Lewis then chose his friend William Clark as his second in command. Surprisingly, he may also have felt like something of a failure. 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. . Lewis was introverted and moody while Clark was extroverted, even-tempered and gregarious. When the contentious election of 1800 had been decided and Thomas Jefferson prepared to assume the presidency, he knew whom he wanted as his private secretary. Jefferson believed the former, while his family continually maintained the latter. Library of Congress, https://memory.loc.gov/service/mss/mtj/mtj1/029/029_0175_0184.pdf. Even at his early age he was interested in natural history, which would develop into a lifelong passion. When explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark blazed a trail through the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific . Thomas Jefferson is credited with the inscription on Lewis' tombstone: Immaturus obi: sed tu felicior annos Vive meos, Bona Republica! Activists take issue with Sacagawea's posture: she crouches behind Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, a positioning some say is demeaning for depicting the appearance of subservience. He had at least 1 son with Ikpasarewin Sara Windwalker. Meriwether Lewis was born August 18, 1774 in Albemarle County, Virginia. Meriwether Lewis was involved in the westward expansion of the USA. It was during this time in the Army that he met William Clark (1770-1838) for the first time. Meriwether was the firstborn son of Lucy Meriwether and William Lewis. They would get to the Pacific Ocea. The decision, backed by Department of the. The original house burned down but it was rebuilt in the same style as the original. Sucked into the tempest, their canoes pitched and rolled in the thrashing water and thumped over jagged rocks, but the men kept paddling. A reenactment of Lewis' entry into Grinder's Stand was an official concluding event of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial. But the science of autopsies has come a long way since then, says James Starrs, a George Washington University Law School professor and forensics expert who is pressing for an exhumation. There were songs and poems written about him. Marshall, Fielding, Merriweather, Daingerfield, Taliaferro and others. discoveries. Descendants and relatives lived in Virginia and elsewhere. It was in Georgia that he met Eric Parker, who was the first to introduce him to the idea of traveling. He moved with his family to Georgia when he was ten. Lewis never married. I am so glad you like it. 1 1.Meriwether Lewis, born August 18, 1774; died October 17, 1809 in Lewis County, Tennesse.He was the son of 2. In the early 1790s, Lewis briefly served as President Washington's personal secretary and manager of Mount Vernon. The next morning, she sent for Lewis's servants, who found him weltering in his blood but alive for several hours. If you click the change tab you can see that this is an excellent example of collaboration! 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. Lewis requested a glass of whiskey almost as soon as he climbed down from his horse. We could do the DNA to find out the color of his hair.. Family tree of Meriwether LEWIS - Geneastar The National Park Service has reversed a previous decision allowing Meriwether Lewis' body to be exhumed in an attempt to determining how he died. Meriwether Lewis was born in Albemarle County, Virginia, in the present-day community of Ivy. The last item in the side bar to the left contains links to some that we have identified. He gave the Grinders money to maintain Lewiss grave and visited the site himself. 44 in Albemarle, Virginia, between 1796 and 1797. 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. John and Elizabeth Lewis were parents of Elizabeth (mother of Captain Richard Ashcraft) and Colonel Robert (father of Captain William Lewis who fathered Meriwether Lewis). Lewis descendants suffer setback in ongoing bid to exhume body Lewis picked William Clark as his second-in-command. This much we know: on September 4, 1809, Lewis, then governor of Louisiana Territory, left St. Louis for Washington, D.C., to take care of some personal and professional business. 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. However, those closest to Lewis, Thomas Jefferson and William Clark, fully accepted the reports of suicide. Lewis was a Freemason, initiated, passed, and raised in Door To Virtue Lodge No. Garden of Praise: Meriwether Lewis Biography Theres a certain amount of stress to reentering the world. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meriwether_Lewis. Lewis and Clark were accompanied on most of the trip by a young Shoshone woman named Sacagawea. In later years a court of inquiry explored whether they could charge the tavern-keeper with Lewis' death. He died on October 11, 1809, at the age of 35, under mysterious circumstances that have been the subject of much speculation and debate. p. 108. 