Tyllius arrested for 'riotous assembly, assault and poaching'
Arrested for riotous assembly, assault and poaching, Tyllius Meade must have been running with a bad crowd. Certainly, no ancestor of ours would behave like this under ordinary circumstances.
According to the "Calendar of Assize Records, Hertfordshire indictments," Tyllius Meade (correct spelling), mealman, of Watford, together with Richard Cubbich, gentleman; Roger Heyward, smith; Thomas Heiward, mealman; John Potter, mealman; Thomas Beach, wheelwright, and Richard Lockett, tailor, were indicted for riotous assembly, assault and poaching. On March 1, 1583, they assembled at Bushey, near Watford. There they assaulted and wounded Henry Cocke, a servant of Henry Hickman of Bushey, yeoman, and took trout worth two shillings (a couple of day's pay in those days) without permission from a fishpond that belonged to the manor of Bushey Hall. The indictment was certified in Queen's Bench during Easter Term, 1583.
Which of the sons of Richard Mead of Watford could this have been? William or Priscilla? We know from the inventory made at the time of William Mead's death in 1592 that he was a mealman. But, there were other members of the family who pursued the same occupation. In the Hertford Court Records on June 24, 1620, John Meade of Watford, mealman, was presented for regrating grain, meaning he had bought up grain in order to corner the market and force up the price. Tyllius might have been a nickname for Priscilla, although he was called Prysly in his father's will.
My bet is Tyllius was Priscilla. William was a common name and easily recognized, but a court official or scribe, hearing or reading an unfamiliar name, might have written down he thought it could have been, or should have been.
It's a good thing Tyllius wasn't arrested as a horse-thief, otherwise, the father of William Mead, a founder of Stamford, Conn., and progenitor of the Mead family in America, might have been hanged 10 years before William was born.
-- VANCE MEAD
A NEW BRANCH ON THE TREE
Nathaniels do not match
By VANCE MEAD
Of Nathaniel Mead, the eighth child of John Mead, born in about 1669 and died in 1703, Dr. Spencer Mead writes:
"There is no foundation whatever for the assertion that this Nathaniel was the father of 13 children, as maintained by some genealogists, and copied by others without any investigation or reason whatsoever. The 13 children, of whom he has had the credit of being the father for such a long time, belong in the John, Ebenezer, David and Benjamin branches."
I am not so sure. While it is very unlikely Nathaniel had 13 children -- he died at the age of 34 -- I have come to the conclusion he had at least one child, also named Nathaniel. I came to this conclusion while trying to sort out the various Nathaniel Meads in Greenwich and comparing them with the ones in Dr. Mead's book.
In the Barbour collection, there are four children recorded as the children of Nathaniel Mead, III, in Greenwich:
1. Smith, son of Nathaniel, III, b Dec. 15, 1756; 2. Josiah, son of Nathaniel, III, b Oct. 9, 1761; 3. Hannah, daughter of Nathaniel, III, b Mar. 28, 1764; 4. Nathaniel, son of Nathaniel, III, b Nov. 4, 1768.
There are several Nathaniel Meads in the Mead Genealogy book, but none of them match. There was a Nathaniel Mead born in 1714, but his father was David and his mother Prudence. Their children are accounted for in the Barbour collection and in David's will -- and they don't match the children of Nathaniel, III. Also, there was Nathaniel Mead, born in 1728, the son of John, III. He married Charity Bush and Hannah Seymour Hobby, but his children are also in Spencer Mead's book, and they don't match those above. There are several later Nathaniels, but they were too young to have had children in 1756.
The difficulty is greater when we look at some land transactions in Greenwich, from Spencer Mead's "The History of the Town of Greenwich,:
1697 - Nathaniel Mead granted 10 acres at Horseneck; 1731 - Eliphalet Mead bought land from Nathaniel Mead; 1736 - Nathaniel Reynolds bought land from Nathaniel Mead; 1736 - Gideon Reynolds bought land from Nathaniel Mead.
The first one is clearly the son of John Mead, I. But, the next Nathaniel Mead in Spencer Mead's book, born in 1714, would have been only 17 in 1731, too young to transfer land. Clearly, he has missed one or two Nathaniels.
