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Obituary: Obituary of Elder Samuel H. Meals (written by son, Daniel James Meals) It becomes my painful duty to announce to you the death of my father, Elder S.H Meals, which occurred at his old home place in Henderson County, Tennessee, on the 10th of December, 1895, at 8:05 p.m. Samuel H. Meals was born June 22, 1813, in Jefferson County, Tennessee; moved with his father, Elder Daniel Meals to North Alabama in December, 1819; professed a hope in Christ the third morning in October, 1845; joined the Old Baptist Church at Antioch, Limestone County, Alabama, which is a member of Flint River Association. He began to preach in 1847, and was ordained by Elders Wm. Crutcher, David Jacks, R.U. Crutcher and Samuel Edmondson in August, 1849, The deceased leaves two sons and one daughter, sixteen grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren to mourn his death. He was down about seven weeks, but said he was not suffering very much, but just seemed to be getting weaker in body all the time. The doctor said he could not bear strong medication, but he still loved the strong meat of the gospel. It seemed to be all his study, and the first time I went up to see him during his last sickness, while he could not sit up, he told us to sing some of his old familiar hymns, which we did, while he held his family prayer lying on his bed, and it seemed to me the strongest I ever heard around the old hearthstone. I felt it to be the last; and my mind ran back to the time when were all there at family prayer together with my mother. Yes, Oh Lord, bless the name of mother, who passed away seven years and four days before he did. Oh it made me shudder to think how little interest I had in the family prayer. Sometimes I would hurry off to bed to avoid it, and hear him asking the Lord to watch over his children, his neighbors and their children, together with Zion. He said the doctrine he tried to preach was the doctrine of God and the Bible, and that he was willing to risk his salvation on it, and admonished us all to hold to it and contend earnestly for it. His request was, that in his last moments we should sing his song, which was this: "Sing to me of Heaven." I was sitting at his bed and knew the time had come, and it bore so heavily on my mind I asked my brother's wife if she could help me sing the song. She said she would. If I ever asked the Lord to bear me up, that was one of the times. So we made the attempt and I never sang a song easier after the start, and by the time we were through singing, the neighbors and some of the members of the church were there--brother and sister Massey, and Brother John Waller. We asked him if he wanted the song sung again: he whispered "yes" and we sang it again. He then gave us the parting hand, and told us all to help him praise and bless God that Jesus died for him; and his last words were: "Bless God." He was laid away the next day at the old family grave yard in Henderson County, Tennessee, after an appropriate talk, singing and prayer by my mother's youngest brother, A.Y. Douglas. I do feel to rejoice and praise God that he spared him to live a good old age and be with his children, brethren and sisters. My sincere prayer is, that all his children will try to live as devoted to Christ as he did, and die as happy. Let us weep not, but follow the example of him who has gone before. It will not be long till we, too, must follow. Daniel J. Meals Copy provided by courtesy of Beverly Meals Wood (granddaughter) of Daniel J. Meals. Samuel H. Meals purchased property in Huntsville, Alabama, on May 10, 1848. Aliquot Parts: SWSE; Section Number: 7; TOWNSHIP: 1S; RANGE 5W; BASELINE: Huntsville; Total Acres: 40.14. HEROLD OF TRUTH Clarksburg, Tenn., June 1883 Dear bretheren, who edit and read the HEROLD OF TRUTH: I have for sometime though, when reading the experience of those dear bretheren and sisters who have been writing for the HEROLD OF TRUTH, I find that they have traveled over the same ground that I have, and some of them seem to have trod in the same steps, and when I read it, I hope I draw some sweet comfort from them and want them to know that I remember those way marks. I was born in Jefferson County, in East Tennessee, on the 22nd day of June, in 1813, where my parents remained until the year 1819, when they moved to Madison County, in