Anderson MEACHAM

  General Notes:

Photo: Owning--and having read and transcribed--letters written between the 1850s and 1880s by Anderson Meacham's daughter, Sarah "Emma" L. (Meacham) Fields, 1843-1886, I wanted to visit and view the gravesites of her parents. Here is the stone for Anderson at Koszta Cemetery in Iowa County, Iowa as it appeared in 1965. Immediately nearby are stones for Anderson's first wife Lucinda (Emma's mother) and for their son George (Emma's brother), who died at age 11.

Photo taken by DeeAnna Allum Granston in 1965


1800 BIRTH of Anderson Meacham

1810 CENSUS

1820 DEATH of father, George A. Meacham

1820 CENSUS, Indiana, Orange County, Paoli (with mother Mary)

1822 DEATH of mother, Mary (Durham) Meacham

1822 MARRIAGE of Anderson Meacham and Lucinda Wasson

1830 CENSUS, Indiana, Orange County ("Anderson Meacham" is head of a household of 6 individuals)

1840 CENSUS, Indiana, Orange County, Southwest Township ("Anderson Meacham" is head of a household of 9 individuals)

1844 CENSUS, Iowa, Johnson County, Iowa City Precinct ("Andrew" Meacham, 9 people in household)

1847 DEATH of first wife, Lucinda (Wasson) Meacham at 42 years 2 months 5 days (likely in Johnson County, Iowa) where Meachams were original members of the Koszta Methodist Episcopal Church organized in 1845)

1848-1850 MARRIAGE of Anderson Meacham and Fanny (Averill) Pratt

1850 CENSUS, Iowa, Johnson County, District No. 9, Clear Creek ("Anderson," age 49, "Farmer")

1854 CENSUS, Iowa, Johnson County, Cedar Township, Johnson County (2 males and 6 females in the household with 1 person eligible to vote)

1860 CENSUS, Iowa, Johnson County, Cedar Township, Solon ("Anderson," age 60, "Farmer")

1870 CENSUS, Iowa, Johnson County, Cedar Township, Solon (Anderson, age 71, "Retired farmer") ("Andrew" in some census indexes) (with Anderson and his wife Fanny is "Sallie Chandler," age 83, born in New Hampshire)

1879 DEATH of second wife, Fanny (Averill) (Pratt) Meacham at 82 years 2 months 23 days

1880 CENSUS, Iowa, Johnson County, Cedar Township, (Anderson, age 80, "Farmer") ("Anton" in some census indexes)

1882 DEATH, Anderson Meacham at 81 years 5 months 5 days


Discrepancy in marriage dates for Anderson Meacham and Lucinda Wasson: December 22, 1822 or November 26, 1822




Netha Meyer, Iowa County, Iowa Genealogical Society:

"Anderson Meacham's son George was the first burial in Honey Creek Township on Anderson Meacham's own farm, then Anderson's wife died and later the wife and son were moved to the Koszta Cemetery."

--February, 2003 e-mail to DeeAnna




SIGNATURE (Anderson): From sentiment in his daughter Emma's autograph book: "Repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Love, mercy, walk humbly before God is my motto." (signed) Anderson Meacham"




DEATH ANNOUNCEMENT (Anderson) from THE MARENGO REPUBLICAN, Marengo, Iowa County, Iowa, April 26, 1882:

"The remains of Grandfather Meacham (father of Col. A. B. Meacham), who departed this life at Solon, Johnson County, Iowa, on Sunday, April 16, were brought here by rail on last Tuesday evening and were taken by friends to the Koszta cemetery and buried. He was 82 years old."


POSTCARD: Among original letters and postcards written by Sarah "Emma" L. (Meacham) Fields--daughter of Anderson Meacham-- is her postcard to her brother, John Meacham (contents below), regarding her father's death. (Original postcard in possession of DeeAnna Allum Granston)


To Mr. John Meacham
Solon, Johnson Co., Iowa


April 19, 1882

Dear Sister and Brother,

Yours of yesterday just received. I was expecting it and yet it makes it no easier to bear. Dear Father no more on earth we may meet you, but thank God for a hope beyond the grave. How thankful I am that I went home while he was yet able to know me! I cannot go to you now. Am not well at all, just up and down with sick headache most of the time. Telegraph me if he gets worse and I'll meet you at Emma Darr's. I wrote to the Dr. to make necessary arrangements and to send word to Uncle Huston. You telegraph to Darr when you do to me. It must be hard to see him suffer so, and I would gladly share it with you. Oh, how fast our loved ones die. May sustaining grace be given us to bear it. Write. In affliction, Sister Emma


DeeAnna's Notes:

Anderson Meacham died on April 16, 1882

While Emma clearly refers to the death of her father in this April 19, 1882 postcard to her brother John, she also makes reference to "Telegraph me if he gets worse…" and "It must be hard to see him suffer so." 'Don't know who she is referring to with those statements. With Emma's opening statement, "Yours of yesterday just received," it would seem she had received news of her father's death in a communication from John dated April 18.




BOOK: THE HISTORY OF IOWA COUNTY, IOWA, Union Historical Company, Birdsall, Williams & Co., DesMoines, Iowa, 1881:

Page 663:

EARLY SETTLERS

Lewis F. Wilson, Lewis Lanning, Anderson Meacham, William Taylor, Eli Chase, Abner Wright, William Hench and many others came to Honey Creek in an early day. Lewis F. Wilson came to this section in 1843 and first settled in Jefferson township, Poweshiek county, but not liking the place, the next year settled near Koszta.

Like Anderson Meacham, Wilson had been born in North Carolina; both came to Iowa from Indiana where they had known each other. --DeeAnna

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Page 664:

"The first breaking of land was by Lewis Wilson and those coming with him."

