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an old idea, a new twist ...

About six years ago, I had an idea. Since I was a newspaper editor and had an interest in genealogy, why not publish a newspaper about genealogy. It seemed to make sense, so the Mead-e Family Tree was the result.

It was intended to be printed every three months, and, for awhile, it worked out that way. But, with the demands of my "day job" and the necessity to write every article myself, it became too much of a burden.

I never lost the desire, however, and over the years, several things have changed. First, I retired; second, having a web page on the internet became both do-able and affordable, and third, I recruited a couple of friends to lend a hand. So, I'm going to try again, only this time without a printing press. We're going online, thus eliminating circulation problems and minimizing production costs.

The name of our electronic publication will be the same as it was: mead-e family tree. Only the first letter capitalization has been dropped to make it unique. The hyphenated "e" is in deference to those in our extended family who spell their surname either Mead or Meade.

Editorial content also will be as close to our original concept as possible. We'll focus on 16th and 17th century Meads - and Meades. We'll attempt to be a gathering point where genealogists with similar goals can exchange information and share their findings among each other.

We'll concentrate upon telling the many different stories that entertain all of us. Sometimes, if a story is particularly interesting, we may stray away from whether the subject is a Mead(e). We recognize the ranks of our family have been multiplied by marriage and there have been as many contributions from without as within. Also, all of us devote at least half of our time gathering research beyond our surnames.

Although our content will be heavily from England, from whence the Meads came, we expect a solid representation from Germany, France, Italy, Scandinavia and other European countries. We'll offer a melting pot of Americana.

At any rate, we hope you will enjoy our efforts. We have no set timetable, except to get this first issue on the web as quickly as possible. We'll make a valiant attempt to update the newsletter's material every 90 days or so. For your part, we solicit your support and any material you may see fit to share with us.

Send it (preferably in a Word Perfect or convertible format) in an e-mail attachment or on a disk by snail mail. The e-mail address is: leemeade@meadnewsletter.com ; our regular mail address is mead-e newsletter, PO Box 7974, Horseshoe Bay, TX 78657-7974. We will return any photographs and diskettes if accompanied by a self-addressed and stamped envelope.

Lee Meade, Editor and Publisher

By VANCE MEAD

In his "History and Genealogy of the Mead Family," Spencer Mead speculated William Mead of Stamford, Conn., and Gabriel Goodman Mead of Dorchester, Mass., were brothers and came originally from Lydd, Kent. In an article published in January 1998 in The American Genealogist, Gordon Remington showed that William Mead was born in 1592 in Watford, Hertfordshire. He did not investigate the origin of Gabriel Mead, though he did demonstrate William and Gabriel were not brothers.

It is known the wife of Gabriel Mead of Dorchester was named Johanna or Joan, and it had been assumed that her maiden name was Bate or Bates, but without any proof. It had been suggested he was born in or about 1588 and the name of one of his daughters was Sarah(1).

In fact, in the town of Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, Gabriel Mead was born Gabriel Meades in 1590, married Joan Frewin, and had Sarah, his eldest daughter, who was born there in 1632.

Gabriel's father, Thomas Meades, was born circa 1550 and lived in the town of Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. The earliest parish records for this town are from 1588, so there is no record of his christening. There was a man named William Meade who paid rent on a tenement in Henley in 1487 and 1492(2), but there is no way of knowing if the two men were related.

Thomas Meades probably did not come originally from Henley or the nearby parishes. All of the people named Meades in the parish records of Henley until 1640 are descended from him, and there is no one named Meade or Meades in the 16th century records of the nearby parishes. There was a man named Thomas Meade in the muster rolls for Oxfordshire in 1659(3), but this was in the hundred of Bullingdon about 20 miles away.

Henley is the highest point of effective navigation on the Thames. Starting in medieval times, goods going from London to Oxford were offloaded there and sent onward by cart, while merchandise -- mainly grain -- from the surrounding countryside as far away at Oxford was loaded there for the London market. Henley, thus, was an important inland port and the focus of internal immigration for a wide area. There probably were dozens of people named Thomas Mead or Meades within a 10 to 20 mile radius of Henley, so it will probably be impossible to trace his origins.

On May 25, 1578, Thomas Meades married Emlin Carter and they had(4): Oct. 24 -- John Meades, son of Thomas; about 1582 -- Andrew Meades; Dec. 19, 1585 -- Edward Meades, son of Thomas, and Oct. 4, 1590 -- Gabriel Meades, son of Thomas.

Thomas Meades was a weaver. He had a messuage and tenement in a place called Beggaridge in Henley and was a member of Saint Mary's Church. In 1602, his name is found on an assessment list for the church(5). He paid 18d, an average contribution.

On Nov. 15, 1612, Emlin Meades, the wife of Thomas Meades, was buried. A short time later, on Feb. 1, 1612/13, Thomas Meades married Ellinor or Elianor Thomas.

