Meriwether moved to Georgia with his mother and her second husband, Capt. Privacy Statement The account given by the the innkeeper's wife was inconsistent, and with each telling becoming further muddled. Compare And Contrast Lewis And Clark | ipl.org Captain Meriwether LewisWilliam Clarks expedition partner on the Corps of Discoverys historic trek to the Pacific, Thomas Jeffersons confidante, governor of the Upper Louisiana Territory and all-around American herowas only 35 when he died of gunshot wounds sustained along a perilous Tennessee trail called Natchez Trace. Browse Retail Locations . Enter a grandparent's name. Shaun proudly stood in front of his class at Candalaria Elementary School and offered a framed certificate to prove it. If you click the change tab you can see that this is an excellent example of collaboration! (Davis, 1951) Lewis then chose his friend William Clark as his second in command. We could do the DNA to find out the color of his hair.. He and William Clark, born August 1, 1770, accompanied each other on a dangerous expedition. The intrigue surrounding the famous explorers untimely death has spawned a cottage industry of books and articles, with experts from a variety of fields, including forensics and mental health, weighing in. He was also a second cousin once removed of Washington's on his father's side. Jefferson selected Captain Meriwether Lewis to lead the proposed expedition, afterwards known as the Corps of Discovery. He was the oldest of five children. After returning from the expedition, Lewis received a reward of 1,600 acres of land. When explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark blazed a trail through the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific . The expedition also collected scientific data, and information on indigenous nations. He was given a powerful position in the new territory he had helped to explore, but tragedy would soon strike. No completely satisfactory explanation for his death has ever been found. With regards to her cooking, Thomas Jefferson reportedly remarked "Merriwether Lewis' mother made very nice hams-better than even Monticello could produce." She claimed to be able to see Lewis through the slit in the door crawling back to his room. (804) 448-4664. Lewis and Clark were accompanied on most of the trip by a young Shoshone woman named Sacagawea. Lewis also had the responsibility for making arrangements to publish the Corps of Discovery journals, but had difficulty completing his writing. As Thomas Jefferson's letter to Meriwether Lewis said, "It may better those who may endeavour to civilise and instruct them." . About 1725, Jane married Robert Lewis (abt 1704-1765), son of Councilor John Lewis (1669-1725) of Warner Hall and his wife Elizabeth Warner (1672-1719) the daughter . Name: Meriwether Lewis Birth Year: 1774 Birth date: August 18, 1774 Birth State: Virginia Birth City: near Ivy Birth Country: United States Gender: Male Best Known For: Meriwether Lewis teamed. Meriwether Lewis Pedigree Chart | Meriwether Lewis | Ahnentafel No: 1 Jane had 4 siblings: Lucinda McFarlane and 3 other siblings. The expedition was the first point of Euro-American contact for several Native American tribes; through translators and sign language, Lewis conducted rudimentary ethnographic studies of the peoples he encountered, even as he laid the groundwork for a trade economy to ensure American hegemony over its vast new interior territory. The National Park Service has reversed a previous decision allowing Meriwether Lewis' body to be exhumed in an attempt to determining how he died. Patrick Gass, a carpenter and architect of wooden forts, and one of the 33 members of the Corps of Discovery. Just one grandparent can lead you to many The Mysterious Death of Meriwether Lewis. The Lewis family of Virginia is one of the most distinguished families in the State. In 1882, the house was sold to Mrs. Bearley, releasing the house from Lewis family descendents for the first time. Yet his contributions to science, the exploration of the Western U.S., and the lore of great world explorers, are considered incalculable.[3]. Lucy Meriwether was born at Cloverfields on February 4, 1752. 2 Baths. Lewis picked William Clark as his second-in-command. Clark graciously accepted, having remembered his time spent with Meriwether during their previous Army service.[5]. In 1795 he joined the regular army and for a brief period, he was attached to a sub-legion of General Anthony Wayne commanded by Lieutenant William Clark. The Natchez Trace was the old pioneer road between Natchez, Mississippi and Nashville, Tennessee. Why was he chosen to lead the expedition? He died shortly after sunrise. (Thornton was the daughter of Francis Thornton and Mary Taliaferro). Your Privacy Rights After his wife's death, Robert Lewis married Elizabeth Thornton, Lucy's mother . The second oldest . This wasnt just anybody who kicked the bucket. Besides, how could an expert marksman botch his own suicide and be forced to shoot himself twice? He is best known for his role as the co-leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, a pioneering expedition that explored the western portion of the Louisiana Purchase in 1804-1806. The expedition started in St. Charles, Missouri. Home > Forum > Surnames > Woodson. In 1795, he joined the regular U.S. Army, as a