He was born in Washington County, Virginia and came to near Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky in about 1847, at age 23, joining other relatives already there.

Thomas Willian gave him a job, as slave boss - bossing the slaves there at the warehouse at Troy Point, near Hawesville, Kentucky. He worked for Thomas P. Willian, loading grain barges, and married his daughter.

They wanted to settle in Spencer County, Indiana but health problems caused them to make several trips before finally settling in Richland County, Illinois.

He was in Preston Township, Richland County, Illinois for the 1860 Federal Census.

John H. and Mary Elizabeth had obviously traveled between Hancock County, Kentucky, Spencer County, Indiana and Richland County, Illinois many times and had traveled between Kentucky and Illinois (a distance of some 160 miles) after permanently moving to Illinois.

One of their children, John Wheeler Meadows was the only child known to have been born in Hancock County, Kentucky, as opposed to Richland County, Illinois.

Somewhere around 1850, John H. Meadows and Mary Elizabeth (Willian) Meadows came to live in Richland County, Illinois.

They were crossing the Ohio River near Hawesville, Kentucky, with their belongings in a small boat. Heck, the dog, was also in the boat with them but kept pacing back and forth. The water was rough and Mary became worried that the boat would overturn. Becoming irritated, John H. picked up Heck and threw him into the water. Heck swam back to the Kentucky side of the river (quite wide at that point - about 1/2 to 1/4 mile wide).

It was late in the year and (first land purchased in Richland County was on 1 October 1850; David Andrew was born in November,) cold and rainy and while John went to sell the boat, Mary Elizabeth built up a fire. The children cried because Heck kept whining and pacing the bank of the opposite side of the river.

The next spring, one of Mary Elizabeth's brothers came to Richland County, Illinois riding a horse and had Heck with him, coming from Hancock County, Kentucky, a distance of some 160 miles. It was hard to say who was most overjoyed, Heck or the children.

John H. had the ability to make money, he worked hard, bought more land, knew how to invest his money wisely, but he could not let whiskey alone. It never bothered him to be in town backed up against a wall to hide the hole in the seat of his pants. He still used money to buy whiskey.

He spent lots of time around the bars when he was in town.

The Fox Creek Bridge (pumping station) was about 1 3/4 miles from their home and the bridge was a wooden floor that made lots of noise. They could hear Grandpa John H. singing a long time before the bridge rattled and they knew he was drunk. I have been told he had a beautiful voice and would sing all the way home when he was drunk.

The request of John H. Meadows was to be buried on a bluff on his place overlooking Mash Creek, a stream that watered his livestock at the home place.

He was plowing in the garden when he fell down. They carried him into the house where he died the next day. The horses pulled hard to get the hearse through the low, muddy place at the base of the hill the day of the burial, and struggled all the way to the top of the bluff. There are also two of their babies buried up there on the bluff. The grave is unmarked except for three pine trees that were planted there to mark the graves. The clearing leading up the hill toward the burial place, is a beautiful, peaceful place.

For the 1860 census on 6 September 1860 he was with his wife and six children in Preston Township, Richland County, Illinois.

For the 1870 census on 29 July 1870 he was with his wife and eight children in Preston Township, Richland County, Illinois.

For the 1880 census on 11 June 1880 he was with his second wife and five children in Preston Township, Richland County, Illinois.