The will(6) of Thomas Meades of Henley-on-Thames, weaver, is dated March 23, 1623/24. In it, he bequeaths a messuage or tenement in Beggaridge in the parish of Henley  to his son John Meades, with the stipulation that "Elianor my nowe wife" have a one-third share. His wife also received various household stuff, such as bedding, linen, a bedstead, an iron pot and "all my pewter and brasse". To his second son, Andrew Meades, he left the sum of 12 pence. The name of Andrew Meades does not appear in the parish records of Henley. For the most part, these are quite legible, though there are a few damaged portions, especially at the bottom of the pages. Thomas left to his "third sonne Edwards Meades the somme of Twenty and ffower pounde the wch hee now oweth unto mee." And, finally, Thomas left the rest of his estate, including goods, money, cattle and chattels, "to Gabriell Meades my youngest sonne whom I make and ordeaine my sold Executor."

Thomas Meades was buried on Aug. 29, 1629. On Jan. 16, "widdo Meades," probably his widow, Elianor, was married to Thomas Haselwood.

On Oct. 31, 1602, John Meades, the eldest son of Thomas Meades and Emlin Carter, married Katherine Goodspeed and they had: Oct. 30, 1603 -- Daniel Meades, son of John; Feb. 2, 1605/06 -- John Meades, son of John (buried Sept. 6, 1611); Sept. 11, 1608 -- Augustine Meades, son of John; Mar. 10, 1610/11 -- Richard Meades, son of John; Oct. 24, 1613 -- John Meades, son of John; June 23, 1616 -- William Meades, son of John; Dec. 12, 1619 -- Stephen Meades, son of John (buried Feb. 15, 1628/29), and Feb. 13, 1624/25 -- Bridget Meades, daughter of John (buried Feb. 15, 1628/29).

On Dec. 26, 1613, Edward Meades, the third son of Thomas Meades and Emlin Carter, married Joan Williams and they had: Sept. 24, 1615 -- Joan Meades, daughter of Edward (buried Mar. 20, 1617/18); Apr. 3, 1617 -- a Meades daughter of Edward; Jan. 1, 1618/19 -- Johana Meades, daughter of Edward, and Nov. 15, 1620 -- Edward Meades, son of Edward (buried Nov. 16, 1620).

Joan Meades, the wife of Edward Meades, was buried Dec. 24, 1620. Soon afterwards, on May 27, 1621, Edward married Agnes Johnson and they had: Mar. 15, 1622/23 -- Elizabeth Meades, daughter of Edward; Jan. 1623/24 (no date) -- Unnamed child of Edward Meades buried; Aug. 21, 1625 -- Elizabeth Meades, daughter of Edward; Dec. 3, 1626 -- Dorothy Meades, daughter of Edward; Apr. 27, 1628 -- Sara Meades, daughter of Edward; July 25, 1630 -- Frances Meades, daughter of Edward; Sept. 28, 1633 -- Ruth Meades, daughter of Edward; Jan. 25, 1634/35 -- Edward Meades, son of Edward, and June 2, 1637 -- Child of Edward Meades stillborn.

On Jul. 17, 1628, Gabriel Meades, the youngest son of Thomas Meades, married Joan Frewin. There were several Joan Frewins or Fruins born at about the right time to have married Gabriel in 1628. Joan Frewins, the daughter of Henry, was born in April 1592, but she was buried Feb. 9, 1593/94. There was a Joan, the daughter of Richard, born May 29, 1915. Joan Frewin, the daughter of Robert, was born Oct. 13, 1605, but "Jana filia Roberti" was buried on Sept. 27, 1635. And, on Sept. 13, 1607, was christened Joan, the daughter of Rice Fruin and Alice Bond, who were married Aug 25, 1606. Thus, there were two surviving Joans, born in 1595 and 1607. The younger Joan was more than likely the one who married Gabriel in 1628, since the elder one would have married at the age of 33 and had her second child at 37. If, as I believe, it is probable Gabriel and Joan Meades of Henley, are the same Gabriel and Joan Mead of Dorchester, Mass. The elder Joan, born in 1595, would have had children in America at well over the age of 40.

Gabriel Meades and his wife, Joan, had in Henley: Dec. 16, 1629 -- Abell Meades, son of Gabriell (buried Dec. 20, 1629) and Aug. 30, 1632 -- Sara Meades, daughter of Gabriell.

After this, at least until 1640, there are no further records of children born to Gabriell Meades in Henley.

Gabriel was an uncommon Christian name in England at that time. Coupled with the known names of his wife, Joan, and his daughter, Sarah, it seems quite certain Gabriel Meades in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, and Gabriel Mead of Dorchester, Mass., are the same person.

