Individual Details
Abner Mead
(1803 - 1823)
From History of Delaware Co. by WW Musnell 1797-1880 (electronic copy found on internet by Mark Lozer- copy of article in the Mead file)
"Abner Mead and Ruben Craft were lost in forest one winter's night, and their bodies were found frozen the following morning, only a few rods from their homes."
From Kevin Mead- This is the Abner that froze to death, along with his uncle Ruben Craft. One county history reports that the event happened in 1797, which in is error, since This Abner wasn't born until 1803 and the other (his grandfather) is listed on the 1800 census.
Poem for Abner Mead and Reuben Craft:
A ballad was written about Ruben and Abner Mead who died in a bad snow storm on their way
home from a barn raising. Crossing the mountains through Redkill to Halcott Center, when they
stopped under a tree to rest in Redkill. Tradition says that they partook rather freely of whatever
men did partake of in that day.
A Ballad of Frozen Men (author unknown)
Awake, awake, my friends give ear
Think on these deaths, which was severe,
"Twas on the tenth of January
Eighteen hundred twenty-three.
It was then from home two men did go
In a bad storm of wind and snow
To tell their names I must proceed
It was Ruben Craft and Abner Mead.
That day was spend as many are,
To think on death was not their care.
But O how soon we now may see
Men go from home to eternity.
They then sat out for to go home
But, alas, they never did come,
The night being dark, the storm severe,
It proved their deaths as you will hear.
The day being gone, the night being spent,
Word to their parents then was sent,
Their fathers quickly did appear
To look for their sons they loved so dear.
Great lamentations then were made.
"Our sons are dead," they often said,
They wrung their hands they wept full sore,
"Our sons alive we'll see no more."
Then to the woods they all did go
To look for these men as you may know,
Then after looking all around
They found them dead upon the ground.
An awful sight they then did view.
Abner being dead and Ruben too.
God's power made known, as we may say
In an awful and tremendous way.
There is one thing ignore I will relate
Concerning Ruben's dreadful fate,
He left a wife and children dear
To lament his absence here.
Now to the friends of broken heart,
One word of comfort I'd impart,
As you know, good Job did say,
"The Lord will give and take away."
Lord sanctify this stroke I pray
And fit us for that dreadful day
That we with Christ at last may stand
In heaven above at thy right hand.
-- MERGED NOTE ------------
From History of Delaware Co. by WW Musnell 1797-1880 (electronic copy found on internet by Mark Lozer- copy of article in the Mead file)
"Abner Mead and Ruben Craft were lost in forest one winter's night, and their bodies were found frozen the following morning, only a few rods from their homes."
From Kevin Mead- This is the Abner that froze to death, along with his uncle Ruben Craft. One county history reports that the event happened in 1797, which in is error, since This Abner wasn't born until 1803 and the other (his grandfather) is listed on the 1800 census.
Poem for Abner Mead and Reuben Craft:
A ballad was written about Ruben and Abner Mead who died in a bad snow storm on their way
home from a barn raising. Crossing the mountains through Redkill to Halcott Center, when they
stopped under a tree to rest in Redkill. Tradition says that they partook rather freely of whatever
men did partake of in that day.
A Ballad of Frozen Men (author unknown)
Awake, awake, my friends give ear
Think on these deaths, which was severe,
"Twas on the tenth of January
Eighteen hundred twenty-three.
It was then from home two men did go
In a bad storm of wind and snow
To tell their names I must proceed
It was Ruben Craft and Abner Mead.
That day was spend as many are,
To think on death was not their care.
But O how soon we now may see
Men go from home to eternity.
They then sat out for to go home
But, alas, they never did come,
The night being dark, the storm severe,
It proved their deaths as you will hear.
The day being gone, the night being spent,
Word to their parents then was sent,
Their fathers quickly did appear
To look for their sons they loved so dear.
Great lamentations then were made.
"Our sons are dead," they often said,
They wrung their hands they wept full sore,
"Our sons alive we'll see no more."
Then to the woods they all did go
To look for these men as you may know,
Then after looking all around
They found them dead upon the ground.
An awful sight they then did view.
Abner being dead and Ruben too.
God's power made known, as we may say
In an awful and tremendous way.
There is one thing ignore I will relate
Concerning Ruben's dreadful fate,
He left a wife and children dear
To lament his absence here.
Now to the friends of broken heart,
One word of comfort I'd impart,
As you know, good Job did say,
"The Lord will give and take away."
Lord sanctify this stroke I pray
And fit us for that dreadful day
That we with Christ at last may stand
In heaven above at thy right hand.
"Abner Mead and Ruben Craft were lost in forest one winter's night, and their bodies were found frozen the following morning, only a few rods from their homes."
From Kevin Mead- This is the Abner that froze to death, along with his uncle Ruben Craft. One county history reports that the event happened in 1797, which in is error, since This Abner wasn't born until 1803 and the other (his grandfather) is listed on the 1800 census.
