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Ambrose Meador (abt. 1600 - bef. 1663)

Ambrose Meador aka Meades, Meads, Mader, Meadows
Born about [location unknown]
Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]
[sibling(s) unknown]
[spouse(s) unknown]
Descendants descendants
Father of and
Died before before about age 63 in Old Rappahannock County, Virginia Colonymap
Profile last modified | Created 14 Aug 2011
This page has been accessed 5,618 times.
There are disproven, disputed, or competing theories about this person's parents. See the text for details.
The Birth Date is a rough estimate. See the text for details.
US Southern Colonies.
Ambrose Meador resided in the Southern Colonies in North America before 1776.
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Contents

Biography

Birth

As described in more detail in the Research Notes below, the origins of Ambrose Meador are disputed and unknown. Based on the reasoning explained in the Research Notes, it is estimated that he born in England between about 1600-1610.

First Appearance in the Colony of Virginia

In 1622 the area in Warrisquicke County (later Isle of Wight County) where Ambrose initially settled was nearly wiped out by an Indian raid, with only 33 survivors.[1] Ambrose arrived sometime after that raid.

On 1 June 1636, a grant of 600 acres was recorded for Peter Johnson of Warrisquick County, including 150 acres from Ambrose Meador, as payment for transportation of himself, his wife and servant. There were no children included in the grant.[2]

Ambrose had two known sons. John Meador, the elder son, was born about 1633. He was not included in the headright grant, therefore had to be born in Virginia. Although the grant was recorded in 1636, several years difference between the time of a person’s arrival in Virginia and the recording of the headright grant were not uncommon.[3] That difference would also explain why Ambrose was able to purchased land about 1636,[4] not the expected behavior of someone who has just arrived as an assisted immigrant. Ambrose’s second son, Thomas Meador, was born about 1634-36, perhaps 1635.

Family Members

As already noted, Ambrose Meador had a wife and two documented sons. Ambrose married before arriving in Virginia. His wife’s name, date and place of birth are all unknown. She died after 1656, but probably before Ambrose. [5] Their documented sons were John Meador and Thomas Meador. John married and had children. Ambrose was probably related to Thomas Meades, as well, perhaps as a brother or cousin.

Life in Virginia

Ambrose, his wife and servant arrived in Virginia sometime before 1633. Their passage was paid by a Peter Johnson of Warrisquicke (now Isle of Wight) county, along with nine other persons, as indicated in a grant to Johnson recorded on 1 June 1636.[6]

In 1636, Ambrose, in partnership with John White, purchased 50 acres of land from Thomas Davis in what became the Isle of Wight County, south of the James River. In 1649 he purchased an additional 300 acres of land on the south side of the Pagan River.[7] Ambrose apparently purchased other land in the area, although the records no longer exist. [8] His neighbors were members of the Ancient Church, and Ambrose most likely depended on growing and selling tobacco as his livelihood. The location of some of that land can still be found today.[9] near Historic St. Luke’s Church (Old Brick Church), which may have served Ambrose and his neighbors, now stands.

Lancaster (later Essex) County

In the 1640s, officials in Jamestown attempted to impose Church of England doctrine on the settlement around Pagan River. By 1648 and 1649, the courts were ordering conformity. Some members of the congregation fled to Maryland; others moved to the Northern Neck of Virginia, along the Rappahannock River.[10] Ambrose Meador was among the latter. The last record of Ambrose in Isle of Wight County was 9 April 1649, when his lands are mentioned as bordering land sold to Ralph Warrener. He appears again on 24 October 1653, in Lancaster County, as a tither. On 3 September he purchased 1000 acres of land on Totuskey Creek. Of this 1000 acres, he soon sold 300 acres to Thomas Robinson and another 300 acres to his son, Thomas Meador. The remainder he kept for himself, naming it “Accokeek”. [11]

Death

The last known record for Ambrose Meador is 24 December 1661, when he shared the purchase of land with his son Thomas. He apparently died sometime between then and 3 May 1663 when his son John, who had inherited the Accokeek plantation, traded it to Robert Tomlin for land upriver.[12]

Research Notes

Disputed Origins

Potential parents, dates and places of birth for Ambrose Meador abound on the internet, almost totally without documentation or reference to any credible source(s) (an original source or one that references original sources). Among suggested parents for Ambrose Meador are:

  • Daniel Meadowe/s or William Mead for his father; Elizabeth Ansty, Elizabeth Lee, Elizabeth Smith (or Elizabeth Lee Smith) for his mother. [13]
  • Elizabeth Ansty has also been suggested, without documentation, as Ambrose's wife.[14]
  • William Meadowe Jr. has also been suggested. According to one researcher, his Meader ancestor left a written family tree in the early 1800s that trace his line to William Meadowe of Witnesham, Suffolk, England.I have asked to see the records.[15]

Among early dates and places suggested for Ambrose's birth are:

about 1572, England; about 1580, England; abt 1580, Avon, England ; 1 Sep 1580, Hampshire, England; 1 Sep 1580 in Warwickshire, England; 1582 Avon, Hampshire; 1 Sep 1583, St. Marys, Watford, Hertford, England; 1 September 1583, Warwickshire, England; about 1584, Avon, England; bef 1592, Suffolk, England; and about 1594, Avon, Hampshire.[16]

Of the above, only one date and place has a source, the christening (not birth) on 1 September 1583 at St. Marys, Watford, Hertford, England,[17] apparently extracted from original Parish Records and reported in the IGI. It lists William Mead as the father of Ambrose Mead. Despite the similarity in names, however, this is the christening record for a different Ambrose Mead(or). At least one other researcher has noted that the Ambrose Mead, son of William, who was christened in 1583, died and was buried in Watford on 19 December 1592.[18] He could not, therefore, be the Ambrose Meador who came to Virginia around 1630.

Many researchers give an estimated birth date for Ambrose in the 1580s, in part based on the (disputed) assumption that he was the father of Thomas Meades, as discussed below. However, if Ambrose had been born in the 1580s, he would have been an old man, nearing the end of his life at the time of his arrival in Virginia, a land where life was difficult and precarious. Ambrose’s documented life was not that of an old(er) man. Instead, he acted like a young man, arriving in Virginia without children, presumably working to gain the money needed to buy property, having children, and participating in at least one migration, from Isle of Wight county to Lancaster county, later in life. He also was probably related to Thomas Meades, not as a father but in some other relationship. (Meador and Meador suggest Ambrose and Thomas may have been brothers or cousins.) Ambrose Meador’s and Thomas Meades’ children were of the same generation. It seems more logical that Ambrose and Thomas Meades were also of the same generation. In other words, a reasonable speculative birth date for Ambrose is sometime between 1600 and 1610.[19]

Where Ambrose Meador came from is also unknown. Throughout his documented adult life, Ambrose associated with a community of people who were believers in the Ancient Church.[20] Believers in the Ancient Church have been described as Puritans, but unlike the majority of the Puritans who settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, they did not believe in a continued association with the established Church of England. Instead, like many of the Pilgrims who settled in Plymouth Colony, they were Separatists, believing in the separation of their church from the Church of England.[21] Since the King of England was the head of the Church of England, separation from the Church of England at that time was essentially a denial of the authority of the King, and an act of treason. In order to avoid persecution, many Separatists fled to Holland. Whether Ambrose came to Virginia from England or Holland has not been determined.[22] In either event, his association with the Ancient Church should be taken into account when searching for his origins.

Disputed Son: Confusion of Thomas Meador and Thomas Meades

Thomas Meador, son of Ambrose Meador, and Thomas Meades have been confused and conflated by many persons posting information on the internet and elsewhere.[23] An unfortunate consequences of the confusion is the assumption that Thomas Meades was a son of Ambrose Meador. He was not. Thomas Meades and Ambrose Meador were contemporaries. Their sons, Thomas Meador (son of Ambrose), and Thomas "Orphan" Meador, son of Thomas Meades, were also contemporaries.

Separating Thomas Meador and Thomas Meades

Thomas “Orphan” Meador is the documented son of Thomas Meades. Thomas “Orphan” Meador was born about 1638, just a few short years after the birth of Thomas Meador son of Ambrose. Thomas Meades and and Ambrose's son Thomas Meador cannot be the same person.

Thomas Meades died before August 1655. Thomas Meador, son of Ambrose Meador was still living in 1661 when he and his father shared the purchase of property. He may also have still been living in 1662 when the widow of Thomas “Orphan” Meador saw the need to distinguish her deceased husband as “The Younger”.[24] Again, Thomas Meador, son of Ambrose, and Thomas Meades cannot be the same person.

