Solomon Meek - Son of James and Anna (Cooper) Meek

The Children of James and Anna (Cooper) Meek

Samuel Meek (great-grandfather) 1824 - 1902

*David Cooper Meek (Samuel's twin) 1824 - 1901

Enoch Meek #1 1825 - 1901

                     Hiram   1826/7 - 1909  (Elizabeth's twin)

Elizabeth  1826/7 -1907 
Seth     1827 - 1845

Sidnah  1830 - 1872
James  1833 - 1865

Ednah  1834 - 1910

John  1836 - ?

Beulah  1837 - 1912

Enoch #2   1840 - 1864

*Solomon  1842 - 1917

Solomon Meek was born on September 24, 1842 in Columbiana County, Ohio, to James and Anna Meek.  He lived with his mother until her death and he never married.  After that, he and his sister, Elizabeth, came to Defiance County, Ohio, to join the other siblings who had already moved here.  He was the last survivor among his brothers and sisters, passing away on February 28, 1917.

"SOL MEEK DIES VERY SUDDENLY

Was Driving Rig to Farm on Defiance Avenue When Last Call Came

Citizens were greatly shocked Wednesday morning to learn that Sol Meek had died suddenly while on his way to his farm.

The death occurred about nine o'clock, and when the rig was about at the former Adam Good farm on the Defiance Avenue.

He was driving at the time, James Sensenbacher being with him in the buggy.  He practically made no struggle, death coming to him in the flash of an eye.

Mr. Sensenbacher at once turned about and took the remains to the Sensenbacher home on West Edgerton street where funeral arrangments are now being made.

Deceased was a splendid citizen and possessed a host of friends.  He was seventy-five years old last September and had always lived single, possessing no family."

(James was his nephew, son of Solomon's sister, Beulah.)

 Solomon's obituary best tells his life story.  Published in the Hicksville Tribune on March 8, 1917:

"MEEK 

Solomon Meek was born in Columbiana county, Ohio, September 24, 1842, and departed this life at Hicksville, Ohio, February 28, 1917, aged 74 years, 5 months, 4 days.  

His father was James Meek and his mother, prior to her marriage, was Ann Cooper.  He was the youngest of a family of 14 children, all of whom are now dead.

When but three years old, he lost his father by death.  He came of a sturdy, rugged, big-brawned, law-abiding, self respecting people who walked in the ways of righteousness and feared no man.  When but 12 years of age in the family of his widowed mother, he assumed the arduous duties that belonged to a good father and loving husband of a pioneer farm home of three score years age.  He and his mother resided together on a farm in Columbiana County until her death in 1876.  

He and his mother reared three children of a deceased sister.*

Although he never married in the performance of service which he so well rendered to his mother and his sister's children, he fulfilled duties performed by husband and father.

Four of his brothers were in the Federal army during the Civil war, two of whom died while in such service.  Upon his mother's death, he came to Hicksville township and purchased an 80 acre tract of land which was heavily timbered.  This farm he cleared, tiled, fenced and improved, converting it into a productive farm.  This farm he owned at the time of his death. It was while on the way to this farm that he died.

He was a kind, frank, sincere man, open, manly and honorable in all his dealings in life.  His devotion to his mother and the motherless children of his deceased sister was a worthy example of family love to those in the community where he lived.  In the conversion of his farm from thick wood into a well-improved farm, he rendered the world an excellent service.

He was preeminently a modest and God-fearing man.  The world is better by his having lived.  The lesson we inherit from his life in this community was his industry, frugality, poise, silence, performance of duty and kindness of heart.  Many nephews and nieces and friends mourn the departure.

Funeral services were held Saturday, Rev. C. A. Moore delivering the funeral address.  The remains were placed in a vault at Forest Home Cemetery, burial to be in the spring.

CARD OF THANKS

We take this means in a small way (to) express our gratitude to our friends and neighbors for their kindly sympathy and help in our sad bereavement.  Also to the quartet for their sweet songs and Brother Moore for the comforting words.

Nephews and Nieces of Solomon Meek."

James, Enoch and Seth Meek - Sons of James and Anna (Cooper) Meek

The Children of James and Anna (Cooper) Meek

Samuel Meek (great-grandfather) 1824 - 1902

David Cooper Meek (Samuel's twin) 1824 - 1901

Enoch Meek #1 1825 - 1901

                     Hiram   1826/7 - 1909  (Elizabeth's twin)

Elizabeth  1826/7 -1907 
*Seth     1827 - 1845

Sidnah  1830 - 1872
*James  1833 - 1865

Ednah  1834 - 1910

John  1836 - ?