Lieutenant, where he served until 1801, at one point in the detachment of William Clark, who would later become his companion in the Corps of Discovery. The death of Meriwether Lewis in the fall of 1809 has long been a subject shrouded in mystery and controversy. Descendents of the family point to this legend as a reason why Meriwether men take a long time to get married. Son of Lt. William Lewis and Lucy Lewis Maybe there is an answer beneath the monument to help us understand, says James Holmberg, curator of Special Collections at the Filson Historical Society in Louisville, Ky., who has published work on Lewiss life and death. After his father died of pneumonia, he moved with his mother and stepfather Captain John Marks to Georgia in May 1780. Lewis died and was buried near the Grinder's Stand roadhouse (modern Hoenwald, Lewis Co., TN) on the Natchez Trace, October 11, 1809. Capt. Abigail Tucker . Meriwether Lewis was born August 18, 1774, on Locust Hill Plantation in Albemarle County, Colony of Virginia, in the present-day community of Ivy. The deadline for applications is Dec. 31. President Jefferson asked him to be his private secretary; the president then appointed him commander of the Lewis and Clark expedition at the age of 30. He also initially made arrangements to publish the Corp of Discovery journals but for some unknown reason never hired an editor or provided any text for the promised publications. Born Meriwether LEWIS American explorer, soldier, and 2nd Governor of Louisiana Territory Born on August 18, 1774 in Ivy, Colony Of Virginia, USA , United States Died on October 11, 1809 in Hohenwald, Tennessee, USA Born on August 18 64 Deceased on October 11 39 Explorer - 19th century 31 Family tree Report an error Lewis John 1669 - 1725 Warner He died in 1862, leaving the home to his children Charles and Mary Anderson. The original house burned down but it was rebuilt in the same style as the original. [9] These maladies delayed his arrival in St. Louis to take his position as Governor until a year after being named as such. FORUM ARTICLES SEARCH. After he excused himself from dinner, he went to his bedroom. Lewis became intimately involved in planning the expedition and was sent by Jefferson to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for additional instruction in cartography and other skills for making scientific observations. Sacagawea's Role In The Lewis And Clark Expedition | ipl.org People who think the Lewis and Clark expedition was a family affair research through birth, death and marriage certificates, census, probate and Bible records, wills, deeds, diaries and old letters. If so, login to add it. Native America, Discovered and Conquered: Thomas Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, and Manifest Destiny. The verdict: Suicide. Their oldest, Jane Meriwether married Colonel Robert Lewis; they became Meriwether Lewis' paternal great-grandparents. Meriwether Lewis' Immediate Family and their Descendents Lucy Meriwether was born at Cloverfields on February 4, 1752. They had 9 children: Anne Eliza, Meriwether Lewis Anderson and 7 other children. These sources are attached to each ancestor so that you can personally judge their reliability. Between 1804 and 1806, the Corps of Discovery explored thousands of miles of the Missouri and Columbia River watersheds, searching for an all-water route to the Pacific Ocean. The US Navy Polaris nuclear submarine USS Lewis and Clark was named for him and William Clark. Anchored in the East: Genealogy: Meriwethers - University of Virginia Father of Joseph "De Smet" Lewis He is best known for his role as the co-leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, a pioneering expedition that explored the western portion of the Louisiana Purchase in 1804-1806. When Jefferson began to formulate and to plan for an expedition across the continent, he chose Lewis to lead the expedition. After he retired for the evening, Mrs. Grinder continued to hear him talking to himself. . Meriwether Lewis was born in Albemarle County, Virginia, in the present-day community of Ivy. Meriwether Lewis - Lewis & Clark National - National Park Service Sucked into the tempest, their canoes pitched and rolled in the thrashing water and thumped over jagged rocks, but the men kept paddling. He attempted marriage but never followed through, and started drinking excessively, which negatively affected his relationship with Jefferson. M128 Jane (ca.1705/6-<1758) & Robert Lewis | The Meriwether Society (Bakeless, 1947) A male acquaintance once described her as having a perfect person and complimented her on having "activity beyond her sex." The Web site, www.SolvetheMystery.org , explains the Lewis family's more than decade-long quest to gain federal permission for the exhumation as well as a Christian reburial. Meriwether Lewis was born August 18, 1774 in Albemarle County, Virginia. Meriwether Lewis never married. Nicholas Lewis, who inherited "The Farm" from his grandfather Nicholas Meriwether, married Lucy's first cousin, Mary Walker, daughter of Dr. Thomas Walker and Lucy's aunt, Mildred Thornton Of the remaining nine children, six of them married other Lewises. Although he died without legitimate heirs, he does have the putative DNA model haplotype for his paternal ancestor's lineage, which was that of the Warner Hall. One visit to Georgia occurred in