North Alabama; they joined the Old Baptist, (for there was no other kind known then as Baptist) and received the ordinance of Baptism frm the hands of Caleb Wilt, (an emminent man in his day). When they moved west they became members of Flint River Association; my father was a deacon before my recollection, and after, an ordained minister and remained so to the day of his death. My parents often called their children arount the family altar, and told them there was a God, who made the man all things, and from him they recieved life and all other blessings, and that we would all have to die and give an account for the deeds done in the body, whether they be good or evil, and if we died sinners we would appear sinners in judgement and where God and Christ was we could not dwell in peace, but the Lord was merciful and that he loved them poor, sinful, fallen man, that he gave his only son, who loved them so well that he left the courts of glory, the society of angels and the presence of his living father, and came to these low grounds of sorrow to save poor fallen man; died for their sins, and was raised again to grant repentance and remission of sins to the house of Israel, and was able to save to the utmost all that come to God by him; and that there was no other name given among men whereby we must be saved, and that life was the time and the only time allowed to men to forsake their evil ways and sins, and that God rewarded truth and punished falsehood, and that we must not take his name; for if we commited those sins God would appoint us our portion with the unbelievers, liars, and idolators, and we would be cast into the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone where the beasts and false prophets are, and be tormented day and night, forever and ever. Not withstanding all these prayers and admonitions, it seemed, religion was a gloomy thing and was necessary for old people, and when I became old it would be time enought and would attend to it by and by, when I became a settled man, for, were I to leave the society I was then in I would lose all my earthly enjoyment; and the Arminians told me I could do these things and I had always believed it, and so I had always to attend to other things before I could, consistent with my feelings, reach it. Death would occur among my acquaintance and relatives I would, seemingly, feel a while and so contined to manhood. On 12 Feb 1835 when Samuel H. was 21, he first married Elizabeth W. HANNA, daughter of James HANNA & Mary ?. Born on 7 Aug 1819. At the age of 18, Elizabeth W. died on 17 Aug 1837. Buried in 1836 in Mt. Carmel Cemetery, Giles County, Tennessee. On 20 Dec 1840 when Samuel H. was 27, he second married Elizabeth H. DOUGLAS, daughter of James DOUGLAS (1780-1821) & Nancy F. JOHNSON (1793-1862). Born on 16 Feb 1823 in North Carolina. At the age of 65, Elizabeth H. died in 8th District, Henderson County, Tennssee on 6 Dec 1888. Buried in 1888 in Coffman Cemetery, Henderson County, Tennessee. Resided in District 8, Henderson County, Tennessee in 1850. Resided in District 8, Henderson County, Tennessee in 1860. Resided in District 8, Henderson County, Tennessee in 1870. Resided in District 8, Henderson County, Tennessee in 1880. Confusion exists over the parents of Elizabeth H. Douglas because she appears to have been born after the death of her father, James Douglas. However, the obituary read prepared by her son, Daniel, at her husband's funeral states that she was the sister to A.Y. Douglas who was a son of James and Nancy Johnson Douglas. They had the following children:
28. Rebecca MEALS. Born on 4 Oct 1815 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. At the age of 60, Rebecca died on 6 Sep 1876. Buried in Sep 1876 in Gaston Cemetery, Spring Creek, Madison County, Tennessee. Resided in District 4, Limestone County, Alabama in 1850. Resided in District 1, Henderson County, Tennessee in 1860. On 24 Jul 1836 when Rebecca was 20, she married Asa Harper GASTON, son of William Porter GASTON (1797-1821) & Sarah TINDALL (1797-), in Limestone County, Alabama. Born on 10 Aug 1819 in Chester District, South Carolina. At the age of 61, Asa Harper died in Spring Creek, Madison County, Tennessee on 19 Jan 1881. Buried in Jan 1881 in Gaston Cemetery, Spring Creek, Madison County, Tennessee. Resided in District 4, Limestone County, Alabama in 1850. Resided in District 1, Henderson County, Tennessee in 1860. Resided in District 12, Madison County, Tennessee in 1880. They had the following children:
29. James A. MEALS. Born on 21 Oct 1817 in Alabama. At the age of 76, James A. died in Limestone County, Alabama on 26 Nov 1893. Resided in District 4, Limestone County, Alabama in 1850. Resided in District 2, Limestone County, Alabama in 1860. James A. Meals purchased land in Huntsville, Alabama, on June 1, 1848. LAND OFFICE: Huntsville; DOCUMENT NUMBER: 12991; TITLE AUTHORITY: Cash Sale; SIGNATURE DATE: June 1, 1848; ALIQUOT PARTS; SESW; SECTION NUMBER: 20; TOWNSHIP: 1S; RANGE: 5W; BASELINE: Huntsville; TOTAL ACRES: 39.92; VOLUME IDENTIFICATON: 068. On 13 Feb 1841 when James A. was 23, he first married Martha Ann COFFMAN (38) , daughter of Markham Marshall COFFMAN (11) (1798-1855) & Margaret WALKER (1803-), in Limestone County, Alabama. Born on 2 Dec 1824 in Alabama. At the age of 28, Martha Ann died in Limestone County, Alabama on 8 Jul 1853. Resided in Limestone County, Alabama in 1850. They had the following children:
On 24 Jul 1855 when James A. was 37, he second married Mary Ellen WOOLLEY, in Limestone County, Alabama. Mary Ellen died in 1858. They had one child:
30. Lewis M. MEALS. Born on 6 Jun 1821 in Alabama. At the age of 71, Lewis M. died in Clarksburg, 13th District, Carroll County, Tennessee on 13 Sep 1892. Buried in Sep 1892 in Blair Cemetery, Clarksburg, 13th District, Carroll County, Tennessee. Resided in District 8, Henderson County, Tennessee in 1850. Resided in Clarksburg, 13th District, Carroll County, Tennessee in 1870. Resided in Clarksburg, 13th District, Carroll County, Tennessee in 1880. Occupation: Schoolteacher/Farmer/Merchant. Lewis Meals owned one slave during the 1860 Census. On 26 Jan 1854 when Lewis M. was 32, he married Martha Ann MURPHY, daughter of Joseph Robertson MURPHY (1804-1857) & Grace LESLIE (1806-1887), in Carroll County, Tennessee. Born on 22 Jul 1834 in Tennessee. At the age of 74, Martha Ann died on 1 Sep 1908. Buried in Sep 1908 in Blair Cemetery, Clarksburg, 13th District, Carroll County, Tennessee. Resided in Clarksburg, 13th District, Carroll County, Tennessee in 1880. Resided in Huntingdon, Carroll County, Tennessee in 1900. Obituary: Mrs. Martha A. Meals,, in her 74th year, died at a late hour Tuesday afternoon at ther home in Huntingdon from a complication of diseases and a recent stroke of paralysis. Mrs. Meals leaves two brothers, Col. George Murphy of Little Rock, Arkansas, and Joe W. Murphy, this county; also two sisters, Mrs. Hattie Scott of Lexington, and Mrs. Joan Parker of Wildersville. Her surviving children are four daughters, Mrs. P.H. McCall of Lexington, Mrs. Fannie Anderson of Martin, Mrs. Hattie Preist and Mrs. Maggie Hilliard of Huntingdon. Deceased was a long-time member of the Baptist Church and was an excellent Christian character. Mrs. Hattie Scott, who is herself on a bed of affliction, and Mrs. P.H. McCall have the sympathy of all our people. They had the following children:
31. Mary Ann MEALS. Born on 4 Oct 1823 in Alabama. At the age of 28, Mary Ann died in Henderson County, Tennessee in 1852. Buried in 1852 in Coffman Cemetery, Henderson County, Tennessee. Alias/AKA: "Polly". On 14 Oct 1842 when Mary Ann was 19, she married D. L. COFFMAN, son of Joseph COFFMAN (1790-1845) & Sarah MEALS (1794-1870). Born in 1819 in Alabama. They had the following children:
32. Sarah A. MEALS. Born on 22 Sep 1826 in Alabama. At the age of 67, Sarah A. died in Tennessee on 2 May 1894. Buried in 1894 in Blair Cemetery, Clarksburg, 13th District, Carroll County, Tennessee. Resided in District 8, Henderson County, Tennessee in 1850. Resided in District 10, Henderson County, Tennessee in 1860. Resided in Huntingdon, Carroll County, Tennessee in 1880. On 19 Feb 1849 when Sarah A. was 22, she married Elihu Taylor McGILL, son of Robert McGILL & Elizabeth ? (-1827), in Limestone County, Alabama. Born on 8 Oct 1825 in Tennessee. At the age of 79, Elihu Taylor died in Tennessee on 18 Nov 1904. Buried in Nov 1904 in Blair Cemetery, Carroll County, Tennessee. Resided in District 8, Henderson County, Tennessee in 1850. Resided in District 10, Henderson County, Tennessee in 1860. Resided in 11th District, Carroll County, Tennessee in 1870. Resided in District 11, Carroll County, Tennessee in 1880. Orphaned in Limestone County, Alabama. He