Beulah  1837 - 1912

*Enoch #2   1840 - 1864

Solomon  1842 - 1917

James and Anna Meek knew well how it felt to lose a child.  Around 1825, they had a son named Enoch, and he died around 1837 at the age of 13.  They buried this son in the Boatman Cemetery, East Palestine Township, Columbiana County, Ohio.

Through the years, other sons would join Enoch there, including young Seth, who was only 19 at his death in 1845.

Enoch Meek #1

Seth Meek

 Years after the first Enoch's death, another son was born to James and Anna and, as was somewhat typical of the times, they named this son Enoch, as well.   Born about 1840, this Enoch Meek would enlist as a Union soldier, along with two of his brothers. 

 In Enoch's records that were obtained from the National Archives, we learn that Enoch enlisted in Company D, 100th Ohio Infantry at Toledo and was mustered in on September 1, 1862, for three years or the duration of the war.  Of great interest was the personal description provided of a 22 year old male, 5' 11 3/4", of fair complexion with blue eyes and dark hair, and "by occupation, a farmer."

Enoch mustered in as a Private, but was eventually promoted to Corporal on April 20, 1864, serving under First Lieutenant A. R. Tate in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia.  In 1864, his group was ordered to assault the enemy at 6 a.m. on August 5th near Utoy Creek, Georgia on the way to Atlanta.  They captured 140 Confederate prisoners.  During that night, they worked at felling trees along the creek and in the morning, the Union advanced again, using the timber for some protection.  However, the fallen trees also created barriers for troop movement as many logs were intertwined as they fell.  The men struggled there, while the Confederates kept up their fire.  Eventually, the Confederates turned back, but by that time, Enoch was a casualty of the battle.  He was killed in action on August 6, 1864.  

The History of Columbiana County, Ohio, in an extensive sketch of Captain Robert Taggart, stated: "Enoch Meek, a favorite pupil of Captain Taggart, was killed in the charge of the brigade at Utoy Creek in the vicinity of Utoy, Georgia."  Enoch was probably buried at the scene of the battle, as it was noted in the cemetery records of Boatman Cemetery that Enoch's body was not there, but a monument stands to him.

 

 Just a year later, the Meek family would again know loss.  Enoch's brother, James, enlisted on August 11, 1862 and also probably mustered in in September.  

He served in Company C of the 104th Ohio, enlisting also for three years or the war.  James was wounded in the engagement at Town Creek, North Carolina on February 20, 1865 and died of his wounds on March 17, 1865 in Baltimore, Maryland, probably in a military hospital there.

Town Creek, near the Cape Fear River, in North Carolina, was near Fort Anderson.  The Union marched toward Fort Anderson in February, 1865, with a detachment of the 104th Ohio skirmishing on the road leading to the fort.  The Confederates evacuated the fort during the night, but made  stand with fortifications and three pieces of artillery to command the approach to the bridge.  The Union managed to cross two brigades over on a flat boat about a mile from the bridge and they flanked the enemy.  Sixty one soldiers were wounded, and James Meek was one of them.  Wounded on February 20, 1865, he died of his wounds on March 16, 1865, in Baltimore, Maryland, probably at a hospital there.  

James is buried near his parents and grandparents, and Enoch's marker in Boatman Cemetery, East Palestine, Columbiana County.  James was 32 years old.

**I mistakenly sent for and received the pension record of a different James Meek of Columbiana County.  This soldier died in Andersonville and his file was quite extensive as father and later, his stepmother, tried to collect his pension.  The problem was that this James Meek had William Meek as a father, rather than James.  Sometime I will post this story as it is a good one.

Beulah Meek Sensabaugh - Daughter of James and Anna (Cooper) Meek

The Children of James and Anna (Cooper) Meek

Samuel Meek (great-grandfather) 1824 - 1902

David Cooper Meek (Samuel's twin) 1824 - 1901

Enoch Meek #1 1825 - 1901

                     Hiram   1826/7 - 1909  (Elizabeth's twin)

Elizabeth  1826/7 -1907 
Seth     1827 - 1845

Sidnah  1830 - 1872
James  1833 - 1865

Ednah  1834 - 1910

John  1836 - ?

