6th Generation
OBADIAH MEADOR and MARY "POLLY" VINES
from NC/SC Through AL, MS TO NAVARRO CO., TX
We know from the book mentioned above that Obadiah's grandfather, Jason Meador followed his brother Jonas from Essex Co. into Caroline County, VA. There, in 1743, they were fined for not attending the Anglican Church. They stated they were Quakers and the charges were dismissed.
Jason moved to Lunenburg Co. (later Bedford) in 1851 and then, along with the Moberly family, to Craven County (later Fairfield Dist.), SC about 1759-60. It appears that some of this family went to Anson County, NC, but without further research, it is unclear to me whether they went there before they went to SC or after. But, I believe that Obadiah was born in SC. His father was found there in 1790. A transcription of the Bible records of Obadiah Meador states he was born August 8, 1773. Obadiah is enumerated in Chesterfield, SC in 1800 and 1810. Other researchers have said that he married about 1796 in Chesterfield District, SC to Mary "Polly" Vines, who was born in about 1780 in NC. That information has not yet been verified.
Sometime after the 1810 census, Obadiah and family began their journey south and west. In 1818, they were traveling through Richmond Co., GA where he declared slaves on this Slave Declaration.
By at least 1823 (and probably earlier) they arrived in Greene County, AL. Obadiah and Polly had 4 children. William, Clement, John Vines, and Sarah Jane. At this point, all of his children were old enough to marry, which they did very shortly. William married 16 Mar. 1823 to Sarah Derden; Clement married about 1823 to Olive Melton; John Vines married Apr. 1824 to Mary Brazile/Breazeale; and Sarah Jane Meador and William Melton were married 18 Oct. 1820. Obadiah and his children also purchased quite a lot of land in this area. They bought first in the area of Greene County that later became Hale County; and later they moved into Sumter County, AL. This chart shows Federal land purchases by Meador family members.
About 1841, the family began their movement west again. Obadiah Meador, William Melton and John Vines Meador are enumerated in Pontotoc County, MS on the state census 1845. William Melton was an elder in the Primitive Baptist Church and helped to purchase land on which to build a new church.
After 1845, the family separated for a short time. In 1850, William Melton had remained in Pontotoc Co., but Clement was in Hot Springs, AR; Obadiah and John Vines were in Lafayette Co., MS. William Meador had already arrived in Navarro County, TX. Besides the regular census schedule, he was listed as a slave owner in 1850. It was probably less than a year before Obadiah, William Melton, and Reason Meador, son of John Vines, joined William Meador in Navarro County.
Obadiah wrote his will in 1849, Lafayette County, MS. In 1850 and 1851, he sold his land there, before coming to Texas with William and Sarah Melton. He died and his estate was probated in 1855, Navarro County. His wife, Mary, was living with the Meltons in 1860. She died shortly after that.
I do not know when Clement arrived in Navarro County, but he was also there by 1860.
7th Generation
JOHN VINES MEADOR and MARY R. BRAZILE/BREAZEALE (wife #1)
and MARTHA MEADOR (wife #2)
John Vines Meador alone stayed in Lafayette Co., MS (You can read his long story here and use your back arrow to return. Or, read the shorter version below).
John Vines' first wife, Mary R. Brazile, died about 1832, 8 years after their marriage. They had 2 children, Mary Ann Frances and Reason Mobley Meador. After Mary died, John V. married Martha Meador, a distant cousin, and daughter of James R. Meador who had recently arrived in Greene Co., AL. James R. Meador died about 1836 with a large family and a large estate. John V. was named co-executor of the estate with his brother-in-law, Reuben. They posted a $50,000 bond which was likely all borrowed from family members. Reuben also died shortly thereafter, and John V. continued alone as executor. In about 1848, when the estate was still not settled, he was replaced, probably losing his bond.
John V. and Martha had four children: Reuben, Martha, William and Rebecca. Rebecca died in 1859 and is buried in the Abbeville, MS cemetery. Recently, I found a two new pieces of information--John Meador was listed as a single person on an indigent list in Lafayette Co., MS during the Civil War (1864). His wife may have died during that brutal period in Mississippi. The children were either married, or had died, but I have found no trace of them after the 1860 census. The second new finding is a voter registration list in Dresden, Navarro County, TX in 1867 where John V. is shown to have been living in the area for one year. It is gratifying to know that he was reunited with his family after the war.
8th Generation
REASON MOBLEY MEADOR AND TWO SARAHS - SARAH unk and SARAH STULTS
of Mississippi and Navarro, Parker, and Jack County, Texas
I have previously discussed research into the father of Reason Meador (ad nauseum) in the above narrative, so I will try not to repeat too much here, but inevitably, there will be some duplication.
Reason Mobley Meador was born Sept. 1826 in Greene County, AL. His mother died when he was about 6 years old. It seems reasonable to believe that he spent quite a bit of his young years with his Aunt and Uncle Sarah and William Melton who lived nearby, becoming close to them. But, his father, John Vines Meador, married again probably within a year of his mother's death to Martha Meador, so she must have had an impact on him as well.
