Library of Congress, https://memory.loc.gov/service/mss/mtj/mtj1/029/029_0175_0184.pdf. In her will, she was careful to address the dispersion of the books among her offspring; appraisers valued the total collection at the modern equivalent of several hundred dollars. It was there that he met Eric Parker, who was the first to introduce him to the idea of traveling. Servants found Lewis badly injured from multiple gunshot wounds. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of Missouri governor and corps of discovery expedition leader, William Clark of Lewis and Clark fame. Ancestors of Meriwether Lewis Generation No. He and Meriwether Lewis set out on the adventure in May of 1804. He established roads and was a strong proponent of the fur trade. 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. Geographic names that honor him include Lewis County, Idaho, Lewis County, Tennessee; Lewisburg, Tennessee; Lewiston, Idaho; Lewis County, Washington; the U.S. Army fort Fort Lewis, Washington, the home of the US Army 1st Corps (I Corps), and especially Lewis and Clark County, Montana, the home of the capital city, Helena. Obviously, Theodesia's pleas fell on deaf ears. To resolve these issues, Lewis began a trip to Washington City to plead his case to the administration in person. However, when a Yankton (or possibly Teton) Sioux man and his family presented themselves for baptism on June 18, 1872, Joseph DeSmet Lewis (abt.1805-abt.1889) age 68, gave as his place of birth Yankton Agency, his father's name as "Capt. Meriwether Lewis was an American explorer and military officer born on August 18, 1774, in Virginia. The Cherokee lived in antagonistic proximity to the white settlers, but Lewis seems to have been a champion for them amongst his own people. Meriwether Lewis was born August 18, 1774 in Albemarle County, Virginia. 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. But, in early October 1809, Meriwether Lewis was found shot in the head in a room of an inn on the old Natchez Trace near present-day Hohenwald, Tennessee. See details for 17912 MERIWETHER LEWIS ST, Ruther Glen, VA 22546, 4 Bedrooms, 2 Full/1 Half Bathrooms, 2902 Sq Ft., Single Family, MLS#: VACV2003024, Status: Pending . She gave the property to her daughter as a wedding gift. (Bakeless, 1947) Meriwether Lewis was a famous explorer who became famous as the co-leader of the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1804-06, which explored the territory of the Louisiana Purchase after the United States acquired it from France in 1803, as well as the Pacific Northwest.. That rifle came in handy as well when a hunting party from Locust Hill failed to kill a deer. He died on October 11, 1809, at the age of 35, under mysterious circumstances that have been the subject of much speculation and debate. Obviously, Theodesia's pleas fell on deaf ears. 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. 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. He was the son of William Lewis, of Welsh ancestry, and Lucy Meriwether, of English ancestry. Everyone in the Lewis DNA project told you this before started spamming the group with advertisements for your books and became so abusive that you were banned from the Lewis DNA project, I know you create the false find a grave memorials to give credence to the narrative in the books you try to sell on Facebook. Jefferson selected Captain Meriwether Lewis to lead the proposed expedition, afterward known as the Corps of Discovery. . The State of Tennessee erected a monument over his grave in 1848. Library of Congress, http://international.loc.gov/service/mss/mtj/mtj1/028/028_0636_0639.pdf, Letter to Thomas Jefferson, Oct 3, 1803, Both Reuben and John (II) grew up to become doctors, taking after their mother's medicinal abilities. Wrong username or password. Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774-October 11, 1809) was a soldier, an explorer, and a personal secretary to Thomas Jefferson. However, those closest to Lewis, Thomas Jefferson and William Clark, fully accepted the reports of suicide. Meriwether was drawn to army life and at the age of 20, he joined the Virginia Militia to help defeat the Whiskey Rebellion which began in Western Pennsylvania but spread through other western states. After returning from the expedition, Lewis received a reward of 1,600 acres of land. Meriwether Lewis' Immediate Family and their Descendents Lucy Meriwether was born at Cloverfields on February 4, 1752. The Lewis family of Virginia is one of the most distinguished families in the State. In 1792, after the death of his step-father the year before, he traveled to the Broad River community to accompany his mother and his two half-siblings, John and Mary, back to Locust Hill. Single Family Residence - Monroe, NC 3004 Meriwether Lewis Trail, Monroe, NC 28110 This lovely single-story home features 3 spacious bedrooms and 2 modern bathrooms. Meriwether Lewis Clark, Sr. (January 10, 1809 - October 28, 1881) was an architect, civil engineer, politician, and a general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Lewis resided in the presidential mansion, and frequently conversed with various prominent figures in politics, the arts and other circles. Meriwether Lewis was not known to have married (though he apparently considered it at one point). They would get to the Pacific Ocea. Login to find your connection. After returning from the expedition, Lewis's life had the potential to become that of a politician and stateman, and in 1807 President Jefferson appointed him as Governor of the Louisiana Territory. Lewis and Clark descendants and family members, along with representatives of St. Louis Lodge . Lewis was a Freemason, initiated, passed, and raised in Door To Virtue Lodge No. 