*Beulah  1837 - 1912

Enoch #2   1840 - 1864

Solomon  1842 - 1917

Beulah (Bulah, Buelah) Meek was the youngest daughter in the James and Anna Meek family.  Born on December 13, 1837 in Unity Township, Columbiana County, Ohio. Beulah lived there much of her young life.  She married John Sensenbacher (Sensenbaugh), the son of German immigrants, and born in Germany himself.  John was  older than Beulah, as he was born on August 17, 1829 (tombstone) or August 1831 (census).  

By 1870, the couple had already moved to Hicksville Township, Defiance County, Ohio, and they were living next to Beulah's brother, Samuel Meek.  John was 39 and farming, while Beulah was 30, keeping house, with children, James, 8, and Annie (Etta), 5.  They owned real estate worth $3000 and their personal goods were estimated at $455.

John and Beulah were still in Hicksville Township in 1880, farming.  James, now 18, was working on the farm, along with another farmhand, Albert Rusman, 14.  Etta was 15.  In 1886, John set off on a trip to the West, perhaps scouting a possible move or visiting relatives. 

 

 Young Etta was pursuing her career as a teacher by May, 1887, as this notice was given in the Hicksville Tribune.

 

The 1900 census introduced all kinds of questions!  First of all, John was enumerated as James, not John.  John's birthday was reported as August 1831, and it was said that the couple had been married 35 years, making their marriage year 1865.  However, their son, James, 37, had a birthdate listed as February, 1863, prior then to the marriage. So, I really need a marriage record to clear this up, as well as some birth records.  With them was Mary, daughter, 34, born March 1866, which was probably a daughter-in-law, Mary Emlin Coulter, James' wife.  (By this time Etta had married, lived elsewhere and had a child.)  Beulah had had four children, but only two were living.  Living with the Sensenbacher family was Beulah's brother, John's, daughter, Flora W. Meek, a cousin, 32, and single, born October 1867.  In this census, John was a farmer and James was a day laborer, and they were living on Tight Street in Hicksville.

According to that same 1900 census, Etta had married John H. Diebel  and they resided in West Unity, Williams County, Ohio where he was serving as school principal. (They married July 5, 1888.)   The couple had one child, Lyndall Johnetta, born in March, 1895. 

On May 24, 1909, John Sensenbach died in Hicksville at 79 years old.  He had been sick for awhile, as was reported in newspapers back to December 1908.

 Just three years later, Beulah became ill and passed away on April 23, 1912.

By that time, Etta and John Diebel had settled in Columbus, Ohio.

 After much searching, I have not been able to locate an obituary for Beulah, she and John were both buried at the Forest Home Cemetery in Hicksville, Ohio, row 8, section 2 in the old section, and with them, their beloved son and wife.

"Sensenbacher, John J.  1829 - 1909  Father

Sensenbacher, Beulah M. 1837 - 1912  Mother

Sensenbacher, Emlin  1860 - 1925

Sensenbacher, James  1861- 1925

This story was posted by Steven Coulter at www.findagrave.com:

"Beulah's widowed older sister, Elizabeth Goodin, lived with her and her husband, John Sensenbacher in Hicksville, Ohio.  When Elizabeth died in 1907, she was cremated, and Beulah kept the urn of ashes on a ledge beside he stairway to the second floor of her home.

Beulah died in 1912, and her daughter, Etta, slipped the urn of Elizabeth's ashes beneath the pillow in Beulah's coffin; so the two sisters are buried together, although the gravestone names only Beulah."

It's interesting, too, that Ednah, who died three years after Elizabeth, also chose cremation.

Beulah's daughter was also buried in Forest Home Cemetery, along with her family. In Row 18, Section 1 of the old section, the tombstones are found.

Coulter, William Andrew   1882 - 1971

Coulter, Lyndal Diebel   1895 - 1989

     Large Diebel family monument

Diebel, John H.  1862 - 1957

Diebel, Etta S.  1865 - 1936 

As far as I can determine, James and Mary Emlin Sensenbacher had no children.

Ednah Meek Cannon - Daughter of James and Anna Cooper Meek

The Children of James and Anna (Cooper) Meek

Samuel Meek (great-grandfather) 1824 - 1902

David Cooper Meek (Samuel's twin) 1824 - 1901

Enoch Meek #1 1825 - 1901

                     Hiram   1826/7 - 1909  (Elizabeth's twin)

Elizabeth  1826/7 -1907 
Seth     1827 - 1845

Sidnah  1830 - 1872
James  1833 - 1865

*Ednah  1834 - 1910

John  1836 - ?

