No completely satisfactory explanation for his death has ever been found. The next morning, she sent for Lewis's servants, who found him weltering in his blood but alive for several hours. He was never married, but family legend shares that he courted Theodesia Burr, the daughter of Aaron Burr. They would get to the Pacific Ocea. A deer however had been cornered onto the grounds of Locust Hill by the party hounds, and Mrs. Lewis-Marks shot it and turned it into a succulent dinner before the party even returned. Lewis's record as an administrator is mixed. South Dakotan says he is descendent of Meriwether Lewis South Dakotan says he is descendent of Meriwether Lewis The Associated Press Jul 13, 2003 0 LOWER BRULE, S.D. At the end of his life he was a horrible drunk, terribly depressed, who could never even finish his [expedition] journals, says Paul Douglas Newman, a professor of history who teaches Lewis and Clark and The Early American Republic at the University of Pittsburgh. He moved with his mother and stepfather Captain John Marks to Georgia in May of 1780. Parson Maury was a son of Charles Goodyear Maury who was Thomas Jefferson's teacher for two years. Terms of Use 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. Meriwether Lewis at Natchez Trace Par Hohenwald, Lewis County, Tennessee, United States, American explorer, soldier, and public administrator, co-leader of 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., explorer, BIRTH 18 Aug 1774, Ivy, Albemarle County, Virginia, USA, DEATH 11 Oct 1809 (aged 35), Hohenwald, Lewis County, Tennessee, USA, BURIAL Pioneer Cemetery, Hohenwald, Lewis County, Tennessee, USA Show Map. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. He was the second child and first son of William Lewis (abt.1738-1779) and Lucy Meriwether (1752-1837). It has absolutely rekindled interest in family history, said Carol Bronson, executive director of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation in Great Falls, Mont. His mother, Lucy Meriwether was his father's cousin. 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. More Replies: Re: Meriwether Lewis/Woodson Connection. These sources are attached to each ancestor so that you can personally judge their reliability. He served until 1801 achieving the rank of captain. HOHENWALD, Tenn.Meriwether Lewis conquered rivers, mountains and bears leading the Lewis and Clark Expedition across 8,000 miles of wilderness from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean and back. 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. The 14 different profiles you use on Facebook all sound like royal linage societies, but anyone can see that is all the same person ,Janice Lynn Lewis, selling the same false narrative .please don't do that here. Meriwether Lewis, born August 18, 1774 in Virginia, is best known as the co-captain of the historic Lewis and Clark Expedition. Home > Forum > Surnames > Woodson. After crossing the Rocky Mountains, the expedition reached the Pacific Ocean in the area of present-day Oregon (which lay beyond the nation's new boundaries) in November 1805. 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. Generally sharing leadership responsibilities with William Clark, although technically the leader, Lewis led the expedition safely across the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific and back, with the loss of just one man, Charles Floyd, who died of apparent appendicitis. She later said she saw a wounded Lewis crawling around, begging for water, but was too afraid to help him. Lewis died under mysterious circumstances of two gunshot wounds in 1809 at a tavern called Grinder's Stand, about 70 miles (110 km) from Nashville, Tennessee, on the Natchez Trace, while in route to Washington to answer complaints about his actions as governor. 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. 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. Why Did Meriwether Lewis Die. Meriwether Lewis was born on the family plantation in Virginia. 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. During a ceremony on Oct. 7, 2009, marking the 200th anniversary of his death, a bronze bust of Lewis will be dedicated to the Natchez Trace Parkway for a planned visitor center. Lucy Meriwether. Greenwood Publishing Group. 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. Meriwether Lewis, in addition to being a great explorer and trailblazer, was the Governor of Louisiana. 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. In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson acquired from France's Napoleon Bonaparte territory that became known as the Louisiana Purchase. Jefferson selected Captain Meriwether Lewis to lead the proposed expedition, afterwards known as the Corps of Discovery. ISBN 978-0275990114. (804) 448-4664. The Lewises also won a gallant record in the War of 1812, the Mexican War and in the Confederate States Army. [9] He was related to George Washington by marriage: his first cousin once removed was Fielding Lewis, Washington's brother-in-law. Lucy Meriwether was born at Cloverfields on February 4, 1752. 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. The mission lasted two years, starting in 1804 and ending in 1806. discoveries. 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). 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. Edward J. Lanham 2/07/05. The death of Meriwether Lewis in the fall of 1809 has long been a subject shrouded in mystery and controversy. Examples of plants Lewis discovered on the expedition were also brought from the Trail states and laid on his grave to honor him. Nearby Recently Sold Homes. 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. Servants found Lewis badly injured from multiple gunshot wounds. 