 "The subject of this sketch is a lineal descendant of the sixth generation from one John Mead, who with his two sons, John and Joseph, emigrated from England and settled in Massachusetts, in 1642, thence to Hempstead, L. I., where they remained until October, 1660, when all of them settled in the town of Greenwich, Conn. (See biography of Col. Thomas A. Mead for further notice of the ancestors.) Some of the family think the above Joseph had children, and that he settled in the north-central part of Fairfield county, as the Meads there claim to be descended from Joseph.*
The grandfather of Alvan Mead, Ebenezer Mead (2nd), was born Oct. 25, 1692, and died May 3, 1775. He was a representative of his town, and a great many times represented his town in the Colonial Legislature. He was a farmer by occupation. He married Hannah Brown, of Rye, N.Y., Dec. 12, 1717, and had twelve children,--viz: Ebenezer, Silas, Abraham (1st), Jonas, Solomon, Deliverance, Amos, Edmund, Hannah, Jabez, Jared, and Abraham (2nd).
Jared Mead was the tenth son in a family of twelve children, and was born in the town of Greenwich, Conn., in the same house where he always lived through a long and honorable life, and died June 8, 1832. He was a farmer by occupation, and owned his father's farm.
He married Lydia, daughter of Daniel Smith, and had seven children, namely: Zette, Lydia, Alma, Daniel, Hannah, Jared, and Alvan, all of whom are now (1880) dead, except for Alvan. He held various town offices. Both Mr. and Mrs. Mead were members of the Congregational Church at Greenwich, Conn. Mrs. Mead died May 27, 1827.
Alvan Mead was born in Greenwich, Conn., Nov. 30, 1794. His advantages for an education were limited to the common schools of his day, working on the farm summers and attending school winters until he was seventeen years of age, when he took charge of his father's farm, as he was the only son left at home.
He was a farmer on the same place where his father and grandfather lived until 1851, since which he has resided in the borough of Greenwich, Conn. He married Eliza, daughter of Nathaniel Peck, Dec. 18, 1821.
Their children were Ralph P., who went to California in 1849, married and had two sons,--namely Charles C. and Ralph R., --who together with their mother resided in Portland, Oregon.
Ralph P. died Oct. 7, 1862; Warren B. resides at Wichita, Kansas, married and has three children, --namely, Alvan E., Edgar S., and Mary P.; Melanchthon W. died May 30, 1878, leaving a widow and two children, Frank A. and Frederick B., who reside in Brooklyn, N.Y., Cornelia G., who married Stephen G. White, and now resides with her father; their children are Warren P., Lucy M., Elam C. (deceased).
In politics, Mr. Mead has always been a staunch Whig and Republican. He has been a magistrate of Greenwich for many years, besides holding several town offices. His wife was a member of the Congregational Church. She died Sept. 22, 1864.
Mr. Mead is one of the oldest, if not the oldest man in the town. He has the entire confidence of his fellow townsmen, and he has lived a long and useful life. He is a regular attendant of the Congregational Church; though not a member, he contributes to its support."
SOURCE: Hurd, D. Hamilton. History of Fairfield County, Connecticut. Philadelphia: J.W. Lewis & Co. (1881), p. 398.
*[NOTE: This biography was originally published in 1881 (see above) and does not constitute "proof" of authentic historical fact or early Greenwich, CT or Mead family history. I simply offer it as clues to further research.--mm]
ADDITIONAL MEAD FAMILY COMPILED RECORDS:
Remington, Gordon L., FUGA. "The English Origin of William [1] Mead of Stamford, Connecticut." The American Genealogist (TAG). Whole Number 289, Vol. 73, No. 1. January 1998.
MEAD, Spencer Percival. History and genealogy of the Mead Family of Fairfield Co. CT, Eastern.NY. New York: Knickerbocker Press, 1901.
Draper, Cecil Mead. Jonathan Mead of Rensselaerwyk and some of his descendants. With a shorter sketch of a single line of Williams, Mass., Conn. New York. Denver: 1972.
Feltus, Louise Celestia (Mead).Our Two Centuries in Greenwich Conn., 1728-1924. Troy, NY.: R.H. Prout and Co., 1948. .
Parker, C.E. The Mead family of Connecticut. Santa Ana, CA: 1968.
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