Person:William Meeker (2)

William Meeker (Original spelling "Mecar") is the immigrant of this line. Some say that he may have come from Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. It was around 1635 that he came from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Shortly thereafter William became one of the founders of the New Haven Colony, taking the Oath of Fidelity at New Haven Colony 1 July 1644. On 7 October 1646, the court assigned him to be "loader to mill" for a period of twelve months. New Haven Court Records show that in 1657, William sued Thomas Mullenner for slander for accusing him of witchcraft. The court record says that several of Mr. Mullenner’s pigs died in a strange way and he thought that they might have been bewitched. As his pigs continued to die, Mr. Mullenner said that he tested his last pig to see if the pigs had been bewitched. He told the court that he had cut off the pig's ear and tail and threw them into the fire. Mr. Mullenner said that, “this was a means used in England by honest people to find out witches”. He also said that he had not said anything about his pigs being bewitched to his neighbors and that if the neighbors said that he had, then they were probably bewitched too. The court record goes on to say that prior to this incident, Mr. Mullenner had been charged with breaking open the Meeker fence and also was being investigated for milking someone else's cows.

While living in New Haven, William Meeker married Sarah Preston, daughter of William and Elizabeth (Sale) Preston. Sarah’s father, William Preston was from the town of Giglesweke in Craven, Yorkshire, England and migrated to the New Haven Colony. Sarah was born in Chesham, County Bucks or Yorkshire, England where she was baptized on 18 July 1626. William Meeker and his wife, Sarah were probably in Boston by 1651 and in New Haven by 1653. William and Sarah Meeker were the parents of Joseph, Benjamin, Sarah, Mary, and, John. The births of the first four children are listed in the New Haven Colonial records.

In the spring of 1665, William Meeker was among those who sailed from the New Haven Colony to Elizabethtown, New Jersey. He is listed on the list of original Elizabethtown Associates. On this list his last name is spelled Meacker and is found in other places as Mecar and Meaker. This group of 65 Associates which also included Benjamin Conklin, acquired title for land, some of which later became Union County, New Jersey. Title was acquired through an Indian purchase and a grant from Governor Nichols. Later when Governor Nichols was replaced as governor by Sir Philip Carteret, a sequence of events occurred causing the Associates to believe that their purchase rights had been violated. This disagreement ended up in a revolt and the flight of Governor Carteret. At the time, William Meeker, chosen by the Associates, held a commission from Governor Carteret as constable of the town. As constable, William supported Governor Carteret’s successor, Captain James Carteret. For this offense he was adjudged in 1675 to loose his estate. The people of Elizabethtown and Newark, grateful for his support of their interests gave him a tract of land at Lyons Farms. It was here that William died in December, 1690. At this time, the population of Elizabeth, New Jersey was about 800 people.

(It is assumed that most if not all of the above information is from Conklin Cousins.)

He was "probably" the brother of Robert Meeker^[2].

1. ↑ Iamele, Sharon Schertz. Conklin cousins : the many children of Joseph & Mary (Cory) Conkling. (Worthington, Ohio: S.S. Iamele, c1999).
2. ↑ Jacobus, Donald Lines. History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield. (New Haven, Conn.: The Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor Company, 1930-1932)
   1:404.

   'Meeker, Robert.
   
   Prob. bro. of William Meeker of New Haven, 1646, who m. Sarah Preston, dau. of William, and had children recorded at New Haven: ... [born between Mar. 1649/50 and Sept 1666]. This family removed to Newark, N. J.'

3. ↑ Birth year estimated based on approx. immigration year, death year, and christening date of wife.