John Worth Meacham (1787 - 1857)

Born 8 May 1787 in Orange County, North Carolina

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Allen) Meacham — married 24 Dec 1809 in Tennessee, United States

Descendants

Died 8 Feb 1857 at age 69 in Independence, Arkansas, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: MaryAnn Blakeman [send private message]

Biography

John Worth Meacham was born on May 8, 1786 in Orange County, North Carolina, son of Banks Meacham (1748–1820) and Elizabeth Andrew Persons (1759–1820).^[1]

His siblings were:

1. Bartlett Meacham (~1775 - ~1837)
2. Elizabeth (Meacham) Black (1780 - 1851)
3. Henry Meacham (~1782 - ~1860)
4. Jemima Meacham (~1784 - ~1862)
5. William Andrew Meacham (1795 - >1860)

John Worth emigrated to Arkansas and settled in what became the Hickory Valley commununity near the present site of Cave City. Hickory Valley grew up around Meacham's log home and a store and cotton gin which were built later by his son, Thornberry, across the road.

Family

John Worth (23) was a Mason and a Methodist, had lived for a time in Montgomery, Tennessee, where he married Mary Allen (17) (born on June 18, 1792 in Orange, North Carolina) on December 24, 1809 in Tennessee, United States. When the young couple arrived in Arkansas, they had two sons -

• James Allen Meacham (1810–1896).
• Christopher B., born in 1812.

These two brothers later served with Capt. Jesse Bean's Mounted Rangers in the famous campaign into the west in 1836. This was the expedition that was accompanied by the well-known author, Washington Irving, and about which he wrote his book, "A Tour of the Prairies."

They also had the following children:

• Margaret born 1823, who married Edward Carter. They had eleven children. Their oldest son was killed in the Civil War. In her obituary, the Rev. J.M. Hawley, a preacher of the Methodist Church, South, wrote: "Her house was the preacher's home - many a weary itnerant rested from his hard preaching and traveling under her roof."
• William, born about 1835. He married Lutitia Gray and they had one daughter, Mary, before William's death in 1856. Letitia later married William Brewer.
• Thornberry Anderson, called "Bob," born about 1830, who served as a Confederate soldier under Gen. Hindman. He married Mariah Elizabeth Allen, and they were the parents of nine children. He operated the store and cotton gin.* Daughter, Mary "Mollie," married Independence County Sherif McCurdy
• Daughter Eliza married Tom Ford
• Son William A. married Margin Laman
• John Redmond, born in 1832, married as his second wife Pandora Chinn.
• Mary Jane, born in 1834, married Henry S. Horne.

Timeline

In the 1840 census John was in Independence, Arkansas, United States.^[2]

In the 1850 census John (age 64) born 1786 in North Carolina was in Barren Township, Independence, Arkansas, United States, real estate $500,^[3] along with

• Mary Meacham Female 58 1792 North Carolina
• John R Meacham Male 22 1828 Arkansas
• William L Meacham Male 21 1829 Arkansas
• Thornbery Meacham Male 19 1831 Arkansas
• Mary Meacham Female 16 1834 Arkansas White
• Harriet Allen Female 13 1837 Arkansas White 123

Death

John Worth Meacham, the patriarch of the Hickory Valley Meachams, died in 1857 and is buried in the family cemetary. The ruins of the old Meacham home place were just west of Highway 167 about ten miles north of Batesville with the old family cemetery on a nearby hillside.

John was mentioned on a memorial in Meacham Cemetery, Independence County, Arkansas, United States with a death date of 8 February 1857.^[4]/>

Research Notes

The following people may need profiles:

• Thornbery Meacham
• Harriet Allen

Sources

1. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/17131803/john-worth-meacham: accessed), memorial page for John Worth Meacham (8 May 1787–8 Feb 1857), Find a Grave Memorial ID 17131803, citing Meacham Cemetery, Independence County, Arkansas, USA; Maintained by C&P LaPlante Files (contributor 46814587).
2. ↑ 1840 Census: "United States Census, 1840"
   citing p. 208, NARA microfilm publication , (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll ; FHL microfilm .
   FamilySearch Record: XHBX-6MW (accessed 8 December 2022)
   FamilySearch Image: 33SQ-GYBH-WP4 Image number 00443
   John W Meacham in Independence, Arkansas, United States.
3. ↑ 1850 Census: "United States Census, 1850"
   citing family , NARA microfilm publication (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
   FamilySearch Record: M67C-1QG (accessed 8 December 2022)
   FamilySearch Image: S3HT-XXDS-XX Image number 00639
   John W Meacham (64) in Barren Township, Independence, Arkansas, United States. Born in North Carolina.
4. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
   Find A Grave: Memorial #17131803 (accessed 8 December 2022)
   Memorial page for John Worth Meacham (8 May 1787-8 Feb 1857), citing Meacham Cemetery, Independence County, Arkansas, USA; Maintained by C&P LaPlante Files (contributor 46814587).

See also:

• Much of the narrative was taken from Meachams of Hickory Valley by Nancy Britton in Independence pioneers, 1836-1986; v. 01 Title No 3734478_01

Independence pioneers, 1836-1986; v. 01 [[1]]