Signature Mark of Ambrose Meador

Ambrose used a large "m" as his mark for all legal purposes. Thomas apparently was literate as it is recorded on legal documents that he signed his own name.[25]

Sources

  1. Meador and Meador. Our Meador families in colonial America. p. 7
  2. Meador and Meador, Our Meador families in colonial Americ, p. 5
    Nugent. Cavaliers and pioneers p. 41
  3. Meador and Meador,Our Meador families in colonial America, p. 5
  4. Meador and Meador, Our Meador families in colonial America, p. 5
  5. Meador & Meador. Our Meador families in colonial America, p. 13
  6. Nugent. Cavaliers and Pioneers, p. 40
    ”PETER JOHNSON, 600 acs. Warwisquicke Co. 1 June 1636 p. 354 . . . 150 acs. by surrender from Ambrose Meader due to him for his per. adv.; his wife & 1 servant; 150 acs. due sd. . . . pers. being in the records under this pattent: Peter Johnson, Jon. Day, Jon. Powell, Ambrose Mader, Gabriell Wilsonn, Jon. Baker, Ann Sharpe, his wife . . . .
  7. Meador & Meador. Our Meador families in colonial America, p. 5
    Virginia Magazine 5 page 403
    Early Wills and Deeds, Isle of Wight County, Virginia
    1. Thomas Davis to Ambrose Meador, 50(a), July 18, 1636. 2. Ambrose Bennett to Ambrose Meador 300 (a), part of the 1100 patent, April 7th, in 26 Chs. I; mark.
    (a) = acres.
  8. Meador & Meador. Our Meador families in colonial America, p. 5
  9. See Meador & Meador for map giving location of land.
  10. Meador and Meador. Our Meador families in colonial America, p. 9
  11. Meador & Meador. Our Meador families in colonial America, p. 12-13
  12. Meador & Meador. Our Meador families in colonial America, p. 13
  13. See, for example, Family Tree on Family Search, Ambrose Meador 2MR4-Z2D, as of 11 Oct 2014; “Ambrose Meador’’, Geni.com, accessed 1 Mar 2016;
    “Ambrose Meador (15469)], LivelyRoots, (WayBack Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20090109032950/http://www.livelyroots.com/gerald/15469.htm : accessed 6 Jun 2023);
    Ambrose Meador”, Carol-W-Dawn , User Trees, Genealogy.com, accessed 1 Mar 2016;
    “Descendants of Ambrose Meadows-Meador”, Bruce-C-Fink, User Trees, Genealogy.com, accessed 1 Mar 2016;
    a majority of the Pedigree Resource File submissions on FamilySearch, accessed 1 Mar 2016;
    a lengthy list of Public Family Trees on Ancestry.com, accessed 1 Mar 2016
  14. Family Tree on Family Search, Ambrose Meador 2MR4-Z2D, as of 11 Oct 2014
  15. https://www.geni.com/people/William-Meadows-Jr/6000000003041136369?through=6000000003386016838
  16. References for early birth dates and places for Ambrose Meador are essentially the same as references for the names of his parents.
  17. Ancestral File No. 57T8-SQ1, Source Extracted birth Record for St. Marys, Watford, Herdford County, England
  18. Remington, Gordon L., “The English Origin of William 1 Mead of Stamford, Connecticut,” The American Genealogiest 73:1 (Jan 1998), pp. 1-10; p. 6
  19. Meador and Meador. Our Meador families in colonial America. p. 18 also gives an estimated birth date of 1600-1610 for Ambrose. Other researchers have apparently reached the same conclusion, as birth dates in this time range appear, again without documentation or explanation, in Ancestry.com Family Trees, WorldConnect, and Ancestral File
  20. Meador & Meador. Our Meador families in colonial America, p. 6
  21. Meador & Meador. Our Meador families in colonial America, pp. 6-7
    For more on the Ancient Church, see also: Johnson, Caleb. “Church and Religion”, Caleb Johnson’s MayflowerHistory.com, 1994-2016. Accessed 5 Mar 2016
    Sorunger, Keith L. Dutch Puritanism: A History of English and Scottish Churches of the Netherlands in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century. (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1982)
  22. Meador & Meador. Our Meador families in colonial America, p. 7
  23. There are 80 such entries in Ancestral File, submitted IGI records, and Pedigree Resource File records at Family Search, as of 27 February 2016; Ancestry.com has thousands of such Family Trees, as of 27 February 2016. Needless to say, documentation is sparse or lacking for most. Similarly, other information for both Thomas Meades and Ambrose Meador is contradictory and confused/confusing.
    Likewise, "Descendants of Robert de Medewe, 1290" (WayBack Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20160929024100/http://www.livelyroots.com/demedewe/d9.htm ) confuses the two Thomases. It apparently assumes that Thomas Meades is the son of Ambrose Meador based on the one land record he cites for Thomas Meades.
  24. Meador & Meador. Our Meador families in colonial America, p. 37
  25. Ariciu. “Ambrose Meader [Meador]”