1. In the predawn hours of October 11, the innkeeper heard gunshots. The mission lasted two years, starting in 1804 and ending in 1806. He would often venture out in the middle of the night in the dead of winter with only his dogs to go hunting. [citation needed] Yet his contributions to science, the exploration of the Western U.S., and the lore of great world explorers, are considered incalculable. Meriwether Lewis Gov. On balance, his characteristics and developed sense of observation coupled with his detailed written accounts of what he observed, would prove to be ideal as a leader of the important Corps of Discovery expedition. While modern historians generally accept his death as a suicide, there is some debate. On April 1, 1801, he was appointed as an aide by President Thomas Jefferson, whom he knew personally through Virginia society in Albemarle County. As Thomas Jefferson's letter to Meriwether Lewis said, "It may better those who may endeavour to civilise and instruct them." . In October of 1809, while en route to Washington, D.C., Lewis died of violence at a wayside inn called Grinder's Stand outside Nashville, Tennessee. He was considered fiercely loyal, disciplined, and flexible, while also prone to being moody, speculative, and melancholic. She started the Locust Hill Graveyard in 1810, probably on the hopes that she could have Meriwether's body re-interred there from Tennessee, and because her son-in-law Edmund Anderson and a neighbor died that year and needed to be buried. However Lewis died, his death had a considerable effect on the young country. Please note: The ancestor reports on this website have been compiled from thousands of different sources, many over 100 years old. Lewis had reportedly attempted to take his own life several times a few weeks earlier and was known to suffer from what Jefferson called sensible depressions of mind. Clark had also observed his companions melancholy states. 200+ Years After He Died, Meriwether Lewis's Death May - BrainSharper Many people in Oregon say they inherited the adventurous spirit of the Lewis and Clark expedition, but third-grader Shaun Stice is a direct descendant. Son of Lt. William Lewis and Lucy Lewis William Lewis and 3. 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. Jane (M128), born abt 1705 in New Kent County, is the eighth child and fourth daughter of Nicholas Meriwether II and Elizabeth Crafford/Crawford. . Meriwether Lewis's death has been a source of speculation for many years, often with the mistaken notion that "great men" do not take their own lives, and that suicide blights the memory of a great life. Privacy Policy | ContactMe 2010-2023 FamousKin.com. Lewis served as the co-leader of the expedition with William Clark and is credited with mapping much of the western United States and helping to open up the West for American settlement. (He had had one brother who died while serving in the Confederate Army.) 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. Viva tuos (I died young: but thou, O Good Republic, live out my years for me with better fortune.) He was the son of William Lewis, of Welsh ancestry, and Lucy Meriwether, of English ancestry. He was also related to Robert E. Lee and Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, among others. {Benson}) They settled in the Goose Pond community in the Broad River area of northeast Georgia, where the boys enjoyed plentiful hunting and fishing. South Dakotan says he is descendent of Meriwether Lewis - Bismarck Tribune As documented by the Descendants Project this group produced 58 . Lewis departed Pittsburgh for St. Louisthe capital of the new Louisiana Territoryvia the Ohio River in the summer of 1803, gathering supplies, equipment, and personnel along the way. 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 - Death, William Clark & Family - Biography Lucy Meriwether. As a young boy Meriwether enjoyed hunting in the woods . Lewis became intimately involved in planning the expedition and was sent by Jefferson to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for instruction in cartography and other skills for making scientific observations. His opportunity for the graceful exit arrived when Jefferson asked Lewis to command an expedition to find an all-water route to the Pacific Ocean, and study the land along that route. His older brother Nicholas Lewis became his guardian. He and William Clark, born August 1, 1770, accompanied each other on a dangerous expedition. Lucy Meriwether was well known in Albemarle County throughout her adult life. Meriwether Lewis Clark, Sr. (1809 - 1881) - Genealogy - geni family tree He lived in Fredericksburg, Virginia and also owned a plantation in Spotsylvania County, which later became known as Kenmore. Meriwether Lewis, in addition to being a great explorer and trailblazer, was the Governor of Louisiana. At home in Albemarle County, he pursued his studies with Dr. Charles Everitt, a physician, and then Rev. 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. Yet his contributions to science, the exploration of the Western U.S., and the lore of great world explorers are considered incalculable. He was related to George Washington by marriage: his first cousin once removed was Fielding Lewis, Washington's brother-in-law. Native America, Discovered and Conquered: Thomas Jefferson, Lewis & Clark, and Manifest Destiny. There were five colonels in the RevolutionColonel Nicholas, Colonel Fielding, Colonel William, Colonel Charles and Colonel Joeland quite a number of majors and captains. Describe the background of Meriwether Lewis.pdf - 1. 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. These are fantastic!!! They dropped the inquiry for lack of evidence or motive. They settled along the Broad River in the Goosepond Community within the Broad River Valley in Wilkes County (now Oglethorpe County). Lewis was indeed like a man coming back from the moon, Guice notes. This page has been accessed 22,092 times. She gave the property to her daughter as a wedding gift. 