Person Page 1,172

Thomas Meader

Biography

Name		Thomas Meader was also known as Thomas Meader.1
Name		He was also known as Thomas Meador.1
Name		He was also known as Thomas Meads.2
Marriage		He and Sarah Ann Yates were married.
Person Source		He had person sources.1
Birth	24 December 1612	He was born on 24 December 1612 in Bristol, Suffolk, EnglandBG.2
Land Sold	1636	He sold land in 1636 in Virginia, United StatesBGO. (surrendered his headright grant of 50 acres of land to John Gater of Elizabeth City)3
Land Purchased	1653	He bought land in 1653 in Lancaster, Virginia, United StatesBG. The name of Thomas Meads is next found in the records of Lancaster County, Virginia, in 1653, at which time he purchased 700 acres of land from William Underwood. Underwood was granted 1400 acres on the northeast shore of the Rappahannock River, between Milleck Creek (sometimes known as Williamson’s Creek, but now known as Ball’s Creek) and Bushwood Creek (now known as Little Carter Creek). The portion purchased by Thomas Meads appears to have been the lower half of this grant, which was the portion falling next to Milleck Creek. Here Thomas established his home on higher ground behind an excellent river landing. This place still appears on modern maps as ‘Islington Landing,’ but this name does not seem to have been applied to the area until a hundred years later, for it does not appear in early records.4
Anecdote	1653	An entry in Lancaster records in 1653 concerns an indentured servant of Thomas Meads named Bour Harrison, who ran away and was returned, for which he was sentenced by the court to serve an additional nine months at the expiration of his term of indenture. It should be noted that many children were bound out to earn their support or to learn a trade, particularly orphan children. When the age of 17 years was reached, they were discharged, with a suit of new clothes and provisions, or to keep the results of their labors if they chose to stay. Many fared far better under this arrangement than they would have otherwise.5
Anecdote	1653	Another entry concerns two cows sold by Thomas Meads in 1653 to Minor Doeders. As all cattle had been imported originally from England, they were quite valuable at this time and were often mentioned in wills.6
Anecdote	February 1654	As a reflection of his standing in the community, the plantation of Thomas Meads was chosen in February 1654 as the rallying point for a small army of volunteers who marched from his grounds overland to the village of the Rappahannock Indians to obtain a peace treaty. Undoubtedly the excellent landing at Thomas’s plantation and the proximity of the Indian village, which was perhaps nearthe site of the present town of Warsaw, had some influence in this choice.7
Anecdote	6 April 1654	Thomas Meads was appointed constable on 6 April 1654, with the oath administered by James Williamson.8
Anecdote	between September 1654 and October 1654	Thomas Meads tithed for 3 male adults. The levy (tax) was 60 pounds of tobacco per poll.9
Will	5 March 1655	He signed a will on 5 March 1655 in Lancaster, Virginia, United StatesBG. The last will & testament of Tho. Meads made the 5th day of March. Impnt. I do bequeath my body to the Earth & my soul to God that gave it. I do make my wife my sole & absolute Excr. I do give to my wife & my Daughter Mary this plantation that I now live upon and all the Land on this side of the Creek and sd. plantation not to be my Daughter’s ‘till after my wife’s decease. I do give to my two sons Tho. & John Meads all the Land that is on the west side of the Creek provided that they pay unto my two Daughters Margaret & Joyce out of the s. Land two thousand pounds of tob. & cask at their day of marriage, and in case either of the[m] die that the sd. tob. to belong to the survivor. I do give unto my wife & my sons & Daughters above mentioned all my goods and chattels after my debts are paid and that they shall be equally divided amongst them. I do give to my Daughter Anne all the cattle that belongeth to her which is about five head of cattle, and likewise I do give unto her one shilling in money. This is my last will & testament as witness my hand the day & year above written. Thomas Mead Witness Thomas Mead Rawleigh Travers John Richardson Edward (mark) Bradshaw10
Death	between 5 March 1655 and 6 June 1655	He died between 5 March 1655 and 6 June 1655 in Lancaster, Virginia, United StatesBG.1
Will - Probated	6 June 1655	His will was probated on 6 June 1655 in Lancaster, Virginia, United StatesBG. Probate of the will was granted to George Bryer, a neighbor, and as was the custom, an appraisal of the estate was ordered by the court. This appraisal was done by four men, including Ambrose Meador and Francis Gower, and was returned to the court 10 December 1655. The value was established as 17,502 pounds of tobacco, equivalent at the time to about 109 pounds sterling, a respectable, though not huge, sum Fig. 6 Thomas Meads’ will for the times. Because ‘hard’ money was scarce in the colonies, everything was valued in terms of its worth in tobacco, on a sort of barter system.11
Anecdote	6 August 1655	As testified by the will, Thomas Meads left a widow, two sons, and four daughters. Quite possi-bly all these children were under legal age, since at the time when Thomas had entered the country some nineteen years or so before, he had been single. His son Thomas Jr. seems to have been the oldest, but was still under legal age, as in the court session of 6 August 1655 Thomas Meads, orphan, petitioned the court that William Underwood be appointed his guardian. Further, it was ordered that the estate of Thomas Meads, deceased, then in the hands of George Bryer, be delivered to Underwood.12

Citations

1. [S68] Janet's Family, online http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~janet/. Hereinafter cited as Janet's Family.
2. [S69] Lynch Family Genealogy, online http://67.198.81.179/Lynch/default.htm. Hereinafter cited as Lynch Family Genealogy.
3. [S209] Meador, Victor P., Our Meador Families in Colonial America (), Patent Book 1, p. 398 & p. 578Page 25. Hereinafter cited as Our Meador Families in Colonial America.
4. [S209] Meador, Victor P., Our Meador Families in Colonial America (), Lancaster Co. Book 1, p. 111, 12 Sep 1653 Page 25. Hereinafter cited as Our Meador Families in Colonial America.
5. [S209] Meador, Victor P., Our Meador Families in Colonial America (), Lancaster Co. Book 1, p. 152 Page 26. Hereinafter cited as Our Meador Families in Colonial America.
6. [S209] Meador, Victor P., Our Meador Families in Colonial America (), Lancaster Co. Book 1, p. 221 Page 26. Hereinafter cited as Our Meador Families in Colonial America.
7. [S209] Meador, Victor P., Our Meador Families in Colonial America (), Laws of Virginia by Hening, Vol. 1, p. 389 Page 26. Hereinafter cited as Our Meador Families in Colonial America.
8. [S209] Meador, Victor P., Our Meador Families in Colonial America (), Lancaster Co. Book 1, p. 141 Page 26. Hereinafter cited as Our Meador Families in Colonial America.
9. [S209] Meador, Victor P., Our Meador Families in Colonial America (), Lancaster Co. Book 1, p. 176 Page 26. Hereinafter cited as Our Meador Families in Colonial America.
10. [S209] Meador, Victor P., Our Meador Families in Colonial America (), Lancaster Co. Book 2, p. 12 Page 27. Hereinafter cited as Our Meador Families in Colonial America.
11. [S209] Meador, Victor P., Our Meador Families in Colonial America (), Lancaster Co. Book 1, p. 197Lancaster Co. Book 2, p. 76 Page 28. Hereinafter cited as Our Meador Families in Colonial America.
12. [S209] Meador, Victor P., Our Meador Families in Colonial America (), Lancaster Co. Book 2, pp. 204 & 233 Page 28. Hereinafter cited as Our Meador Families in Colonial America.