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. She observed his face to flush as if it had come on him in a fit. 44 in Albemarle, VA between 1796 and 1797. Even at his early age he was interested in natural history, which would develop into a lifelong passion. Lewis also had the responsibility for making arrangements to publish the Corps of Discovery journals, but had difficulty completing his writing. Meriwether Lewis was born in Albemarle County, Virginia, in the present-day community of Ivy. He was given a powerful position in the new territory he had helped to explore, but tragedy would soon strike. After returning from the expedition, Lewis received a reward of 1,400 acres (5.7 km) of land. She gave the property to her daughter as a wedding gift. Please try again. You try to reach out but you can never get a hold of it. Even minor features of the story fluctuate. At that young age, he hunted alone at night in the mountains and dark woods of Albemarle County. The journey from St. Louis to the Pacific and back again, lasting from May 1804 to September 1806, is of . His father was of Welsh descent and his mother was of . A reenactment of Lewis' entry into Grinder's Stand was an official concluding event of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial. 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. Lewis died and was buried near the Grinder's Stand roadhouse (modern Hoenwald, Lewis Co., TN) on the Natchez Trace, October 11, 1809. Lewis was indeed like a man coming back from the moon, Guice notes. He later served as governor of Upper Louisiana Territory. If so, login to add it. In 1807, Jefferson appointed him governor of the Louisiana Territory; he settled in St. Louis. 10664People12Records12Sources Meriwether Lewisfound in 40 treesView all Meriwether Lewisfrom tree Railey and Allied Families Record information. Meriwether Lewis was born in Albemarle County, Va., on Aug. 18, 1774. Most historians agree that he committed suicide; others are convinced he was murdered. [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." ExplorerBorn in 1774 - Died in 1809. Half brother of Dr. John Hastings Marks and Mary Garland Moore, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/623/meriwether-lewis. 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. 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). Reenactors who participated in the official bicentennial marched to Lewis' grave in period uniform accompanied by drum and fife. 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 who were both of English ancestry. To resolve these issues, Lewis began a trip to Washington City to plead his case to the administration in person. Nothing is known of her childhood. 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. 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 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." The US Navy Polaris nuclear submarine USS Lewis and Clark was named for him and William Clark. Lewis, who had a better education, possessed a philosophical and speculative outlook and was at home with abstract ideas. There are many more. 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. Death of Capt. CONTENT MAY BE COPYRIGHTED BY WIKITREE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. After he excused himself from dinner, he went to his bedroom. With regards to her cooking, Thomas Jefferson reportedly remarked "Merriwether Lewis' mother made very nice hams-better than even Monticello could produce." He then joined the regular army and achieved the rank of captain at the age of 23. Meriwether Lewis was not known to have married (though he apparently considered it at one point). The exact details of his death have never been learned because the early morning events were not directly witnessed by anyone. Captain Meriwether LewisWilliam Clark's expedition partner on the Corps of Discovery's historic trek to the Pacific, Thomas Jefferson's confidante, governor of the Upper Louisiana Territory. These are fantastic!!! 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. These combined skills would later be useful in his expeditions. Guice believes that bandits roaming the notoriously dangerous Natchez Trace killed Lewis. Purchased for $20 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Seaman accompanied Lewis during the expedition and afterward. Lewis' descendants have asked the National Park Service to exhume the body for clues. Their other children included Jane Meriwether (Lewis) Anderson (1770-1845), Reuben Lewis, and Lucinda Lewis (1772-) (who died as an infant). When Jefferson began to formulate and to plan for an expedition across the continent, he chose Lewis to lead the expedition. Lewis and Clark were respectful . (Lay, 2002). Lewis departed St. Louis for the Louisiana Purchasevia the Ohio River in the summer of 1803, gathering supplies, equipment, and personnel along the way. 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. The Cherokee lived in antagonistic proximity to the white settlers, but Lewis seems to have been a champion for them amongst his own people. This was the apex of a heros career. Meriwether Lewis was involved in the westward expansion of the USA. Mrs. Grinder, the tavern-keeper's wife, claimed Lewis acted strangely the night before his death. 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. (There is a question about whether Meriwether did move to Georgia with his family. 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]. In 1801, he was appointed as an aide by President Thomas Jefferson, whom he knew personally through Virginia society in Albemarle County. That night, Mrs. Grinder, the innkeepers wife, heard several shots. Ministers . At the young age of fifteen, she married Edmund Anderson, (1763-1810) her first cousin in 1785. 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. Privacy Policy | ContactMe 2010-2023 FamousKin.com. 44 in Albemarle, Virginia, between 1796 and 1797. It is connected by marriage with many of the best-known names, such as Washington. ), In 1882, the house was sold to Mrs. Bearley, releasing the house from Lewis family descendents for the first time. (Davis, 1951)
