Eli Mead (abt. 1730 - abt. 1820)

Born about 1730 in Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut

Ancestors

Husband of Mercy (Homes) Mead — married 7 Feb 1760 in South Amenia DC Church, Dutchess County, New York

Descendants

Died about 1820 at about age 90 in Meadville, Pennsylvania

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Biography

Eli Mead (William, John, Jonathan, Jonathan)

Eli was born in 1730 at Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut.^[1] He was the third son of Jonathan Mead and Sarah Husted.^[1]

Marriage

According to Doherty, "Eli Mead married Mercy Homes 7 February, 1760 at South Amenia, DC Church."^[1] According to S. P. Mead, Eli Mead married to Mary _____ (Page 316).^[2]

The Amenia, New York Marriage Records report that on February 7, 1760, Eli Mead and Mercy Holmes were married.^[3] The Reverend Ebenezer Knibloe was officiating at the Amenia Church during the time of their marriage.^[3]

Uncertain Children

Eli is "supposed father at least two sons," according to Doherty.^[1] Cook adds a son, Darius, and according to the 1800 census, there were also two daughters, names unknown.^[4]

Children (only Eli and Eldad reported by Doherty, and Cook adds Darius):

1. Darius Mead^[4]
2. Eli Mead b 28 March, 1762^[1]
3. Eldad Mead b 21 August, 1767, d 27 July, 1847 at Steuben County, New York; alleged to have married Jerusha Cooper^[1] m 1) Polly Caulkins, 2) Jemsa Cooper^[4]

Spencer P.Mead reports:

1. Eldad Mead, b Aug 21, 1767, d July 27, 1847; m 1) Jemsha Cooper, 2) Polly Caulkins
2. Desire Mead
3. Eli Mead
4. Peggy Mead
5. Jane Mead; m Philo Campbell

Dutchess County, New York

Eli was taxed at Northeast Precinct from 1763-1770.^[1]

Northumberland County, Pennsylvania

Eli removed with his brother, Darius, to the Wyoming district of the county of Northumberland, Pennsylvania.^[2]

In 1788, Eli Mead ad George Goodhue and families were the first settlers at the town of Painted Post.^[5] Eli was commissioned on July 14, 1786 as a Justice of the Peace and as a Justice of the Court of Common Pleas.^{[citation needed]}

Eli was the first Supervisor for the newly formed town of Painted Post and went on foot to Canandaigua for the meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Ontario County.^[6] In another account given by Charles Erwin, it was Hezekiah Thurber, and not Eli Mead, who was the first town Supervisor and attended the meeting at Canandaigua. The first town meeting was held on April 5, 1791 at the hotel kept by David Fuller; the families of Wolcott, Gorton, Calkins, Mead, Thurber, and Patterson were represented.^[5]

Meadville, Pennsylvania

In 1788, ten men including Eli and Darius, with Darius' son, David Mead, and a few others constructed the first cabin at the future Meadville. Later in the year their families joined them.^[7] David Mead built a substantial cabin which came to be known as "the block house" and protected the settlers from Indians.^[8]

Death and Legacy

Eli passed away in 1820, probably at Meadville, Pennsylvania. ^[2]

Research notes

A different Mercy Holmes married on 7 Aug 1752 to James Mead^[1] and had 12 children (Mead p 347).<^[2] So this could not have been the identical Mercy Holmes/Homes.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7} Doherty, Frank J., The Settlers of the Beekman Patent, V.1-8 : The Mead Family (Vol 8, Page 704) New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors, accessed April 1, 2015
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Mead, Spencer P., History and genealogy of the Mead family of Fairfield county, Connecticut, eastern New York, western Vermont, and western Pennsylvania from A.D. 1180 to 1900. (Pages 300, 316, 347) New York: Knickerbocker Press, 1901, Archive.org accessed April 1, 2015
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Eardeley, William A., contributor, "Marriage Records of Amenia New York" (Vol 33, Page 46) The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record. New York, NY: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 1870-. (Online database accessed April 3, 2015: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011.)
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Cook, Mary L, "Descendants of Jonathan Mead: Working file of Mary Lou Cook." updated 10 Aug 2008, accessed 2 June 2016.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Roberts, Millard F., 1891 Historical Gazetteer of Steuben County, New York. Syracuse, NY: M. F. Roberts, Archive.org accessed 2 June 2016 Pages 309-310.
6. ↑ McMaster, Guy H., 1853 History of the settlement of Steuben County, N. Y. : including ... Bath, NY: RS Underhill & Co., HathiTrust.org accessed 2 June 2016 Page 37.
7. ↑ Mead, pg 36
8. ↑ Bates, Samuel P., History of Crawford County, Pennsylvania: Containing ... (Pages 170-74) Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co., 1885, Archive.org accessed April 1, 2015

See also:

• http://www.collectornuts.com/jonathan_mead.pdf