ALICE ANN MORRIS-MEEKINS (age 70)
March 1866 ~ April 1936

Alice Ann Morris-Meekins was born in March 1866. Her date of birth is unknown. She was born in Cumberland Landing, New Kent County, Virginia to William Morris and Lavinia Taylor-Morris.

She met Jefferson Davis Meekins, Sr. and they were married on June 26, 1884. Soon they relocated to their new home with a farm on many acres of land in a community called Chickahominy on Chickahominy Road in Toano, James City County, Virginia and to their union twelve children were born.

Alice's documents all state that she was mulatto but according to my father John Meekins, his brother Albert Meekins who were told stories by their first cousin Theresa "Tee" Meekins-Braxton-Gardner whom was raised in her maternal grandparents home before and after the passing of her mother Lillian "Lil" in June 1927. John and Albert's mother Mabelle had also passed away two months prior in April 1927.

Grandmother Alice assisted with raising all of her grandchildren. Tee, John and Albert all said that Alice was a pure, full-blooded Cherokee Indian. I loved listening to their stories about their wonderful loving grandmother, mother, wife and housewife they all loved and adored. They always talked about how very beautiful she was with pretty dark brown skin and that her pretty black hair was so long that she had to hold it before sitting down to keep from sitting on it.

After her husband Jeff passed away in 1925 their son Earley Meekins, Sr. relocated Alice to his home in 1930 at 108 Lincoln Ave, Long Branch, Monmouth County, New Jersey to live with her son.and his family.

Alice became ill in December 1935 and was hospitalized in March 1936 for three weeks then on the night of Friday, April 3, 1936 she passed away at Monmouth Memorial Hospital now known as Monmouth Medical Center at the age of seventy. Her cause of death is unknown.

Rev. James Choice, pastor of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Liberty Street, Long Branch officiated a brief funeral morning service at Flock Funeral Home, Broadway, Long Branch then Alice's body was shipped by train to Baltimore, Maryland for a second funeral service there for family members then shipped by train again to her home town in Toano, James City County, Virginia for a third funeral service at Chickahominy Baptist Church and buried there in the church cemetery united once again with her husband Jeff, Sr.

Flock Funeral Home Inc, 243 Broadway, Long Branch, New Jersey was in charge of arrangements.

Note:
Alice and Jefferson Meekins, Sr. had twelve children; three daughters and nine sons.
Notice the gap in births between their twelve children. Three years from 1892 to 1895, four years from 1895 to 1899, 11 years from 1899 to 1900, four years from 1900 to 1904 and six years from 1908 to 1914.

I always knew that there were nine children but unbeknownst to me my search revealed three additional children totaling twelve and those three children were Andrew, Lou and Baby Jeff Jr.

Note:
Alice Meekins signed documents under two other last names.
The first was Alice "Marshall" because that was her mother Lavinia's second husband's name "Henry Marshall."
The second was Alice "Greenhow" but as of yet I haven't found the reason why she used "Greenhow" for her last name.

Note:
Alice's original obituary has an error: her eldest son Willie was not named.

Alice Meekins has no grave marker or headstone. The location of her burial plot is unknown but it is believed to be in front of the church and on the left side.

Bio by: Sheila Meekins (48066896) •
*My paternal great grandmother