See also:

  • Ariciu, Janet. “Ambrose Meader [Meador”], Janet Ariciu family Bush, by Janet Ariciu. Updated 17 Feb 2016, accessed 5 Mar 2016.
  • Meador, Victor P. (Victor Paul), and Bernal M. Meador. Our Meador families in colonial America: as found in the records of Isle of Wight, Lancaster, (old) Rappahannock, Richmond, Essex and Caroline Counties, Virginia. (Independence, Missouri: V.P. Meador, 1983), pp. 5-23
    ’’’Note:’’’Cites original sources in text. Available on-line at local Family History Centers.
  • Nugent, Nell Marion. Cavaliers and pioneers; abstracts of Virginia land patents and grants, 1623-1800. Volume One. (Richmond, Virginia: Virginia State Library; Virginia Genealogical Society, 1934).
    Available on-line on InternetArchive.
  • Rorie, Kenneth. “Re: Jacob Moberly Meadors/Jane W. Harmon circa 1799-1874 era", Forums>Surnames>Meadors, Genealogy.com, 24 Oct 2009. Accessed 5 Mar 2016.
    Note: Does not provide any source citations.
  • Person:Ambrose Meador (3), WeRelate.org
  • Early Wills and Deeds, Isle of Wight County, Virginia




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We have completed our initial review of the underlying sources cited on David's free space page and we agree that there does appear to be a compelling case for the claim that Thomas Meador (Meador-933), the son of Ambrose (Meador-296), was the first husband of Sarah (___) Awbrey (Unknown-279063) based on the land transaction documents. The summary of our thinking is below. Based on this, we plan to suggest detaching Sarah (___) Awbrey (Unknown-279063) as the spouse of Thomas Meades (Meador-4) and attaching her instead as the spouse of Thomas Meador (Meador-933). (We will also need to make corresponding changes to the bios to reflect this new material.) Before was make this change we wanted to give everyone a chance to review this and give us feedback on our current thinking. Please let us know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. We will continue reviewing documentation for some of the other profiles involved.

I have included our reasoning and the sources, so you all can see why we reached this conclusion. Renee

Identifying Thomas Meader husband of Sarah is possible through a deed made by Sarah and her second husband Henry Awbrey[1].

...Know yee that I Henry Awbrey & Sarah my Wife for a valluable consideration to us paid doe graunt & make over for us & o'r heires all o'r Right tytle Claime & Interest of three hundred acres of land lying in the County of Rapp'a on the North side of the said River of Rapp'a unto Francis Gowre his heirs Exec's Adm's & assignes for ever w'ch Land was formerly the Land of Thomas Medor of Mr. James Williamson as by a Deed of Sale under the hand & seale of the said Williamson mor plainely appearth scituate Lying & adjoyning unto & upon the Land of Thomas Robinson w'ch Land the said Robinson likewise purchased of the above said Ambrose Medor being parte of one thousand acres of land bought of the said Williamson To Have & to Hold the said three hundred acres of Land unto him the said Francis Gowre w'ch the said Gowre is now seated upon & possest withall unto him & his heires for Ever with all Right & Priviledges thereunto belonging... In Witness whereof wee the p'ties abovesaid have hereunto sett o'r hands & seales this fifteenth of Aprill one thousand six hundred & seaventy Signed Sealed & DD Henry Awbrey Sarah [her mark] Awbrey in the presents of John Awbrey Tho: [his mark] Jenkins Jno [his mark] Evans