Beulah  1837 - 1912

Enoch #2   1840 - 1864

Solomon  1842 - 1917

What a sad tale is the life of Ednah Meek Cannon!
Ednah (Edna), the third daughter of James and Anna Meek, was born January 13, 1834, in Beaver, Pennsylvania.  The marriage records of Columbiana County, Ohio, listed the marriage of Ednah Meek to George W. Cannon:

"The State of Ohio, Columbiana County.  I certify that on the 28th day of June 1860, Mr. George W. Cannon and wife, Ednah Meek, were by me legally joined in marriage.  Benjamin Taylor. Justice of the Peace."

Just a month before, the Republican Convention had chosen Abraham Lincoln as its presidential candidate, and the country was alive over the issue of slavery.

Ednah and George settled somewhere in the corner of Mahoning and Stark counties.  It is likely that the county borders shifted over time as the censuses put them in Mahoning County, but Ednah's obituary stated that she spent most of her married life in Stark County and their children were buried in Stark County.

  In June 1863, George, a resident of Smith Township, Mahoning County, registered for the Civil War draft.  He reported that he was 28 years old, married and a laborer. The record did not indicate that he was drafted or paid a substitute for service.

The Federal Census of 1870 found the couple still in the Smith Township location.  George, 36, was working as a railroad hand and owned real estate worth $1200.  Ednah was 33, keeping house, with their two children, Laura B. 6, and Lillie M., 3.  The couple had already lost two sons: Thomas S. Cannon, on April 22, 1863, aged 1 year, 10 months and 7 days old, and an unnamed infant son on April 3, 1867 at the age of 3 days.  And in just a few years, on December 13, 1872, their daughter, Lillie, would pass away at the age of 5 years, 8 months and 12 days.  All of these children were buried in the West Beech Cemetery in Stark County, Ohio.  What a tragedy for this family!

The year 1880 found the Cannon family in Leetonia, Salem Township, Columbiana County, Ohio, on June 22, 1880, when the census was taken.  George was 45 and working as an engineer, perhaps on the railroad.  The children listed were Laura B., 15, and George G. (George Gideon), 7.  

George W. Cannon died in 1880 and if this were not enough heartache, another tragedy struck Ednah just a year later on August 31, 1881, when their son, George, died at about the age of 8.  We also know from Ednah's obituary that the last living child, Laura, died in about 1885 at the age of 20.  George, the son, was also buried at the West Beech Cemetery, but I could not find Laura's or her father's tombstones there.

So, by about 1885, all of Ednah's family was gone!  She was alone.  According to her obituary, a few months after her husband's death, she moved to Hicksville, Ohio, where so many of her other siblings had settled. First, she might have lived with one of her siblings, but soon a house was purchased in Hicksville and it is there, in the 1900 census, Ednah is found living with her youngest brother, Solomon.  Edna M. Cannon was 66 at that time, a widow, who listed herself as a landlady.  She did own the home in which they lived and she was listed as head of the family.  Solomon was single, 57, and working fairly steadily as a day laborer.  He reported only two months that year when he was not employed.

By 1910, the tables were turned and Solomon was listed in the census as the head of household at the house on Edgerton Street.  Solomon, 67, and Edna Cannon, 76, reported they had their own income. Sadly, just a few months after the census was taken, Edna died on September 21, 1910.  Her obituary suggested that perhaps all her life struggles had left her a rather embittered, eccentric woman.

