Person:Josiah Meador (6)

Confused Identities

Josisah Meador, son of Jonas and Frances Hudgens Meadors, is often reported as “Josiah Francis” Meador. Explanations both creative and romantic have been provided for why he sometimes used one name, sometimes the other.^[1][2][4] The reality is much more prosaic. Josiah probably never had, let alone used a “middle” or second name, and the documents normally cited to show that he did are consistently for his half-cousin once removed, Francis Meador.^[11]

The confusion of identities may have begun in the 1960s when researchers began trying to document all the various Meadors and place them with their proper families. At that time, Perkins Nunnally^[6] noted that little information was known for Josiah. Nunnally also noted speculation by another researcher that a number of then unassigned “children” might be Josiah’s. Many of these are now known to be the children of Francis Meador. It is possible that the speculative attempt to attach them to Josiah led to the unfounded assumption Josiah and Francis were the same person. Even today some of these children continue to be attached to both men as fathers.^[3][4]

Nunnally did provide evidence that Josiah was in Amelia County, Virginia, between 1756 and 1758 and that he was married to Lavina as of 27 July 1758.^[6] Documentation also exists that places Francis in Orange County, Virginia during the same time.^[7][8] Francis was also married, presumably to Mary Bell.

Nunnally himself speculates that Josiah and Lavina followed Josiah’s brother John to the Bedford/Franklin County area of Virginia. While in need of documentation, his suggestion is consistent with the marriages of his daughters Rosannah and Edith. Edith married in 1795 in Botetourt County, Virginia, with Josiah as her father signing the consent form.^[10] Rosannah married in 1798 in Montgomery County, Virginia with the marriage bond signed by her mother, Lavina.^[12] (A granddaughter named Rosannah is also mentioned in Josiah’s mother’s will.)^[5] Rosannah was born about 1771, Edith about 1775, suggesting that Josiah and Lavina remained married to each other at least through the early 1770s, and that they probably were living in southern Virginia, in or near Montgomery County. It also implies that Josiah had died sometime between 1795 and 1798.

While Josiah and Lavina were in the general area of Montgomery County, Francis apparently continued to live in the vicinity of Orange and Rockingham counties until his death in about 1791.^[7][8]

Based on even a limited number of original documents, it appears that Josiah and Frances are two separate men, living in two different locations. There is no need to explain why Josiah used two different names, since the different names belonged to two different men. (See also: ^[9]) The lives of both men could, however, use better documentation from original sources.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Lively Roots, June 16, 2012
   accessed 22 Mar 2014.

   Starts by assuming that Josiah and Francis are different names used by the same person, then tries to explain why.

2. ↑ Josiah Francis Meadows 1735-1798?, 11 Oct 2011, in History of Streeter, West Virginia
   accessed 22 Mar 2014.

   Josiah married twice. First to Lavina Moody, then to Mary Kesiah Bell. Mary and Josiah had a daughter named Edith (1775-1860)* who married Edmund Lilly (1772-1832). (Cites Lively Roots as a source)

3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} Josiah Meador, in Find A Grave
   accessed 24 Aug 2014.

   Josiah Meador
   Birth: Jul. 14, 1736, Caroline County, Virginia, USA
   Death: Jan. 7, 1793, Botetourt County, Virginia, USA [he was still alive in 1795]
   Burial: Starkey Family Cemetery, Roanoke County, Virginia, USA (Roanoke County was originally part of Botetourt County)
   
   Parents: Jonas MEADOR (1700 - 1768), Frances Hudgens (1702 - 1774)
   Married: 1757 in Amelia Co VA, Lavinia MOODY (1730 - 1798) (Christening: 3/12/1731 in Prince George, Bristol Parish, VA, Father: Robert Moody, Mother: Ann Preston)
   
   Known Children: [NOTE: Six of these are, or probably are, the children of Francis Meadows. See problems with child attribution in text]
   1. Joab Meador
   2. William Meador [probably son of Francis Meadows ]
   3. Israel Meador [probably son of Francis Meadows ]
   4. Josiah Meador II (1758 - 1845) My Line m. Judith "Juda" Lilly
   5. John Francis Meador [probably son of Francis Meadows ]
   6. James Meador [probably son of Francis Meadows ]
   7. Jeremiah Isaac [probably son or sons of Francis Meadows ]
   8. Edith "Edy" Meador (1765 - 1860) My Line m. Edmund Lilly
   9. Rosanna Meador (1771 - 1851) My Line m. 8/22/1798 in Montgomery Co VA to Thomas Edmond Lilly
   10.Jacob Meador m. 6/7/1774 in Botetourt Co VA to Mary Ovington
   ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
   Josiah's 2nd Marriage Mary Keziah Bell [NOTE: Mary Bell was the wife of Francis Meadows I; Keziah (Bush?) was the first wife of Francis Meadows II Josiah had only one wife ]
   ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
   Siblings [husband and wife, not siblings]: Lavinia Moody Meador (1730 - 1798), Josiah Meador (1736 - 1793)

4. ↑ ^4.0 4.1 Maternal Meadows Tree, Charlotte Elliott, 24 Oct 2004, in RootsWeb's WorldConnect Project
   accessed 23 Mar 2014.

