Josiah Meador Sr (abt. 1738 - bef. 1836)

Born about 14 Jul 1738 in Caroline, Colony of Virginia

Ancestors

Husband of Lavinia (Moody) Meador — married 1757 in Amelia, Virginia

Descendants

Died before 7 Jan 1836 before about age 97 in Botetourt, Virginia, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Melissa Gebhardt [send private message], Diana Marable [send private message], Laura Skaggs [send private message], and William Roark [send private message]

Biography

Josiah Meador Sr was a Virginia colonist.

CAUTION: Confused identities

Josisah Meador, son of Jonas and Frances Hudgens Meadors, is often reported as “Josiah Francis” Meador.[^[1] Josiah never used a “middle” or second name, and the documents normally cited to show that he did are consistently for his half-first cousin once removed, Francis Meador/Meadows.^[2]

The confusion of identities may have begun in the 1960s when researchers began trying to document all the various Meadors and place them with their proper families. At that time, Perkins Nunnally^[3] noted that little information was known for Josiah. Nunnally also noted speculation by another researcher that a number of then unassigned “children” might be Josiah’s. Many of these are now known to be the children of Francis Meador. Even today some of these children continue to be attached to both men as fathers.^[4]

Nunnally did provide evidence that Josiah was in Amelia County, Virginia, between 1756 and 1758 and that he was married to Lavina as of 27 July 1758.^[3] Documentation also exists that places Francis in Orange County, Virginia during the same time.^[5][6] Francis was also married, presumably to Mary Bell. In other words, Josiah and Francis are two different men, living in two different locations at the same time, married to two different women."

Birth

Josiah Meador was born about 1736.^[3] in Caroline County, Virginia, the son of Jonas and Frances (Hudgens) Meador.^[7]

Marriage and later

Josiah married Lavinia Moody about 1757 or early 1758, probably in Amelia County, Virginia.^[3]

On 27 July 1758 Josiah and his wife Lavina sold 50 acres in Amelia county. They probably moved to Bedford with Josiah's brother John.^[3]

In 1795 in Botetourt County, Virginia, Josiah signed the permission, as her father, for Edy (Edith) to marry Edmund Lilly.^[8] [Note: Part of Botetourt County became Roanoke County, in 1838. Roanoke County did not exist prior to that time.]

Death

On 20 August 1798, in Montgomery County, Virginia, Josiah's wife Lavinia (Moody) Meador signed the marriage bond for their daughter Rosanna's marriage to Thomas Lilly.^[9] That Lavinia, rather than Josiah, signed the bond suggests that Josiah was already deceased.

Research Notes for Francis Meadows, his son Francis and Josiah's son Josiah

Josiah Francis Meadows/Meador - - 1774 Dunmore's War - Francis Meadows served as a private under Captain Alexander McClannehan during Lord Dunmore's War, which was fought on the Virginia frontier in 1774. He served for a total of 122 days, and he received 9 pounds and 3 shillings in pay.

SRC: Library of Virginia, Digital Library Program, Payrolls and Muster Rolls from Dunmore's War, part of the record of the Executive Branch, Auditor of Public Accounts, (Record Group 48 ) at page 106. Josiah Francis participated in the Dunmore's War and he was among the 1,000 me n who fought the Battle of Point Pleasant.

In the "Statement of Monroe County, Virginia", Military Records: Revolutionary War Pension Lists: Pension Roll of 1835, Volume III, Virginia, page 721 - Francis Meadows is shown to be receiving a pension of $96.00 per year beginning 16 Jun 1818 when he was 80 years of age. This indicates his birth year to be 1738. This is our Josiah Francis Meadows using a different name. Also, this is apparently evidence that he was alive after 1818 and most likely he was al ive at the time of this publication (1835).

In a similar statement prepared by the State of West Virginia; "The Soldiery of West Virginia , West Virginians Who Were Soldiers & Pensioners in the Revolutionary War, page 80", the information is exactly as it appears in the above Virginia statement. Francis was alive until a t least 16 Jun 1818. --- (Son) Francis Meadows, born 1754; died 20 December 1836. (Reproduced as it appears in the record^[10]). Enlisted, August a County, Virginia, in February 1777, and served until 1781 under Captain Laird and Lamb, Tenth Virginia Regiment, Continental Establishment, commanded by Colonels Green, Wood, and Wheat on. He was married in the fall of 1790 or 1791 in the County of Rockingham to Frances Bush, w ho was born in 1772. They received pension in Monroe County, in 1819 at which time they had sixteen children, twelve of whom were sons. Six, under the age of 14 years of age, remained a t home. Supporting data in their case was filed by Jonathan Roach, Elizabeth Fisher, and Henry Maggart. This is a SON of Josiah Francis Meadows/Meador.

(Son) Josiah Meador. (As it appears in West Virginians in the American Revolution, Surnames , M-N, page 193^[10]) Enlisted, Bedford County, Virginia, in 1778 under Lieutenants Isaac Hyler and Hiddens, and Captain Joseph Renfroe largely in frontier service against the Indians. He saw service on Wolf Creek in Monroe County and at Fort Donnally near Lewisburg. He also marched through Tennessee to Chickamauga in Georgia, fighting back the Indians from the frontier which was then along the Blue Ridge and Cumberland mountains. After this expedition, he took part in George Rogers Clark's expedition into Illinois country. In 1781, as a substitute for John Mitchell of Bedford County, he helped convey prisoners to Fredricksburg, Virginia. After h is service, he returned to the Bluestone Valley where he married a daughter of Robert Lilly , who had settled there ten years earlier. He received pension in Summers or Mercer County, Virginia in 1832. Supporting data was filed by John Neely and Bannister Meadows. This is another SON of Josiah Francis Meadows.

