Lewis also had the responsibility for making arrangements to publish the Corps of Discovery journals, but had difficulty completing his writing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meriwether_Lewis. Lewis suggested that 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. The deadline for applications is Dec. 31. Supposedly, Theodesia pleaded with Meriwether to decline the journey and marry her, heavily encouraged by her father. Governor Meriwether Lewis was on his way from St. Louis to Washington in September, 1809 to protest the federal government's refusal to reimburse him for expenses. 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. He is honored today by a memorial along the Natchez Trace Parkway. 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. 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. When Clark and Jefferson were informed of Lewis' death, both accepted it as suicide, but his family contended it was murder. His deathby a gunshot wound to the head and another to the abdomenis a mystery. Geographic names that honor him include Lewis County, Idaho, Lewis County, Kentucky; 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. (Anderson, 1984) Together, they had nine children. William Clark is known for his expedition to explore and discover the land west of the Mississippi River, the land that the United States brought from the French in 1803. Re: Meriwether Lewis/Woodson Connection By Gary Stella February 06, 2005 at 12:59:36. In the predawn hours of October 11, the innkeeper heard gunshots. 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. Surprisingly, he may also have felt like something of a failure. Descendents of the family point to this legend as a reason why Meriwether men take a long time to get married. Leave a message for others who see this profile. 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. 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. Parson Maury was a son of Charles Goodyear Maury who was Thomas Jefferson's teacher for two years. A broken column, symbol of a life cut short, marks his grave. In 1807, Jefferson appointed him governor of the Louisiana Territory; he settled in St. Louis. 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. Jane (M128), born abt 1705 in New Kent County, is the eighth child and fourth daughter of Nicholas Meriwether II and Elizabeth Crafford/Crawford. The US Navy Polaris nuclear submarine USS Lewis and Clark was named for him and William Clark. Lewis requested a glass of whiskey almost as soon as he climbed down from his horse. In 1807, Jefferson appointed him governor of the Louisiana Territory; he settled in St. Louis. The exact details of his death have never been learned because the early morning events were not directly witnessed by anyone. After Jane's death in 1845, her son, Dr. Meriwether Lewis Anderson, inherited Locust Hill. Login to find your connection. Library of Congress, https://memory.loc.gov/service/mss/mtj/mtj1/029/029_0175_0184.pdf. 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. This profile is managed by the Virginia Project. After his father died of pneumonia, he moved with his mother and stepfather Captain John Marks to Georgia in May 1780. Black powder pistols have been test-fired, forgeries claimed and mitochondrial DNA extracted from living relatives. 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. Now in his new role, Governor Lewis was soon embroiled in quarrels with his territorial secretary Frederick Bates (1777-1825). He attempted marriage but never followed through, and started drinking excessively, which negatively affected his relationship with Jefferson. 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. These combined skills would later be useful in his expeditions. His mother taught him how to gather wild herbs for medicinal purposes. Clark was a devoted family man and a valued friend. Meriwether Lewis was the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition that was commissioned by President Jefferson to explore the Louisiana Territory. People want ownership of the story, and then they feel a part of it.. Both Reuben and John (II) grew up to become doctors, taking after their mother's medicinal abilities. Descendants and relatives lived in Virginia and elsewhere. At that young age, he hunted alone at night in the mountains and dark woods of Albemarle County. Lewis died and was buried near the Grinder's Stand roadhouse (modern Hoenwald, Lewis Co., TN) on the Natchez Trace, October 11, 1809. In 1793, Lewis graduated from Liberty Hall (now Washington and Lee University). Cookie Policy 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. Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 - October 11, 1809). Sitemap; Home Dashboard; Records . Besides being the mother of the famed explorer, she had medical skills and often rode throughout the county to treat the sick. Explorer. Lewis, Meriwether, 1774-1809 Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806) Clark, William, 1770-1838 Lewis and Clark descendants and family members, along with representatives of St. Louis Lodge . 10664People12Records12Sources Meriwether Lewisfound in 40 treesView all Meriwether Lewisfrom tree Railey and Allied Families Record information. However Lewis died, his death had a considerable effect on the young country. The murder advocates point to five conflicting testimonies as evidence that her testimony is fabricated and the suicide advocates point to her testimony as proof of suicide. These are fantastic!!! 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. Examples of plants Lewis discovered on the expedition were also brought from the Trail states and laid on his grave to honor him. Lucy Meriwether gave birth to Jane Meriwether Anderson, Meriwether Lewis, Lucinda Lewis (who died in childhood) and Dr. Reuben Lewis while married to William Lewis and John Marks and Mary Garland Marks while married to Captain John Marks. 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. Servants found Lewis badly injured from multiple gunshot wounds. 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. (Davis, 1951). [6], It was at Jefferson's suggestion that the Corps of Discovery expedition was undertaken and the plan was approved by Congress in 1803. Meriwether Lewis Pedigree Chart | Meriwether Lewis | Ahnentafel No: 1 (4953) Master Surname Index Home > Meriwether Lewis Genealogy > Pedigree Chart Ancestry of Meriwether Lewis Lewis and Clark Expedition Look Click or tap a name to see more details including sources or famous kin. In 1801, Meriwether Lewis left the army due to an invitation to serve as Thomas Jefferson's secretary while Jefferson was in office. Enter a grandparent's name. Lucy Meriwether was well known in Albemarle County throughout her adult life. He was related to George Washington by marriage: his first cousin once removed was Fielding Lewis, Washington's brother-in-law. 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. | 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. Meriwether moved to Georgia with his mother and her second husband, Capt. Jane Meriwether Lewis (March 31, 1770 - March 13, 1845) The daughter of William Lewis and Lucy Meriwether Lewis, Jane was born on March 31, 1770 and died March 13, 1845. Supposedly, Theodesia pleaded with Meriwether to decline the journey and marry her, heavily encouraged by her father. He established roads and was a strong proponent of the fur trade. Thanks so much for sharing! Even at his early age he was interested in natural history, which would develop into a lifelong passion. The Lewis and Clark families, along with representatives of St. Louis Lodge #1, past presidents of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, and the Daughters of the American Revolution carried wreaths and led a formal procession to Lewis' grave. Shaun proudly stood in front of his class at Candalaria Elementary School and offered a framed certificate to prove it. For many years, Lewis' legacy was overlooked, inaccurately assessed, and even tarnished by his alleged suicide. 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. On August 2, 1808, Lewis and several of his acquaintances submitted a petition to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania in which they requested a dispensation to establish a lodge in St. Louis. Famous Connections The Meriwether family has intertwined with many of the most prominent families of America, especially in the early South. Meriwether Lewis, born August 18, 1774, was an American explorer. (2006). (Henley, 2002) She lived there until her death in 1837 with her widowed daughter Jane Meriwether Anderson. 3 Beds. 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 Congress appropriated funds for the Expedition, and Lewis was commissioned as its leader. Indeed, the 200-year commemoration has led to a broader interest in genealogy among Americans. On August 2, 1808, Lewis and several of his acquaintances submitted a petition to the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania in which they requested a dispensation to establish a lodge in St. Louis. 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. Why was he chosen to lead the expedition? He had so much to live for, says Guice, professor emeritus of history at The University of Southern Mississippi and the editor ofBy His Own Hand? ExplorerBorn in 1774 - Died in 1809. On October 7, 2009, about 2,500 people (Park Service estimate) from more than twenty-five states met at Lewis' grave on the 200th anniversary of his death. Advertising Notice 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.