George  Holbrook  Meiks
"George H. Meiks, Attorney-at-Law, Security Trust & Savings Building, Shelbyville, Indiana"
          George H(olbrook) Meiks* was born in Marion Twp., Shelby Co., Ind., Sept, 16, 1873; son of  Sampson and Barbara J. (Holbrook) Meiks.
          Sampson Meiks was born on a farm in Rush Co., Ind., Aug. 9, 1837. His father, Jacob Meiks, was born in Penn., in 1811, and when a young man came to Rush Co., Ind., where he engaged in farming. He died in 1874. In 1857 he changed the family name from Meincks to Meiks, in the Shelby County Circuit Court. He was of Holland Dutch ancestry. He and his wife are buried in the Bennett Cemetery, in Shelby County. Sampson Meiks was reared in Rush Co., Ind., and after his marriage moved to Shelby County, and purchased a farm in Marion Twp., where he reared his children. He engaged in farming in Shelby County. He died Mar. 25, 1895. He was a soldier in the Civil War, as were 2 of his brothers. His wife, Barbara J. (Holbrook) Meiks, who also is decd., was born in Shelby Co., Ind. She was the daughter of John and Mary Ann (Brown) Holbrook. Sampson and Barbara J. (Holbrook) Meiks are buried in the Bennett Cemetery, in Shelby Co., Ind. They were the parents of 6 children, 2 of whom died when young. Those living are as follows: (1) John W., who engages in farming in Shelby Co., Ind. (2) Maggie J. (Meiks) Mohr, who resides on a farm in Shelby County. (3) George Holbrook. (4) Scott, who is mgr. of the Producers Commission Ass., Indianapolis. He resides in Shelbyville.
          John Holbrook,* father of Barbara J. (Holbrook) Meiks, was born in Stokes Co., N.C., July 13, 1813, and when a youth came with his parents to Union Twp., Shelby Co., Ind. He was a farmer. He died Apr. 3, 1900. His wife, Mary Ann (Brown) Holbrook, who was born in Harrison Co., Ohio, in 1812, died in 1898. They were the parents of 8 children who reached maturity.
          George H. Meiks, the subject of this sketch, attended dist. high sch. 2 years. He was a student of  Northern Ind. Normal Sch. (now Valparaiso Univ.), 2 terms, and later of Marion (Ind.) Coll., Normal Dept. In 1898 he was graduated from Ind. Law Sch., in Indianapolis, with an LL.B. deg. After attending normal sch. he taught in the dist. schs. 3 years. In 1896 he began reading law in Shelbyville, and following his graduation from law sch. in 1898, began the prac. of law in Shelbyville. On Apr. 29, 1899, he formed a partnership with Charles A. Hack, with whom he was associated until 1922. He since has practiced independently, with offices in Shelbyville. Mr. Meiks served as county atty. of Shelby County 2 terms, having been elected to the office in 1925. He was a mem. of the Sch. Bd. from 1907 to 1910. He is chmn. of the bd, of dirs., and vice-pres. of The Shelby Nat'l Bank. Mr. Meiks, who is a Republican, is a mem. of the following: Masonic Lodge (mem. of Chapter); Rotary Club (past pres.); Shelby County Chapter, Citizens Hist. Assn.; and Bapt. Church. Mr. Meiks, who especially enjoys farming, owns 640 acres of farmland located in Shelby County.
          On May 16, 1900, George H. Meiks married Stella L. Thompson, of Shelby Co., Ind., dau. of  William C. and Angie (Stafford) Thompson, the former of whom engaged in farming. Mrs. and Mrs. Meiks are the parents of 2 children: (1) Lyman Thompson, born Oct. 22, 1902. He was graduated from high sch., and later recd. an A.B. deg. from DePauw Univ. In 1927 he recd. an M.D. deg. from Johns Hopkins Univ. Sch. of Medicine, in Baltimore, Md., and for 15 months was an interne [sic] at Johns Hopkins Hosp.  He later was a student at Yale Univ. Sch. of Medicine, and during his second year there, served as an instr. in New Haven Hosp., which instn. is operated in connection with the univ.  He served also as resident physician and as asst. resident physician to Yale Univ. Infirmary.  Since 1931 he has served as physician in charge at the James Whitcomb Riley Hosp. for Children, in Indianapolis, Ind., where he is also associate professor of pediatrics at Ind. Univ. Sch. of Medicine.
