Priddy Meeks facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Priddy Meeks |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | August 29, 1795 Greenville, South Carolina, United States |
| Died | July 30, 1886 (aged 90) Orderville, Utah Territory, United States |
| Resting place | Orderville Cemetery 37°16′20″N 112°38′12″W / 37.2722°N 112.6367°W |
| Spouse(s) | Mary "Polly" Bartlett Meeks Sarah Mahurin Meeks Mary Jane McCleve Meeks |
| Children | 19 |
Priddy Meeks (born August 29, 1795 – died October 7, 1886) was a doctor on the American frontier. He used a special type of natural medicine called Thomsonian medicine. He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Priddy Meeks was also a pioneer who helped start new towns in Utah. He was the very first doctor in Southern Utah. You might even find him as a character in some stories about Mormon history, like "They Did Go Forth" by Maurine Whipple.
Early Life and Becoming a Doctor
Priddy Meeks was born in 1795. When he was about two or three years old, his family moved from South Carolina to Grayson County, Kentucky. They lived there for about 12 years. Then, they moved to Indiana. Sadly, Priddy's father, Athe Meeks, was killed by Native Americans in 1812. After this attack, the family moved to French Island, Indiana, near the Ohio River. Priddy Meeks got married and owned a farm there.
Priddy Meeks decided to become a doctor after helping many sick people in his community. This happened during a time when many people were ill. He had not studied medicine in school, but he seemed to help people more than other doctors did. He learned about medicine from James Miller and a book called Thomson's New Guide to Health. He then started helping people in his community.
He used parts of Thomsonian medicine, like steam baths and remedies made from plants. Priddy Meeks often suggested natural cures, such as cayenne pepper or dandelions, to help with different sicknesses. He also made his own medicine called Dr. Meeks' Female Relief Pills. These pills were meant to improve health for both women and men. Priddy Meeks also wrote in his journal about facing evil spirits and seeing an angel.
In 1833, Meeks and his family moved from Indiana to Illinois. He became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1840. After joining the church, he moved to Nauvoo, Illinois. He lived there until 1846. In 1845, while returning from a business trip, Meeks was captured by a group of people. He was put in the same jail in Carthage, Illinois where Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith had been killed.
Life as a Pioneer in the West
In 1847, when he was 51 years old, Priddy Meeks traveled west with a group led by Jedediah M. Grant and Joseph B. Noble. This group had 171 people. They left from the Elkhorn River, which is near Winter Quarters, Nebraska. They started their journey on June 19 and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on October 2. During their long trip, Meeks helped many people who got sick. He wrote in his journal that some people in the group had diphtheria. He also wrote about other difficulties, like losing 62 cattle in a stampede.
Priddy Meeks stayed in Salt Lake City and became a well-known doctor. If he could not visit his patients, he would sometimes send a message. He would tell them to "jump all over the city creek, crawl back into your tent and cover up warm." Under the guidance of Willard Richards, Meeks became a leader and a founding member of a new group called the Society of Health. He worked with two other doctors, William A. Morse and Phineas Richards. This group helped sick people and also taught others about illnesses.
Priddy Meeks was asked to help settle and strengthen new areas. He traveled with Brigham Young to Parowan, Utah in May 1851. He became the first doctor in Southern Utah. He lived in Parowan for 10 years and continued to use herbal medicine. In June 1852, the city president, John C. L. Smith, invited him to explore Long Valley. Meeks also helped the community by building cabins. His own cabin in Parowan is still standing today. It is kept safe by the Parowan Heritage Foundation as the last pioneer farmstead in the area. It is listed on the Register of Historical Sites.
In 1861, Meeks left Parowan and moved to Harrisburg, Utah. His family also helped start new towns like Glendale (which was called Berryville back then) in 1864, and Mount Carmel in 1864. Later, in 1879, he moved to Orderville, Utah. He kept practicing medicine in Orderville. He even taught classes to midwives and people who wanted to become doctors.
Family Life
Priddy Meeks married Mary Bartlett in 1815. They had four children together. Mary passed away in Indiana. Three years later, on December 14, 1826, Meeks married Sarah Mahurin Smith. He and Sarah had five children. In Parowan, Meeks bought a young girl, about three or four years old, from a group of Native Americans. He named her Lucy and raised her as his own child.
When Meeks was 62 years old and married to Sarah, he decided to find another wife. Sarah even told him, "Don't you come back without another wife." He then married Mary Jane McCleve, who was 17 years old at the time. They were married in a special ceremony called sealing on November 12, 1865. Priddy and Mary Jane had 10 children together.
