I hope and intend to pass along to you while my memory is pretty good the characteristics of my parents and Robert C. Meredith, my grandfather. He was raised in the vicinity of Antrim, Ohio. His father George Meredith and Elizabeth Bain Meredith had 13 children. President Monroe gave the 160 acres near Antrim to George's father, Thomas Meredith, a Revolutionary War soldier, land grant made to all these soldiers.
The land was very rough and poor, but they raised their family there. George and his wife bought the first piano that was sold west of the Appalachian Mountains. Their children were musically inclined and taught singing by rote, that is by singing it over and over without printed music.
When George died he gave the land to the 2 oldest sons. The family scattered, one went west to Kansas, two to Illinois and one to Wisconsin. Robert C. came to Illinois and married Sara Wiley in 1851, she died in 1866. He then married Louisa Gray and to this union were born 5 children. The first three died in infancy and the last two, Lily and Robert L. lived after Robert C. died and was buried in Judsonia, Arkansas.
Louisa Gray Meredith brought the children back to Illinois near Noble, IL, where Lily received enough education to teach school. She married Odin Taylor and they had two sons, Marion and Kenneth, both became medical doctors.
Robert L. married Laura Guyot, her parents were of German decent. Their parents were immigrants from Alsas Lorraine. Her father was Adam Guyot. He bought a farm near Noble, IL. He was also a blacksmith. He and Robert C. Meredith, who was a woodworker joined forces and built wagons. Meredith did the woodwork and Guyot the iron work.
Louisa Guyot, mother of Laura Meredith was a Stroup. She was a small thin woman, as I remember. She was a good manager and knew how to handle money. I was teenager when she died. Her grandsons were pallbearers. My first experience and it was the custom for the family to fill in the grave. The grave was dug b y friends and neighbors. She and her husband were both buried in Greenhill Cemetery, Decker Township, about 1 1/2 miles east of Freedom Church where they all went to church, both families. Louisa and Adam Guyot had 10 children, those that survived were James, William, Charley, to manhood. Two daughters, Nellie who married William Martin and Laura who married Robert L. Meredith.
The Robert Merediths had 7 children. The first was Nesley who died at birth, Ernest, Caryl, Louisa, Dorthy, Eleanor, and Lester. The Meredith owned 120 acres about 2 miles south of Noble, where they lived till March 1923. Robert Meredith was a farmer, raised hogs, chickens, turkeys, and milked cows. As a side line he was an auctioneer. He and his brother-in-law were on the committee to build a new church.
Adam Guyot was a very active church member. At one time the Seventh Day Adventist church and the Freedom church held a debate as to whether Saturday or Sunday should be the day of worship. Adam entered into the debate using his German language Bible.
An attempt was made by the people of Noble vicinity to establish a 4 year high school, but it failed to carry. I, being the oldest went to Olney, 9 miles... of Noble and worked for my board in a dry goods and Ladies furnishings store.
My father and mother decided that all of their children could not go that far to school and they wanted them to have a high school education. By this time Rev. J. T. Brooks a former preacher at Freedom went to Bethel Church, South of Farmer City, he made contact with Edward England, who owned several farms in the area. He gave Robert a year round job on one of his farms and the family moved there to the Bethel neighborhood in March 1923.
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