RootsChat.Com
England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Warwickshire => Topic started by: villandra on Sunday 19 January 20 19:18 GMT (UK)
-
I have an ancestor supposedly from Leamington. Two people, Robert Meeker and William Meaker, both born early in the 1620s, went to New England. Both were born in "Leamington". One of the histories of Leamington Spa says its name, and it had an earlier name of Leamington Priors, was originally to distinguish it from the other place named Leamington that was also in Warwickshire.
Where/ what was this other Leamington? Google can't find it, and neither can Google Earth.
and what I really need to know is which place these Meekers came from. There is a popularly circulating tale that their parents were Albert Nicholas Meeker and Lady Margarite Rosie Bennie, but it frankly sounds made up. The people existed but the only records of them are elsewhere. Records of Leamington Spa apparently begin in 1700. Descendants of William and Robert have different Y DNA, but they clearly came from a tiny village whatever else was true, and that would take only a single nonpaternity event.
If I can't learn which Leamington these two came from, then I need the histories of both Leamingtons. I'm betting both histories reveal places where two people with the same surname from that place are necessarily related to each other about ten thousand times.
Thanks!
Yours,
Dora Smith
-
Leamington, originally known as Leamington Priors, was renamed Royal Leamington Spa in 1838.
Could also refer to Leamington Hastings?
-
Hello
Here's some Meekers/Meeke I can see in Warwickshire
Will 1587 Nicholas Meeke of Aston and Birmingham.(Aston being a large parish going out to Water Orten).Executors John and Robert Meeke
Henry son of William Meeke baptised Coventry Holy Trinity 3.4.1635
Robert s of William and Maude bapt at Grendon 10.12.1629
Maria daughter of above 10.6.1627 at Grendon
William Meeke married Joane Meeke at Grendon 9.5.1624
William Meeke married Maudline Walker 2.10.1625 at Grendon
Margaret d of William at Grendon 17.5.1608 and her brother William 3.2.1607
Ciderdrinker
-
See Royal Leamington Spa - Vision of Britain http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/615#
"The town was incorporated as Royal Leamington Spa in March 1875, and was included in the parl. limits of Warwick and Leamington in 1885."
Stan
-
There are details of Leamington Hastings at https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/warks/vol6/pp149-155
Leamington Spa at https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/warks/vol6/pp155-161
Stan
-
Leamington Hastings is about 8 miles east of Leamington Spa.
-
Leamington Hastings
https://maps.nls.uk/view/101585425
Leamington
https://maps.nls.uk/view/101585413
-
Hello....
Bit late to the party, but here it goes...
Albert Nicholas Meeker is my 10th great grandfather. Our shared family tree has some serious genealogists, at least in my branch. You are correct, there is no evidence that 'Rosie Bennie' was a Lady or held any rank. That story can be traced to one person puffing things up on facebook, probably for their ego.
There is one Leamington, now known as Leamington Spa. While gramps probably lived there, at some point he did move to Cornwall, which is pretty far away for the time period. Why? Who knows.
Now, there is a LOT of history documented for William Meeker, my 9th great gramps. He was one of the founders of New Haven, Connecticut. The Meekers who came Stateside tend to be in a lot of history, and are well documented.
Some sources show that Gramps Albert had another son who stayed in England, whereas William went Stateside. This seems quite possible. I know that genetic tests I have taken have shown distant family in the southern UK area.
But no, we are not royalty or ranked in any way. We are, to the contrary, quite prodigious in being anti-monarchy, as evidenced by 13 of us fighting in the American Revolution.
Hope this helps.