A letter from Joe Thomas Meek

Sat, 17 Dec 2011 16:04:53 GMT

An excellent source of genealogical information for researchers of the Guy Meek family is a book written by Melton P Meek, Vol 2, Guy Meek Family, Descendants. It was digitized by Brigham Young University and is available on their website.

On page 569 of the book, I found a letter written in 1983 by Joe Thomas Meek to Melton P Meek, providing Melton Meek - and me - with some more insight into my Meek family, particularly what appears to be the the complete and total estrangement of my great-great grandparents, James Alexander Meek and Mary Emily Conner, after their divorce in 1871.

LETTER FROM JOE THOMAS MEEK, CORRESPONDENT, 4 Dec 1983.

That is in America. We found the old grave of SAMUEL MEEK,
brother to ALEXANDER (Samuel, forebear of Dr. Rider). We
went to Alexander's grave and found a cow scratching on the
Italian marble stone and raked a hundred years & more debris
from the old stones.

We found the graves of old JEFFERSON J. and HETTIE at old
Sardis (MS) and that of GREAT Grandfather JAMES at Oxford (MS).

None of the family ever saw old JAMES after 1868, when he
and great grandmother parted.

None of the family can ever be named JAMES or ALEXANDER
again, as my grandfather promised. An old lady at Oxford
gave us his picture, a little old man with the other old soldiers
in front of the old CourtHouse at Oxford in 1911.
I had it put in a nice frame to hang in my father's room
besides his favorite picture of his old grandmother, but he
would not have it. The Irish have long, long memories and
never forget any wrong, however remote.

Now I am the last of my family, glad to have come and unafraid
to go, but no one remains to carry on this history,
this tradition.

So, Dr. Meek, if you like it, here's several pages written
on a dull, wintry day to add to your collection. Shakespeare
said "What assurance against the ravages of time except to
breed". Another famous writer one commented "I wrote it all
so that I wouldn't utterly perish." And so will I, if you
will put it in the ringed notebooks and add it to your 30
feet of shelving.

Now for a good meal, and a long winter's nap.

Yours Truly, Joe T. Meek

...glad to have come and unafraid to go...

Would that we all felt that way.

Joe Thomas Meek was born 5 Oct 1928 in Pope Co., AR, and died there in 1987.

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A letter from Joe Thomas Meek