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I am searching for information on James Me(a)cham and his many wives...most particularly Mary Bratton...here is what I have.
According to the 1880 census Shawnee Co. KS. His birthdate can be dated as 1832 in Pennsylvania.
Found James first on the 1850 Mercer Co. PA census as follows:
21 914 923 WEEKEM, Samuel 52 M Farmer 500 Pa.
22 914 923 WEEKEM, Elizabeth 46 F Pa.
23 914 923 WEEKEM, Sarah 20 F Pa.
24 914 923 WEEKEM, James 18 M Farmer Pa.
25 914 923 WEEKEM, Cornelius 16 M Farmer Pa.
26 914 923 WEEKEM, Samuel 13 M Pa.
27 914 923 WEEKEM, Gary 11 M Pa. S
28 914 923 WEEKEM, Hannah 8 F Pa. S
29 914 923 WEEKEM, Elizabeth 4 F Pa.
17 913 922 WEEKEM, Wm. 30 M Farmer 400 Pa.
18 913 922 WEEKEM, Olive 24 F Ohio
19 913 922 WEEKEM, Sarah 4 F Pa.
20 913 922 WEEKEM, Wm. 1 M Pa.
William his brother was living next door to them.
His father Samuel was in Kansas, as well, but do not know if they arrived together. I found James also in the 1870 Waubaunsee Co, KS (Mission Creek).
His father Samuel was found: 1880 US Census, Rock Creek, Cowley, KS, p. 577C
WALKER, George 55 PA Farmer PA ENG,
Sarah M. 50 PA NH PA,
George W.E. 21 IL PA PA,
Erminnie M. 14 IA PA PA,
Mary I. 10 IA PA PA,
Samuel MEECHAM FatherL 82 NH NH NH,
James CHESNEY Other 19 IL Farm Hand US US.
I believe this Samuel Meecham is Samuel Meacham who married Elizabeth Ball and then Elizabeth Collins. Samuel had a daughter named Sarah who would in fact be this age on the census....the father part tips me off.
Now, back to James...he seems to have married several times in his life, He married Mary Bratton and had my great grandmother, Rachel Rebecca Salome Meacham. Found them on the 1880 Shawnee Co. KS census along with a border by the name George Hammel. Listing him just in case he might be a relative or come into play in this family’s life.
According to my great-uncle He was married to a Chessman/Cheeseman as was his brother Samuel, Jr. Meacham.
According to a descendant, her notes indicate that Samuel was married to two different Cheesemans. The date he was to marry Nancy Ann Cheeseman he was married to another, ended up getting a divorce and marrying Nancy. I don’t understand the notes/details and am still trying to get to the bottom of it all. I still have not found out the Cheeseman’s name my James was married to...just that there was a huge mixup and don’t even know if it is the same woman as I don’t have marriage dates, only word of mouth tradition. I don’t know what happened to Mary Bratton Meacham whether she died or they separated and I have not found her grave or record of her death...only a picture of her and a sad one at that.
My great uncle passed on that their were at least 3 other children, but am not sure if Mary was the mother...just was told that Rachel had a brother name Gay Meacham who moved to California and was a bus driver and the twins Jay and Kay who died at an early age. Not even sure of the dates of the twins birth or death. Well, I was cruising around on the LDS website and found the following children as being through the next wife, Alice Arlona Suter:
1. Mary Gertrude MEACHUM
B. 23 Apr 1887, Topeka, Shawnee, KS
D. 12 Oct 1971, San Leandro, Alameda, CA
Mar. #1: James Jefferson Price on 16 Nov. 1905 in Hannibal, MO
Mar. #2: Silas L. Clifton on 22 Mar. 1909 in Topeka, KS
2. Lester L. MEACHUM
B. Nov 1889, Topeka, Shawnee, KS
D. ?
Mar. ?
3. William C. MEACHUM
B. Nov 1891, Topeka, Shawnee, KS
D. ?
Mar. ?