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Page 665:

KOSZTA METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH--Was organized in the year 1845 with the following named persons among its original members:
Lewis Lanning, Alvira Lanning, Josephus Lanning, Mary Lanning, Anderson Meacham, Lucinda Meacham, Alfred Meacham, Lewis F. Wilson, Malinda Wilson, Mary Shoemaker, Matilda Meacham. Lewis F. Wilson was the first class leader. The church was built in the year 1860. It was a frame structure and cost the sum of $2,200 and was dedicated the same year of its construction by Revs. John Harris and T. E. Corkhill. The following are among the pastors who have served the church. Rev. Nichols, E. W. Twining, I. G. H. Armistead, A. Collins, Joseph Mayon, S. Brooks, J. Jamison, S. Dunton, C. Woolsey, G. Bamford, J. Hestwood, J. R. Cary, J. T. Simons, S. H. Thomas, A. C. Barnhart, C. Morey, J. Elrod, J. Rankin, D. C. Smith, D. C. Beven, R. J. Kenyon, R. A. Carnine, D. A. Watters and John Potter, the present worthy pastor. The number of the present membership is 80. Koszta was made the head of the circuit in the year 1872 and a parsonage was built. Koszta has been noted for headquarters of camp meetings for many years. Their grounds are in a grove just in the edge of town on the farm of I. N. Lanning. The property of the association amounts to over $1,000. The Sunday school, which meets in connection with other church services every Sabbath, numbers, in average attendance, 75. Mr. I. N. Lanning is superintendent and F. Wilkinson secretary.

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Page 307:

When Mr. Wilson resided in Indiana he had a neighbor named Anderson Meacham. Soon after he located in Iowa county Meacham also emigrated west and located near Wilson in this county; with him came two sons, one of whom, called familiarly Alf, afterward became (an) Indian agent. He is the same individual who of late years has figured so conspicuously in the Indian difficulties on the Pacific slope. The father, Anderson Meacham, now resides in Johnson county. This family of Meachams is believed to be the same to which belongs W. H. Meacham, one of the early settlers of Fort Des Moines, who was so zealous in his efforts to break up a gang of horse thieves, and who figured so extensively in the celebrated Cumquick murder case in an adjoining county. At this place we will digress somewhat in order to give a brief statement of Meacham's connection with this case.

A frightful murder was committed near Montezuma, in Poweshiek county, in 1856. Two persons named Casteel, a man and his wife, were the victims and their dead bodies were hidden in some shocks of corn fodder. No clue was obtained calculated to identify the murderers for nearly a year when through the efforts of Meachem (sic) and others, a man living in Polk county named Thomas, alias Cumquick, was apprehended and before his case was brought to trial was hanged by a mob near Montezuma. It was evident that Cumquick had an accomplice and Meacham determined to find him. Accompanied by several persons he made a descent upon some suspected parties, and by dint of curses and threats, and brandishing of deadly weapons succeeded in capturing a man by the name of Van Schoick, whom he fastened with a chain and forcibly took to Poweshiek county. In Poweshiek county Van Schoick was pronounced not to be the man whom circumstances had identified as the murderer. Mr. Meacham had, therefore, kidnapped an innocent man and after he had been detained in illegal custody for nearly a week was released and told to go home.

But other evidence, or at least what was supposed to be evidence, having been obtained, again this bevy of men, who were officers ad libitum, burst upon the unsuspecting Van Schoick and captured him with his father-in-law, Mr. Ridgeway, and barely allowing them time to get their coats, they were put into a sleigh, threatened with death if they attempted to resist, and borne away to Montezuma. But from the intense cold and the difficulty of reaching Montezuma on account of the state of the roads, after reaching Jasper county Mr. Meacham brought his prisoners to Des Moines, where he surrendered them to the sheriff and filed information against them for murder. A trial followed, but the proof against them was of the most trifling nature, and they were speedily acquitted.

Fear of again falling into the hands of the merciless Meacham induced Ridgeway and Van Schoick to commence an action against their late illegal custodian for kidnapping, but it appearing to the court that Mr. Meacham was monomaniac on the subject of taking horse thieves and various other felonious characters, he was on this and similar facts acquitted.



PHOTOGRAPHS:

Gravestone of Anderson Meacham, Koszta Cemetery, Koszta, Iowa County, Iowa, inscribed as follows:

IN MEMORY
OF
ANDERSON MEACHAM
Born
NOV. 11, 1800
Died
APR. 16, 1882


Gravestone of Lucinda, wife of Anderson Meacham, Koszta Cemetery, Koszta, Iowa County, Iowa, inscribed as follows:

LUCINDA,
Wife of
A. MEACHAM
Born in N. C.
Died
Nov. 10, 1847
AGED
42 Yrs.



Lucinda was Anderson's first wife. When Sarah L. "Emma" (Meacham) Fields referred to her parents in her letters, 1859 - 1883, she was referring to her father Anderson Meacham and to her stepmother, Fanny (Averill) (Pratt) Meacham. --DeeAnna

Anderson married Lucinda WASSON, daughter of Robert WASSON and Sarah McCRACKEN, on December 22, 1822 in Orange County, Indiana. (Lucinda WASSON was born on September 5, 1805 in Rowan, North Carolina, died on November 10, 1847 in (Probably) Johnson County, Iowa and was buried in Koszta Cemetery, Iowa County, Iowa.)

Anderson next married Fanny AVERILL PRATT, daughter of David AVERILL and Mary CHARLTON, in 1848-1850 in Iowa. (Fanny AVERILL PRATT was born on February 20, 1797 in (Probably) Hillsboro County, New Hampshire, died on May 13, 1879 in (Near) Solon, Johnson County, Iowa and was buried in Oakland Cemetery, Johnson County, Iowa.)