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TIMOTHY
MEEKER, (my 7th great grandfather)...
served
in the Revolutionary war at the Battle of Springfield on June 23, 1780
at the age of70 with 9 of his sons, 2 sons-in-law and a grandson. At that
time the Springfield area hadseen the British soldiers several times.
Old Timothy's participation on the militia was recordedin the New York
"Gazette and Weekly Mercury" on July 29, 1776. An article about
him alsoappeared in Ripley's "Believe It Or Not" George Washington, for the purpose of seeing the man who furnished a small army of his own,visited him incognito and had dinner at his home. According to the story, when Desire, his wife,on informing the visiting officers that had she known that there would be company she would haveserved foul, Timothy responded by saying that he dinner was fit for George Washington himself. The old homeplace of William Meeker, great grandfather of Timothy, was used as an undergroundstation for Continental soldiers who escaped from prison ships at the Wallabout. Josiah Meekersheltered Elihu Fish, a Continental officer who escaped from prison and afterward became aprominent Judge. Another statement made was "The family still has in its possession a set ofspoons which Judge Fish gave, as a mark of his gratitude." |