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Archiver > MEADOWS > 2007-04 > 1177076162


From: "Jan Hensley" <>
Subject: Re: [MEADOWS] Clearing up some mistakes or misinformation
Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:36:02 -0400
In-Reply-To: <623411.81363.qm@web53304.mail.re2.yahoo.com>


I believe that all Meadows/Meadors researchers will benefit by going back to
original documents -- not books, not other's notes -- and analyzing that
information. Much of what has been written was done before helpful digests
were printed & individuals combed through rolls of microfilm, sometimes
missing key documents. While the result has been a helpful framework from
which to start, it does have errors. Unfortunately, many of these errors
have been continually perpetuated.

While I agree that there is at present insufficient documentation to link
Thomas Meades (1655) with the Meadows family, it is entirely possible that
there may be a blood relationship. It is important to remember that court
scribes wrote names phonetically and captured only what they heard. . . .
thus the wide array of names for the same family. Additionally, current day
transcribers have been challenged by handwriting and I have found original
documents from the 1700s which have appeared in digests as Meades when it is
clear to me that it is Meadors. In viewing Essex records it appears that
some of the old existing records were actually copied from a much earlier
book allowing for yet additional errors. Clerks were not without error.
The will of one of my Shenandoah Valley ancestors, Jacob Smith, was
inadvertently recorded by the Clerk in the Will Book as Joseph Smith . . .
although a teste copy provided in litigation correctly transcribed his name
as Jacob. Variations of a name -- even within the same document -- does not
mean different families. A thoughtful anaylsis of all existing original
documents for Thomas Meades -- his family, neighbors, etc. -- is necessary
before drawing conclusions.

It is also important to remember that the lists which this list is referring
to as passenger lists were not actually passenger lists . . . they were
compiled from headrights and land transcations. Were they passenger lists,
they would provide ships' names, ports and dates of arrival and departure.
The headright system was riddled with abuse and many individuals received
multiple headrights for transporting the same person. The occurrence of two
Ambroses does not mean that there were two . . . although it could.
Additionally, there frequently were substantial lags between one's arrival
in the Colony and the award of a headright. Paperwork sometimes took five
years. Headright dates should be used only as a gauge and not as an exact
date for arrival in Virginia.

About Robin's comment regarding adoption by John, I have found old wills
pretty precise in their wording . . . . frequently stating "my wife's
children" if they were step-children . . . or "by my now wife" if they were
from a second marriage. I see no evidence that these children were adopted.
As stated earlier, names for the same family can vary within a document and
should not be taken as evidence that they were different families.

I am quite thrilled to see researchers return to original sources rather
than simply regurgitating what has already been written. This exercise --
coupled with thoughtful analysis -- can benefit all Meadors/Meadors
descendants.

Best, Jan




-----Original Message-----
From:
[mailto:]On Behalf Of Robin Connors
Sent: Saturday, April 21, 2007 8:47 AM
To:
Subject: Re: [MEADOWS] Clearing up some mistakes or misinformation


My thoughts on the John Meades mentioned here, I think it is possible that
the Mead had "adopted" these sons through a wife he married and these sons
are from her other marriage. Hence the two name spellings.

Also, remember, if they are too old to have their names changed to Mead,
this
would be the reason. Notice that he tells about wife's death. I think to
figure
out the mystery here, we would need a woman's name Mead, and her Will, in
the hope
of her Will existing.


I know, I probably made it more complicated. But our ancestors tracks are
not cut and dry as you can tell. There is digging to be done.

Cousin Robin

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