The Lewises also won a gallant record in the War of 1812, the Mexican War and in the Confederate States Army. [5] 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. (Davis, 1951) Though the Corps of Discovery had traversed thousands of miles of wilderness with few casualties, Lewis and Clark did not find the Northwest Passage to the Pacific, the missions primary goal; the system of trading posts that theyd established began to fall apart before the explorers returned home. While modern historians generally accept his death as a suicide, there is some debate. 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? Lewis was introverted and moody while Clark was extroverted, even-tempered and gregarious. 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. 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. One of his traveling companions, who arrived later, buried him nearby. Even into old-age, she thought nothing of riding several miles to go treat an ill acquaintance. She married William Lewis of Locust Hill; he died in 1779 and she married Captain John Marks six months later. Thirty-nine years later, in 1848, an effort was launched to locate Lewis's grave and provide a proper memorial. 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. ExplorerBorn in 1774 - Died in 1809. Library of Congress, http://rs5.loc.gov/service/mss/mtj/mtj1/028/028_0177_0182.pdf, Letter of Instructions to Meriwether Lewis from Thomas Jefferson, June 20, 1803 ), In 1882, the house was sold to Mrs. Bearley, releasing the house from Lewis family descendents for the first time. . Meriwether Lewis was born on the family plantation in Virginia. He lived in Fredericksburg, Virginia and also owned a plantation in Spotsylvania County, which later became known as Kenmore. Please note: The ancestor reports on this website have been compiled from thousands of different sources, many over 100 years old. When Clark and Jefferson were informed of Lewis' death, both accepted it as suicide, but his family contended it was murder. He died in 1862, leaving the home to his children Charles and Mary Anderson. This project came to be known as the Lewis and Clark Descendants Project. The buffalo robe that he lay on was soaked with blood and Lewis was barely hanging on to life. Lewis was a Freemason, initiated, passed and raised in Door To Virtue Lodge No. In 1801, he was appointed as an aide by President Thomas Jefferson, whom he knew personally through Virginia society in Albemarle County. Lewis was a Freemason, initiated, passed, and raised in Door To Virtue Lodge No. Despite warnings that they would all be drowned, the men of the Lewis and Clark expedition paddled toward the ferocious rapids. It is connected by marriage with many of the best-known names, such as Washington. John Lewis was grandfather to Richard Ashcraft and G-grandfather to Meriwether Lewis. $252,000 Last Sold Price. Clark and Lewis were both relatively young and adventurous and had shared experience as woodsmen-frontiersmen and Army officers. 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. On the mission it was how do we stay alive and collect information? Then suddenly youre heroes. John Lewis married Elizabeth Warner (GGGGG-granddaughter to King James IV Stewart of England). 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. Ex-partner of Ikpsapewin "Winona" When explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark blazed a trail through the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific . 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. In later years a court of inquiry explored whether they could charge the tavern-keeper with Lewis' death. At the young age of fifteen, she married Edmund Anderson, (1763-1810) her first cousin in 1785. Re: Meriwether Lewis/Woodson Connection By Gary Stella February 06, 2005 at 12:59:36. Ministers . Yet even now, precious little is known about the events of October 10, 1809, after Lewis armed with several pistols, a rifle and a tomahawk stopped at a log cabin lodging house known as Grinders Stand. Hundreds of people have traced their family ties to members of the Corps of Discovery, two centuries after the historic journey. President Thomas Jefferson appointed Lewis and Clark to explore the territory that was acquired in the "Louisiana Purchase". It is generally reckoned as one of the most successful and significant expeditions of its kind in modern history, and Lewis has . The explorer was buried not far from where he died, honored today by a memorial along the Natchez Trace Parkway. )," and his mother's name as "Winona. His wound hampered him for the rest of the journey. Explorer. He kept in touch with his mother and family through long, chatty letters (Anderson, p. 501, Bakeless). 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. In 1795, he joined the regular 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. Jane (M128), born abt 1705 in New Kent County, is the eighth child and fourth daughter of Nicholas Meriwether II and Elizabeth Crafford/Crawford. She gave the property to her daughter as a wedding gift. Record information. FORUM ARTICLES SEARCH. When his father died in 1779, he inherited his Locust Hill estate. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA. Scholars have reconstructed lunar cycles to prove that the innkeepers wife couldnt have seen what she said she saw that moonless night. Enter a grandparent's name. Most historians agree that he committed suicide; others are convinced he was murdered. 