Manuscript Group 789, Meeker Family (Elizabethtown, NJ) Papers, 1799 – 1912

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Manuscript Group 789

Meeker Family (Elizabethtown, NJ)

Papers, 1799 – 1912

.25 linear feet / 9 folders

Processed by Irina Peris

December 1999 as part of the “Farm to City” project funded
by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Biographical Note:

Moses Meeker resided in Elizabethtown, Union County, New Jersey with his wife, Mary,
and their children. Moses Meeker’s will is dated February 26, 1823, although the date
of his death is unknown.

William Meeker (d.1851), Mary and Moses Meeker’s son, was also a farmer and land
owner in the vicinity of Elizabethtown. He married Susan Cory, a daughter of Benjamin and
Hannah Cory, with whom he had at least three children: Jonathan, Abby, and Susan. His
daughter, Susan, was appointed an administrator of his estate at the time of his death in
1851.

Jonathan Meeker (d.1867), Susan and William Meeker’s son, was a farmer like his
father. He had at least one son, George, who was the administrator of his estate. George
Meeker married Susannah Foster (1843-1908), with whom he had a daughter, Augusta S. Meeker
(1869-1957).

Provenance Note:

The provenance of this collection is unknown.

Scope and Content Note:

These papers consist of deeds, receipts, correspondence and other materials, dating
from 1799-1912, which document the legal and financial matters of several generations of
the Meeker family. The land deeds of Benjamin Cory (1799-1819), William Meeker
(1813-1851), and George Meeker (1867-1869) record land transactions in the vicinity of
Elizabethtown, New Jersey, while numerous bonds and other receipts of Jonathan Meeker
(1846-1869) illustrate investment strategies and family financial transactions. The
correspondence and legal documents of Susan Foster Meeker and William Meeker document the
legal and financial arrangements made between the Meekers and the Baltimore and New York
Rail Road Company and the Somerville Rail Road for the use of the family’s land.
There are also inventories of William and Jonathan Meeker’s estates. Documents are
organized by family member and then arranged in chronological order.

Container List:

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