was reared by a prominent Limestone County planter named William and Nancy Coffman Legg who was originally from Virginia. Elihu Taylor McGill was a Unionist during the Civil War. The Confederate Army made an attempt to conscript him in 1863. He fled North, remaining in Metropolis, Illinois, and Louisville, Kentucky until the War's end Early in the war, Eli took a load of six bales of cotton to Henderson, Tennessee for market. The town was occupied at the time by Union forces. As he entered town, the Confederate Cavalry attacked. The Union Army conscripted his cotton bales to make barracades and were ruined in the process. After the war, he made a claim for for damages under the Southern Claims Commission. There is a complete package of documentation on this incident, approximately 50 pages long. In it, he mentions that one of the bales belonged to elderly aunt who lived near him. Also, the documentation shows that Eli lived until at least 1900, at which time correspondence between him and the commission is still going on. At that late date, he was living in Nashville. Military: Fought in the Mexican War. Letter from E.T. McGill to brother in law, Samuel H. Meals, dated December 22, 1875. E.T. McGill and family were living in Edgefield, Tennessee, vicinity of Nashville. Mr. S.H. Meals Dear Brother It is with great pleasant that I attempt to address you to let you know how we are getting along. We are all tolerably well at present but Sallie, and she keeps up most of the time. We have had with us for the last week Bro. Wood from Fayetteville who preached for us both night and day, and I think he is an able defender of the truths he promulgates. He says: That he believes it is his duty to preach the Gospel and fail not to declare the whole "Truth" and when he has done this he had done nothing but his duty. Bro. Sam I would like very much for you to visit us this winter and preach for us, as we like to hear the different witnesses from all parts of the earth, telling the same glorious truths. It does confirm me in the belief that they are all taught of the Lord. Our Business is very dull, as cotton is very low. Homer has done tolerably well. He has shipped 172 bales since the middle of November. I don't know whether he will stay with the house, as he has been, or stay for wages. I want you to let me know whether there is an opening for a school in your neighborhood or not as Porter is desirous of taking a school next year. I would much prefer his taking a school in your neighborhood. He says "that he is able to each any branches that you would wish to be taught" and if you think he can get a school that would justify him, I will come up there the first of January. Please let me hear from you soon. I remain, Yours as ever. E.T. McGill Ehihu Taylor McGill, 8th District, Henderson County, Tennessee, owned two slaves during the 1860 Census. They had the following children:
33. Elizabeth L. MEALS. Born on 26 May 1829 in Tennessee. Resided in Lauderdale County, Alabama in 1850. Resided in Lauderdale County, Alabama in 1860. Resided in District 8, Henderson County, Tennessee in 1870. Alias/AKA: "Bettie". Elizabeth L. first married John BUTLER Senior. Born in 1818 in Pennsylvania. Resided in Lauderdale County, Alabama in 1850. Resided in Lauderdale County, Alabama in 1860. Occupation: Tailor. They had the following children:
Elizabeth L. second married McKinnie PEARCE. Born on 5 Jan 1804 in Tennessee. At the age of 85, McKinnie died in Tennessee on 5 Nov 1889. Buried in Nov 1889 in Pearce Cemetery, Carroll County, Tennessee. Resided in District 6, Carroll County, Tennessee in 1860. Resided in District 8, Henderson County, Tennessee in 1870. 34. William M. MEALS. Born on 16 Jun 1832 in Alabama. At the age of 62, William M. died on 4 Dec 1894. Resided in District 8, Henderson County, Tennessee in 1850. Resided in District 8, Henderson County, Tennessee in 1870. Resided in District 8, Henderson County, Tennessee in 1880. Occupation: Farmer. On 25 Jul 1866 when William M. was 34, he married Julia Ann PEARCY, daughter of Reuben PEARCY (1790-1871) & Milly ? (ca1798-), in Carroll County, Tennessee. Born abt 1836 in Tennessee. Resided in District 11, Madison County, Tennessee in 1850. Resided in District 8, Henderson County, Tennessee in 1870. They had the following children:
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