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. 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. They also collected scientific data and information on indigenous nations. Augustine Warner Sr. - Wikipedia In 1803 Congress appropriated funds for the Expedition, and Lewis was commissioned as its leader. http://rs5.loc.gov/service/mss/mtj/mtj1/028/028_0177_0182.pdf, http://international.loc.gov/service/mss/mtj/mtj1/028/028_0636_0639.pdf, https://memory.loc.gov/service/mss/mtj/mtj1/029/029_0175_0184.pdf. (804) 448-4664. Families trace Lewis and Clark links - NBC News It was in Georgia that he met Eric Parker, who was the first to introduce him to the idea of traveling. Ex-partner of Ikpsapewin "Winona" After resigning from his post at Mount Vernon for financial reasons, Lewis managed his own land holdings in Virginia until he passed away in 1822. Four years after Lewis' death, Thomas Jefferson wrote: The alpine plant Lewisia (family Portulacaceae), popular in rock gardens, is named after Lewis, as is Lewis's Woodpecker. Meriwether Lewis | Military Wiki | Fandom At first, Pierre blamed Blackfeet Indians for the injury, but after the Corps found no sign of Indians, he admitted the accident. One of these was Parson Matthew Maury, an uncle of Matthew Fontaine Maury. More information is available at her website: abigailtucker.com, 2023 Smithsonian Magazine Among the families are direct descendants of William Clark and collateral descendants of Meriwether Lewis. He and Clark had finished their expedition three years earlier; Lewis, who was by then a governor of the large swath of land that constituted the Upper Louisiana Territory, was on his way to Washington, D.C. to settle financial matters. The deadline for applications is Dec. 31. President Thomas Jefferson appointed Lewis and Clark to explore the territory that was acquired in the "Louisiana Purchase". On April 1, 1801, he was appointed as an aide by President Thomas Jefferson, whom he knew personally through Virginia society in Albemarle County. 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. (Thornton was the daughter of Francis Thornton and Mary Taliaferro). 111 on September 16, 1808. Two hundred years later, debate continues over whether the famous explorer committed suicide or was murdered. Thanks so much for sharing! The US Navy Polaris nuclear submarine USS Lewis and Clark was named for him and William Clark. Meriwether Lewis was born in Albemarle County, Va., on Aug. 18, 1774. His mother taught him how to gather wild herbs for medicinal purposes. Meriwether Lewis - Lewis & Clark National - National Park Service So Richard Ashcraft's mother was a Great aunt to Meriwether Lewis. 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. 3 Beds. Please try again. Meriwether Lewis, John Ordway, George Shannon, John Shields, Peter Weiser, Peter Willard, and Joseph Whitehouse. In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson acquired from France's Napoleon Bonaparte territory that became known as the Louisiana Purchase. The group returned to St. Louis in 1806 to start reporting their findings and accomplishments.[7]. Clark was a devoted family man and a valued friend. She advocated an assassination theory in Meriwether Lewis: A Historic Crime Scene Investigation (co-authored with James E. Starrs), . Lewis was a poor administrator, often quarreling with local political leaders and failing to keep in touch with his superiors in Washington. ExplorerBorn in 1774 - Died in 1809. When Jefferson began to formulate and to plan for an expedition across the continent, he chose Lewis to lead the expedition. (Bakeless, 1947)
He is honored today by a memorial along the Natchez Trace Parkway. 915 Words4 Pages. He was the governor of a huge territory. (Henley, 2002) She lived there until her death in 1837 with her widowed daughter Jane Meriwether Anderson. What did Clark and Lewis discover? - BIO-Answers.com The Lewis family of Virginia is one of the most distinguished families in the State. Meriwether Lewis Achievements - 1168 Words | Cram SOLD JUN 15, 2022. He then joined the regular army and achieved the rank of captain at the age of 23. (Bakeless, 1947) A male acquaintance once described her as having a perfect person and complimented her on having "activity beyond her sex." Complex and often contradictory, the incarnations of Meriwether Lewis provide insight into the man behind the titles. At the young age of fifteen, she married Edmund Anderson, (1763-1810) her first cousin in 1785. Just one grandparent can lead you to many History is about finding the truth, he adds. The mission of the Corps was to explore the territory of the Louisiana Purchase, establish trade and sovereignty over the natives near the Missouri River, and claim the Pacific Northwest and Oregon territory for the United States before European nations. Anyone closer than 14 degrees from Meriwether Lewis? Lewis and Clark were respectful . Lewis never married he killed himself in 1809, three years after the expedition ended so he has no known direct descendants. Explorer. Who was he? A valuable member of the expedition party, his working dog attributes were essential to daily life along the route. 