A Statement of Pension, Giles County, Virginia (Pension Roll of 1835, Volume III, Virginia, p age 778) shows Josiah Meadows receiving $76.00 per year beginning 19 November 1832 at age 7 6 which places his year of birth as 1756. A Census of Pensioners for Virginia - Western District - 1840 Census of the Revolutionary War, State of Virginia-Western District, page 135 show s Josiah Meadows, age 83 living with son Green Meadows.

From Historical Southern Families, Vol IV, Meadors-Meadows of Essex County, Virginia, page 134^[11] - "Josiah Meadows, born 1758, entered service in Bedford County and received a pension; he was a gospel minister." Son of Josiah Francis Meadows/Meador.

Francis Meadows, son of Francis, is Ancestor A076867 in the Daughters of the American Revolution Records.^[12]

Josiah Meadows, son of Josiah, is Ancestor A076888 in the Daughters of the American Revolution Records.^[12]

Sources

1. ↑ "Josiah Francis Meadows [20671]" in Lively Roots, June 16, 2012, accessed 12 May 2017 (as of 2/21/2019, this Link no longer exists)
2. ↑ Josiah is the grandson of John Meador by his second wife. Francis is John Meador 's great-grandson by his first wife
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4} Nunally, Perkins. The Descendants of Jonas and Frances Meador of Essex, Caroline, and Cumberland Counties, Virginia (Pine Bluff, Arkansas: P. Nunnally, 1968). transcription by Audrey J. Lambert before August 2008
   Original online for free at FamilySearch.org
   

   "Our files do not reflect much information on this son of Jonas and Frances. We do know that he was in Cumberland /Amelia, 1756-1758. In 1756 he was witness to deed in land purchased by his brother John. On July 27, 1758 Josiah Meador and wife Lavina Meador sold 50 acres in Amelia and probably moved to Bedford 1758-1760 with John Meador his brother. Josiah was born ca. 1735-1736 and he and Lavina were married ca 1757 or early in 1758.
   
   "Mr. Gordon M. Connelly speculates 12/9/1967 that Josiah may have been the father of some or all of the following who have not been definitely allocated as to line of descent: James, Jacob, Jeremiah, Jesse, Francis, Matthew (Mathias), William, Israel, Arris (Harris), Josiah, Obadiah, John, and Joab, all born pre-1770 in this area and later residents of Rockingham, Orange, Albemarle, Greenbrier, Giles, and Monroe Counties.
   
   "If any of the above are of the line of Jonas-Frances, this appears logical, as by process of elimination of the known children of the other brothers, we only have remaining Josiah and Joab (Joab is hardly likely).
   
   "Edward Kirby Meador, in his book, “The Meadors and the Meadows”, states that, “Josiah Meador preached at Mt. Herman, Bedford County in 1760.”
   
   "This is evidently the brother of John and son of Jonas – Frances and the father of Josiah Meador the Revolutionary Soldier born in Bedford in 1758 and enlisting from that county under Captain Joseph Renfro. Josiah was also with Col. Clark in his 1778 Kaskaskia, Illinois campaign against the Indians. This Josiah was also a Minister of the Gospel and later assisted in establishing the family of Meadors in Giles County, Virginia. He had sons named John and Josiah." (pp. 31-32)

4. ↑ See: "Maternal Meadows Tree", Charlotte Elliott, 24 Oct 2004, in RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project, accessed 12 May 2017, for one example.
5. ↑ "Francis Meadows a prisoner at Fredericksburg, VA", Arley Meadows, 15 Sep 2005, in RootsWeb Archiver, Meadows, 2005-09, 1126805929, accessed 12 May 2017
6. ↑ [http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/meadows/2001-02/0982201979 "1756 Orange Co.,VA Tithables", Frans Meadus, lylemast, 14 Feb 2001, in RootsWeb Archiver, Meadows, 2001-02, 0982201979, accessed 12 May 2017
7. ↑ Josiah is named as a son in his mother's will. See:
   Meador, Daniel Burton. Genealogical records of some members of the Meador family: who are descendants of Thomas Meador of Virginia. (Fairhope, Alabama: D.B. Meador, c1968 (North Newton, Kan. : Mennonite Press)).
8. ↑ I"Edy MEADOR ", posted 14 Nov 1999 by Lainie Hendrix, in Rootsweb Message Boards, accessed 12 May 2017.
9. ↑ Rosanna Meador dau. of Josiah SR, Robin Connors, 5 Oct 2004, in RootsWeb Archiver, accessed 12 May 2017
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Johnson, Ross B., compiler. West Virginians in the Americaon Revolution. (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co. 1977) Reprinted for Clearfield Company 1990, 1995, 1998 with permission of West Virginia Department of Archives and History. p. 193
    Available on-line at Ancestry.com
11. ↑ Boddie, John Bennett. Historical Southern Families. Volume IVI (Redfield, CA : [John Bennett Boddie?] 1960). Reprinted 1968 by Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD. Reprinted 1993, 1994 for Clearfield Company.
    Available on-line at Ancestry.com
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} DAR Genealogical Research System, an on-line resource provided by the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution

See also:

• Find-a-Grave Memorial ID#86134177, created by Walter Pack Family on 02 Mar 2012. Accessed 11 Mar 2017.
• Person:Francis Meadows (4), WeRelate.org
• Person:Josiah Meador (6), WeRelate.org