John Meem (255)

John Meem (c. 1717–1776) was a physician and carpenter, and a member of the American Philosophical Society via his 1768 election to the American Society. Born in Europe, possibly in Holland, he arrived in Philadelphia from Rotterdam via Plymouth and took the oath of allegiance in 1733. Some time later he relocated to York, Pennsylvania, where he worked as a carpenter on projects that included the county court house. He also served as clerk of the market and in 1756 was among the York residents who appealed to the governor for better defenses against Native American attacks. By that year Meem had become a physician. He continued to be active in public life, petitioning the governor for a charter of incorporation for York and serving on a commission tasked with erecting a bridge over the Codorus Creek. In 1774 he was appointed a member of the York County Committee of Correspondence, but he never held an elected office. Meem played no role in the American Revolution, dying in 1776. (PI)