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From Jerry Brimberry, June 12, 2008 10:31:00 AM EDT
Hi Bill, Danny Fluhart's book on the Meeks is entitled "The Meek Family of Washington County, Virginia: Some Descendants of Joseph Meek, Sr." (1989, Gateway Press, Inc., Baltimore, MD, 1,005 pages). Nina Strahm and I both have copies, which at last word were no longer available. I corresponded with Fluhart many years ago about Dicey and Spicy Walkers relationship and agreed for myriad reasons that they were sisters. Fluhart, who told me that he is not a Meek descendant, wrote the book on behalf, I recall, of a Meek trust or Meek family foundation drawing largely on extant research information.
Page 887 of the publication contains a map entitled "Meek Neighborhood 1747-1839" covering a smaller area but nevertheless comporting with Jeff Lafaver's map. The attached map drawn by Fluhart map shows the following tracts and/or locations:
1. Joseph Meek, Sr. (Joe Meek, the mountain man's paternal grandfather) - Big Spring Branch Tract first owned by George Hice, 1775 and acquired by Joseph Meek, Sr. in 1782
2. Joseph Meek, Jr.
3. James Meek (m. Spicy/Spica Walker, 1790)
4. Old Dutch Church
5. Abraham Lefever Tavern - Trading Post
6. Stone House (photos attached---built by John Kirk c.1772 per VA Historic Landmarks Survey
7. Big Spring that coursed through John Kirk's 300-acre tract beside the old stone house into "Bakers Cr. or Hatton Cr." across the "Great Road" to/from "Town House" (Marion) and Abingdon.
8. Lewis Smith Tavern (located at the intersection of the "Great Road" aka US11 or Old Lee Hwy, and the pioneer road aka present county road 751 paralleling Bakers Cr. or Hutton Cr.)
9. Ebbing Spring Presbyterian Church (original site very close to the Middle Fork Holston River; later relocated to Glade Spring, singular not Springs)
10. "Big Spring" Tract owned by Philip Griever, 400 ac. - 1793
11. Thompson Stone House located on "Killmackronan" 2,600 ac., survey for James Patton in 1747; inherited by Capt. James Thompson.
12, 1972 Home of Margaret Wassum Huff (family after whom Huff airport is names.
The above items appear in the same order as on Fluhart's map which I have often cited in past discussions concerning the Meeks, Brymberrys and Dicey/Ducay and Spicy/Spica Walker. Important features not appearing in the above key but appearing on the map include "Lt. Col.Aaron Lewis 121 ac. tract on the west side of the "Great Road" opposite Abraham Lefever's tract on the east side of the "Great Road". Also another 129 ac. tract granted to John Kirk in 1783 that he sold to John Hatton.
It is IMPORTANT to note that on further investigation the entire creek was never known as Thompson's Creek, only that portion that coursed through Capt. James Thompson's "Kilmackronan" tract below the "Great Road" (the same distance as the last leg of CR 751 now called Thompson's Rd. between Interstate-81, Exit 32 and its end point at Huff Airport near the Middle Fork and terminus of Bakers or Hatton Creek). The entire length of the stream was briefly called Stalnaker's Creek after the first known settler in Washington Co.; then Bakers Creek during the period when the county was created to 1800; and afterwards as "Hatton Creek". Fluhart simply referred to it as "Bakers Cr. or Hatton Cr." however Hatton has been altered to "Hutton" Creek on present-day maps. In short, I think that it would be inaccurate to refer to the stream, past or present, as Thompson's Creek.
"The Meeks and Their Neighbors" published by the Washington County, Va. Historical Society, Nov. 1972, Serial 2, No. 10 contains a much more coherent and thorough description of persons and locations mentioned above. It states:
"When Joseph Meek, Sr., purchased 400 acres for two hundred and fifty dollars from Jonathan Cunningham in 1778, he moved into an interesting neighborhood and into a beautiful area. His tract was called the "Bing Spring Branch Tract" and was located on the Great Road. This was already an established tract, having belonged to George Hice by 1775.
Joseph Meek owned this tract until his death, except for 22 acres which he sold to his son Joseph, Jr., and 10 acres to his son James (m. Spicy Walker 12th day of August 1790). This was in 1793. These two tracts were on the northwest corner of the land which was situated along the Great Road.
