Joseph Meeks was a prominent citizen of New York City prior to the American Revolution. He was one of the founders of "The Baptist So- ciety," as it was then called, and its first meetings were held at his hone. His name appears in the poll list of the electors of the City of New York in 1761 (See James Grant Wilson's Memorial History of the City of New York, vol. ii., p. 322.). He was a patriot, and his three sons, John, Joseph, and Edward, all fought in the patriot cause during the Revolution. Captain John Meeks, the eldest son, married, in New York City, Susanne Helene Marie de Molinars, of an old French Huguenot family. She was the daughter of Jean Joseph de Molinars, and a granddaughter of Jean Joseph Sieur Brumeau de Molinars, who was at one time assistant to the Rev. Louis Rou of L'Eglise de Saint D'Esprit of New York City. John Meeks held the commission as Captain during the Revolution in the famous regiment known as " The Hearts of Oak." He owned a country place at Morristown, N. J., adjoining Washington's headquarters, and his wife acted as interpreter for Washington and Lafayette during the time of their stay there. As a reward for his services during the Revolution Captain John Meeks received a grant of land near Syracuse, N. Y., which his descendants have never claimed. He had several sons and a daughter.

Joseph Meeks, the second son, was a prominent citizen of New York City. At the age of twelve h assisted in tearing down the British flag from the top of a greased pole erected in Battery Park. Subsequently he was a soldier in the War of 1812. He was one of the founders of the original Tammany Society, from which Tammany Hall has sprung. He married Sarah, daughter of Colonel John Van Dyke, an officer of the Revolution and a descendant of one of the best known old Dutch families of New York. They had several sons and two daughters.

John Meeks, father of the present Mr. Meeks, was the eldest son of the preceding. He married Elizabeth Bush, granddaughter of Richard Bragaw, of Revolutionary fame. Mr. Meeks became a resident of Hudson County, N. J., and in 1851 acquired about one hundred and fifty acres of land, – the present site of Woodcliff, – purchasing from nineteen different titles. It is upon this land that, through the enterprise of Hamilton V. Meeks, the present beautiful village of Woodcliff has sprung up within less than a decade. As already stated this land has an interesting history. A portion of it was once the property of Commodore de Kay, one of the most remark-able characters in the history of Hudson County. Again, the point of land jutting into the Hudson from the Woodcliff property is no other than the identical Block-House Point, of Revolutionary fame, where "Mad Anthony" Wayne made his unsuccessful sortie against the British in the winter of 1779-80. Unfortunately the only fruits of General Wayne's prowess on this occasion consisted in the capture of a herd of cattle, and this performance became the inspiration of the satirical poem, "The Cow Chase," published in New York City by the ill-fated Major Andre just previous to his capture and execution for acting as a spy in connection with the treason of Benedict Arnold. In Winfield's History of Hudson County the reader will find a full and careful account of the attack upon the block-house, with Major Andre's poem in full.

Hamilton V. Meeks was born in New York City, December 19, 1850. His father was a member of the New York firm of J. & J. W. Meeks, cabinet-makers, which had been established by their father, in turn, in the early part of the present century. This business was originally established on Broad Street, and barely missed destruction in the great fire in New York in 1835, being just on the edge of the burned district. Mr. Meeks received his education in the New York public schools and the College of the City of New York, being graduated from the latter in 1872. On November 4, 1874, he married Euretta Eleanor, daughter of Robert E. Gardner, of an old family of Hudson County, N. J., and the same fall engaged in business with his father-in-law under the style of Gardner & Meeks, lumber dealers, of Union Hill and Guttenberg. This business had been originally founded by the firm of J. & R. Gardner, which became, successively, Robert E. Gardner and Gardner & Meeks. Upon the death of Mr. Gardner in 1895 the Gardner & Meeks Company, of which Mr. Meeks has since been President, was incorporated.

Mr. Meeks resides at New Durham, and is an Elder in the Grove (Dutch) Reformed Church of that place. He is also a member of the Columbia Club of Hoboken, and is on its entertainment and library and picture committees. His college fraternity is the Chi Psi, Kappa Chapter. He is an independent Republican, broad-minded and liberal in his views, and has never hold any public office. He has been a generous promoter of every movement looking to the public interests, and is one of the gentlemen whose liberal donation of two-thirds of the right of way alone enabled the construction of the Grand Boulevard, on the crest of the west bank of the Hudson, overlooking New York City, to be carried into execution.