   Cites Lively Roots as a source. Much of the information and wording of narrative text is similar to that in Lively Roots

5. ↑ ^5.0 5.1 Meador, Daniel Burton. Genealogical records of some members of the Meador family: who are descendants of Thomas Meador of Virginia. (Fairhope, Alabama: D.B. Meador, c1968 (North Newton, Kan. : Mennonite Press)).

   Will of Frances Meador, Cumberland Co., VA
   to my grandaughter Anne Meador my side saddle
   to my granddaughter Roseannah Meador one heifer
   to my children: Joel Meador, Mary Holland, Frances Holloway, John Meador, Josiah Meador, Jehu Meador, Joab Meador, Jesse Meador, the rest of my estate, to be equally divided
   dated 17 August 1774, probated 25 September 1780, witnesses inc. Martha Meador (her mark)

6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3} Nunnally, Perkins. The descendants of Jonas and Frances Meador of Essex, Caroline and Cumberland Counties, Virginia. (Pine Bluff, Arkansas: P. Nunnally, 1968)
   p. 31 available on-line.

   Josiah Meador b. about 1735-36, m. Lavina about 1757 or early 1758
   in Cumberland/Amelia County, Virginia area in 1756-1758.
   1756 witness to deed of sale of brother John
   27 July 1758 he and wife Lavina sold 50 acres in Amelia county, probably moved to Bedford with brother John
   
   "Our files do not reflect much information on this son of Jonas and Frances." . . . .Gordon Conolly, of Garret Park, Maryland, speculates (12/9/1967) "that Josiah may have been the father of some or all of the following who have not been definitely allocated as to line of descent: James, Jacob, Jeremiah, Jesse, Francis, Mathew/Mathias, William, Israel, Arris (Harris), Josiah, Obadiah, John and Joab, all born pre 1770 in this area. . . .[¶] If any of the above are of the line of Jonas - Frances, this appears logical, as by a process of elimination of the known children of other brothers, we have only remaining Josiah and Joab, (and Joab is hardly likely)."

7. ↑ ^7.0 7.1 Francis Meadows a prisoner at Fredericksburg, VA, Arley Meadows, 15 Sep 2005, in RootsWeb Archiver, Meadows, 2005-09, 1126805929
   accessed 23 Aug 2013.

   quotes another message with Orange County, Virginia Tax Lists, including Francis Meadows [I] in 1756
   includes "a transcript of an 1822 document sworn to in Monroe County, VA, by Francis Meadows II"

8. ↑ ^8.0 8.1 1756 Orange Co.,VA Tithables Frans Meadus, lylemast, 14 Feb 2001, in RootsWeb Archiver, Meadows, 2001-02, 0982201979
   accessed 24 Aug 2014.

   Frances Meadows on Orange County, Virginia Tax Lists in 1756, 1782-1791

9. ↑ Re: josiah meador 1736, dovie?, SandraG627, 9 Dec 2001, in RootsWebArchiver, Meadows, 2001-03, 1007948159
   accessed 20 Aug 2014.

   Josiah Meador, son of Jason and Frances (Hodgens) Meador, married Lavina Moody, his only marriage [an extensive pedigree is included]
   Francis Meador Sr. [no parentage given] married Mary Bell
   Francis Meador Jr. [no parentagegiven] m1 Keziah _____, m2 Francis Bush

10. ↑ Edy MEADOR, Posted: 13 Nov 1999 by Lainie Hendrix, in Rootsweb Message Boards.

    Josiah MEADOR signed the permission, as her father, for Edy (Edith)MEADOR to marry Edmund LILLY

11. ↑ Josiah is the grandson of John Meador by his second wife. Francis is John Meador's great-grandson by his first wife.
12. ↑ On 22 Aug 1798, in Montgomery County, Virginia, Lavina Meador signed the marriage bond for her daughter Rosanna Meador's marriage to Thomas Lilly