Spencer Mead provides a clue to the solution in his "The History of the Town of Greenwich," in a genealogy of the Webb family. Mary Webb, the daughter of Joseph, was born July 28, 1715 in Stamford and married Nathaniel Mead. According to a site on Rootsweb, their son, Nathaniel, born about 1737, married Elizabeth Smith. He would have been just old enough to have children in 1756, and he would have been Nathaniel, III, if his father had been the son of the Nathaniel Mead born in 1669. Nathaniel, II, would have been born around 1700, making him in his thirties when those land transactions were made.
We are fortunate to have a book such as "The History and Genealogy of the Mead Family" -- even with all its flaws. But, we have several advantages Spencer Mead never had, such as the internet and e-mail -- even with all the spam. And, that enables us to build on his work and share the results.
Between Us . . .
Editor/Publisher Lee Meade
By LEE MEADE
SOMETIMES, I really feel blessed! And, then again . . .
The prospect of retiring had been a major concern to me for a number of years. I always had been an active journalist, and the idea of sitting around in an easy chair was not high on my list of things to do.
From the days some 60 years ago when I used to climb up a telephone pole at prep football games in Minnesota to gain protection in a press box from the weather to more recent times as a managing editor for a small twice-a-week California newspaper, the "easy" life that retirement years seemed to offer always scared me a little. It did provide numerous days for me to pursue my genealogy work. But, I wondered, how much I could do without going out of my mind.
Then, just before I retired in 2001, computer technology provided a welcome twist. The ability to put a newspaper on a computer and save the results on a webpage for others to read worldwide was profound.
A problem I still faced was the time and resources necessary to plan, write, edit, print and distribute a specialty newspaper with limited readership -- and pay for it. It was apparent, I could not do it alone.
* * * *
THE FIRST thing I did was send an e-mail to Vance Mead. During my own years of researching the Mead-e Family Tree for myself, I kept returning to records Vance had put together on his own website. There was a special quality in his work and a competence to his writing that clearly earmarked him to stand at the head of the pack of Mead researchers.
But, I learned he lived in Helsinki, Finland, and I wasn't sure if we would be able to work out the logistical problems that seemed to challenge such an undertaking. My concerns were short-lived.
In my e-mail to Vance, I outlined my plan for a quarterly, electronic newsletter. Much to my surprise, he replied the next day and offered to help. I quickly accepted and began putting together the first issue. I learned one of the benefits of e-mail would make it possible for us to exchange notes and whole articles in seconds.
An internet friend, historical novelist Danielle Skjelver, pointed me in the direction of Network Solutions, a California firm that is responsible for our internet website. Electronic publishing is a whole new ball game to me and they helped immeasurably to guide me through the mechanics.
The results have been amazing. Each of the six issues we have published has resulted in a higher number of "hits" than the previous one. The first in May 2003 was viewed by 846 readers. Since then, readership has increased to 934, 962, 1,406, 1,552 and 1,698. The total readership for six issues is more than 7,000. Now, I'm very pleased to have enjoyed this success, but, since there are only so many Meads, Meades and Meaghs with access to computers, I realize future growth is limited.
* * * *
VANCE remains our prime editorial contributor, but a growing number of international writers have joined the field. Among them are Alan Fitzgerald, an Australian descendant of the Irish Meagh family; Brian Willats, a seminary student from Grand Rapids, Mich.; Carolyn Mead Hildebrand, who lives in California's San Joaquin Valley and coordinates our interest in the Mead DNA Project, and Lance Mead, a photographer of talent from Brandon, Vt., who represents our activities in the Vermont, New Hampshire and areas of Central and Upper New York.
All contribute willingly without pay.
* * * *
ONE PROBLEM we have not been able to solve is how to pay for the ongoing costs of producing the newsletter. Since the newsletter is circulated free over the internet, there are no subscription charges associated with its distribution.
But, while webpage "hits" have continued to grow, donations have remained stagnant. An early surge of contributions resulted in a total of only $100 to be used to defer publishing expenses. Nothing has been received in the past six months.
That, of course, cannot continue. Our expenses are covered for the balance of the year, but I have decided somewhat reluctantly not to go on without support. Except for the contributions we have received, I have paid for all of the production expenses personally. Since the money donated has been so small, I have deposited it in a bank account so it can be refunded to the donors if I am forced to discontinue publication.
