Forest of Dean FHT Forum - Giles MEEK of Ruardean

Giles MEEK of Ruardean (reply)

pianoboogieman — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 02:19:31 +0000

Thankyou jimashton and michael gwilliam for your help time and advice.Much appreciated and congrats also to whoever was responsible for setting up and maintaining this useful forum

Sadly it would appear from the evidence that my Giles Meek wasn’t a ‘child of the forest’ and I must cast my net further afield.

Looks like I’m doomed to forever wander the dimly lit corridors of Gloucester Records Office a poor sad soul vainly searching for an answer..........only joking ,I love it really ........or is it just obsession?

Good luck and best wishes to all of you in your various journeys.Perhaps our paths will cross again someday but in the meantime remember the MEEKs shall inherit the earth !!

Giles MEEK of Ruardean (reply)

jimashton — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 01:50:10 +0000

Hi Michael

Thanks very much for the information, which teaches me that I should perhaps devote more time to deaths. Whilst Moses Meek was in my Family Tree as 1st cousin 6 times removed and his wife Anne Brain my 2nd cousin 5 times removed, I hadn't known until your information that Anne had remarried to Henry Roberts who is also in my tree as 2nd cousin 5 times removed !! Henry Roberts is the son of Anthony Roberts and Mary Harris, Anthony is the son of William Roberts & Mary Brain, Mary Brain is the daughter of one of my 6 times great grand parents Giles Brain 1686 & Joan Mutlow 1691.
Unfortunately this will not help pianoboogieman until he establishes which Giles Meek is his ancestor.

Jim

Giles MEEK of Ruardean (reply)

shepway — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 08:21:29 +0000

From GFHS Burial Index:
Date: 3 MAY 1827
First Name: MOSES
Surname: MEEK
Age: 45
Burial Register: EAST DEAN(DRYBROOK) HOLY TRINITY 1817-1839
Place of Abode: RUARDEAN HILL

From GFHS Marriage Index:
1 November 1828 Henry ROBERTS, widower of Hundred of St Briavels married Ann MEEK, widow of Hundred of St Briavels at St Briavels.

This is Burial of Henry's first wife:
Date: 14 MAR 1827
First Name: LUCY
Surname: ROBERTS
Age: 47
Burial Register: RUARDEAN 1813-1829
Place of Abode: RUARDEAN
City of Abode: -
Relationship: WIFE
Relationship To: HENRY

First marriage entry from Index:
2 December 1802 Henry ROBERTS, Extra Parochial married Lucy DAW, Extra parochial at English Bicknor.

Mike

Giles MEEK of Ruardean (reply)

jimashton — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 05:03:35 +0000

Partially due to difficulty establishing you have the right person, I don't tend to research deaths much unless it is to establish death of a sibling of the same name. However I do have a copy of the Gloucestershire FHS Burial Index on CD and have just found the following :
Ann Meek buried 25.12.1837 age 47 Ampney St Mary
Hannah Meek buried 31.12.1837 age 95 Ampney St Mary
The only Giles listed was 2.4.1823 age 16 - so no connection.
I also have the National Burial Index on CD and listed were :
Ann Meek 27.6.1814 Age 20 Ruardean
Ann Meek 6.9.1825 Age 77 Ruardean
No Giles listed
One tip if researching MEEK is that early records (and I mean earlier than 1800) often list MOOK.
Note also that there is often a tie in between Hannah and Ann, but not often between Rosanna & Hannah, unless misheard by the enumerator

Good Luck

Jim

Giles MEEK of Ruardean (reply)

pianoboogieman — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 02:11:01 +0000

Thanks jimashton for your prompy reply to my posting .Some interesting info ,however, I’m still really none the wiser as to whether there were two Gile MEEKs , one born in Ruardean son of Moses and one in Ampney(where incidentally there are a number of other MEEKs born) or whether there was only one born in Ruardean who ended up in Ampney and thought mistakenly he was born there and for some reason didn’t know who his father was.Anyone any ideas why?

What became of Moses MEEK and Ann MEEK (nee BRAINE) – does anyone have burial records?

I have only located one Giles MEEK on the 1841 census living in Ampney with what appears to read Hannah though very faint.and haven’t found so far any evidence of a Giles MEEK burial between 1807 and 1841 which tends to suggest there was only one Giles MEEK .If anyone knows of a burial record for Giles MEEK between 1807 and 1841 this would confirm there were two , otherwise it does seem to suggest there was only one

There is a marriage for Giles MEEK in 1827 at Gloucester St Nicholas to Rosanna PUGH (source parish record) so I’m assuming Rosanna/Hannah are one and the same .This is definitely ‘my’ Giles.He became a toll collector and moved around the country ending up in Wells,Somerset with his second wife Mary HUTTON(my g.g.grandmother)

Does anyone know of a definite link between the Forest of Dean MEEKs and those of the Ampney/Cirencester area. ?

I would dearly love to prove the connection and thus a link between our families .

Giles MEEK of Ruardean (reply)

jimashton — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 06:24:47 +0000

Giles Meek baptised 18.1.1807 Non Conformist Ch. Ruardean is the son of Moses Meek & Anne Brain - both of whom are related to me. In addition to two sisters Rebecca & Lydia, this Giles had a brother Beriah, who has already featured on this site, see :
http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?mode=thread&id=982#p1176

However, Ampney St Mary is 40 miles from Ruardean, one or other pieces of information is wrong.

Giles MEEK of Ruardean

pianoboogieman — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 02:50:32 +0000

My great great grandfather was Giles Meek born sometime between 1805 and 1811 according to the age given on censuses. He gives his birthplace as either Ashbrook (now Ampney St Mary) or Cirencester in Gloucestershire and appears on the census there in 1841.I have searched in vain for a baptism in that area to no avail .On his marriage certificate (second marriage) in 1866 'my'Giles states father unknown
The I.G.I only lists one Giles Meek baptised around the right time at Ruardean Independent Chapel son of Moses Meek and Ann (Braine ?).I am wondering whether this Giles could be 'my' Giles ? .Perhaps his parents died when he was very young or were unable to look after him and so he ended up in the Cirencester area. I know his parents were still alive in 1814 as they had another daughter Lydia .Does anyone know when they died or what happened to their son Giles
I'm clutching at straws a bit but if anyone can help to throw any light on the subject I would be very grateful.