John Meeks (aft. 1790)

Died [date unknown] in Kentucky

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Biography

John was born between 1790 and 1800 (probably by 1794). His middle initial may have been D.

He appeared on the 1820 US census in Lincoln County, Kentucky (1 of 3 original counties from which all other Kentucky counties were formed). (Source?)

He appeared as John Meak on the 1830 census in Casey County, Kentucky.

He appeared as John Meeks on the 1840 census in Casey County, Kentucky. He was between 40-50, and in the household, there were: 1 male age 5-10, 1 male 10-15, 3 males 15-20, 1 female age under 5, 1 female age 5-10, 1 female 10-15, and 2 females age 20-30 (presumably his children, though some could be hired hands or other relatives).

John may have married Amanda, whose maiden name may have been Luttrell, after the death of his first wife, with whom he probably had at least ten children.

Some of these children with his first wife may have been James C, William R, Robert, John C, and Andrew Jackson, as well as five daughters whose names have not been identified. One of these daughters may have been Sarah Meeks, who appears in Casey County tax lists.

Barbara Calkins stated that John may have had as many as 13 children, and she was able to link four sons to John D. Meeks:

Robert, born 1825

John C., born about 1827

Andrew J. (Jackson), born 1835

Isaac, born 1844

On the 1850 US census, two of John's probable sons, [Andrew] Jackson Meeks and Isaac Meeks, lived with Jesse and Amanda Smith in Casey County, Kentucky. Amanda was probably Isaac's mother (the mother of John's older children had certainly died prior to Isaac's 1844 birth), and the fact that Andrew had a daughter named Amanda indicates that Amanda was his mother, rather than his step-mother.

On the 1870 US census, in Tates (South Fork), Casey County, Kentucky, Amanda Smith and her second husband lived next door to Del--- Meeks, recent widow of James C. Meeks, and James Meeks' children, which also indicates a family tie between James (Amanda's probable stepson) and John (James' probable father). Also, James' daughter, Elizabeth "Bettie" married James Matthew "Mat" Luttrell, who also lived on South Fork. Mat was the son of Richard Riney Luttrell and Nancy Jane Russell. Isaac Meeks married Gillia Russell, daughter of George Russell and Eliza J. Bowmer (George was who was Nancy Jane Russell's brother), additional indicators that these families were connected to each other.

John probably died by [YEAR], because Amanda Meeks shows up on the tax list in Casey County. Widows only appeared on tax lists if they owned at least one horse, and lived with at least one male over the age of 16. If Amanda truly was his second wife, then the certainly died by 1850; he does not appear on the tax list, and Amanda had married Jesse Smith.

Research Notes

An unsourced family tree found at https://gw.geneanet.org/jpgolden71?n=meeks&oc=&p=james shows:

John Meeks

Born about 1795 - of, Pulaski, Kentucky

Married to Elizabeth Henson ca 1796- with

M - James Meeks 1820-

F - Sarah J. Meeks 1822-

M - William Meeks 1824-

M - Robert Meeks 1825-

M - John C. Meeks 1828-/1870

M - Mister Meeks ca 1832-

M - Andrew Meeks 1835-

Sources

• 1830 US census

• 1840 US census: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHYP-2RQ

• Speculation about the relationships between Meeks men in Casey County, Kentucky: http://meekgenealogy.com/Group_Y/Casey_County_KY.html

• https://www.ancestry.com/boards/surnames.meeks/86.365.1/mb.ashx

• Personal communication with Barbara Calkins in 2004, as related by Debra Meeks in 2018