The earliest known ancestors in Group C are John Meek born 1707 and Thomas Meek born 1708. They lived in different places and there is no known documentation to prove a connection between them. DNA shows that they were related possibly closely related. However, it is impossible to determine when the common ancestor lived.
John Meek born about 1707 lived in Augusta Co., VA. This area was settled in the 1730’s. John’s name first appears in court records 6 Aug 1750 and he likely lived there before that date. It is not known where John was born or where his family came from. His estate was probated in 1761. The names of his children are known through court records of guardians being appointed.
Thomas Meek born about 1708 lived in Washington Co., MD. He owned several properties in Maryland as well as property in Washington Co., VA. The earliest known record of his is 1752. It is not known where Thomas was born or where his family came from. There are indications that his father lived in the colonies. Part of Thomas’ bequeath to his oldest son included “And also Fifty acres of land called Pleasant Hill which was purchased out of my Fathers Effects he leaving no will, neither did any person administer lawfully theron…”
When he died about 1776 his wife and some of his children moved to the property in Washington Co., VA. Since the first white settler only came to Washington Co., VA in the 1760 it likely that Thomas had owned the land for a short period of time. There is no reason to believe that he had any connection to Virginia other than as a land speculator.
A word about Guy Meek: Joseph Meek of Washington D. C. was a significant Guy Meek researcher. He and other researcher concluded that John and Thomas were sons of Guy Meek. While he had extensive documentation on the Guy Meek family he had no records that prove that John and Thomas had any connection to Guy Meek. They are not included in parish records like Guy’s other children and there are no documents to place them in Anne Arundel Co., MD. Since DNA is not currently available from the Guy Meek family a connection to Guy Meek cannot be excluded. However, it seems unlikely at this point in time.
Other Ancestors in Group C:
Thomas Meek was born between 1775 and 1780 in Virginia. He married Naomi Grinstead 13 Jun 1807 in Warren Co., KY.
James Meek was born about 1778. He died in 1823 in Johnson Co., KY. He married Judith Hylton.
William Meek died 5 Apr 1832 in Johnson Co., KY. He married Judith Popplewell 18 May 1807 in Wayne Co., KY. His descendants have not been DNA tested and he may not be connected to this group.
Other members of the DNA project have been unable to trace their ancestor further back than 1800. One member of the project currently lives in Ireland but it is not known how long his family has lived in Ireland.
Summary: were John and Thomas Meek the progenitors for all the other Group C ancestors or was there one or more other men who migrated to the United States? The DNA for Group C does not identify different branches of this particular family. It is known that John and Thomas left relative behind in the Isles because there is at least one family that remains in Ireland today. The descendant chart for John Meek born 1708 is incomplete and it is entirely possible he is the progenitor of at least some of the members in the DNA project. At the same time it is entirely possible that other members of the Group C family came to the United States after John and Thomas did. More research is needed to answer the question.