason M. Meador (1826-1909 Jack Co., TX) is probably the male child under age 5, and his sister, also under 5, Mary Ann Frances Meador.

On the same page with John’s marriage is the marriage of another Brazile female, Leanna, to Richard Yarborough. John Vines Meador and Richard Yarborough both sold their land in Greene County on the same day in Feb. 1832. Apparently, they had plans to go elsewhere together. But, it seems that fate had another plan, and Mary must have died unexpectedly. Mary and Leanna were probably sisters.

In 1833, John Vines Meador married his 2nd wife, a distant cousin, Martha Meador, who was newly arrived from Anson Co., NC. They were married by an M.E. Minister.

In 1836, when his 2nd wife’s father, James R. Meador died, John V. Meador was named as co-administrator of the estate, with his brother-in-law, Reuben. They were required to post a $50,000 bond in Greene County Orphan’s Court, as the estate was quite large. A court record in Pontotoc County, MS shows that John V. borrowed a large sum of money from his father, and his 2 brothers-in-law, William Melton and James R. Meador to pay the bond. It took some time to settle the estate and Reuben died between 1838 – 1842, before the estate was settled. John V. continued as sole executor.

Sumter County, AL, was created in 1832. The first land purchases that were made by John Vines Meador were in the part of Greene County that later became Hale County. But subsequent purchases moved him into the new area of Sumter County. He purchased and sold land in 4 distinct areas during this period in Sumter County.

In Sept. 1840, Sumter Co., AL, John V. Meador gave consent for his daughter Mary Ann Frances to marry William Nixon. (Again, one must check the original record, as the name is given as John Y. on abstracts). This must be the daughter from the first marriage, as she is too old to be from his 2nd marriage in 1833 (by my calculations, though, this oldest daughter is only 12!). John V. Meador is missing in the 1840 census. It is possible that since he has sold his last piece of land, he is living with his brother, Clement in Sumter County, AL.

By March 1841 per various documents, members of the family of Obadiah Meador, including John Vines Meador have sold their holdings in Alabama and are in Pontotoc Co., MS.

At this time, John V. was still administrator of the estate of his father-in-law. All of the personal property had been sold and the money distributed, but it took him so long to sell the real estate for the heirs, that one of them filed complaints in the Orphan's Court. He was replaced as administrator, and it is possible that he forfeited the bond. An indenture was filed in March 1841, Pontotoc Co., MS where he signed away his property rights to Abram Duren (also a relative of sorts) in the event he would be unable to pay his debts resulting from the bond. It remains unclear if he was ever able to repay them.

In Oct. 1841, in Pontotoc County, MS, a petition was filed and granted for John V. Meador to be appointed guardian of Mary Meador, a minor and orphan. This was the sister of his wife, Martha.

In June 1844, Pontotoc Co., this Mary Meador and William C. Bland entered into an agreement witnessed by John V. Meador, that the slaves owned by Mary should remain vested in her upon their impending marriage. Mary and Wm. C. Bland were subsequently married in September, 1844. The slaves that Mary owned were from the estate of her father James R. Meador and mother, Elizabeth (maiden name unknown), who had recently died.

The 1845 State Census for Pontotoc Co., MS shows:

Names:                 Males         Females
Meador, John V.          4             3
        Obadiah          1             2

In the household of Obadiah are himself and wife Mary (Vines?) Meador. The males in the household of John V. are himself, and 3 sons, Reason, Reuben and William. The females are wife, Martha and daughter Martha. Since Martha’s sister Mary has married, there appears to be an extra unidentified female in each of these households.

In 1850, John V. Meador (46) was living next to his father, Obadiah, in old Dallas, Lafayette County, MS. Wife Martha (40), sons Reuben (16) and William (10), daughter Martha (8) and one new daughter, Rebecca (1) are listed. Also living nearby is his daughter, Mary Frances Nixon Busby (22). Her first husband, Wm. Nixon died and she remarried in 1850 to William Busby. She was listing as having a son, William Nixon (6). Her brother, John Vine Meador’s oldest son, Reason M. Meador had married and was still living in Pontotoc Co. MS.

In this census, John Vines Meador was shown as owning the land where he lived, valued at $150. But, there are no deeds showing either a purchase or sale of land by John V. in the county! It may have been the land that his father had promised him in a will written before 1850, but not probated until 1855 when his father actually died (in Navarro County, TX).

In late 1850 and early 1851, Obadiah and others of his family sold their land in Mississippi, preparing to move to Texas. For reasons that are somewhat unclear, John V. Meador chose to remain in Lafayette County, MS.

Records show that Obadiah sold ALL of his land in late 1850 (including that previously willed to John V. Meador) when he moved to Texas with his other children and their families. When the will was probated in Navarro County, TX, the court was incorrectly informed that John Vines Meador was in possession of the property. He was informed of his father's death and the probate of the estate by notices in a local publication. When he didn't appear, a lawyer was assigned to look after his interests. Because he owed his father money, and because [it was said] he inherited land, his share of the estate was very small.

It certainly appears there was a split in the family—possibly with some rancor. Whether it was over money owed, religious differences, or something entirely different, we are left wondering.

Sometime after 1850 when his father left MS, John Vines moved from old Dallas, MS to Abbeville. I have now gone full circle in this story.....back to the beginning in the 1860 census of Lafayette County. In that census, he is no longer shown as owning land. His occupation is cabinet maker.

Almost all of the census records in 1860 Lafayette County, MS show their location as Paris, MS. Clearly so many couldn’t have been living in the Paris area. Further analysis shows that John Vines was living near Abbeville, MS (north of Oxford). This is corroborated by the cemetery stone of his daughter, Rebecca. The ages of many members of the family have changed less than the 10 years expected, but it still is clearly the same family.

Abbeville was almost completely destroyed during the Civil War. General Grant’s soldiers occupied it during one of their trek’s to Vicksburg. All but 2 houses in the area were burned. Per my update in the earlier part of this narrative, it is now assumed that John V. Meador's wife died during the Civil War. Both of his sons were of age to have served. I have been unable to determine which William Meador might have been his son. A Reuben served in Arkansas and may have been John's son. I haven't found that either died during their service, however. So, the circumstances of the children, Reuben, William, and Martha, is still unknown. John Vines must have died in Navarro County before 1870.

His oldest daughter Mary Frances Busby has not been found after 1850. My great-great grandfather, Reason M. Meador appears to have been his only descendant to survive for very long. He moved to Navarro Co., Texas with the rest of the family about 1850. He left for a while for Parker County, but returned about the same time that his father appeared after the war. He died in Jack County, TX about 1909.

If you haven't already, you can
READ MORE ABOUT THE RESEARCH TO PROVE THE LINK
FROM JOHN VINES MEADOR TO REASON M. MEADOR
HERE