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. After he excused himself from dinner, he went to his bedroom. Half brother of Dr. John Hastings Marks and Mary Garland Moore, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/623/meriwether-lewis. 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 . Despite warnings that they would all be drowned, the men of the Lewis and Clark expedition paddled toward the ferocious rapids. She observed his face to flush as if it had come on him in a fit. Lewis' descendants have asked the National Park Service to exhume the body for clues. Why is this image showing up as a background image ? Lewis also brought along a Newfoundland dog named Seaman. His wound hampered him for the rest of the journey. Lewis had known president Jefferson since he was a boy, "he had grown up on a plantation in virginia a few miles from Monticello, and they had went on to make a relationship working together in the White House." After his father died of pneumonia, he moved with his mother and stepfather Captain John Marks to Georgia in May 1780. discoveries. Besides being the mother of the famed . Not so, says Sandra Hargrove, a member of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery Descendant Certificate Project. 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. A bronze bust of Lewis commissioned for the event was dedicated to the Natchez Trace Parkway for a planned visitor center at the grave site area. Jane married Edmund Anderson in 1785, at age 14 at marriage place, Virginia. Lewis was nominated and recommended to serve as the first Master of the proposed Lodge, which was warranted as Lodge No. Garrett Lewis Minor: 14 MAR 1744 -- 8 MAY 1799: Mary Overton . Clark descendant Peyton "Bud" Clark, Lewis collateral descendants Howell Bowen and Tom McSwain, and Stephen Ambrose's daughter Stephanie Ambrose Tubbs spoke. These sources are attached to each ancestor so that you can personally judge their reliability. Her daughter and son-in-law put the house for sale on the market at $255,000 in 1982. (Thornton was the daughter of Francis Thornton and Mary Taliaferro). 44 in Albemarle, VA between 1796 and 1797. He was the son of Lt. William Lewis of Locust Hill (1733 November 17, 1779), who was of Welsh ancestry, and Lucy Meriwether (February 4, 1752 September 8, 1837), daughter of Thomas Meriwether and Elizabeth Thornton. He was never married, but family legend shares that he courted Theodesia Burr, the daughter of Aaron Burr. In the predawn hours of October 11, the innkeeper heard gunshots. In the predawn hours of October 11, the innkeeper heard gunshots. Of courage undaunted, possessing a firmness and perseverance of purpose which nothing but impossibilities could divert from its direction, honest, disinterested, liberal, of sound understanding and a fidelity to truth so scrupulous that whatever he should report would be as certain as if seen by ourselves, with all these qualifications as if selected and implanted by nature in one body for this express purpose, I could have no hesitation in confiding the enterprise to him. Anne Meriwether Lewisfound in 12 treesView all Anne Meriwether Lewisfrom tree Waring Family Tree 2013 Record information. 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. He was considered fiercely loyal, disciplined, and flexible, while also prone to being moody, speculative, and melancholic. Lewis picked William Clark as his second-in-command. After the expedition, Lewis served as governor of the Louisiana Territory and as a commander of Fort Pickering in Tennessee. The progenitor of a prominent colonial family, and great-great grandfather of President George Washington, he was born in Norwich, Norfolk, the son of Thomas Warner and Elizabeth Sotherton. [3] When Jefferson began to formulate and to plan for an expedition across the continent, he chose Lewis to lead the expedition. A monument erected in 1848 now stands in his honor near the place the tavern occupied, and is under the care of the National Parks Service.[11]. Mrs. Grinder's testimony is held as a point of contention from both sides of the murder-suicide debate. Meriwether is 15 degrees from Jennifer Aniston, 16 degrees from Drew Barrymore, 17 degrees from Candice Bergen, 18 degrees from Alexandre Dumas, 13 degrees from Carrie Fisher, 27 degrees from Whitney Houston, 18 degrees from Hayley Mills, 15 degrees from Liza Minnelli, 13 degrees from Lisa Presley, 19 degrees from Kiefer Sutherland, 14 degrees from Bill Veeck and 21 degrees from Brian Nash on our single family tree. People cant just call and say, Im a descendant, she said. These are fantastic!!! He would often venture out in the middle of the night in the dead of winter with only his dogs to go hunting. It covers the descendants of Robert Lewis (1607-ca.1645) and his wife, Elizabeth, who emigrated from Wales to Gloucester County, Virginia in 1635. In 1793, Lewis graduated from Liberty Hall (now Washington and Lee University). He was also a second cousin once removed of Washington's on his father's side. As a young boy Meriwether enjoyed hunting in the woods . Son of Lt. William Lewis and Lucy Lewis (Bakeless, 1947) A male acquaintance once described her as having a perfect person and complimented her on having "activity beyond her sex." Browse Retail Locations . Lewis was a Freemason, initiated, passed and raised in Door To Virtue Lodge No. Privacy Policy | ContactMe 2010-2023 FamousKin.com. Two hundred years later, debate continues over whether the famous explorer committed suicide or was murdered. Lucy Meriwether Lewis Marks was widowed a second time in 1791. (He had had one brother who died while serving in the Confederate Army.) Jefferson believed the former, while his family continually maintained the latter. Jane had 4 siblings: Lucinda McFarlane and 3 other siblings. 