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. FamousKin.com cannot and does not guarantee the accuracy and reliability of these sources. His deathby a gunshot wound to the head and another to the abdomenis a mystery. Lucy Meriwether Lewis Marks was widowed a second time in 1791. On September 3, 1809, Lewis set out for Washington D.C. to answer complaints about his actions as governor. Parson Maury was a son of Charles Goodyear Maury who was Thomas Jefferson's teacher for two years. View entire list of famous kin for Meriwether Lewis. Sadly, William Lewis died of pneumonia when his son was five, and so Meriwether spent most of his formative years in Georgia with his mother Lucy and stepfather John Marks. The original house burned down but it was rebuilt in the same style as the original. A cave, Lewis and Clark Caverns between Three Forks and Whitehall, Montana. His mother, Lucy Meriwether was his father's cousin. certify direct and collateral descendants of the Lewis and Clark Expedition 1803-1806. Username and password are case sensitive. (Davis, 1951). Meriwether Lewis was involved in the westward expansion of the USA. His life and achievements were acknowledged and some in the audience shed tears as the tragedy of his death was noted. [10] He also faced financial issues after a personal outlay for a trip that the War Department refused to reimburse. 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. He had an older sister, Jane, and later a little brother, Reuben, would be born into the family. Her family is said to be descendents of Sir Roland Crawford, the grandfather of Sir William Wallace (the subject of Mel Gibson's 1994 epic movie Braveheart.) 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. Describe the background of Meriwether Lewis. 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. 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. After his father died of pneumonia, he moved with his mother and stepfather Captain John Marks to Georgia in May 1780. 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. 2 2.William Lewis, born 1733; died November 17, 1781.He was the son of 4. (Bakeless, 1947) 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. 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. 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. The land is now the Meriwether Lewis State Park in Tennessee. Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 - October 11, 1809). Two hundred years later, debate continues over whether the famous explorer committed suicide or was murdered. She claimed to be able to see Lewis through the slit in the door crawling back to his room. (Lay, 2002). The map below shows the places where the ancestors of the famous person lived. [7], At the time, Meriwether Lewis was described as a lean man of six feet in stature. The year after his wife's death in 1820, Clark married Harriet Kennerly Radford, a widow with three children, and . There were songs and poems written about him. Meriwether Lewis, born August 18, 1774 in Virginia, is best known as the co-captain of the historic Lewis and Clark Expedition. He later served as governor of Upper Louisiana Territory. Explorer and U.S. Army officer, Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809) has been saluted as America's foremost explorer. Why was he chosen to lead the expedition? 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 established roads and was a strong proponent of the fur trade. Parson Maury was a son of Charles Goodyear Maury who was Thomas Jefferson's teacher for two years. For many years, Lewis' legacy was overlooked, inaccurately assessed, and even tarnished by his alleged suicide. He commissioned this the Corps of Discovery Expedition . Death of Capt. His party affiliation didn't hurt, either. 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]. Who was he? 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 . Several years after Lewis's death, Thomas Jefferson wrote: Jefferson also stated that Lewis had a "luminous and discriminating intellect.". [3], Meriwether's father, who served in the Continental Army, died from pneumonia after his horse fell into an icy stream in 1779. The charges were dismissed since no evidence or motive existed against him. The exact details of his death have never been learned because the early morning events were not directly witnessed by anyone. She returned to Albemarle for good, and Locust Hill became her property after Meriwether's mysterious death in 1809. 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. He would often venture out in the middle of the night in the dead of winter with only his dogs to go hunting. After he excused himself from dinner, he went to his bedroom. 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. 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. Edward J. Lanham 2/07/05. Complex and often contradictory, the incarnations of Meriwether Lewis provide insight into the man behind the titles. The expedition was tasked with exploring the Missouri River and its tributaries, mapping the western territories, and making contact with Native American tribes. As a nonprofit, we offer free help to those looking to learn the details of their family story. However, the two men were quite different in education and temperament. Yet his contributions to science, the exploration of the Western U.S., and the lore of great world explorers, are considered incalculable.[3]. Later in his life, he was a captain in the military and served as Jefferson's . Library of Congress, http://international.loc.gov/service/mss/mtj/mtj1/028/028_0636_0639.pdf, Letter to Thomas Jefferson, Oct 3, 1803, 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. 1,420 Sq.

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