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Thomas Meriwether, b.24 APR 1763, St James Northam Parish, Goochland Co, VA, son of Nicholas Meriwether + Margaret Douglas; + Ann Minor, b.abt 1771, Louisa Co, VA . Just one grandparent can lead you to many 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.) It covers the descendants of Robert Lewis (1607-ca.1645) and his wife, Elizabeth, who emigrated from Wales to Gloucester County, Virginia in 1635. 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.). Jane married Edmund Anderson in 1785, at age 14 at marriage place, Virginia. After the expedition, Lewis served as governor of the Louisiana Territory and as a commander of Fort Pickering in Tennessee. 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. In 1793, Lewis graduated from Liberty Hall (now Washington and Lee University). After William's death in 1781, Lucy remarried and moved the family to Georgia. 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. 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. The U.S. Army was also present through the 101st Airborne Infantry Band and its Army chaplain. Jane Brereton , Richard Cotton, Blanche de BRIENNE , Guillaume de FIENNES, Isabel PERT , Robert CONYERS. He was given a powerful position in the new territory he had helped to explore, but tragedy would soon strike. Meriwether Lewis died on his way to Washington, DC in October, 1809. Login to find your connection. Clark was more pragmatic and practical. Meriwether Lewis became an American hero upon his return from his expedition across what is now the Northwestern half of the United States. The alpine plant Lewisia (family Portulacaceae), popular in rock gardens, is named after Lewis, as is Lewis's Woodpecker. FORUM ARTICLES SEARCH. The District of Columbia and governors of twenty states sent flags flown over state capital buildings to be carried to Lewis' grave by residents of the states associated with the Lewis and Clark Trail. Several years after his biggest accomplishment, Lewis was dead. It is connected by marriage with many of the best-known names, such as Washington. Item(s) successfully added to the cart! By some accounts, Lewis arrived at the inn with servants; by others, he arrived alone. He was the second child and first son of William Lewis (abt.1738-1779) and Lucy Meriwether (1752-1837). He died just as the sun was rising. Lewis was buried there on the property. His father became a Revolutionary War officer and died when Meriwether was 5. 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. Lewis was indeed like a man coming back from the moon, Guice notes. 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. The next morning, she sent for Lewis's servants, who found him weltering in his blood but alive for several hours. 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. She is reported to have notable culinary and intellectual skills as well. 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. History is about finding the truth, he adds. Some scholars arent so sure that an exhumation will clarify matters. 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. (Bakeless, 1947) A male acquaintance once described her as having a perfect person and complimented her on having "activity beyond her sex." (Henley, 2002) She lived there until her death in 1837 with her widowed daughter Jane Meriwether Anderson. 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. In 1803 Congress appropriated funds for the Expedition, and Lewis was commissioned as its leader. Meriwether Lewis never married and never had any children. Please enable JavaScript in your browser's settings to use this part of Geni. 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. (2006). Lewis and Clark were respectful . Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 - October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, politician, 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 . After his father died of pneumonia in November 1779, he moved with his mother and stepfather Captain John Marks to Georgia. [8] However, his life degraded, as did his relationships. During his time in Georgia, Lewis enhanced his skills as a hunter and outdoorsman. He was the second child and first son of William Lewis (abt.1738-1779) and Lucy Meriwether (1752-1837). Greenwood Publishing Group. 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. For many years, Lewis' legacy was overlooked, inaccurately assessed, and even tarnished by his alleged suicide. 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. I fear the weight of his mind has overcome him, he wrote after receiving word of Lewiss fate. Jefferson selected Captain Meriwether Lewis to lead the proposed expedition, afterwards known as the Corps of Discovery. Yet his contributions to science, the exploration of the Western U.S., and the lore of great world explorers are considered incalculable. She never explained why, at the time, she didn't investigate further concerning Lewis's condition or the source of the gunshots. The second oldest . 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. . If you click the change tab you can see that this is an excellent example of collaboration! [6], It was at Jefferson's suggestion that the Corps of Discovery expedition was undertaken and the plan was approved by Congress in 1803. 2 2.William Lewis, born 1733; died November 17, 1781.He was the son of 4. He moved with his family to Georgia when he was ten. [2] Their other children included Jane Meriwether (Lewis) Anderson (1770-1845), Reuben Lewis, and Lucinda Lewis (1772-) (who died as an infant). Parson Maury was a son of Charles Goodyear Maury who was Thomas Jefferson's teacher for two years. 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. ExplorerBorn in 1774 - Died in 1809. 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. 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. He died in 1862, leaving the home to his children Charles and Mary Anderson. To resolve these issues, Lewis began a trip to Washington City to plead his case to the administration in person. 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. Meriwether Lewis never married. 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. 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. 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. An error has occured while loading the map. 111 on September 16, 1808. She could not afford many books, but collected a small library throughout her life. 