When John Washington Meek was born on 11 April 1830, in Parkersburg, Wood, West Virginia, United States, his father, Richard Meek, was 29 and his mother, Catherine Johnson, was 25. He married Elizabeth Nickelson in 1862, in Bloomington, McLean, Illinois, United States. They were the parents of at least 3 sons and 5 daughters. He lived in Linn, Kansas, United States in 1875 and Blue Mound Township, Linn, Kansas, United States in 1880. He died on 16 August 1907, in Mapleton, Bourbon, Kansas, United States, at the age of 77, and was buried in Stevenson Cemetery, Mapleton, Bourbon, Kansas, United States.
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"The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of other tribes, known as the ""British Band"", crossed the Mississippi River, into Illinois, from Iowa Indian Territory in April 1832. Black Hawk's motives were ambiguous, but records show that he was hoping to avoid bloodshed while resettling on tribal land that had been given to the United States in the 1804 Treaty of St. Louis."
Convinced that a group of Native American tribes were hostile, The United States formed a frontier militia to stop them in their tracks. Even though Black Hawk was hoping to avoid bloodshed while trying to resettle on tribal land, U.S. officials opened fire on the Native Americans. Black Hawk then responded to this confrontation by successfully attacking the militia at the Battle of Stillman's Run and then left northward. After a few months the militia caught up with Black Hawk and his men and defeated them at the Battle of Wisconsin Heights. While being weakened by hunger, injuries and desertion, Black Hawk and the rest of the many native survivors retreated towards the Mississippi. Unfortunately, Black Hawk and other leaders were later captured when they surrendered to the US forces and were then imprisoned for a year.
Historical Boundaries: 1860: McLean, Illinois, United States
English: nickname for a self-effacing person or a gentle and compassionate one, from Middle English meke ‘humble, meek’ (Old Norse mjúkr ‘soft, pliant, gentle’).
Norwegian: habitational name from any of several farms so named in Møre og Romsdal, in Old Norse a compound of mith ‘in the middle’ and vík ‘bay’.
Dutch: metonymic occupational name for a baker, from Middle Dutch micke ‘bread’.
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
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