General Notes

Notes for FRANCIS SR. MEADOWS:
Francis Meadows came to the Blue Ridge Mountains in March, 1770 and settled at the head of Hawksbill Creek in Augusta County, Virginia from Orange County. Marriage record in Orange County for Francis Meadows and Mary Bell dated 1758. Francis lived on top of the mountain where Big Meadows is located. The county line dividing Rockingham and Orange ran thru his property, the house in Orange and the barn in Rockingham, he paid taxes and is listed in the census for Orange. There is an old graveyard on the mountain near Big Meadows, the Thomas Meadows grave yard is located about 1 mile down the west side of the Blue Ridge from Lewis Mountain. This grave yard is near the old Meadows School house tht the National Park Service took down in the 1930's. It is marked on the park map no. 10. From page 20-Road No. 759 about 1/4 mile from the end of the road, Northeast of the old Meadows school. Francis bought his land from Peter Nichols patent of 1,708 acres, this patent is now located in Page County, Virginia. Francis is listed in the soldiers of the Revolution of West Virginia in 1818 as being 80 years old and getting a pension of $80 per year. He was living with his son Francis in Monroe County, West Virginia. Mary must have died.

Francis Jr. may have been married before, because the Orange County census of 1790 lists two Francis Meadows one with 6 white people and one with 4 white people.

Reference: Proof that the Francis Meadows who fought in Lord Dunmore's War was Francis Meadows Sr.:
As we know now, a Francis Meadows of Augusta County, Virginia, served under Captain Alexander McClannehan in Lord Dunmore's War.

1774 Dunmore's War Record: Francis Meadows served as a private under Captain Alexander McClannehan during Lord Dunmore's War, which was fought on the Virginia frontier in 1774. He served for a total of 122 days, and he received 9 pounds and 3 shillings in pay. Source: Library of Virginia Digital Library Program, Payrolls and Muster Rols from Dunmore's War, part of the Records of the Executive Branch, Auditor of Public Accounts (Record Group 48) The index card at the above site indicates that Captain McClannehan's Company was from Augusta County, Virginia.

The term of 122 days was the entire duration of the rar, and Capt. McClannehan was wounded during the famous Bottle of Point Pleasant. This means that Francis Meadows who served in Lord Dunmore's War was one of approximately one thousand men who fought in that famous hand-to-hand combat that is frequently regarded as the first major battle of the Revolutionary War.

On November 15, 1790, Francis Meadows petitioned the House of Delegates of Virginia for a certificate "for pay and land" for his services in the Revolutionary War. The full text of the documents relating to this petition are set forth in John W. Wayland, Virginia Valley Records: Genealogical and Historical Materials of Rockingham County, Virginia (originally published in Strasburg, Virginia in 1930 and reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, Md. 1985) at pages 88-89. On June 16, 1818, he petitioned for a Revolutionary War pension, emphasizing the full details of his service and the fact that he was "in reduced circumstances in life." On August 15, 1820, he again petitioned for relief, emphasizing his military service for "three years and three months" during the Revolutionary War, starting with his enlistment in February of 1777. He listed his limited property, he emphasized that he was "not able to work owing to a sever rupture, and he stated that his wife was "also very frail and not able to work." He also called attention to his "sixteen children (12 of them sons) who have all left me but six all of whom are under the age of 14 years." These documents are part of Revolutionary Pension File Number 5367 in the National Archives.

The Battle of Point Pleasant was famous, and the 1,000 men who fought in that battle were greatly honored, especially in Virginia. Given his desire to present the strongest possible case for assistance, if Francis Meadows had served the full duration of Lord Dunmore's War and had fought in the Battle of Point Pleasant, we can be sure that he would have mentioned this service when he petitioned the Virginia Legislature in 1790 - and when he applied for a Revolutionary War Pension in 1818 and 1820.


More About FRANCIS SR. MEADOWS:
Burial: Rockingham County, Virginia