[3], The new family soon moved to Georgia and Meriwether spent his time learning outdoorsman skills. He was the son of William Lewis, of Welsh ancestry, and Lucy Meriwether, of English ancestry. Retail Stores ; Book Vault ; Merchandise ; Login; $0.00 (0 Items) View Cart. 17912 MERIWETHER LEWIS ST, Ruther Glen, VA 22546 | MLS VACV2003024 Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. The buffalo robe that he lay on was soaked with blood and Lewis was barely hanging on to life. Meriwether Lewis was born in Albemarle County, Virginia, in the present-day community of Ivy. Captain Meriwether Lewis - Virginia Lewis and Clark Legacy Trail Mrs. Grinder, the tavern-keeper's wife, claimed Lewis acted strangely the night before his death. In 1803 Congress appropriated funds for the Expedition, and Lewis was commissioned as its leader. The verdict: Suicide. This was the apex of a heros career. Lewis descendants suffer setback in ongoing bid to exhume body ), In 1882, the house was sold to Mrs. Bearley, releasing the house from Lewis family descendents for the first time. 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? Meriwether Lewis was a soldier, public administrator, and famed explorer as co-leader of the Corps of Discovery, commonly referred to as the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The Tennessee State Commission charged with locating the grave and erecting the monument wrote in its official report that it was likely Lewis died at the hands of an assassin. When Clark and Jefferson were informed of Lewis' death, both accepted it as suicide, but his family contended it was murder. Lewis, who had not been publicly mourned when he died, was honored on that occasion with his first public memorial service. His mother taught him how to gather wild herbs for medicinal purposes. Gen. Lucian King Truscott, Jr.; married a Meriwether descendant. Parson Maury was a son of Charles Goodyear Maury who was Thomas Jefferson's teacher for two years. But I dont know if it would change anybodys mind one way or the other.. Before he left St. Louis, Lewis had given several associates the power to distribute his possessions in the event of his death; while traveling, he composed a will. They had 9 children: Anne Eliza, Meriwether Lewis Anderson and 7 other children. Among the families are direct descendants of William Clark and collateral descendants of Meriwether Lewis. HOHENWALD, Tenn.Collateral descendants of Meriwether Lewis have unveiled a Web site as part of their campaign to exhume and examine the American explorer's remains in hopes of determining conclusively how he died. Gary Stella. The explorer was buried not far from where he died, honored today by a memorial along the Natchez Trace Parkway. He was considered fiercely loyal, disciplined, and flexible, while also prone to being moody, speculative, and melancholic. Privacy Statement 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. The District of Columbia and governors of twenty states sent flags flown over state capital buildings to be carried to Lewis' grave by residents of the states associated with the Lewis and Clark Trail. That night, Mrs. Grinder, the innkeepers wife, heard several shots. Why was he chosen to lead the expedition? Mrs. John Grinder who served as his landlady on the last night of his life reported: heard the sound of a gunshot and then the sound of something heavy falling to the floor followed by the words, Oh Lord! heard the sound of another gunshot and in a few moments, Lewis voice Oh, Madame, give me some water and heal my wounds. [she] refused to leave the room where she had been sleeping she waited nearly two hours before [rousing] the servants. He died, apparently of bullet wounds to the head and abdomen, shortly before sunrise the next day. 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. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_and_Clark_Expedition. The Web site is SolvetheMystery. Lucy Meriwether. Famous Connections | The Meriwether Society, Inc. | JMO - j777.org Why is this image showing up as a background image ? Although he died without legitimate heirs, he does have the putative DNA model haplotype for his paternal ancestors' lineage, which was that of the Warner Hall. It was there that he met Eric Parker, who was the first to introduce him to the idea of traveling. When Meriwether Lewis was born on 18 August 1774, in Charlottesville, Albemarle, Virginia, British Colonial America, his father, William Lewis, was 39 and his mother, Lucy Thornton Meriwether, was 22. Lewis also had the responsibility for making arrangements to publish the Corps of Discovery journals, but had difficulty completing his writing. He moved with his mother and stepfather Captain John Marks to Georgia in May of 1780. IE 11 is not supported. Meriwether Lewis was born on August 18, 1774 in Albemarle County, Virginia, in the Lewis family estate in Locust Hill to Lt. William Lewis and Lucy Meriwether Lewis as their first son and second child. South Dakotan says he is descendent of Meriwether Lewis - Bismarck Tribune It was like coming back from the moon.. The details of the case are so sketchy that its like trying to grab a shadow, Holmberg says. In 1807, Jefferson appointed him governor of the Louisiana Territory; he settled in St. Louis. The second oldest . For many years, Lewis' legacy was overlooked, inaccurately assessed, and even tarnished by his alleged suicide. American politician, Explorer - 19th century, 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, This form allows you to report an error or to submit additional information about this family tree: Meriwether LEWIS (1774), Copyright Wikipdia authors - This article is under licence CC BY-SA 3.0. - Meriwether Lewis was an honorable man before taking on his role as a significant explorer.