Poem for Abner Mead and Reuben Craft:
A ballad was written about Ruben and Abner Mead who died in a bad snow storm on their way
home from a barn raising. Crossing the mountains through Redkill to Halcott Center, when they
stopped under a tree to rest in Redkill. Tradition says that they partook rather freely of whatever
men did partake of in that day.
A Ballad of Frozen Men (author unknown)
Awake, awake, my friends give ear
Think on these deaths, which was severe,
"Twas on the tenth of January
Eighteen hundred twenty-three.
It was then from home two men did go
In a bad storm of wind and snow
To tell their names I must proceed
It was Ruben Craft and Abner Mead.
That day was spend as many are,
To think on death was not their care.
But O how soon we now may see
Men go from home to eternity.
They then sat out for to go home
But, alas, they never did come,
The night being dark, the storm severe,
It proved their deaths as you will hear.
The day being gone, the night being spent,
Word to their parents then was sent,
Their fathers quickly did appear
To look for their sons they loved so dear.
Great lamentations then were made.
"Our sons are dead," they often said,
They wrung their hands they wept full sore,
"Our sons alive we'll see no more."
Then to the woods they all did go
To look for these men as you may know,
Then after looking all around
They found them dead upon the ground.
An awful sight they then did view.
Abner being dead and Ruben too.
God's power made known, as we may say
In an awful and tremendous way.
There is one thing ignore I will relate
Concerning Ruben's dreadful fate,
He left a wife and children dear
To lament his absence here.
Now to the friends of broken heart,
One word of comfort I'd impart,
As you know, good Job did say,
"The Lord will give and take away."
Lord sanctify this stroke I pray
And fit us for that dreadful day
That we with Christ at last may stand
In heaven above at thy right hand.
-- MERGED NOTE ------------
From History of Delaware Co. by WW Musnell 1797-1880 (electronic copy found on internet by Mark Lozer- copy of article in the Mead file)
"Abner Mead and Ruben Craft were lost in forest one winter's night, and their bodies were found frozen the following morning, only a few rods from their homes."
From Kevin Mead- This is the Abner that froze to death, along with his uncle Ruben Craft. One county history reports that the event happened in 1797, which in is error, since This Abner wasn't born until 1803 and the other (his grandfather) is listed on the 1800 census.
Poem for Abner Mead and Reuben Craft:
A ballad was written about Ruben and Abner Mead who died in a bad snow storm on their way
home from a barn raising. Crossing the mountains through Redkill to Halcott Center, when they
stopped under a tree to rest in Redkill. Tradition says that they partook rather freely of whatever
men did partake of in that day.
A Ballad of Frozen Men (author unknown)
Awake, awake, my friends give ear
Think on these deaths, which was severe,
"Twas on the tenth of January
Eighteen hundred twenty-three.
It was then from home two men did go
In a bad storm of wind and snow
To tell their names I must proceed
It was Ruben Craft and Abner Mead.
That day was spend as many are,
To think on death was not their care.
But O how soon we now may see
Men go from home to eternity.
They then sat out for to go home
But, alas, they never did come,
The night being dark, the storm severe,
It proved their deaths as you will hear.
The day being gone, the night being spent,
Word to their parents then was sent,
Their fathers quickly did appear
To look for their sons they loved so dear.
Great lamentations then were made.
"Our sons are dead," they often said,
They wrung their hands they wept full sore,
"Our sons alive we'll see no more."
Then to the woods they all did go
To look for these men as you may know,
Then after looking all around
They found them dead upon the ground.
An awful sight they then did view.
Abner being dead and Ruben too.
God's power made known, as we may say
In an awful and tremendous way.
There is one thing ignore I will relate
Concerning Ruben's dreadful fate,
He left a wife and children dear
To lament his absence here.
Now to the friends of broken heart,
One word of comfort I'd impart,
As you know, good Job did say,
"The Lord will give and take away."
Lord sanctify this stroke I pray
And fit us for that dreadful day
That we with Christ at last may stand
In heaven above at thy right hand.
Events
| Birth | 1803 |  | |||
| Death | 1823 | froze | |
Families
| Father | James Mead (1781 - 1856) |
| Mother | Jerusha Craft (1785 - 1865) |
| Sibling | Jacob Mead (1807 - 1880) |
| Sibling | Living |
| Sibling | Lydia Mead (1806 - ) |
| Sibling | Living |
| Sibling | Sally Mead (1827 - ) |
| Sibling | Living |
| Sibling | Living |
| Sibling | Living |
| Sibling | Pheby Mead (1822 - 1900) |
| Sibling | Living |
| Sibling | Living |
| Sibling | Living |
Endnotes
1. Kevin Mead via E-Mail (krpntrkev60@webtv.net), 31 Mar 2000.
2. Kevin Mead via E-Mail (krpntrkev60@webtv.net), 31 Mar 2000.