The above clipping is so blurred that I have transcribed it here:
Ednah, daughter of James and Edna Meek,was born in Pennsylvania January 13, 1834.  She was married to Geo. Cannon in 1861, in eastern Ohio, and died in Hicksville, September 21, 1910, aged 76 years, 8 months, 8 days.  She was one of 14 children, 10 sons and 4 daughters. Only two survive, a sister, Mrs. Beulah Sensenbacher and a brother, Solomon Meek.  When Mrs. Cannon was in tender years, her parents moved from Pennsylvania to Columbiana Co., O.  Her married life was lived in Stark county, Ohio.
There her five children were born and there they all died, 4 of them while very young, one only, living until 20 years old.  The loss of her(e) children was a sorrow that never left her heart, and at times, it almost caused her to fight against Providence and it embittered her life somewhat.  Her husband died 21 years ago, and a few months afterward, she came to this county, residing with her brother, Solomon, on the farm for 4 years, and then they came to Hicksville which has been their home since.
She was a suffer(er) for a number of years.  These sufferings together with her sorrows through life, and the effect heredity and environment have upon one, had much to do with the life she lived and the temperment she possessed.  Many of Mrs. Cannon's neighbors testify that she was a kind and accommodating neighbor and that she had a warm place in their hearts and that they were glad to administer as she had need.
Mrs. Cannon became a member of the church many years ago. Before her health failed, she was frequently at services, but a number of years she did not feel able to go.  She had her peculiarities, almost eccentricities, but the Lord knew them all and He alone is able to put the proper value on every life.  During her last weeks she turned her thoughts more upon the state of her soul and the future life.  She liked to have Christian prayer and song and scripture in her presence.  While she was gradually failing, some were surprised she went so quickly.  The funeral in charge of her pastor, Rev. Heims, was held in the Methodist church Friday morning, Sept. 28, 1910.") 

I looked long and hard for Edna's burial place, but after reading the article below, I had the clue I needed to find it. In the Hicksville Tribune, September 22, 1910:

 Edna Meek Cannon's cremated remains are buried in Lindenwood Cemetery, Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Sidnah Meek Garrett - Daughter of James and Anna (Cooper) Meek

The Children of James and Anna (Cooper) Meek

Samuel Meek (great-grandfather) 1824 - 1902

David Cooper Meek (Samuel's twin) 1824 - 1901

Enoch Meek #1 1825 - 1901

                     Hiram   1826/7 - 1909  (Elizabeth's twin)

Elizabeth  1826/7 -1907 
Seth     1827 - 1845

*Sidnah  1830 - 1872
James  1833 - 1865

Ednah  1834 - 1910

John  1836 - ?

Beulah  1837 - 1912

Enoch #2   1840 - 1864

Solomon  1842 - 1917

Sidnah Jane Meek was born about 1830 in Columbiana County, Ohio.  

Hugh Eaton Garrett and Sidnah J. Meek married on November 23, 1854.  In the 1860 census, the couple resided in East Palestine, Unity Township, Columbiana County. Hugh was a carpenter and the family then included two children - James M. Meek, 4, and Cooper Meek, 1.  (James Meek Garrett and Cooper Sidney Garrett)

In the 1870 census, the family was enumerated as McGarrett. Hugh was 40 and Sidnah (enumerated Sidney) was 38.  The family had expanded to five children:

James -14, Cooper -11, Sherman -9, Sissie (Elizabeth, Lizzie) - 5, and D. Frank, 4 (David Frank). Hugh was a sawyer, one who saws wood.  Their real estate was valued at $800 and no value was given to their personal goods.

Sadly, just two years later, on February 1, 1872, Sidnah Meek Garrett died. She was buried in East Palestine in the Glenview Cemetery.  Later, her oldest son, James would be buried with her.  James' wife, Ida Elser Garrett is also buried nearby.

Hugh, left with five children, sent at least two, little Sissie and David Frank to live with Sidnah's sister, Elizabeth Meek Goodin in Defiance County. They will appear on the census there.  Sidnah died in February and by October of that same year, 1872, Hugh remarried to Almira Dawes on October 15, who also lived in Columbiana County.  Almira and Hugh made their home in Leetonia and had four children together: Horace (born Sept. 1873), Jessie (born February 1875), Charles (born January 1877) and Rosa Rita (born December 1879).

Hugh Garrett died in 1890 at the age of 62, still working as a carpenter.  His second wife, Almira, lived another 32 years, until 1922, when she died at the age of 82.

As for the children of Sidnah and Hugh, James Meek Garrett spent his adulthood in Pennsylvania where he worked on the railroad as both a brakeman and a baggage master.  He outlived his wife and his two children.

Cooper Sidney Garrett moved to the Oregon Territory and lived there and in Washington state, working as a bookkeeper and eventually trying his hand at growing fruit. He and his wife Rosa Townsend had several children.

It is known only that Sherman Garrett died in 1914.

Elizabeth Garrett also went west to Washington with her husband Thomas Goff after marrying in Columbiana County.  Thomas  worked on the railroad. Lizzie died in 1920, with no children.

David Frank Garrett, known as Frank, went west where he married Alice Rachel Atkins in Nebraska.  They moved to Kansas where he was co-owner of a business, the Cronk and Garrett General Store.  They had three children, one of whom survived beyond childbirth.

