| ![Show Contents]() Meachem History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Welsh Meachem surname is thought to derived from name of the village of Machen, located near Caerphilly, in the county of Monmouthshire. Alternatively, the name could have been derived from the name of an ancestor as in 'the son of Matthew.' 1 Early Origins of the Meachem familyThe surname Meachem was first found in Monmouthshire (Welsh: Sir Fynwy), at Machen, a parish, in the union of Newport, partly in the hundred of Wentlloog, South Wales. 2 Early History of the Meachem familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Meachem research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1541, 1600, 1614 and 1675 are included under the topic Early Meachem History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Meachem Spelling VariationsThe Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. It was up to the priest or the scribe taking the official records to determine how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Meachem have included Machen, Machin, Machon, Mackon, Makin, Makins, MacMacken and many more. Early Notables of the Meachem familyProminent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was Thomas Machen (c. 1541-1614), an English mercer who was mayor of Gloucester three times, Member of Parliament for Gloucester in 1614; Bathsua Reginald Makin (c.1600-c.1675) English middle-class proto-feminist who...
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Meachem Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Meachem family to Ireland
Some of the Meachem family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Meachem familyDuring the latter half of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, the people of Wales journeyed to North America to find a new life. They made major contributions to the arts, industry and commerce of both Canada and the United States, and added a rich cultural heritage to their newly adopted societies. A look at the immigration and passenger lists has shown a number of people bearing the name Meachem: Bernard, Charles, Hugh, James, John, Michael, Patrick, Steven and Thomas Mackin all arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1840 and 1860; Hugh, Michael, Patrick, Thomas and William Macken also arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1860.
| Contemporary Notables of the name Meachem (post 1700) | + |
- Robert Emery Meachem (b. 1984), American NFL football wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers
- Thomas W. Meachem, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1912, 1916, 1920 3
- John G. Meachem, American politician, Mayor of Racine, Wisconsin, 1876-78 3
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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Wales
Ireland