Ambrose Meader made a deed over to his son Thomas Meader on August 30, 1658, for 300 acres[2]. On the same day, Thomas Meader sold 150 acres of this land to Richard Tomlynson[2]. Two months later, Oct 30, 1658, Thomas sold the other 150 acres to Lambert Lamberson[3]. Lambert Lamberson immediately sold the 150 acres to Robert Sisson[4]. Robert Sisson divided the tract selling 75 acres to John DeYoung in 1659[5] and the other 75 to Jenkin Hall in 1660[6]. Richard Tomlynson sold his 150 acres to Francis Gower in 1661[7]. In 1664 Francis Gower purchased the 75 from John DeYoung and wife Elizabeth[8], then in 1666 he purchased 75 acres from Thomas Colly "being that part thereof that was formerly purchased by Jenkin Hall of Robert Sison"[9]. Thus Francis Gower now owned the 300 acres sold by Thomas Meader in 1658.

Why would Henry and Sarah Awbrey have an interest in this particular 300 acres of land? For someone to have a vested interest in the whole 300 acres, their claim would have to reach back prior to August 30, 1658, as the land was at that time divided in half, with one half being further divided in half[2][3]. It is also of note that the deed only mentions Thomas and Ambrose Meader, James Williamson, who sold the land to Ambrose Meader, and James Robinson an adjoining landowner. It is silent on all of the other men who had owned the land since Thomas Meader sold it, an indication that their prior interest in the land had nothing to do with this transaction. Thomas and Sarah appear to have been already been married in 1658, as in April 1662 Sarah Meader, widow of Thomas Meader, the younger[10], lately dec'd, made deeds of gift to their 3 young children[11]. Sometime after Francis Gower purchased the last 75-acre tract in 1666 and before April of 1670 either Francis Gower or Henry and Sarah Awbrey must have realized that Sarah, as the widow of Thoms Meader, still had an interest in the land. When a married man sold land, it was the normal practice for the wife to relinquish her dower interest so that title would pass free of her potential future claim. If she failed to do so and eventually outlived her husband, she could claim her one-third from whoever owned the land at the time. [12][13][14]. Sarah did not sign the deed from Thomas Meader to Lambert Lamberson[3]. The signature area is missing from the deed to Richard Tomlynson but her name does not appear in what remains of text of the deed[2]. We see from the other deeds involving this land, that it was common practice, at this time in Rappahannock, for wives to join their husbands on the deed. If they did not, they provided a relinquishment of dower to be recorded in court. In fact, the deed recorded right after the Thomas Meader deed to Richard Tomlynson includes a dower relinquishment statement by Mary Stewart the wife of Henry Stewart[15]. As the widow of Thomas Meader, Sarah, if she had not relinquished her dower, had a 1/3 interest in the 300 acres now owned by Francis Gower, so it was beneficial for Francis Gower to pay Henry and Sarah Awbrey to get them to relinquish her rights - as now Henry as her new husband, also had an interest in the land. There is no other person other than the widow of Thomas Meader, son of Ambrose, who would have had an established legal right to the whole of the 300 acres.

