William Calvin Meacham was married
to Catherine Texana Hightower, born February 28, 1865. She was the daughter of Alfred Madison and
Sarah Grantham Hightower of Smithfield. Her ancestors settled west of Zion (changed to Smithfield
in 1887) in 1848. Her father was a
captain in the Confederate Army, served under General Price and fought in the
battles Corinth, Iuka and Tupelo.
His Joseph Manton breech loading rifle manufactured in London is a treasured possession in the home
of a grandson, William Alfred Meacham.
During their residence in Tarrant County, William Calvin Meacham and his
wife became the parents of six children.
Mary Virginia died in infancy.
William Alfred was born February 4, 1890. Arthur Guy was born March 6, 1893 and Allie
May, born February 22, 1895. Walter Carl
was born in 1898 and Luther Thomas on February 10, 1902.
When Allie May was _____, the
family moved to the Pottawatomie Reservation in the Indian
Territory. The wagon train
included Lynx, a dappled gray Percheron stallion which had been imported from France by
Captain Speer at a price of $1400.
The greatest hazard of the trip was
quick sand in the South Canadian River. A horse and rider crossed first to check the
depth of the water. When the wagon
followed, the father held the lines and the mother applied the whip to urge the
horses forward, lessening the danger of sinking in the sand.
Before 1902, the family had
returned to Tarrant
County.
