According to Spencer Mead, William Mead was born about 1600 in England and sailed to America in April of 1635 on the ship Elizabeth. However, Gordon Remington in his article "The English Origin of William Mead of Stamford, CT" (The American Genealogist, 73(1), 1-10), shows that William was from Watford, Hertfordshire, and that there were no Meads on the passenger list of the Elizabeth.

William was baptized December 27, 1592, in Watford, Hertfordshire, the son of Priscilla Mead and Dorothy Grey. He married in Watford, Philip, last name unknown, and they had four known children.

William and his family arrived in New England some time before 1641, when he was assigned a home lot and five acres in Stamford in the New Haven colony.

Children of William and Philip:

Mary, baptized 17 Mar 1621/1622. She may have been the infant buried in Watford in 1626.

"On February 5, 1664, the Seven Proprietors made a formal request to the General Assembly in Hartford to be allowed to separate from Stamford and to support its own minister and lay out its own lands. The Seven Proprietors were John MEAD, Jonathan RENALDS, John HOBBY, Joseph FERRIS, Joshua KNAPP, Angell HUSTED, and Jeffrey FERRIS.

On May 11, 1665, the General Assembly in Hartford declared Greenwich a separate township, and authorized funds for the hiring and support of an orthodox minister. In 1672, the so-called "27 Proprietors" bought land from the few remaining Indians to the west of the "Myanos River." This land became known as "Horseneck" because of the neck of land now known as Field Point was the common HORSE PASTURE. "

John signed all documents with a mark, but had several books in his estate inventory, so he could probably read but not write.

Abigail, b. abt 1675. Fairfield Probate Records cited in The Ancestry of Elizabeth Barret Gillespie, "reveal that she was incompetent to manage her own affairs: 'Whereas John Mead Sen'r, deceased, of Greenwich, haveing not made Satisfieing provision in his will for his daughter Abegaile Mead, She being not Capable of doing for her Self as may be desired by Reason, whearof Ebeneaz Mead of Greenwich dos hereby, in the presence of ye Prerogative Court, Engage to pay unto ye s'd Abegaile Mead, his sister, ye Sum of therty and five pounds, to be paid unto her According as he Shall Apprehend She Shall stand in Need of it for her Comfortable subsistance."

Jonathan died about 1712. It is not known when Martha died, but probably before 12 Feb 1722, when her son James bought from his brothers Jonathan, Isaac, and Timothy "all their right and interest in their mother's estate".

Timothy was born in Horseneck, CT, 22 Apr 1701. After his father's death, his uncle Ebenezer Mead was appointed his guardian.

He married Martha Weeks, most likely in Horseneck, 28 Feb 1723. Spencer Mead does not record when Martha died and Timothy remarried Sarah Bouton, so it is unclear who was the mother of which children. In 1754, Timothy moved with his family to Nine Partners, in Dutchess County, New York. He moved again sometime in the 1770s to Rutland Co., VT, with six of his children. His sons Zebulon, James and Ezra settled on Otter Creek, in West Rutland. Spencer Mead states "these were the first white people that ever settled in Vemont." The Thralls did not arrive until twenty years later.

Timothy fought in the Revolutionary War in Ira Allen's Regiment of Vermont militia. Five of his sons and several of his grandsons also were soldiers in the war, most prominently his son James, who was a colonel. (Revolutionary War research by Harold Henderson).

Fifth Generation:

Ezra was born 9 Oct 1737, most likely in Horseneck, CT. He married Tryphena Burton, probably in Dutchess Co. She was the daughter of Jacob Burton and Mary Herrick and was about seventeen years old at the time. They moved to Rutland, VT, in the 1770s. Ezra fought in the Revolutionary War for Vermont in Warren's 15^th Regiment of Vermont Militia, along with his brothers Stephen and Zebulon. He died probably in 1784, leaving no will. The inventory of his estate was entered on record in Rutland, 4 December 1784. Isaac, the oldest son, "was appointed as guardian with his mother Tryphena, to his younger brothers and sisters, Lydia, Mary, Dorcas, Peter, Josiah, and Sinthy, all under the age of 14" (Vermont Families before 1791).

Tryphena remarried John Wylie, ten years later, 20 August 1794 in Wallingford, VT.

Ezra and Tryphena had fourteen children:

Eliphas and Mary moved to Granville, OH in 1815, where Eliphas' oldest brother Samuel was a member of the Licking Land Company. They were followed four years later by another brother, Jesse Thrall and his family. Several Meads also moved to Licking County, OH, including Mary's cousin Cary, who was there as early as 1808, and Ezra Mead, probably her brother.