By 1841, he was living in Pontotoc Co., MS with his father. He married about 1850 to Sarah ____ and they moved to Navarro County, TX very soon after that. Reason and Sarah #1 had 3 children, all born in Navarro County. She died between 1855-1858, probably in probably in Navarro County, after which time, Reason M. Meador moved to Parker County, TX. He is shown as a Chain Carrier in "Abstracts of Parker Co., TX" in 1857. He married Sarah A. Stults there in about 1858. Sarah was born 8 Jan 1838 in Indiana. She was the daughter of John and Rosanna (Mason) Stults. No marriage record exists since the Parker County Courthouse burned in 1874, but the Proof of Heirs document for Sarah's father names his daughter Sarah Meadows (please note the spelling of Stults with an 'S' rather than 'Z'). Read more about the John Stults family here.
Reason and Sarah Meador are not present on the 1860 census for Parker County, nor is any family living in the area of Peaster, about 7 miles NW of Weatherford, where we believe they were living. It seems that the Indian raids were so prevalent in that area that no soul was brave enough to attempt to take the census. Nevertheless, several tax records exist to prove Reason lived there from about 1857-1867. This map shows the area of his father-in-law, John Stults' property. Reason did not own land there as he rarely paid more than a poll tax during those years. Most years, he is shown with no personal property...not even a horse, so times were rough for this family with 3 children from his prior marriage and 3 more from this marriage.
Reason is on the muster rolls for Captain Jonah S. Culwell/Calwell's Company in 1864. This unit was attached to the Texas Rangers. Sarah appeared on Parker County indigent dependent lists in 1864-1865 as did most of the residents of the area.
After the war, Reason and Sarah spent some time back in Navarro County. Sarah's sister and husband H.P. and Nancy (Stults) Sullivan accompanied them. I believe they went back to be near his father, John V. Meador, and also, William and Sarah Melton in their last years. After they all died, Reason and Sarah left Navarro County for the last time about 1874-1875.
His 3 oldest children by his first marriage remained and married in Navarro County.
- Mary Elizabeth(16 Oct. 1851 - 19 May 1912) married Benjamin Franklin Dudney on 5 Sept. 1872. They moved to Roger Mills Co., OK and had 2 children. Mary was caring for her grandchild Maggie in 1900 and for 2 of her brother's orphan children in 1910.
- William J. Meador (Sept. 1853 - 1 Feb. 1906) married Martha E. Grady on 17 May 1877. They had 5 or 6 children. She apparently left him and was running a boarding house in Dallas. In Dec. 1905, he entered the boarding house and shot and killed her, then, turned the gun on himself and fired. He was injured, and lived under police custody until the following 1 Feb. 1906 when he died.
- Martha E. Meador (23 Aug. 1855 - 15 Dec. 1894) married John H. Thornton 25 Jan. 1877. They moved to Taylor County, TX where he served as County Treasurer in 1898. They had 7 children.
Reason and Sarah rejoined the others of the Stults family in Jack County, TX. They first lived at Gibtown. Just as a point of interest, this website has a picture of the old store in Gibtown.
An affidavit proves that Reason homesteaded land for the proscribed 3 years from 1875 and received a land patent in 1880. He served as Justice of the Peace in Jack County. Here is an election return for 1890. Sometime before 1900, all of Sarah's brothers and sisters moved to Oklahoma. There was a severe drought in the area of Jack County, and probably that is why they left. Reason and Sarah stayed in Jack County.
They had 6 children between them.
- George Vine Meador who is discussed below.
- Paulina A. ("Pine" or "Lina") Meador (1863-23 Oct. 1892), married James Edward Harris 5 Nov. 1876. They had 5 children before she died an untimely death at about age 30. I believe she is the Paulina A. Harriss that is buried in the Gibtown Cemetery.
- Nancy Evelyn Meador (30 Oct 1865 - 3 Sept 1938) married Thomas Lee Curtis. They moved to Grady Co., OK and had 10 children.
- Charles Newton Meador (20 Feb 1868 - 2 Feb 1944) married Julia Lee Harris on 29 Oct. 1901. Julia was the niece of James and Pine Harris, above. They lived in Kimble Co., TX and had 4 children.
- Ella J. Meador (cir. 1869 - cir. 1900) married Chester B. Cooper on 29 Dec. 1891. Two children.
- Benjamin Franklin Meador (26 Aug 1874 - 23 Dec. 1956) married Gussie Belle Stanley on 7 Dec. 1892. They lived in various places in Oklahoma and Texas. They had 5 children.
Reason and Sarah Meador were living with their oldest child, George Vine Meador in 1900. While there is no death record and no tombstone for Reason Meador, I believe he died about 1909. The date of June 10 has been given in a Gibtown cemetery book (unclear where the information came from). That date also appeared on a page from an album in the possession of a great-grandson. It apparently belonged to Benjamin Franklin Meador's son William Floyd Meador, so lacking a better date, it has been used by several of his descendants and I have used it as well--it may be wrong. The other birth and death dates for Reason and Sarah are difficult to read on this page, but they are all incorrect. Also, the name next to Sarah reads "Sarah Smith Meador". I believe several researchers have used this to mean the maiden name of the first wife. But this picture is of Sarah Stults Meador (note their advanced age--plus, several Stults descendants have the same picture). So, almost everything about it is in error and I hesitate to even show it, lest someone use it as proof.