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. Lewis concluded the expedition would benefit from a co-commander and, with Jefferson's consent, offered the assignment to his friend and former commanding officer, William Clark. He had an older sister, Jane, and later a little brother, Reuben, would be born into the family. Mrs. Grinder's testimony is held as a point of contention from both sides of the murder-suicide debate. When Clark and Jefferson were informed of Lewis' death, both accepted it as suicide, but his family contended it was murder. M128 Jane (ca.1705/6-<1758) & Robert Lewis | The Meriwether Society Anne Meriwether Lewisfound in 12 treesView all Anne Meriwether Lewisfrom tree Waring Family Tree 2013 Record information. He came back from this trip with new knowledge of the Louisiana Territory proving that the Louisiana Purchase benefitted the whole country. Famous Connections The Meriwether family has intertwined with many of the most prominent families of America, especially in the early South. (There is a question about whether Meriwether did move to Georgia with his family. Meriwether Lewis died on his way to Washington, DC in October, 1809. He attempted marriage but never followed through, and started drinking excessively, which negatively affected his relationship with Jefferson. In other accounts, the dog was never there at all. Jane Meriwether Lewis (March 31, 1770 - March 13, 1845) If so, login to add it. On September 3, 1809, Lewis set out for Washington D.C. where he hoped to resolve issues regarding the denied payment of drafts he had drawn against the War Department while serving as the first American governor of the Louisiana Territory. More than 400 descendants have been documented so far, and about 100 have applications pending. Now in his new role, Governor Lewis was soon embroiled in quarrels with his territorial secretary Frederick Bates (1777-1825). Parson Maury was a son of Charles Goodyear Maury who was Thomas Jefferson's teacher for two years. Some of the most recognized names in American history are direct descendants of Warner Hall's founder, Augustine Warner - George Washington, the first president of the United States, Robert E. Lee, the most famous Civil War General and Captain Meriwether Lewis, renowned American explorer of the Lewis and Clark expedition. She observed his face to flush as if it had come on him in a fit. Meriwether Lewis was born August 18, 1774, on Locust Hill Plantation in Albemarle County, Colony of Virginia, in the present-day community of Ivy. Username and password are case sensitive. 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]. She claimed to be able to see Lewis through the slit in the door crawling back to his room. Describe the background of Meriwether Lewis. These combined skills would later be useful in his expeditions. 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. Many geographic locations are named for Lewis, including counties in six U.S. states have been named in Meriwether Lewis's honor: Idaho, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Tennessee, and Washington. Re: Meriwether Lewis/Woodson Connection By Gary Stella February 06, 2005 at 12:59:36. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA. "[12] This claim and another by a Joseph DeSmet descendant, Martin Charger, are explored in some detail on the Joseph DeSmet Lewis documents WikiTree page. Clark was more pragmatic and practical. Half brother of Dr. John Hastings Marks and Mary Garland Moore, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/623/meriwether-lewis. 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, whose mission was to explore the territory of the Louisiana Purchase. PORTSMOUTH, Va - Puller Chronicles Volume 1, Second Edition, by Meriwether Ball, is a fascinating look at LtGen Lewis B. Puller's family and faith which made him an American and Marine Corps icon. Lewis resided in the presidential mansion, and frequently conversed with various prominent figures in politics, the arts and other circles. []http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meriwether_Lewis Wikipedia article on Meriwether Lewis]. For many years, Lewis' legacy was overlooked, inaccurately assessed, and even tarnished by his alleged suicide. The Death of Meriwether Lewis: Suicide or Murder? Theyve been coming out of the woodwork, Hargrove said. Meriwether Lewis was the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition that was commissioned by President Jefferson to explore the Louisiana Territory. Lewis, who had not been publicly mourned when he died, was honored on that occasion with his first public memorial service. Death of Capt. Meriwether Lewis | American explorer | Britannica This profile is managed by the Virginia Project. (Henley, 2002) She lived there until her death in 1837 with her widowed daughter Jane Meriwether Anderson. 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? 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. Library of Congress, http://international.loc.gov/service/mss/mtj/mtj1/028/028_0636_0639.pdf, Letter to Thomas Jefferson, Oct 3, 1803, In the 1990s, descendants of the explorer petitioned the government to exhume his body again from the national monument site now covering the property of Grinder's Stand. He married Amanda Cosby on 15 December 1827. . To resolve these issues, Lewis began a trip to Washington City to plead his case to the administration in person. When his father died in 1779, he inherited his Locust Hill estate. Your Privacy Rights Family & Relationships; Fiction; Games; Gardening; Health & Fitness; History; See Full Categories List. [6], It was at Jefferson's suggestion that the Corps of Discovery expedition was undertaken and the plan was approved by Congress in 1803.
