William Mead

Ancestors

Died 1842 in Hendricks County, Indiana, USA

Biography

William Mead was born before 1790, probably in the mid-1780s (apparently his father's second son, as suggested by the Wythe County personal property tax records). William married Elizabeth Bates 28 Apr. 1807 in Wythe County, Virginia.^[1] William "Mede" is listed next to Thomas in the 1810 census in Wythe County, with 1 male under 10 (son Adam), 1 male 15-26 (William), and 1 female 15-26 (Elizabeth).

William Mead appears in the Wythe County tax lists every year from 1810 through 1828, always with either two or three horses, except for the last year, when he had four.^[2] Where was William Mead from 1807 through 1809? It appears that his son Adam (if William was indeed the same as the William Mead of Hendricks County, Indiana) was born in Tennessee.

William Mead appears in the 1840 census in Hendricks County, Indiana as follows: 1 male 10-15; 1 male 15-20; 1 male 50-60; 1 female 5-10; 2 females 10-15; 2 females 15-20; 1 female 50-60.

William’s eldest son Adam appears next to him on the 1840 census list, as follows: 2 males under 5; 1 male 5-10; 1 male 20-30; 1 female under 5; 1 female 20-30.

The following information comes from the probate file of William Mead of Hendricks County  : William Mead died in 1842. At the time he owned 184 acres of land in Hendricks County. William’s heirs were listed in 1845 as “Peter Mead, Rhoda Mead now wife of Alexander Osborn; Jemima Mead now wife of William Kadwell; Mary Mead now wife of Gabriel Bryant, and Adam Mead, all over 21. Also William Mead, 20; Catherine Mead, 17; and Elizabeth Mead, 12.”^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ Per Virginia Marriages 1740-1850 at ancestry.com
2. ↑ Per the Wythe County tax lists at the subscription website http://www.binnsgenealogy.com, researched by John Schmeeckle
3. ↑ Scanned images of the probate records are online at http://www.indgensoc.org/membersonly/county/hendricks/probate_records/mead_william_1842.pdf