the summer of 1789 but Meriwether returned to his schooling in the fall. This page has been accessed 22,092 times. Lewis resided in the presidential mansion, and frequently conversed with various prominent figures in politics, the arts and other circles. He was related to George Washington by marriage: his first cousin once removed was Fielding Lewis, Washington's brother-in-law. A reenactment of Lewis' entry into Grinder's Stand was an official concluding event of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial. On August 11, 1806, near the end of the expedition, Lewis was shot in the left thigh by Pierre Cruzatte, a near-blind man under his command, while both were hunting for elk. He moved with his mother and stepfather Captain John Marks to Georgia in May of 1780. They settled along the Broad River in the Goosepond Community within the Broad River Valley in Wilkes County (now Oglethorpe County). As with any good genealogical research, if you discover a link to your own family tree, consider it a starting point for further research. He registered for military service in 1861. Historians would hold such details dear, Starrs says: Nobody even knows how tall Meriwether Lewis was. One of these was Parson Matthew Maury, an uncle of Matthew Fontaine Maury. His father fought in the Revolutionary War and died when Meriwether was only five years old. Marks raised Meriwether and his two siblings along with his own two children with Lucy, John Hastings Marks and Mary Garland (Marks) Moore (1787-1864). Yet even now, precious little is known about the events of October 10, 1809, after Lewis armed with several pistols, a rifle and a tomahawk stopped at a log cabin lodging house known as Grinders Stand. 17912 MERIWETHER LEWIS ST, Ruther Glen, VA 22546 | MLS VACV2003024 If the skeleton is his, and intact, they can analyze gunpowder residue to see if he was shot at close range and examine fracture patterns in the skull. Clark and Lewis were both relatively young and adventurous and had shared experience as woodsmen-frontiersmen and Army officers. Because of bureaucratic delays in the U.S. Army, Clark officially only held the rank of Second Lieutenant at the time, but Lewis concealed this from expedition members and shared the leadership of the expedition, always referring to Clark as "Captain". Jane (M128), born abt 1705 in New Kent County, is the eighth child and fourth daughter of Nicholas Meriwether II and Elizabeth Crafford/Crawford. Anne Meriwether Lewisfound in 12 treesView all Anne Meriwether Lewisfrom tree Waring Family Tree 2013 Record information. Besides being the mother of the famed explorer, she had medical skills and often rode throughout the county to treat the sick. Obviously, Theodesia's pleas fell on deaf ears. The US Navy Polaris nuclear submarine USS Lewis and Clark was named for him and William Clark. In the predawn hours of October 11, the innkeeper heard gunshots. In 1793, Lewis graduated from Liberty Hall (now Washington and Lee University), joined the Virginia militia, and in 1794 he was sent as part of a detachment involved in putting down the Whiskey Rebellion. To resolve these issues, Lewis began a trip to Washington City to plead his case to the administration in person. FamousKin.com cannot and does not guarantee the accuracy and reliability of these sources. There, reflecting on the adventure-loving young man who had mapped the gloomy and savage wilderness which I was just entering alone, Wilson broke down and wept. Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition also known as the Corps of Discovery, with William Clark, whose mission was to explore the territory of the Louisiana Purchase. Her daughter and son-in-law put the house for sale on the market at $255,000 in 1982. On the way, he stopped at an inn called Grinder's Stand, about 70 miles (110 km) from Nashville, Tennessee on the Natchez Trace on October 10, 1809. 44 in Albemarle, VA between 1796 and 1797. There are many more. Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809) FamilySearch William Lewis and 3. Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis & Clark's Exp. Conflicting information from sources indicate he was either rather ill (speculation runs from alcoholism to syphilis or possible psychological issues) or had trouble with hypochondria, and visited his mother in hopes of some care. When Clark and Jefferson were informed of Lewis' death, both accepted it as suicide, but his family contended it was murder. He had an older sister, Jane, and later a little brother, Reuben, would be born into the family. Born on a plantation in Albemarle County, Virginia, he and his family moved to Georgia when he was ten but by thirteen he was sent back to Virginia for education by private tutors. Meriwether Lewis was born on the family plantation in Virginia. She observed his face to flush as if it had come on him in a fit. While examining the remains, committee members wrote that it was more probable that he died at the hands of an assassin. Unfortunately, they failed to say why. More information is available at her website: abigailtucker.com, 2023 Smithsonian Magazine [8] However, his life degraded, as did his relationships. It was there that he met Eric Parker, who was the first to introduce him to the idea of traveling. Even at his early age he was interested in natural history, which would