Priddy Meeks (August 29, 1795 – October 7, 1886) was an American frontier doctor who practiced Thomsonian medicine. He was a polygamist member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

and helped settle areas in Utah as a

Mormon pioneer The Mormon pioneers were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also known as Latter Day Saints, who migrated beginning in the mid-1840s until the late-1860s across the United States from the Midwest to the S ...

. Meeks was the first doctor in Southern Utah. He occasionally appears as a character in

Mormon literature Mormon literature is generally considered to have begun a few years before the March 1830 publication of the Book of Mormon. Since then, Mormon literature has grown to include more scripture, as well as histories, fiction, biographies, poetry, ...

, such as the short story "They Did Go Forth" by

Maurine Whipple Maurine Whipple (January 20, 1903 – April 12, 1992) was an American novelist and short story writer best known for her novel ''The Giant Joshua'' (1941). The book is lauded as one of the most important Mormon novels, vividly depicting pioneer an ...

Early life

Priddy Meeks was born in 1795. His father, Athe Meeks, moved the family from

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

Grayson County, Kentucky Grayson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,420. Its county seat is Leitchfield. The county was formed in 1810 and named for William Grayson (1740-1790), a Revolutionary Wa ...

when Meeks was about two or three years old. The family lived there for about 12 years, until they moved to Indiana. Athe Meeks was killed by Native Americans in 1812. After the Native American attack on the family, they moved to French Island, Indiana on the Ohio River. Meeks was married and owned a farm. Meeks was inspired to become a doctor after helping many of the sick in his community during one particularly "sickly season". He had not studied medicine, but had helped more than doctors had. He learned medicine from James Miller and ''Thomson's New Guide to Health'', and practiced in his community. He used elements of Thomsonian medicine like steam baths and vegetable remedies. Meeks prescribed natural remedies like cayenne pepper or dandelions to cure various ailments. He also created Dr. Meeks' Female Relief Pills, which were intended for common use to improve health in not only females, but males as well. Meeks also recorded that he confronted devils, evil spirits, and saw an angel. Meeks moved from Indiana to Illinois in 1833 with his family. He became a member of

in 1840. After becoming a member, he moved to Nauvoo, Illinois and stayed there until 1846. In 1845, however, when he was returning home from a business trip, Meeks was captured by a mob and put in the same jail in

Carthage, Illinois Carthage is a city and the county seat of Hancock County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,490 as of the 2020 census, Carthage is best known for being the site of the 1844 death of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint mov ...

where

Joseph Smith Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, ...

and

Hyrum Smith Hyrum Smith (February 9, 1800 – June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the original church of the Latter Day Saint movement. He was the older brother of the movement's founder, J ...

were martyred.

Life in the West

In 1847, he traveled with the Jedediah M. Grant-Joseph B. Noble Company when he was 51. The wagon company traveled with 171 individuals from the

Elkhorn River The Elkhorn River is a river in northeastern Nebraska, United States, that originates in the eastern Sandhills and is one of the largest tributaries of the Platte River, flowing and joining the Platte just southwest of Omaha, approximately s ...

, which is outside of Winter Quarters, Nebraska. They left on June 19 and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on October 2. During their journey, however, Meeks administered to the sick. He recorded in his journal that several members of the company had

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...

. He recorded other hardships as well, including losing 62 cattle to a stampede. Meeks remained in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

, where he became a well-known doctor. When he could not visit his patients, it was said that he would send a messenger to tell them to "jump all over the city creek, crawl back into your tent and cover up warm". Under the direction of

Willard Richards Willard Richards (June 24, 1804 – March 11, 1854) was a physician and midwife/nurse trainer and an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. He served as second counselor to church president Brigham Young in the First Presidency of th ...

, Meeks served as president and founding member of the newly formed Society of Health with two other doctors in the area, William A. Morse and Phineas Richards. The council administered to the sick while also educating the people on illness. Having been called to help settle and strengthen the area from Native American attacks, Priddy Meeks traveled with

Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his death in 1877. During his time as ch ...

Parowan, Utah Parowan ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Iron County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,790 at the 2010 census, and in 2018 the estimated population was 3,100. Parowan became the first incorporated city in Iron County in 1851. A ...

in May 1851. He became the first doctor in Southern Utah. He spent 10 years in Parowan and practiced herbal medicine. He was invited by the president of the city, John C. L. Smith, to go on an expedition to explore Long Valley in June 1852. Meeks also helped the community by building cabins. His own cabin there is preserved by the Parowan Heritage Foundation as the last pioneer farmstead remaining in the area. It is listed on the Register of Historical Sites. Meeks left Parowan to live in

Harrisburg, Utah Harrisburg is a ghost town in Washington County, Utah, United States. Established as Harrisville in 1859, the town was flooded by the Virgin River in 1862, causing the residents to move farther up Quail Creek. Soon after, the town's name was chan ...

in 1861. His family also helped found settlements in Glendale (then called Berryville) in 1864 and Mount Carmel in 1864. He later moved to

Orderville, Utah Orderville is a town in western Kane County, Utah, United States. The population was 577 at the 2010 census. The town was founded and operated under the United Order of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This system allowed the com ...

in 1879. He continued to practice medicine in Orderville, and even gave classes to midwives and those aspiring to be doctors.

Personal life

Meeks married Mary Bartlett in 1815. They had four children together. Mary died in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, and three years later Meeks married Sarah Mahurin Smith on December 14, 1826. He and Sarah had five children. Meeks bought a young girl, three or four years old, from a group of Native Americans in Parowan. He called her Lucy and raised her as his own child. When Meeks was 62 and married to Sarah, he left Parowan determined to find a second wife. When he left his home, Sarah told him, "Don't you come back without another wife". He married Mary Jane McCleve, then 17 years old. They were sealed on November 12, 1865. The couple went on to have 10 children together.

In popular culture

Meeks occasionally appears as a character in

, such as the short story "They Did Go Forth" by

. Excerpts of his journal were included in the seminal Mormon anthology ''

A Believing People ''A Believing People: Literature of the Latter-day Saints'', edited by Richard H. Cracroft and Neal E. Lambert, and published in 1974, was "the first significant anthology of the literature of the Latter-day Saints" and began the establishment of ...

''.

References

External links

Image of historical marker about Meeks

Priddy Meeks Journal, Vault MSS 58
a
L. Tom Perry Special Collections

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...

Online scan of Priddy Meeks's journal
a
L. Tom Perry Special Collections

Priddy Meeks Correspondence, MSS SC 2171
a
L. Tom Perry Special Collections

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meeks, Priddy 1795 births 1886 deaths People from Greenville, South Carolina American Latter Day Saints Mormon pioneers Physicians from Utah People from Grayson County, Kentucky People from Parowan, Utah People from Kane County, Utah Harold B. Lee Library-related 19th century articles