-Before fame, he spent his childhood in Georgia hunting and spending most of his time outdoors. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 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. He was the second child and first son of William Lewis (abt.1738-1779) and Lucy Meriwether (1752-1837). She is reported to have notable culinary and intellectual skills as well. The mission lasted two years, starting in 1804 and ending in 1806. He served until 1801 achieving the rank of captain. 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".[4]. Meriwether Lewis (of Lewis & Clark's Exp. . At first, Pierre blamed Blackfeet Indians for the injury, but after the Corps found no sign of Indians, he admitted the accident. Biography of Meriwether Lewis, American Explorer - ThoughtCo Obviously, Theodesia's pleas fell on deaf ears. Meriwether Lewis - First Baptist Church of Atlanta - OverDrive On October 10, 1809 he stopped at an inn on the Natchez Trace called Grinder's Stand, about 70 miles (110 km) from Nashville, Tennessee. Re: Meriwether Lewis/Woodson Connection By Gary Stella February 06, 2005 at 12:59:36. 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Generation He attempted marriage but never followed through, and started drinking excessively, which negatively affected his relationship with Jefferson. ISBN 978-0275990114. Born 18 August 1774 - Albemarle Co., VA Deceased 11 October 1809 - Hohenwald, Lewis Co., TN,aged 35 years old Explorer 2 files available Parents William Lewis, Lt. 1733-1779 Lucy Meriwether 1752-1837 Paternal grand-parents, uncles and aunts Robert Lewis, Col. 1701..1702-1765 Jane Meriwether 1705-1755 Username and password are case sensitive. Most historians agree that he committed suicide; others are convinced he was murdered. I fear the weight of his mind has overcome him, he wrote after receiving word of Lewiss fate. Lewis never married he killed himself in 1809, three years after the expedition ended so he has no known direct descendants. Just one grandparent can lead you to many In the early 1790s, Lewis briefly served as President Washington's personal secretary and manager of Mount Vernon. Yet his contributions to science, the exploration of the Western U.S., and the lore of great world explorers, are considered incalculable.[3]. Descendants of Slaveholder . Categories: This Day In History October 11 | This Day In History August 18 | Pioneer Cemetery, Hohenwald, Tennessee | Explorers | Whiskey Rebellion | American Heroes | Missouri Territory Governors | Namesakes US Counties | Example Profiles of the Week | Lewis and Clark Expedition | Albemarle County, Virginia | Virginia, Notables | Notables, WIKITREE HOME | ABOUT | G2G FORUM | HELP | SEARCH. Capt. Meriwether Lewis (1774 - 1809) - Genealogy - geni family tree Later in his life, he was a captain in the military and served as Jefferson's . Thomas Meriwether, b.24 APR 1763, St James Northam Parish, Goochland Co, VA, son of Nicholas Meriwether + Margaret Douglas; + Ann Minor, b.abt 1771, Louisa Co, VA . The land is now the Meriwether Lewis State Park in Tennessee. Fielding Lewis (July 7, 1725 - December 7, 1781) was an American merchant, member of the House of Burgesses and a Colonel during the American Revolutionary War. He was related to George Washington by marriage: his first cousin once removed was Fielding Lewis, Washington's brother-in-law. (He had had one brother who died while serving in the Confederate Army.) Lewis was born in Albemarle County, Virginia, to Lt. William Lewis of Locust Hill (1733 November 17, 1779),[1] who was of Welsh ancestry, and Lucy Meriwether (February 4, 1752 September 8, 1837), daughter of Thomas Meriwether and wife Elizabeth Thornton, in turn daughter of Francis Thornton and wife Mary Taliaferro. After he excused himself from dinner, he went to his bedroom. He and William Clark, born August 1, 1770, accompanied each other on a dangerous expedition. [6], It was at Jefferson's suggestion that the Corps of Discovery expedition was undertaken and the plan was approved by Congress in 1803. He would often venture out in the middle of the night in the dead of winter with only his dogs to go hunting. He died shortly after sunrise. Item(s) successfully added to the cart! Clark and Lewis were both relatively young and adventurous and had shared experience as woodsmen-frontiersmen and Army officers. Now in his new role, Governor Lewis was soon embroiled in quarrels with his territorial secretary Frederick Bates (1777-1825). Describe the background of Meriwether Lewis. 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. For many years, Lewis' legacy was overlooked, inaccurately assessed, and even tarnished by his alleged suicide. Jefferson selected Captain Meriwether Lewis to lead the proposed expedition, afterwards known as the Corps of Discovery. Parson Maury was a son of Charles Goodyear Maury who was Thomas Jefferson's teacher for two years. Robert Lewis and 5 . Sitemap; Home Dashboard; Records . Thomas Jefferson recruited Lewis as his secretary-aide that same year and he soon became involved in the planning of the Corps of Discovery expedition across the Louisana Purchase. 111 on September 16, 1808. . The Natchez Trace was the old pioneer road between Natchez, Mississippi and Nashville, Tennessee. 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. The alpine plant Lewisia (family Portulacaceae), popular in rock gardens, is named after Lewis, as is Lewis's Woodpecker. The death of Meriwether Lewis in the fall of 1809 has long been a subject shrouded in mystery and controversy.