Following is one of the Biographies and Stories which where gathered by Charles Sumner McKamy in the 1950s for publication in a Crawford County History Book. Unfortunately he passed away before the book was published.

Mother has asked me to complete the Meskimen family history for your book. Not knowing exactly what you want or need in information of Dad, I have jotted these details down.

Dad's love of sports and promotion of sports in Crawford County is notable. He intensely believed that sports should be a major part of youth. And of course, he was an outstanding football player in high school and one year of college.

Business played a major part of Dad's life. In 1927 he founded his own furniture business in the building we now own, in which the Second Hand Store is. His business efforts caused the expansion of this store to more and more room. In fact, just last year or the year before he procured three more rooms in the place where our big store is now. Dad owned a loan office, The Service Finance Company, in Pittsfield, Illinois. He was the major individual stockholder and vice president in the Crawford County State Bank of Robinson. He owned considerable real estate in Robinson and Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

His great zest for and joy of life are mother and my only consolations after his death of a sudden heart attack on Sept. 4, 1956 at age 54.

Dad and Emily Haskin were married at the Presbyterian Church in Robinson on March 30, 1927. They had one daughter, Dona, who married Ted Llewellyn on March 22, 1956 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Incidentally, Verlon Meskimen has a son George and a daughter Betty by his wife Alice. Russ Meskimen has a son and a daughter. Dessie Meskimen 1879 -- 1955, and Fred Meskimen 1871 -- 1941.

Mr. McKamey, if I can be of other help please let me know.

Signed, Dona Meskimen Llewellyn.

Meskimen Family Record

Frederick A. Meskimen writes the "Meskimen Family Record" as follows:

David Meskimen, the founder of the Meskimen's in America, born is Ireland about 1732, and migrated to America, settling in Washington County, Maryland in 1748. His father was an Irish weaver, being unable to pay his passage to this country he indentured himself, as was the custom of the day, to the Captain of the vessel that the cost of the voyage might be secured to the ship owner, arriving in America the papers were transferred to a Maryland planter named Abram Frees. He married his daughter, Rachel Frees a few years later, at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, he enlisted in the Continental Army and served continuously with the patriot forces until the close of the war. In 1763 David and Rachel died in Maryland and are buried near the old Abram Free Plantation. A hundred years ago their sons crossed the Allegany Mountains, pack horses used for the journey and settled in Ohio, to them were born seven sons and one daughter, John had two children, Abram two sons and one daughter, Joseph three sons and one daughter, David three sons and one daughter, William six sons and seven daughter, Israel died single, James three sons and six daughters, Rachel, who was the great grandmother of Gen. George A. Custer of the U.S. Army, who together with the entire command of 300 was massacred by the Indians in the Valley of the Little Big Horn in 1876.

David Meskimen, son of Abram Meskimen, was born in Washington County, Maryland, January 24, 1804. First wife, Catherine Gattsgiver born in Ohio. Three sons were born to this union, second wife, Margaret Howe, born in Baltimore County, Maryland, 4 sons and 5 daughters were born, third wife, Martha Burns, born in Ohio County, W. Virginia Oct. 8, 1833, two daughters, Adelphia and Emma, six sons, Franklin, Marion, Orville, Yates, William, Mead, Harry Winter, Lew Wallace, Fredrick Alexis, the youngest of David Meskimen, was born June 14, 1871, died in Robinson, Ill. April 22, 1941, the third set of children were all born in Crawford County, near Robinson.

Frederick A. was married to Dessie Aurora Parker, daughter of George W. Parker in Crawford County in 1891, two daughters and six sons were born to them, four sons and one daughter are yet alive, the oldest son, Carl Henry, enlisted in World War I in 1918 and the youngest son, Russell Parker, served his country in World War II, both followed the flag that their Grand Father, George W. Parker followed until its close. Russell, the youngest son of Frederick and Dessie Meskimen served his country from 1941 until the Armistice in the European Theatre of the War. "Fred", as he was commonly known by his friends, was reared on the old Meskimen Homestead, a part of the Beckwith Prairie, near the old Beckwith Presbyterian Church, where his father, David Meskimen is buried at the age of 69. His Mother, Martha Burns, died at the age of 87 years, born October 8, 1833, died June 2, 1921.

Fred was a farmer until the year 1902 when he was appointed Deputy County Sheriff and moved to Robinson, our County Seat where he resided until his death. He was appointed Postmaster in Robinson under President Warren G. Harding and served in this capacity for twelve years. He was a life long Republican, as was all the Meskimen family. A half brother Dr. John A. Meskimen served in the Civil War, David Meskimen, founder of the Meskimen Family served in the Revolutionary War. He enlisted in the Continental Army and served until the close in 1780.

Carl Harry, our oldest son, lives in Long Beach, Calif. He is a graduate Pharmacist.

Frederick Alexis, Jr., known by his friends as "Ted", lives in Robinson, in the Furniture business; Verlon Burns, another son, lives in Benton Harbor, Mich. In the merchantile business; Russell Parker, our youngest son, is a steam fitter by trade; an only daughter, Hazel Helen, lives in Long Beach, Calif., a teacher of Music and English, in which she has a Master's Degree in both subjects.

James Parker was born in the Carolinas in the year 1790. His son, Jonathan Parker came to Kentucky and was married there twice where six children were born by the first wife and five by the last wife. One son was Thomas Newman Parker, born in Kentucky, who came to Illinois in early boyhood. He was married to Mariah Attaway of Crawford County and sixteen children were born to them. He was a soldier in the Black Hawk War, later he was a successful farmer and stock raiser near Robinson and Flat Rock, a very prominent man and lived to be quite old. His wife passes away in middle age. He sent four sons to fight for the Union. All came back. This is the record of my Father, George Washington Parker, son of Thomas Newman Parker, and Grandson of Jonathan Parker, at the age of 21 years he enlisted in the service March 31, 1864 at St. Louis, Mo., as a private, Company "H", 11th Missouri Infantry, and was honorably discharged Jan. 15, 1866 at Memphis, Tenn. By reason of the muster out of the Company a private, before and after the war he was a farmer and stock-raiser. He was married to Sarah Jane Lewis in the fall of 1863. She was born in Lamott Township on Oct. 25, 1846, a daughter of Samuel Lewis, a farmer and stock-raiser of the same Township and to this union nine children were born, all but one small daughter, Janie, grew to maturity. George Washington Parker died May 22, 1886, was born Dec. 25, 1842. He and his wife, Sarah Jane Lewis Parker are sleeping in the New Hebron Cemetery in Crawford County, Ill. near the village of New Hebron.

Samuel Lewis was born in the year 1771, died Oct. 12, 1842, age 78 years, two months and thirteen days in Crawford County near Robinson. His grave is on the Lewis farm, the only grave in the field with a crude head stone. His son, Samuel Lewis, Second, was born on this farm and lived there many years until he moved to Robinson where he died. He married Ellen Garrard, seven children were born to them, five daughters and two sons, one son Samuel Lewis III, who was a farmer and stock-raise until he moved to Robinson. He and his wife Ellen are buried in the New Hebron Cemetery in Crawford County, Ill.

(The foregoing history is given us by Mrs. Dessie Aurora Parker Meskimen. Fred wrote this history shortly before his death on ___ day of ______ and Dessie gave the history to us just prior to her passing of the ___ day of ______ 19__.)