          He married Marie Olson, of Omaha, Neb. She was graduated from the Univ. of Neb. with an A.B. deg., and was graduated in nursing in New York City.  Dr. and Mrs. Meiks are the parents of one child, Karen, a dau. (2) Dolores, born Dec. 30, 1904. She was graduated from high sch., and later recd. and A.B. deg. from DePauw Univ.  She formerly was employed in the advertising dept of Marshall Field & Co., in Chicago, Ill. She married Marshall V. Jewell, of Chicago. Mr. and Mrs. Jewell reside in Evanston, Ill.  They are the parents of 2 children, Robert Marshall and Gary.
* For further data regarding mems. of the Meiks and Holbrook families, see Edward H. Chadwick "Chadwick's History of Shelby County, Indiana" (B.F. Bowen & Co., Indianapolis, Ind., 1909), pp. 564, 632 and 972.  "Citizens Historical Association" Indianapolis, No. 2 D12 E73 F4, JCC/DLH


          Among those who joined the tide of emigration to the West in the first half of the nineteenth century was Jacob Meiks, born in Pennsylvania in 1811, of Holland Dutch stock.  He made his way to Indiana in early manhood, entered land in Rush county and followed agricultural pursuits until his death, in 1874. His son, Sampson Meiks, was born on his father's farm, August 9, 1837, married Barbara Holbrook, and continued in the business of farming until his earthly career was ended, March 25, 1895.  In the fall of 1863 he enlisted, and was mustered in as a private in Company H, Sixteenth Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, later transferred to the Thirteenth Indiana Cavalry and served until November, 1865, when he was honorably discharged.  He drew a pension of seventeen dollars a month, on account of disability incurred and had the trputation of having made a faithful soldier during his time at the front. Two of his brothers, Albert and George, were also in the Union army and the whole family was noted for their patriotism. Sampson Meiks bought a farm in Marion township, Shelby county, and here he reared his family, consisting of six children, of whom four are living.  His wife was descended from North Carolina parents and one of her uncles was a Union soldier.  Matthew Brown, her great-grandfather on the mother's side, was in the Revolutionary war, and Wesley W. Brown, of Union township, is an uncle.  Of her children,  Alva and  Mary are long since dead.  John W., a Marion township farmer, married  Tillie, daughter of  Thomas Linville, and has two children,  Carroll and  Frank. Maggie J., widow of  Lewis W. Mohr, who died in 1905, resides on a farm in Union township, her children being  Earl S.,  Leroy,  Edna and  Waldo.  Scott, who is unmarried, lives with his widowed mother on the home place.
          George H. Meiks, the other of Sampson's four living children, was born on his father's farm in Marion township, Shelby county, Indiana, September 16, 1873. After graduating in 1890 he taught school for several years in Union and Marion townships.  He spent a year at Valparaiso, taking a course in the Normal school of that place and put in the same length of time at a later date in the Marion (Indiana) Normal.  In 1896 he began the study of law in the office of Adams & Carter, at Shelbyville, then attended the Indianapolis Law School two years, and at the same time continued his studies in the office of ex-Judge Byron K. Elliott, of Indianapolis, until 1898.  He was graduated in the class of 1898, numbering fifty-two students, and the second prize in a contest for the best scholarship. In the class he received honorable mention, with five others, for good work.  In September, 1898, a few days before his twenty-fifth birthday, he opened an office in the Sutton building, corner of Harrison and Broadway. He was alone until April 29, 1899, when he formed a partnership with Charles Hack, ex-County Prosecutor, and changed his office to the Knights of Pythias building. In 1904 they removed to the second floor of the Hamilton building, where they have since remained. In December, 1906, Mr. Meiks was chosen to fill a vacancy on the school board, and was re-elected for a full term in June, 1907, and is now serving as treasurer of the board. In 1906-07 he served acceptably as County Attorney of Shelby county, and in 1907 was especially honored by being invited to deliver the memorial address before the local post of the Grand Army of the Republic, which was appropriate and much appreciated, as Mr. Meiks is himself the son of a veteran.
          Mr. Meiks is past master in Lodge No. 28, Free and Accepted Masons, also is a member of Chapter 20, Royal Arch Masons, and is a deacon of the Baptist church.
          May 16, 1900, he married  Stella, daughter of  William C. and Angie (Stafford) Thompson, the former a retired farmer, of Shelbyville. Mrs. Meiks is well educated and a good musician. Mr. and Mrs. Meiks have two children, Lyman Thompson, born October 22, 1902, and Delores, born December 30, 1904.
Chadwick's History of Shelby County, Indiana, by Edward H. Chadwick, B.A., assisted by well known local talent, B.F. Bowen & Co, Publishers: Indianapolis, IN, 1909, pages 972-974.

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