Elizabeth Mead

Not the same as Sarah Meade

The wife of William Mead (1658-1726) was most likely named Elizabeth. A number of online sources and publications designate her name as "Elizabeth Sarah Fell", but this has not been proven, and her full name and origins remain unknown as of 10/6/2022. (Birth seen as February 07, 1667 in Stepney, London, England.)

It is possible that the "Sarah Fell" part of her attributed name is likely a remnant from past confusion between this profile's husband, William Mead (1658-1726), and William Mead (1629-1699) who married Sarah Fell and was associated with William Penn. This confusion may have originated from an incorrect reporting in The Mead or Meade Family, compiled by John Howard Mead, of Savannah, Ga, in 1873, and one of his Descendants, Mrs. H. Clay Rees, of Hampton, Virginia, in 1921, Houston Printing and Publishing House. 1924.

On page 53 of that publication, it states that the 3 brothers who moved from Bucks County, PA to Virginia were the sons of "William Mead and Jane Fell [who] came from Essex County, England, with William Penn on his first visit to America in 1682."

The name "Jane Fell" in the above citation is an error. The William Mead who was associated with William Penn was married to Sarah Fell.

In addition, the 3 brothers listed in the citation: John Mead and his wife, Mary [Mary Abrell]; William Mead and his wife, Elinor Worel [Ellen Worrell]; and Samuel Mead [who married Margaret Unknown and Mary Downey], were the sons of this William Mead (1658-1726) and his wife Elizabeth.

The other William Mead (1627-1713) and Sarah Fell had only 2 known sons - Jonathan, who died young (1679-1680), and Nathaniel (1684-1760), who married Martha Scawen and remained in England.

William and his wife, Elizabeth, are reported to have had 7 children:

1. John b. 1703, d. 1754, m. 1726 Mary Abrell;
2. William b. 1706, d 1794, m. Ellen Worrell
3. Rachel, m. William Carter and Andrew Wright
4. Robert, b. 1710;
5. Samuel, b. 1712, d. in NJ, m1. Margaret Unknown, m2. 1737 Mary Downey;
6. Pleasant, b. 1717, d. 1787, m. 1736 William Satterwaite
7. Sarah, b. 1719, m. Richard Van Blunk.

See p 274 people #576 William Mead and #577 "Elizabeth Sarah Fell" (unproven) Note that a number of publications erroneously place this William Mead as a son of Rev. Matthew Mead (brother of the William Mead who married Sarah Fell discussed above).

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=AvTWT-R3glAC&pg=PA274&lpg=PA274...

and for info on the kids see p 275 people #582 William Meade and #583 Ellen Worrell.

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=AvTWT-R3glAC&pg=PA274&lpg=PA274...

References

1. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Mead-626
2. Callahan, G. C. “Some of the Meads.” The William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 10, no. 3, 1902, pp. 191–97. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1915231. Accessed 6 Oct. 2022. (Name of William Mead’s wife not listed)
3. “Accurate Margaret Fell Genealogy” < link > “One of the main points of this photo is to identify (and limit) the children of Margaret Fell, the 'mother of Quakerism'. Unfortunate scholarship adds others who are not Margaret's children.” (No “Elizabeth Fell” on this chart.)
4. https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/vitals/GX8C-3R9 (no real citations)