44 in Albemarle, Virginia, between 1796 and 1797. Both President Jefferson and Meriwether showed support in adding William Clark to the group, the president offering Lewis and Clark both a permanent rank of Captain as part of his proposal. (Davis, 1951). 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. 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. William Douglas Meriwether became his legal guardian and his Uncle Nicholas Lewis exercised unofficial oversight (Bakeless). Her daughter and son-in-law put the house for sale on the market at $255,000 in 1982. Other murder theories range from the scandalous (the innkeeper discovered Lewis in flagrante with Mrs. Grinder) to the conspiratorial (a corrupt Army general named James Wilkinson hatched an assassination plot.). Lewis and Clark were respectful . Jefferson commissioned a two year expedition to explore these lands and chose Meriwether Lewis as the leader. They had nine children. The verdict: Suicide. (Thornton was the daughter of Francis Thornton and Mary Taliaferro). On the mission it was how do we stay alive and collect information? Then suddenly youre heroes. [8] However, his life degraded, as did his relationships. 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. Viva tuos (I died young: but thou, O Good Republic, live out my years for me with better fortune.) However Lewis died, his death had a considerable effect on the young country. He later served as governor of Upper Louisiana Territory. They said I could buy it at any store, Shaun said. When Meriwether Lewis Sr. was born on 11 September 1802, in Buckingham, Virginia, United States, his father, Edward Lewis, was 31 and his mother, Mary Freeland, was 31. Death of Capt. Lewis was a good administrator, but due to quarreling local political leaders, approval of trading licenses, land grant politics, Indian depredations, and a slow-moving mail system, it appeared that Lewis was a poor administrator who failed to keep in touch with his superiors in Washington. Greenwood Publishing Group. Explorer. One visit to Georgia occurred in the summer of 1789 but Meriwether returned to his schooling in the fall. At the young age of fifteen, she married Edmund Anderson, (1763-1810) her first cousin in 1785. 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. Lewis then chose his friend William Clark as his second in command. Janice Lynn Lewis your "pioneer John"' Is not part of this Lewis family, your Pioneer John Lewis "is from an unrelated Lewis family just as your Canadian Lewis family is not related to this Lewis family. The last item in the side bar to the left contains links to some that we have identified. I fear the weight of his mind has overcome him, he wrote after receiving word of Lewiss fate. The alpine plant Lewisia (family Portulacaceae), popular in rock gardens, is named after Lewis, as is Lewis's Woodpecker. He was related to George Washington by marriage: his first cousin once removed was Fielding Lewis, Washington's brother-in-law. . In 1795 he joined the 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. They settled along the Broad River in the Goosepond Community within the Broad River Valley in Wilkes County (now Oglethorpe County). For one thing, with mitochondrial DNA samples hes already taken from several of Lewis female descendants, scientists can confirm that the body really is Lewiss (corpses were not uncommon on the Natchez Trace). She married William Lewis of Locust Hill; he died in 1779 and she married Captain John Marks six months later. A year and a half after the shooting, ornithologist Alexander Wilson, a friend of Lewiss, interviewed Mrs. Grinder, becoming one of the first among many people who have investigated the case. 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 Controversy surrounded the circumstances of his sudden death along the Natchez Trace in Tennessee a controversy that continues to this day. (804) 448-4664. Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 - October 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. She even scared away a crowd of rowdy British soldiers during the time that she lived at Locust Hill, her husband's family's home, with a rifle. Gen. Lucian King Truscott, Jr.; married a Meriwether descendant. [3], The new family soon moved to Georgia and Meriwether spent his time learning outdoorsman skills. The decision, backed by Department of the. In some versions, Seaman, Lewiss loyal Newfoundland who guarded his master against bears on the long journey West, remained by his grave, refusing to eat or drink. Now Lewiss descendants and some scholars are campaigning to exhume his body, which is buried on national parkland not far from Hohenwald, Tenn. This controversy has existed since his death, says Tom McSwain, Lewiss great-great-great-great nephew who helped start a Web site, Solve the Mystery, that lays out family members point of view. IMPORTANT PRIVACY NOTICE & DISCLAIMER: YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO USE CAUTION WHEN DISTRIBUTING PRIVATE INFORMATION. For many years, Lewis' legacy was overlooked, inaccurately assessed, and even tarnished by his alleged suicide. Clark was more pragmatic and practical. For many years, Lewis' legacy was overlooked, inaccurately assessed, and even tarnished by his alleged suicide. The men of the family from the time when they first settled in the colony, about the middle of the seventeenth century, have been men of action and distinction; they have won for themselves the most remarkable record as soldiers. The expedition started in St. Charles, Missouri. Lewis was introverted and moody while Clark was extroverted, even-tempered, and gregarious. In later years a court of inquiry explored whether they could charge the husband of the tavern-keeper with Lewis' death. The Charlottesville City Council convened on Wednesday to continue discussing plans for relocating the Lewis & Clark and Sacagawea statue..