The Meece narrative encompasses infidelity, betrayal and murder, both by shotgun and by dynamite. It includes family conspiracies to commit homicide by poisoning. Just your typical American family, right?

The primary purpose of this website, however, is to introduce you to the most amazing gentleman that I have ever encountered, my great-grandfather, Theophilus Franklin (T.F.) Meece. It is absolutely astonishing that I was able to discover so much information about a man that lived from the mid 1800’s to the early 1900’s. T.F. Meece clearly understood the power of the written word. I can certainly draw equivalences to the amount of information that you can find on today’s social media.

The Meece tale also contains accounts of bravery, sacrifice and loss in the War of 1812, the Civil War, World War I, etc. Tales of mutiny, slavery, saloons, prisons, the Meece Hotel and the wild, wild west. The account includes characters such as Andrew Jackson, Stonewall Jackson, James Longstreet and John Bell Hood, of the famed Hood’s Texas Brigade, and Doc Holiday. It tells of the courage of Meece family pioneers from Tennessee who helped shape the great State of Texas. These pioneers were preceded by the likes of Tennesseans such as James K. Polk, Sam Houston and Davy Crockett who greatly impacted Texas.

The Meece saga describes the savagery of Gettysburg, the battle at Little Round Top and tragic loss of Meece family members. It speaks of the surrender at Appomattox, Reconstruction and resurrection. The Meece story transports you back in time for a journey on flatboats, stagecoaches, steamboats, steamships, and packet boats. It will take you back to the earliest days of the railroads. It highlights a voyage onboard the RMS Olympic, sister ship of the Titanic and the Britannic, which sank after striking a mine in 1916. Come along for the ride and explore the rich history of the Meece family.

I have attached an exhaustive and comprehensive genealogical research document encompassing six generations of the Meece family. The author was my first cousin Richard (Rick) Fredrick Linstead. My sister Patrice Ann Meece provided the initial framework. she was a member of the National Genealogical Society and began her research prior to personal computers, the internet and genealogy websites. It was published on September 29, 2008 and it is appropriately titled Descendants of Theophilus Franklin Meece.

PS This isn’t just a static account of historical events. You will have the opportunity to suggest corrections, modifications and additions to the stories through the Blog.