develop into a lifelong passion. Meriwether Lewis, John Ordway, George Shannon, John Shields, Peter Weiser, Peter Willard, and Joseph Whitehouse. Both Reuben and John (II) grew up to become doctors, taking after their mother's medicinal abilities. She never explained why, at the time, she didn't investigate further concerning Lewis's condition or the source of the gunshots. [2] Originally, he was to provide information on the politics of the United States Army, which had seen an influx of Federalist officers as a result of John Adams's "midnight appointments." A day use campground at Gates of the Mountains Wilderness, north of Helena, Meriwether Picnic site. Lewis was a Freemason, initiated, passed, and raised in Door To Virtue Lodge No. Letter from Thomas Jefferson to Paul Allen with a biography of Meriwether Lewis, 1813The explorer was buried near present day Hohenwald, Tennessee, near his place of death. Their other children included Jane Meriwether (Lewis) Anderson (1770-1845), Reuben Lewis, and Lucinda Lewis (1772-) (who died as an infant). James Waddell, a blind parson, and Parson Matthew Maury. A day use campground at Gates of the Mountains Wilderness, north of Helena, Meriwether Picnic site. The original house burned down but it was rebuilt in the same style as the original. At thirteen, he was sent back to Virginia for education by private tutors. About the age of 13 he returned to Virginia and to the household of his uncle Nicholas Lewis, his formal education beginning at this time. Examples of plants Lewis discovered on the expedition were also brought from the Trail states and laid on his grave to honor him. as much as you want to claim President George Washington as a "close family member" it is not, and never will, be proven true, no matter how many fake find a grave memorial you create, your Lewis line is not related in the slightest way to this family . Around the time that the expedition commenced, they had arrived at the point in the relationship where Lewis either had to marry Theodesia or find a respectable way to exit the relationship. But I dont know if it would change anybodys mind one way or the other.. Meriwether Lewis dies along the Natchez Trace, Tennessee On October 11, 1809, the famous explorer Meriwether Lewis dies under mysterious circumstances in the early hours of the morning after. His party affiliation didn't hurt, either. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meriwether_Lewis. In the predawn hours of October 11, the innkeeper heard gunshots. A year after his death, John Grinder, in whose home Lewis died, was brought before a grand jury on a warrant of murder. - If the inscription on the. Describe the background of Meriwether Lewis.pdf - 1. He came back and he just could not readjust. Virginia gentleman: Born in 1774, in Albemarle County, Virginia, Meriwether Lewis was the first child of Lucy Meriwether and William Lewis. Upon the Corps successful return, Jefferson appointed Lewis governor of the Louisiana Territory and granted him a reward of 1500 acres. The explorer was buried not far from where he died, honored today by a memorial along the Natchez Trace Parkway. Lewis, who had a better education, possessed a philosophical and speculative outlook and was at home with abstract ideas. In addition to his role as naturalist, Meriwether also served to represent the new government, which had purchased the area, to the native peoples living there. In later years a court of inquiry explored whether they could charge the husband of the tavern-keeper with Lewis' death. Lewis never married he killed himself in 1809, three years after the expedition ended so he has no known direct descendants. According to K. Edward Lay, a professor in the Architecture School at the University of Virginia, the present-day structure was probably built around 1900, perhaps incorporating a stone chimney from 1825. (Davis, 1951). Between 1804 and 1806, the Corp of Discovery explored thousands of miles of the Missouri and Columbia River watersheds, searching for an all-water route to the Pacific Ocean. Lewis was introverted and moody while Clark was extroverted, even-tempered, and gregarious. Meriwether Lewis dies along the Natchez Trace, Tennessee She could not afford many books, but collected a small library throughout her life. His position was to protect the western lands from encroachers which was not favorable to the rush of settlers looking to open new lands for settlements. Nearby Recently Sold Homes. Create a FREE Account. [2] Lewis was a Freemason, initiated, passed and raised in Door To Virtue Lodge No. Lewis requested a glass of whiskey almost as soon as he climbed down from his horse. 3004 Meriwether Lewis Trail, Monroe, NC 28110 - iproperty.com.my John Marks, along with his brother Reuben, in 1784. A cave, Lewis and Clark Caverns between Three Forks and Whitehall, Montana. Due to her knowledge and hard work, the expedition was a success. They came inside and found Lewis on his pallet He had been [shot] in the side and once in the head. She gave the property to her daughter as a wedding gift. Lewis resided in the presidential mansion, and frequently conversed with various prominent figures in politics, the arts and other circles. Have you taken a DNA test? In the early 1790s, Lewis briefly served as President Washington's personal secretary and manager of Mount Vernon.