By March 1810 Joseph Meek, Sr. had died. By order of the Court a partition was made of his land...
(description of heirs and partition omitted here)
Across the Great Road, sometimes called the Wilderness Road or Great Stage Road, lived John Kirk, who proved his settlement of 300 afres in 1772. In 1787 he sold this tract to Robert Craig, who devised it to David Craig,* who sold it to Joseph Meek, Jr. in 1806 for one thousand dollars.
The 300 adcres Joseph Meek, Jr. bought is known to present times as the Kirk Place. In front of the stone house located on the place is a big spring. In his will, probated in 1839, he devised his land saying: 'My plantation on which I now live called the Kirk Place or Stone House. Inclduing the land I purchased of John Snodgrass, also inculding as much of the land of the old Meek Place as will e sufficient to make a road or lande, as the lane now runs from Lewis Smith's corner east of the Spring, ar at least two rods wide, to the Main Stage Road, shall be one plantation and legacy. All my land which formerly belonged to my father, including my brick house and including the deed of trust I hold of Jesse Meek's land, to form another plantation.'
The Old Stone House is situated 16 miles east of Abingdon and is located on land now owned by Ballard B. Huff, Jr. The brick house, nowned by George Huff, is perhaps the location of the original Joseph Meek, Sr. home mentioned above. Court records show that Joseph Meek, Jr. always kept a tavern.
The neighbor to the east was Abraham Lefever who also had a tavern and trading post and also lived on the Great Road. The first of things sold after he was deceased showed that he had customers who lived in great style. His customer's were numerous. (Note: Lewis Smith and Abraham Lefever's taverns were located within 1/2 mile of each other with Meek's tavern situated in between the other two. The road was well traveled and elsewhere it was reported that President Polk once stopped at the Inn operated by James Meek enroute from Tennessee to Washington, DC. James Meek, husband of Spicy Walker, also served in the Va. House of Burgesses.)
Major Aaron Lewis was in the Revolution and later became a Lt. Colonel of the Virginia Militia. HE lived just across the Lefever.
Captain James Thompson and his wife, Catherine Shelby Thompason, a daughter of General Ean Shelby, lived on the 2,600 acres of "Killmanckroan" (sic) which was surveyed in 1747. His grandfather, Colonel James Patton, devised this tract to him. His home was also a stone house, very similar in structure to the Kirk Place. It is thought that these two houses were built (by Kirk) at the same time.
Captain Lewis Smith married Catherine, daughter of Captain James Thompson and Catherine Thompson. They also had a tavern on part of "Killmackronan." There are people today who still remember seeing the remains of their old tavern which was located where the home of the late Mr. and Mrs. B.B. Huff, Sr., now stands (within sight of the Meek stone house).
William Preston Thompson, a son of Captain James Thompson married Miss Sallie Meek in 1820. They moved to Grundy Vounty, Missouri soon after they were married. It is said that they were married in Burke's Garden, Tazewell County, Virginia (where Sallie's father had a large plantation and many slaves.)
Philip Greiver was the neighbor on the west of "Killmckronan". He had a big spring on his land which was called the Big Spring Tract" (not to be confused with Meek's Big Spring Branch Tract about 1/2 mile farther north on the Great Road).
At the Great Road went by two big springs, travelers mush have camped at either place. Business at the nearby taverns must have been good too.
South of the Greiver taract was the Ebbing Spring on the Middle Fork of the Holston River. This became the site of the old Ebbing Spring Presbyterian Church (attended by General William Campbell). Later this church was moved to Old Glade Spring. (The original town, site of Thomas Stuart's emporium which catered to area pioneers, disappeared when a railroad station was built several miles to the north---site of present Glade Spring.) Another church, called to Old Dutch Chruch, was located on Joseph Meek, Sr.'s land which was the part his son, Stephen, inherited.
Sources of information: Court records in the Court House in Washington County, Va.; Wood's 1821 Map of Washington County, Va.; Virginia State Library."
Bill, please feel free to add the above information including my annotations, to the SWVP as you deem appropriate. Also note that James Meek/Spicy Walker occupied the old Kirk stone house on property owned by his older brother Joseph Jr. who lived in their deceased father's brick house.
Jerry Brimberry
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