I regret my decision and I am deeply disturbed to pass it on to viewers. However, like most of us, I do not find retirement an easy financial burden. It certainly is not profitable. And, while many readers have written and applauded our efforts, only three have seen fit to follow up as financial supporters. Those odds just do not make good sense for going ahead.
The Jesse and Aurora Mead family homestead in Galway, N.Y., has been added to the State and National Register of Historic Places.
Galway town historian Phyllis Keeler was joined by researchers Lance Mead of Brandon, Vt., and Lorre Mead of Northville, N.Y., at dedication ceremonies on Sept. 15, 2004. Also attending the festivities were a reporter and photographer of The Daily Gazette of Schenectady, N.Y.
Lance and Lore, members of the Mead Research Group, a far-flung organization studying early American Mead/Meade relationships on website www.meadresearchers@yahoo.com, met for the first time at the Galway event. They shared the Mead family story with others in the group.
They also discussed a DNA program (noelcaro@aol.com) being used to sort facts from fiction in the family stories that have been passed from generation to generation. There have been more than the inconsistant usage of the "e" in the Mead(e) family stories and through the DNA program some of this is getting sorted out.
The major effort that had been expended in restoring and researching the history of the Galway house by the present owners, Nancy and Bob Goslin (www.thegooseslark.com) had laid the groundwork for the public recognition of the significance of the property. The Goslin's attention to the detail of the original craftsmanship of the house and the amount of restoration they have accomplished has been well appreciated by the local community. At the same time, many in the Mead family are glad to see some of the early Mead history documented and acknowledged.
The house had been the center of family activity for Jesse and Aurora Mead when they raised their four daughters: Francis, Sarah, Harriet and Martha. Jesse's father and mother, Jasper and Elizabeth (Benedict) Mead, moved into a small, attached apartment in the house just before Jasper died in 1830.
Jasper had served with Heath's Wing on the east side of the Hudson during the early days of the Revolutionary War. He became quartermaster and wintered in Valley Forge during the terrible winter of 1776-1777 and the Redding Connecticut encampment (www.ctssar.org/articles/redding_site.htm) and during the equally brutal winter of 1777-1778.
As quartermaster, he was responsible for obtaining supplies for the troops. It was during his trips to the surrounding communities, soliciting food and supplies, that he met Elizabeth. After completing his service in 1780, Jasper had had enough of army life and he and Elizabeth moved with their first born, Jesse, to Rensselaer County in New York.
Jasper's father, Thaddeus Mead, had served with the Connecticut Continental Militia during the French and Indian War and hjad been part of the group that built the fort at what is now the nearby town of Fort Edward, N.Y.
It was the stories of the beautiful lands in this region of the U.S. that motivated many of the Connecticut families to relocate to the area after the war. The cemeteries in Galway and surrounding towns has many monuments to these families.
(Information and photos included in this article provided by Lance Mead, Lore Mead and The Daily Gazette of Schenectady, N.Y.)
DNA Mead Project underway
By CAROLYN MEAD HILDEBRAND
The "Mead DNA Surname Project" has acquired new genealogical information in its efforts to identify early immigrants of the family in America.
Recent test results indicate marker numbers have been identified for descendants of Joseph and John Mead, the sons of Hertfordshire immigrant William, while another unrelated line has also emerged.
Also, out of more than 24,000 basic 12-marker tests that have been recorded in Family Tree's database, only 75 share a unique combination of results on the fifth through eighth markers. Nine of them have been identified as descendants of Stamford's William Mead.
Testing has confirmed combinations of descendancy for Joseph through his great-great-great grandson, Eliphalet, and for John through his son, Jonathan. In addition, new lines which may be linked to the Meades of Virginia or Gabriel (Goodman) Mead of Massachusetts have been identified.
As a result, more testing is being sought among the three major lines of family members (Meads, Meades and Meaghs) who trace their ancestry back to the English and Irish branches.
DNA officials have played down a concern testing might invade a person's privacy. They stress all results remain confidential.
Test kits are identified only by a number as they go to the lab for processing. Names and numbers are known only to the person being tested and the project administrator. Also, the DNA test involves only a small portion of the Y chromosome. It is not an individualized DNA which is unique to each person and is of no consequence unless compared to others of the same male lineage.
(Questions about DNA testing should be directed to Carolyn Mead Hildebrand at www.noelcaro@aol.com).