**I met Shannon on Ancestry and she contributed much to the above research.  Thanks, Shannon!

 

Elizabeth Meek Goodin - Daughter of James and Anna (Cooper) Meek

The Children of James and Anna (Cooper) Meek

Samuel Meek (great-grandfather) 1824 - 1902

*David Cooper Meek (Samuel's twin) 1824 - 1901

Enoch Meek #1 1825 - 1901

                     Hiram   1826/7 - 1909  (Elizabeth's twin)

*Elizabeth  1826/7 - 1907 
Seth     1827 - 1845

Sidnah  1830 - 1872
James  1833 - 1865

Ednah  1834 - 1910

John  1836 - ?

Beulah  1837 - 1912

Enoch #2   1840 - 1864

Solomon  1842 - 1917

Elizabeth Meek was born during the time her parents lived in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, on August 6, 1827.  According to her obituary, the family moved back to Columbiana County, Ohio, when she was about 7 years old.  She is shown in the census, staying at home with her widowed mother until her mother died, after which she moved with her brother, Solomon, to Defiance County, Ohio, to join the other siblings who had moved there.  After their sister, Sidnah, died in 1872, Elizabeth and Solomon cared for Sidnah's two younger children, Lizzie and Frank.

On October 13, 1878, at the age of 49, Elizabeth married Addison Goodin in Hicksville.  Addison was shown in the 1870 census with his first wife, Jane, and his occupation was listed as Grocery, Ret.  Retired?  Well, hardly, as the entrepeneur in Addison was always looking for a business.  The Hicksville papers trace his ventures.

Elizabeth and Addison, by the 1880 census, had taken in Lizzie and Frank Garrett to raise.  A. Goodin, 62, hardware merchant and Elisebeth Goodin, Keeping House, had with them Frank Garrett, 12, and Lizzie Garrett, 15, both attending school.

On February 23, 1882, Addison was in business with his uncle, Wesley Batchelor, in Hicksville, according to the Tribune.

Addison went out on his own and by April 6, 1882, these ads were appearing in the local paper.

 Always looking for a new venture, Addison thought he saw bright prospects in moving out west to Kansas.  The local paper reported his trip on December 11, 1884.

Frank would have been about 19 when he also went off to Kansas to seek his fortune.

By January of 1886, Addison was ready to move to Kansas by selling all his property in Ohio.  

BUT...did he sell and leave Hicksville?

On April 22, 1886, an article appeared in the paper, claiming that Addison was in a new partnership in Hicksville. 

So, more research will need to be done to see if Addison and Elizabeth remained in Hicksville!  Or if they went to Kansas briefly and things just didn't work out.

In 1889, when Sidnah's daughter, Lizzie, was 24, a notice appeared in the newspaper that she was visiting out west.

Lizzie's older brother, Cooper Meek, was in Montana at that time, according to the census.  He lived in Flathead, Columbia County, where he worked as a bookkeeper.  He and his wife had two children at that time, James Hugh and Ethel A.  

By 1900, Addison and Elizabeth were elderly and living on Smith Street in Hicksville...which made me think that they did not get it sold years back.  Married 59 years with no children of their own, Addison was 82 and Elizabeth, 72.

In 1904, Addison died at 86.  Elizabeth eventually went into a facility for the elderly in Indiana where she passed away in 1907.  Her obituary appeared in a collection of Northwest Ohio Pioneer Obituaries and was published in the paper on 

April 11, 1907.

Hiram Meek - His Pension Record

Hiram Meek was a patriot and soldier who served
twice during the Civil War, once as a Second Lieutenant in Company D, 111th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.  He resigned after several years in January 1864, due to his health.  Then we went back again in March of 1865, first as a recruiter and then as a Captain in Company D of the 195th O.V. I. 

A Civil War soldier or his widow or even a dependent mother or father could apply for a pension.  The pension laws became liberalized over time, so an applicant could keep requesting more money, depending on what claims he made. From Hiram's pension file, obtained from the National Archives, it appeared that his first pension was $3.75 a month, based on his resignation due to poor health in 1864.  He claimed chronic diarrhea or dysentry, which was a very, very common complaint among all the soldiers.


