Meeks, Edward, Sr.

Item

Title
Meeks, Edward, Sr.
Gender
Male
Biography
According to family histories, Edward Meeks was born in Manhatten in 1774. Meeks was married to Dorothea Spencer, born in New Jersey, and had several children. Most of whom died tragically young.
In 1813, Meeks purchased 180 acres from James Talbot along the Ohio River at Willoughby Creek, along with Talbot's ferry operation. Soon after, he received a ferry license to operate the ferry from his property to the opposite shore in Indiana.
In 1815 Meeks, along with Thomas Noble, established the town of Mount Vernon. Mount Vernon is now known today as Belleview. On 15 April 1819, the land was sold to John Bruce for $7,500. After the sale of the Boone County property, Edward Meeks and his family settled at "Soldier's Retreat" in what is now Edgewood, Kentucky.
Meeks and his family were lifelong members of the Dry Creek Baptist Church. Meeks died at his home in 1824, mere days before his son Edward, Jr. died at the age of 17.
His memorial in the Dry Creek Baptist Church Cemetery is a cenotaph. "Col Edward Meeks body was exhumed and moved to Highland Cemetery in the 1870s along with some other family members. His tombstone was left behind, and a new family monument erected in Highland Cemetery. The tombstone was recorded in Dry Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in 1977 about a century after the body had been moved." --'Small Kenton County, Kentucky, Cemeteries'
Member
Meeks family
Birth date
15 Dec 1774
Place of birth
Manhattan (New York, N.Y.)
Life event(s)
Marriage: 10 Jun 1802; location unknown
Spouse(s)
Spencer, Dorothea C.
Child(ren)
Meeks, Hetty Ann
White, Susan Sophia Meeks
Meeks, Edward, Jr.
Meeks, Oliver Spencer
Meeks, Peter Ogden
Meeks, Nathaniel Evans
Mackenzie, Sarah Emma Evans Meeks Stansifer
Meeks, Mary Elizabeth
Death date
29 Apr 1824
Place of death
Erlanger (Ky.)
Death and burial information
Dry Creek Baptist Church Cemetery (Edgewood, Ky.)
Highland Cemetery (Fort Mitchell, Ky.)
Occupation(s)
Ferry owner
Employed by
Meeks Ferry (Belleview, Ky.)
Military service
2nd New York Regiment
Allegiance
United States of America
Held rank
Captain
Colonel
Place of enlistment
New York
Service began
4 Oct 1776
Resided in
Covington (Ky.)
Related resource
"To Thomas Jefferson from Edward Meeks, 16 June 1801," Founders Online, National Archives
Member of
Dry Creek Baptist Church (Kenton County, Ky.)
Relationship
Known enslaved: unknown, Amy [1]; unknown, Edward
unknown, Amy [1]
unknown, Edward
Description
Enslaved held in 1790: Two
Enslaved held in 1820: Females, 14 thru 25, one; Females, 45 and over, one; TOTAL: Two
Bibliographic citation(s)
FindAGrave.com, memorial #139280569 (Dry Creek)
FindAGrave.com, memorial #91702407 (Highland)
'Small Kenton County, Kentucky, Cemeteries,' Kenton County Historical Society, Cemetery Committee, page 28
Source(s)
U.S., Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783
First Census of the United States, 1790
Second Census of the United States, 1800
Fourth Census of the United States, 1820
Dry Creek Baptist Church Book II
Find A Grave.com
North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000
Item sets
AA--Slaveholders--Kentucky--Boone County--M

Linked resources

Items with "Relationship: Meeks, Edward, Sr."
Title Class
unknown, Amy [1] Person
unknown, Edward Person
Items with "Father: Meeks, Edward, Sr."
Title Class
Meeks, Oliver Spencer Person
Items with "Head: Meeks, Edward, Sr."
Title Class
Meeks Ferry (Belleview, Ky.) Organization
Items with "Prominent family member: Meeks, Edward, Sr."
Title Class
Meeks family Organization