Are We Related?: Cheek

September 30, 2024

Welcome back to our monthly installment of “Are We Related?.” This time we’re exploring the Cheek family. My colleague Tamara provided some links to this surname, specifically noting her grandfather, Gail Austin Cheek. While seeking out Cheeks in the IHS collection, I came across a couple of options, but one really stood out.

In our Bass Photo Company Collection, a beautiful photo of a home, shown above, in 1929 caught my fancy. It was noted as the residence of William F. Cheek. Looking into Cheek’s history, I found that he was part of the family responsible for Maxwell House coffee. He spent time taking samples to various places, including Indianapolis, prior to moving to Richmond, Virginia to run one of the company’s plants. A little later, as his family grew, he opted to move to a place where he once visited and felt comfortable, Indianapolis. Though the family lived in Indianapolis only briefly, the home they purchased was quite the standout, and was one of the early homes located in Meridian Hills.

These Cheeks were not native to Indiana. William’s ancestors trace back through Kentucky for a few generations. Prior to that, they were in Virginia. His 2x great-grandfather may be William Cheek, an immigrant from England.

Maxwell House coffee founders, William F. Cheek, circled, 1928; William F. Cheek, 1936. The Atlanta Journal, 17 June 1928, pg. 83 (cropped); The Miami News, 21 April 1936, pg. 11 (cropped). Accessed online via Newspapers.com.

So, how does this compare to Tamara’s Cheek family, is she a coffee heiress? In tracing back Gail Austin Cheek’s family, I found that this branch of the surname arrived in Indiana with Tamara’s 4x great grandfather, Pleasant Cheek, who brought his family here from North Carolina to Vigo County. The Cheeks became prominent farmers in Lost Creek Township of said county.

John Cheek’s entry in the 1891 History of Vigo County with Biographical Selections by H.C. Bradsby. Image cropped and merged from photos of pages 700-701, IHS.

There is evidence that both Cheek families originated in England, and that a common immigrant ancestor, William Cheek, may be the origin of both branches of this family. In 1802, a William Cheek died in Surry County, North Carolina leaving his land there to his youngest son, Pleasant, upon the death of his wife. He also left land in Wilkes County to his children from his previous marriage, one of those sons was Henry.

Family trees entered by researchers in Ancestry include William as the common ancestor for both lines. However, the connection is somewhat tenuous and further research is needed. When doing family history research, I never trust the entries in family trees outright. Always take those connections with a grain of salt and confirm them for yourself. Perhaps we can do a little visual sleuthing on our own though by deciding if any of these individuals have similar features that may indicate an ancestral connection.

My colleague Tamara’s grandfather, Gail Austin Cheek, ca. 1945; and newspaper images of William F. Cheek, 1928 and 1936. Tamara’s Family Collection; Images from newspapers, via Newspapers.com (see above for full citation).

After seeing the above images together, I feel confident saying there’s a likely familial connection. To me, there appear to be several similarities between Gail in the 1940s and William in the 1920s-30s. If the possible connection between William F. Cheek and Gail Austin Cheek is, indeed, there, they would be 3^rd cousins once removed.

I’m happy to note that with this blog, I have provided 1 year of content in our Are We Related? series. Please continue to join me as I explore my connections as well as those of my colleagues. Happy reading!

Amy Vedra is the director of reference services. She is currently reading her way through the Great American Reads list.

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