FOOTNOTES: (1) Spencer Mead in "The History and Genealogy of the Mead Family" surmised the wife of Gabriel Mead was Johanna Bates and they had come from Lydd, Kent. From Gordon Remington's article in TAG Vol. 73, No. 1: Gabriel's wife, in his will of Jan. 15, 1654/55 (probated July 17, 1667) is Johanna (Suffolk Co. Probates 1:526-527). Various dates are suggested in the IGI for the birth of Gabriel's daughter, Sarah, anywhere from the 1620s to the 1640s. (2) Henley Borough Records 1395-1543, Oxfordshire Record Society vol. 41. P.M. Briers Editor. Page 94: Item eadem die (6 Apr 1487) Wil. Mede reddidit computum suum pro redditu tenement sui de claro ad hunc die et concessum est coram custode et communitate quod debet de claro ad hunc diem ii s vii d. Page 104: 19 Sep. 1492. Et de Wil. Mede pro redditu tenementi sui a retro xii d. (3) Oxfordshire Muster Rolls, Oxfordshire Record Society vol 60, page 67. (4) The parish records are taken from the transcripts at the Society of Genealogists library in London and checked against the originals at the Oxfordshire Record Office. (5) A History of Henley on Thames, John Southerden Burn, page 215. (6) Oxfordshire Record Office 44/2/8.

Declaration of Independence

By LEE MEADE

Henry Wolcott came to America aboard the Mary and John in 1630, leaving a life of comfort in England and launching a family of several generations of patriotic service in the American Revolution and the founding of the United States.

He was a pillar of society in the community of Windsor, Conn., and was address in public as "Mr. Wolcott." One of his descendants helped write the Constitution and was among the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. Three others became governors of Connecticut, one was on the U.S. Supreme Court and another served as Secretary of the Treasury to presidents George Washington and John Adams.

Wolcott was the eighth great grandfather of the author of the Mead-e Family Tree, editor and publisher Lee Meade. He lived in comparative comfort in his hometown of Tolland in Somersetshire before joining a party of 160 aboard the Mary and John and sailing to the colonies. First, he made the dangerous crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by himself; then returned to England to get his family and accompany the group headed by two prominent Puritan ministers, John Maverick and John Warham in 1630.

They settled in Dorchester, Mass., but quickly became disenchanted with the religious politics there and, in a party with Rev. Warham, struck out cross country through the woods and swamps of Massachusetts in the summer of 1635 to start a new community just north of Hartford, Conn. They named their settlement Windsor. Always a leader, Wolcott was described as being "after the pastor, the most distinguished man in Windsor."

Wolcott was among the first "freemen" in Dorchester. He served as a member of the First General Court in Massachusetts in 1630 and was one of 12 members of Connecticut's First General Assembly in 1637. In 1643, he was elected to the House of Magistrates (as the Senate was called) and was re-elected each year until his death in 1655. He and his wife died within five weeks of each other and are buried together in a tomb beside the Palisado and the Connecticut River.

Oliver Wolcott Sr. was the final signer of the Declaration of Independence. A week after adoption, the Sons of Liberty toppled a statue of King George III, which stood in New York City on Broadway. They sawed the gilded statue into 20-pound pieces and hauled it by covered wagon to Wolcott's home in Litchfield, Conn. His wife and the townsfolk of Litchfield melted them down and turned them into 40,000 bullets which the colonists fired back at the British soldiers during the Revolutionary War.

Gen. Washington, a good friend of Wolcott, was very displeased by the action, but the Americans overwhelmingly approved shooting "majestic majesty" in the form of bullets made out of the king's fallen statue back at the British.

The gentry of New England was quite closely knit in those days, but none as close as the Wolcott family in Connecticut. Henry Wolcott's great granddaughter, Ursula, was a good example. She married her second cousin, Matthew Griswold, and thus became the daughter, sister, wife, mother and cousin of a governor of the State of Connecticut.

Oliver Jr. and Roger Wolcott also served as Connecticut governors. When Alexander Hamilton quit as the first Secretary of the Treasury, Washington replaced him by asking Oliver Jr. to take the post. He continued on through the first term of John Adams.

Well, there you have it. The start has been modest, but we promise we'll try to do better in the future. In our next issue, Vance Mead will write about another William Mead. This William was a friend of William Penn and, on Aug. 14, 1670, they were arrested in London for preaching the Quaker faith. It's an interesting story about English justice (or lack of it) in the 17th century and will give you a good understanding about why so many people were willing to risk the danger of a trip across the stormy Atlantic Ocean to pursue freedom in America.

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The Mead Company of the Revolutionary War

We have heard a fascinating story about a company of Mead soldiers, organized in Vermont, during the Revolutionary War. We are told they were commanded by a Capt. David Mead, who later moved to Pennsylvania and became a general in the state militia. One of its members was Royal Mead, who started a line that was extended into Wisconsin through the 19th century and may have lived near Janesville, Wis.

If anyone has information about the company, please forward it to us at: meadnewsletter.com .

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What would you like to see?

Now, this is where you come in. Obviously, we are interested in genealogy, particularly about the members of our extended family. We will continue to search our own lines and make additions and corrections to our family trees while we work on the electronic version of the Mead-e Family Tree. However, it is strictly guesswork when we try to come up with story ideas that may be of interest to you, our readers. If you see something you like, please let us know. And, on the other hand, if you believe we're off base in our subject material or the way we present it, we'd like to know that, also. If you're a frustrated writer and have your own story about the Meads to tell, share it with us ... and our readers.

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E-MAIL US AT: www.meadnewsletter.com . WRITE US AT: Lee Meade,  PO Box 7974, Horseshoe Bay, TX 78657-7974.

Please look for our next issue in July 2003!