Sarah died 3 Nov 1906 in Gibtown (Jack) TX. She is buried in the Gibtown Cemetery. An abstract of the Jacksboro Gazette for November 22, 1906 reports "Deaths - Sarah Meador, 9 months, Nov. 5". I have been unable to attain a copy of the original paper, but my guess is that it says 68 years and 9 months! The date is off by two days, but that small discrepancy is fairly common for the times.
9th Generation
GEORGE VINE MEADOR AND SUSAN ADALINE CURTIS
of Jack County, Texas
George Vine Meador was born 5 Nov. 1860 in Parker Co., TX. Susan Adaline Curtis was born 26 Aug. 1864 in Livingston Co., MO. They were married 15 Sept. 1881 in Jack County, TX. She was the daughter of Moses and Mary Emeline (Litton) Curtis. Her father, with his 2nd wife Mary Frances (Broadus) Curtis and all their children had just recently arrived in the county from Livingston Co., MO. They likely traveled with the Cox party from that area. (There was a relationship between the Cox and Litton families in the past.) Susan's mother had died about 1878. You can read more about the Moses Curtis family here
George V. Meador owned the general store in Joplin. This picture shows him 2nd from left. Another picture shows him on his land at Joplin with his father, Reason standing on the right. I believe that George is on the left, and one of the sons is plowing. This more recent picture (1988) shows the old home place of George V. Meador and later of his son, William Thomas Meador. When I visited in 1988, I took my mother who was born in the house, and even though she was in the mid-stages of dementia, she was like a kid in a candy store. She remembered the layout perfectly.
The children of George V. and Susan A. Meador were:
- William Thomas Meador discussed below.
- Everett Atlee Meador (27 Dec. 1884 - 25 Feb. 1974) married Leona Jackson 26 Nov. 1907 in Gibtown. They moved to Arizona and had 11 children.
- Flora Ann Meador (7 Apr. 1887 - 21 Dec. 1977) married Lewis Warren Sillivent 11 Sept. 1904 in Jack Co. They lived and raised a family of 5 children in Oklahoma, later moving to Stanislause County, California where they died.
This picture shows George V. and his children. Also in the picture is their cousin, Nancy Harris, daughter of Pine and James Harris. Back Row Flora and Everett Meador, Front Row, Nancy Harris, George V. and William T. Meador.
Susan A. Meador died 23 May, 1890. She was 25 years old and died in childbirth. Her last child, Suzanne, also died, either at birth or shortly thereafter. See this letter to George V. from his sister, Mary Dudney. Many of Susan's siblings also died young, and I was told they had "consumption" or tuberculosis. Whether that was a contributing factor in her death is unknown. George V. Meador married 2nd on 4 Feb. 1891 to his neighbor, Laura A. (Harrison) Cox who was part of the Cox family that came to Jack County from Livingston Co., MO. My Grandfather, William Thomas Meador was 9 years old and he said that he couldn't stand living there and had to move out of the house after she moved in. George and Laura apparently didn't live together for long, as they were living apart in the 1900 census. George V. died 7 Sept. 1914 in Jack County. He and Susan are both buried in the Gibtown Cemetery. This Proof of Heirs Document proves their living children.
10th Generation
William Thomas Meador (22 Sept. 1882 - 13 Dec. 1963), the son of George Vine Meador and Susan Adaline Curtis, married Cora Belle Wampler in Joplin, Jack County, TX on 19 Aug. 1906. Born 29 Jul 1888 in Joplin (Jack) TX, she was the daughter of Irvin and Surfina (Gragg) Wampler. You can read more about the Irvin Wampler family here.
About 1923, probably because of economic hardships, they decided to move to New Mexico. W.T. went first on a freight train with all of the furniture, farm tools, animals, etc., and got things ready. The family came later, also by train. They had never been farther from home than 15-20 miles. They were on the train 2 days, made two stops and changed train stations once. Finally, they arrived in Eastern New Mexico, at Endee (Quay County), after dark. They lived there for about 4 years, and unable to make a good crop, they decided to move on to Portales in Roosevelt County. They spent the rest of their lives there. They had 10 wonderful children and 25 grandchildren. The family still has family reunions every two years.
Cora Belle (Wampler) Meador died 3 Aug. 1963 in Portales (Roosevelt) NM. William Thomas Meador died 3 months later on 13 Dec. 1963 in San Francisco while visiting his children. They are both buried in the Portales Cemetery.
DNA TESTING RESULTS
The Y-DNA test of a grandson of William Thomas Meador has resulted in a match with other persons who claim to descend from Jason Meador(1706-1774) of NC! Check out the MEADOR group Y-DNA results from this link on the homepage.
Check out the graves of some of these people on my virtual "Meador Cemetery" with Meadors, Wamplers, Graggs, Stults, Curtis, Littons and others on www.findagrave.com
Click here to view an ancestor chart of this family
Click here to view a migration map of this and related families
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