As a nonprofit, we offer free help to those looking to learn the details of their family story. The decision, backed by Department of the. Lewis and Clark were accompanied on most of the trip by a young Shoshone woman named Sacagawea. 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. They had nine children. 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. 2008 - 2023 INTERESTING.COM, INC. | READ MORE, A frequent contributor to Smithsonian, Abigail Tucker is the author of The Lion in the Living Room: How House Cats Tamed Us and Took Over the World and Mom Genes: Inside the New Science of Our Ancient Maternal Instinct. 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. Allrightsreserved. (He had had one brother who died while serving in the Confederate Army. Marshall, Fielding, Merriweather, Daingerfield, Taliaferro and others. An American icon, Lewis was also a human being, and the expedition was the pinnacle of Lewiss life, Newman says. 111 on September 16, 1808. WIKITREE PROTECTS MOST SENSITIVE INFORMATION BUT ONLY TO THE EXTENT STATED IN THE TERMS OF SERVICE AND PRIVACY POLICY. Clark and Lewis were both relatively young and adventurous and had shared experience as woodsmen-frontiersmen and Army officers. Capt. After his father died of pneumonia in November 1779, he moved with his mother and stepfather Captain John Marks to Georgia. They said I could buy it at any store, Shaun said. But exactly what transpired at a remote inn 200 years ago this Saturday? Thomas Jefferson is credited with the inscription on Lewis' tombstone: Immaturus obi: sed tu felicior annos Vive meos, Bona Republica! Jefferson commissioned a two year expedition to explore these lands and chose Meriwether Lewis as the leader. She could not afford many books, but collected a small library throughout her life. She said that during dinner Lewis stood and paced about the room talking to himself in the way one would speak to a lawyer. 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. 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. Lucy Meriwether Lewis Marks was widowed a second time in 1791. 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. 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. A cave, Lewis and Clark Caverns between Three Forks and Whitehall, Montana. Famous Connections The Meriwether family has intertwined with many of the most prominent families of America, especially in the early South. 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. Item(s) successfully added to the cart! Son of Lt. William Lewis and Lucy Lewis She advocated an assassination theory in Meriwether Lewis: A Historic Crime Scene Investigation (co-authored with James E. Starrs), . Lewis, Meriwether, 1774-1809 Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806) Clark, William, 1770-1838 In the course of the journey, Lewis observed, collected, and described hundreds of plants and animal species previously unknown to science. Login to find your connection. 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. Whether Lewis committed suicide or was murdered remains a mystery to this day. The Charlottesville City Council convened on Wednesday to continue discussing plans for relocating the Lewis & Clark and Sacagawea statue.. By 1794 he had joined the Virginia militia and was sent as part of a unit involved in putting down the Whiskey Rebellion. FORUM ARTICLES SEARCH. He would often venture out in the middle of the night in the dead of winter with only his dogs to go hunting. The US Navy Polaris nuclear submarine USS Lewis and Clark was named for him and William Clark. 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. He is honored today by a memorial along the Natchez Trace Parkway. She never explained why, at the time, she didn't investigate further concerning Lewis's condition or the source of the gunshots. The group he was with was called the Corps of Discovery. He died just as the sun was rising. Lewis was buried there on the property. He died shortly after sunrise. Viva tuos (I died young: but thou, O Good Republic, live out my years for me with better fortune.) The National Park Service is currently reviewing the exhumation request. Browse Retail Locations . The map below shows the places where the ancestors of the famous person lived. Leave a message for others who see this profile. While modern historians generally accept his death as a suicide, there is some debate. 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. Here his heavy drinking persisted.[6]. He commissioned this the Corps of Discovery Expedition . By some accounts, Lewis arrived at the inn with servants; by others, he arrived alone. Lewis was nominated and recommended to serve as the first Master of the proposed Lodge, which was warranted as Lodge No. The original house burned down but it was rebuilt in the same style as the original. 111 on September 16, 1808. The Lewis and Clark expedition is often called America's national epic of exploration. His father served in the Continental Army as a lieutenant and died of pneumonia in November 1779 while his mother was a famous herb doctor. Both Reuben and John (II) grew up to become doctors, taking after their mother's medicinal abilities. 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. 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.. p. 108. His brother-in-law was George Washington . Following his return from the West, he visited President Jefferson at the White House where he became ill probably in late 1807. 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 was also related to Robert E. Lee and Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, among others.