4. Hannah MEACHUM
B. May 1896, KS
5. Gay MEACHUM (Male)
B. _________ Feb 1899_______________ Kansas
D.
This must be the “Gay” Meacham my Great Uncle called his Uncle Gay.
Anyway, the rest of these children would all be half brothers and sisters to my great grandmother Rachel. Rachel would have been about 5 or 6 When James married Alice Arlona. No information whether she stayed with Mary or if Mary had passed away.
She must have been a decent step mother to Rachel as Rachel gave her only daughter the Alice. Until concrete information is obtained....you cannot discount the fact that Mary might have left James and Rachel.
But I do not know if she even grew up around them. I have not been able to get through the 1890 and 1900 census to see what happened and who was in what household...may have answers there.
Now one of the things that I have discovered is, that James’ second set of children are about the same age range as his daughters’ Rachel’s children. She married Jacob Edgar Miller and had the following:
1. James Edgar MILLER
B. 3 June 1892 in Topeka, Shawnee Co., Kansas
D. ___ September 1933
Mar.
Spouse: Myrtle SMITH
2. Alice Evaline MILLER
B. 3 October 1894 in Topeka, Shawnee Co., Kansas
D. 5 January 1970 in Dodge City, Ford Co., Kansas
Mar. 31 December 1920
Spouse: Edward John Gibbons
3. Kirk Andrew MILLER
B. 6 April 1897 in Topeka, Shawnee Co., Kansas
D.
Mar.
Spouse: Rosalyn JONES
4. Charles Arthur MILLER
B. 10 January 1900 in Topeka, Shawnee Co., Kansas
D.
Mar.
Spouse: Many spouses one was Evelyn DOYLE
5. Orville Theodore MILLER
B. 13 November 1903 in Topeka, Shawnee Co., Kansas
D. 19 March 1980 in Fredonia, Wilson Co., Kansas
Mar. 28 June 1925 in Salina, Saline Co., Kansas
Spouse: Catherine HOFFMAN
My grandmother was Alice Evaline Miller. As you can see her Grandfather James’ second set of children were about the same age as she and her brothers and sisters. They all grew up in Topeka....surely they would have run into each other and surely they knew of each other? James died 11 July 1904 in Topeka, Shawnee Co., Kansas, so Grandmother (Alice Evaline Miller Gibbons) may have met him and remembered him a little as she was about 10 when he died. I have no death dates for Alice Arlona Suter Meacham and no death date for Rachel’s mother, Mary Bratton Meacham. Seems these women just disappeared? Alice would have died some time after 1899, when Gay Meacham was born.
I have recently found out that James was married to Louisa Adeline Lewis who was born 22 Feb. 1836 in Mercer Co., PA.
The Lewis family apparently lived on an adjoining farm to the Mechams in PA...even attended the same school. I have heard rumor that there were 2 children born to that union. James divorced her (date unknown) and she met a Mr. Porter
Chronology of James (based on the little knowledge I have on him:
· Born 26 February 1832 in Mercer County, Pennsylvania
· Found on 1850 census in Mercer, Co. PA
· Found on 1870 census in Waubaunsee Co., KS
· Lived in Topeka when dau. Rachel was born on 8 December 1872
· Found on 1880 census in Shawnee Co. KS (Topeka) with his wife Mary Bratton and dau. Rachel. Note: the spelling of the 1850 census of Weekum and the spelling of the 1880 census Meekum tells me that the enumerator heard the way it was pronounced Meacham as Meekum....the 1850 may be just the handwriting of the enumerator making the M’s look like a W.....they did have some amazing handwriting back then.
· Married Alice Arlona Suter 29 August 1883 in Topeka, KS.
· Still living in Shawnee Co. from 1887 to 1899 from childrens birth dates by Alice Arlona.
· Died 11 July 1904 in Topeka, Shawnee Co., Kansas
Would like to know more if any of you have it, esp. on Mary Bratton...
Thanks and please respond to jacwgg@aol.com and jamie@ctsco.com.
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