posted by Renee Newman
Sources

↑ Rappahannock County, VA Deeds 1668-1672 Vol 4 page 298-299. image 174. https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89P6-3NX6?i=173 ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 August 30 1658 - Ambrose Meader to "my son" Thomas Meader 300 acres "being a part of one thousand acres conveyed unto me Ambrose Meader by Mr James Williamson". Adjoining land recently sold to Thomas Robinson. Thomas Meader of Rappahannock to Richard Tomlynson of Rappahannock. "lately given and granted" [missing text] "Thomas Meader by Ambrose Meader" With part of the page missing only the words "fifty acres" is visible but from later deeds it appears to have been 150 acres. Rappahannock County, VA Deeds 1656-1664 Vol 2 page 45. image 45 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9P6-3D14 ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 October 30, 1658 Thomas Meader to Lambert Lamberson 150 acres. Rappahannock County, VA Deeds 1656-1664 Vol 2 page 51. image 48 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9P6-36SK ↑ October 1658 John Sherman, for Lambert Lamberson, to Robert Sisson 150 acres. Rappahannock County, VA Deeds 1656-1664 Vol 2 page 51. image 48 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9P6-36SK ↑ December 26, 1859 - Robert and Ayme Sisson to John DeYoung "one half part of a parcel of land containing one hundred & fifty acres". While parts are missing the deed recites the chain of title from Ambrose Meader to Thomas Meader for three hundred acres, the deed from Thomas Meader to Lambert Lamberson, who then by his attorney John Sherlock, sold the land to Robert Sisson. Rappahannock County, VA Deeds 1656-1664 Vol 2 page 101-102. image 73 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9P6-3D1G . ↑ Robert and Amy Sison to Jenkin Hall "seventy five acres being a part of three hundred acres of land sold and conveyed unto me by John Sherlock being true and lawfully attorney for Lambert Lamberson". Rappahannock County, VA Deeds 1656-1664 Vol 2 page 155-156. image. 100 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9P6-3DTH ↑ December 24, 1661 - Richard Tomlynson to Francis Gower 150 acres "said Tomlynson my heirs or assigns or by from or under the before named Thomas Meader & Ambrose Meader". Richard Tomlynson, Judah Tomlynson. Rappahannock County, VA Deeds 1656-1664 Vol 2 page 228-229. image 136 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9P6-3D2F ↑ April 9 1664 John and Elizabeth DeYoung to Francis Gower 75 acres. Rappahannock County, VA Deeds 1656-1664 Vol 2 page 410. image 211 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9P6-3DND ↑ Rappahannock County, VA Deeds 1656-1664 Vol 3 page 196-197 . image 341 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9P6-3688 ↑ The words "the younger" could have been used here to identify which of the two deceased Thomas Meader/Meades she was the widow of. Thomas Meades died circa 1655. ↑ Rappahannock County, VA Deeds 1656-1664 Vol 2 page 247-248. image 146 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9P6-3DGG?i=145&cat=413447 ↑ Bob's Genealogy Filing Cabinet Article Dower and curtesy. Section titled Relinquishment of Dower. https://genfiles.com/articles/dower-and-curtesy/ ↑ “Virginians … some time before 1674, had adopted a system of ‘bargain and sale’ procedure for land transactions. Both bargain-and-sale and fine-and-recovery transactions required the private examination of the wife to ascertain if she agreed to the sale. If a husband sold land without his wife’s agreement, she could, at his death, return to claim a third of the family’s real estate and possess it during her lifetime. Purchasers would be wary of acquiring land if they realized the seller’s widow might return to haunt them for the ‘thirds’ to which she was entitled during her lifetime. To solve this problem, a buyer could require the seller’s wife to renounce her dower rights at the time the land was sold. In order for the sale to be valid, the wife had to renounce her claims and agree that she did so without compulsion. The courts developed a procedure to examine the wife privately (with her husband absent) to verify that she granted her consent to the sale without his compulsion.” A CAVALIER ATTITUDE: AN ESSENTIAL PRIMER ON COLONIAL VIRGINIA GENEALOGY by Jeffrey Thomas Chipman on May 30, 2011, https://tao221.wordpress.com/2011/05/30/a-cavalier-attitude-an-essential-primer-on-colonial-virginia-genealogy/ citing Linda L Sturtz Within Her Power, Propertied Women in Colonial Virginia published by Taylor & Francis2013 p. 45 ↑ For further reading see The William and Mary Quarterly Vol. 39, No. 1, The Family in Early American History and Culture (Jan., 1982), pp. 114-134 (21 pages) Published by: Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture. Free to read at JSTOR; https://www.jstor.org/stable/1923419 ↑ See the release of Mary Stewart recorded in court right after the deed of Thomas Meader to Richard Tomlynson; Rappahannock County, VA Deeds 1656-1664 Vol 2 page 46. image 45 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9P6-3D14

posted by Renee Newman
“Know All Men by these presents that I Ambrose Meader of the county of Rappa in Virginia consideraun to me paid by Thomas Meador my son" ??

https://vtcrewcat.wordpress.com/2014/10/26/the-meador-story-in-colonial-virginia-and-untangling-some-webs/

posted by Kenneth Shelton
Meador and Meador, in Our Meador families in colonial America say very explicitly that Ambrose Meador and Thomas Meads may be brothers or cousins, or otherwise related, but the exact nature of the relationship is unknown. A careful examination of all property records, however, makes it clear that they are not father and son.
posted by Gayel Knott