In the Disability Act of 1890, the government granted pensions to any soldier or sailor (Union) who had served 90 days and was now incapacitated for manual labor, to the point where he could not support himself.  If a man could prove this, he would be allowed an extra pension of $6 - $12 a month.  One source noted that pensioners increased from 300,000 in 1885 to over a million by 1893, stressing the government's budget, and allowing fraud to enter the process.  In 1894, it was required that extensive testimony be given from neighbors, employers, or fellow soldiers in proof of a claimant's disability and the fact that it was a result as his service as a soldier. 

Hiram Meek's file is a wealth of affadavits and depositions, hoping to prove that he obtained a hernia/ rupture while serving in Kentucky and because of that, he could not do manual labor.  He began the process as early as 1892, and by December 1895, the government began the process of interviewing people Hiram knew. He had paid a lawyer, F. M. Thompson, to file his claim at a $2.00 cost, and Hiram wanted only Hiram Hootman interviewed because they had served together in the war and had shared a tent.  E. W. Pierce, the Special Examiner from the Pension Office, did not like that idea, however, and proceeded to interview at least ten other acquaintances.

The whole process began with Hiram Meek's deposition to Mr. Pierce on October 24, 1895. Some pages seem to be missing, but to hear his voice tell his own story was wonderful, so I present it here:
  
"I am 68 years old and my residence and P. O. address is Hicksville, Ohio.  I am the same Hiram Meek who served in Co. F 111th O.V.I. from Aug. '62 to Jan. '64.  I resigned on account of being unable for duty on account of chronic diarrhea for which I am pensioned at $6.00 per mo.  I am also claimant for pension on account of rupture of left side which I incurred late in the fall, Nov. or Dec. '62 when the Co. was at Fort Baker near Bowling Green, Ky. the first winter we were out.

For five years before I went in the service, I lived five miles N.E. of HIcksville, Defiance Co., O. on a farm.  I was 37 years old when I went in the service. I had lived in that neighborhood seven or eight years.  Before that I was a single man knocking around from place to place- was four years in California.  Made my home at East Palestine, Columbiana Co., O. just before coming here.  I do not remember that I ever had an accident happen to me before the service.  I was never injured about the groin or the lower part of the abdomen in any way.  I never had anything like a rupture before I went in the service.  I did not know what a rupture was.  Had never seen one before the service.

Prior -Frederick...no, Joseph Miller knew me well before I went in the service. The men who knew me most intimately are dead.  Philip Miller lived a half mile from me and I changed works with him a good deal.  He is dead.  John Lawson was another near neighbor. He is dead.  Amos Forlow is living and he knew me well and lived less than a half a mile from me. Also John L. Ginter, Chesaning, Saginaw Co., Mich. and William Crow, 6 1/2 miles N.E. here. These are all I can think of who knew me intimately before I went in the service.
Robert Chaiss, Unity, Columbiana Co., Ohio, knew me well while I lived there - worked for him some.  I can not remember anyone else there except an Aunt Agnes Meek, East Palestine, Columbiana Co., Ohio and Samuel Eaton of some place, a cousin.

In service-
The regiment spent the first winter we were out at Bowling Green, Ky.  Our Co. was detached and located at Fort Baker two or three miles from town.  My rupture, left side, came on me in the following manner.  I had a bad cold and cough and I was taking a sweat to break it up, had gone to bed and was covered up as closely as I could.  Thereafter I had gone to sleep, a citizen came into the fort and reported some spies in his neighborhood about seven miles from the fort.  The noise he made with the men talking waked me up.  I was sweating freely.  The Capt. was away from the Co.  The First Lieut. said he couldn't go and I felt it was my duty and raised up in bed and said, "I'll go."  So I dressed myself as warmly as I could and with a detail of eight men and a Sergt. went out with the citizen as a guide and captured the spies and brought them back to camp.  We left the fort about midnight and got back about daylight.  It was a cold night and snow on the ground - one of the coldish nights I experienced in Kentucky.

As a result of the experience, I took more cold and I had a terrible cough.  It seemed as if I would cough my lungs out.  It lasted about a week.  I got very sore across the lower part of my abdomen and a lump as large as a hickory nut with the shuck off came where this rupture is now.  I didn't know what it was until Hiram Hootman of my Co. saw me dressing one morning and called my attention to it, and told me it was a rupture.  It was on the left side exactly where it is now.   The other Lieut. Callender, is dead.  I do not know that any one but Hiram Hootman saw this rupture in service.  It did not bother me so much after my cough got better.  I could not wear my sword belt around me without being in misery and I only wore my sword belt after that when it was absolutely necessary on dress parade or something of that kind.  This fact would be known to most anyone in the Co.  I did not wear a truss in service.  
I do not remember as First Lieut. John W. Cleland.  That must be a mistake. Johnson O. Took was made a 2nd Lieut. after I left the Co.  The Ex'r made a mistaking in calling for list of comrades in this case - giving date of discharge as Dec. 18, '65 from F 111th OVI when correct date is Jan. 16, '64.  Dec.'65 was date of discharge from second service and no list of comrades from second service is with the case.

I bunked with Capt. John E. Hill and Lieut. Callender. Callender is dead.  Hill was state treasurer of Nebraska, P. O. Omaha, I think.  He was a defaulter, I think, in that office, and I understand his testimony in that office is not accepted by the Department.  Serts. Beebe and Sweet might know something about it though I did not complain of it much.  See Jonas Miller, Hicksville, O., Hiram Rice, Farmer, O. & E. E. Hall, Hicksville, O.

After resigning from Co. F. 111 OVI I came back to my farm here in Defiance Co., O. and worked on the farm, where I was able to work until I went out in Co. D. 195th OVI in Mch. '65.  I had partially recovered my health and thought I could stand it again.  My rupture did not get any worse and did not give me any pain unless I lifted.  I did not wear a truss - did not consult a doctor about it - did not show it to anyone that I remember.  My wife is not living.  The hardest service I had in the 195 OVI was the marching.  I was Capt. of the Co. and being Capt. had opportunities to take good care of myself and did.  I did not know a man in the Co. until I made their acquaintance officially.  The men who slept in my tent were 2nd Lieut. H. H. Peppard, W. Unity, Williams Co., O. and First Lieut. H. B. Taylor who was in Toledo, O. the last I heard of him.  They would be the only ones in the Co. who would know anything about it and I do not know whether they would or not.  I do not remember whether I called their attention to my rupture or not.  It kept about the same size during my service in the 195th OVI.

After I came home from my service in 195th Regt. the next spring, I went to Dr. Kinmont of this place and he told me by all means to get a truss and put it on which I did and I haven't been a day without a truss since there.  I have heard the above read over and my answers are correctly recorded."  Hiram Meek"

Advertisement found that shows the truss that might have been used by Hiram

So Mr. Pierce, the government examiner, began his work interviewing witnesses and taking their depositions.  Between December 9 and December 13, 1895, he took the statements of H. H. Peppard, Alice Fritz, Samuel K. Fritz, Hiram F. Rice, Wm. H. Crow, Amos Forlow, Edwin E. Hale, C. R. Curtiss and Hiram C. Hootman.  He also spoke to Christopher Mierly, John Sleesman, F. H. Horton, Enoch Randall, Emanuel Byers and Wm. Roan, but decided that they had no knowledge to add to the case. In addition, he had testimony and a complete health history of Hiram from Dr. Rakestraw and Dr. Kinmont from Hicksville.  Mr. Pierce also noted that Hiram was a man of excellent reputation and he was "universally well spoken of in the community."  

Hiram Hootman's testimony was positive for Hiram Meek

Pierce rated the witnesses from Excellent to Not Good.  A few soldiers remembered that it hurt Hiram to wear his sword belt so he carried it over his shoulders and that he had complained of a rupture.  Some of the neighbors testified that they knew he couldn't work for long periods at a time or that he often put his hands in his pants to push down on his abdomen. Others knew nothing of a rupture. One set of neighbors seemed biased against Hiram, so they were rated as poor witnesses. 

Pierce put all these together and submitted them to the Commissioner of Pensions. The request was put under investigation

At one point during this process, Hiram went out to Wayne, Nebraska, to stay with his daughter Ella Meek Pile.  While there, he was granted $20 a month, total disability, under the Act of February 6, 1907, due to his old age.  He did not reap this for long, however, as he died in 1909.

Last pension given to Hiram Meek.  His daughter, Ella Pile was his witness in Nebraska.

Often a pension record provides so much information beyond the military.  In this record, Hiram reported the names of all his children (of which Fred is not one) and their dates of birth.  A marriage record was included and names of his neighbors and where they lived in relation to him.  His complete health history was there, along with a description of him at 6', 185 lbs.  A pension record for your ancestor can be well worth obtaining, not just for the story it may tell, but for the additional genealogical information that may reside there.