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. [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." - Meriwether Lewis was an honorable man before taking on his role as a significant explorer.-Before fame, he spent his childhood in Georgia hunting and spending most of his time outdoors. You try to reach out but you can never get a hold of it. Even minor features of the story fluctuate. Geni requires JavaScript! Augustine Warner, Sr. (September 28th 1611 - December 24th, [1] 1674), was an English planter and politician. Gen. Lucian King Truscott, Jr.; married a Meriwether descendant. The Department of Interior granted . When his father died in 1779, he inherited his Locust Hill estate. Lewis requested a glass of whiskey almost as soon as he climbed down from his horse. (804) 448-4664. 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. She gave the property to her daughter as a wedding gift. Supposedly, Theodesia pleaded with Meriwether to decline the journey and marry her, heavily encouraged by her father. In the predawn hours of October 11, the innkeeper heard gunshots. 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. 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. Captain Meriwether Lewis was President Thomas Jefferson's chosen leader for the Corps of Discovery Expedition into the expansive territory of Louisiana, acquired from France in 1803. He would often venture out in the middle of the night in the dead of winter with only his dogs to go hunting. 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. 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 observed his face to flush as if it had come on him in a fit. Lewis never married he killed himself in 1809, three years after the expedition ended . After Jane's death in 1845, her son, Dr. Meriwether Lewis Anderson, inherited Locust Hill. Due to her knowledge and hard work, the expedition was a success. Complex and often contradictory, the incarnations of Meriwether Lewis provide insight into the man behind the titles. She observed his face to flush as if it had come on him in a fit. He is honored today by a memorial along the Natchez Trace Parkway. . More Replies: Re: Meriwether Lewis/Woodson Connection. Clark bandaged and treated Lewis's wound, and the Corps continued the long way back to St. Louis. At first, Pierre blamed Blackfeet Indians for the injury, but after the Corps found no sign of Indians, he admitted the accident. After he retired for the evening, Mrs. Grinder continued to hear him talking to himself. He was also a second cousin once removed of Washington's on his father's side. Lewis was introverted and moody while Clark was extroverted, even-tempered, and gregarious. 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. Lucy Meriwether Lewis Marks was widowed a second time in 1791. 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. Lucy Meriwether Lewis Marks was widowed a second time in 1791. The Lewises also won a gallant record in the War of 1812, the Mexican War and in the Confederate States Army. Meriwether Lewis was born on August 18, 1774 in Albemarle County, Virginia, in the Lewis family estate in Locust Hill to Lt. William Lewis and Lucy Meriwether Lewis as their first son and second child. (Thornton was the daughter of Francis Thornton and Mary Taliaferro). Why was he chosen to lead the expedition? 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. She claimed to be able to see Lewis through the slit in the door crawling back to his room. When Jefferson began to formulate and to plan for an expedition across the continent, he chose Lewis to lead the expedition. They said I could buy it at any store, Shaun said. This profile is managed by the Virginia Project. John Lewis married Elizabeth Warner (GGGGG-granddaughter to King James IV Stewart of England). 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. He was also a second cousin once removed of Washington's on his father's side. It was in Georgia that he met Eric Parker, who was the first to introduce him to the idea of traveling. 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. Descendents of the family point to this legend as a reason why Meriwether men take a long time to get married. 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. Anyone closer than 14 degrees from Meriwether Lewis? Lucy Meriwether was well known in Albemarle County throughout her adult life. More than 400 descendants have been documented so far, and about 100 have applications pending. She returned to Albemarle for good, and Locust Hill became her property after Meriwether's mysterious death in 1809. Meriwether Lewis, born August 18, 1774 in Virginia, is best known as the co-captain of the historic Lewis and Clark Expedition. Meriwether Lewis' Immediate Family and their Descendents Lucy Meriwether was born at Cloverfields on February 4, 1752. Parson Maury was a son of Charles Goodyear Maury who was Thomas Jefferson's teacher for two years. One of these was Parson Matthew Maury, an uncle of Matthew Fontaine Maury. 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. Among the families are direct descendants of William Clark and collateral descendants of Meriwether Lewis. Meriwether Lewis was born in Albemarle County, Virginia, in the present-day community of Ivy. American explorer, best known as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. One visit to Georgia occurred in the summer of 1789 but Meriwether returned to his schooling in the fall. (There is a question about whether Meriwether did move to Georgia with his family. But I dont know if it would change anybodys mind one way or the other.. He died, apparently of bullet wounds to the head and abdomen, shortly before sunrise the next day. [7], Meriwether needed someone else to help him lead the expedition. A reenactment of Lewis' entry into Grinder's Stand was an official concluding event of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial. 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. 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. Enter a grandparent's name. 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. Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 - October 11, 1809). [3], Meriwether's father, who served in the Continental Army, died from pneumonia after his horse fell into an icy stream in 1779. 10664People12Records12Sources Meriwether Lewisfound in 40 treesView all Meriwether Lewisfrom tree Railey and Allied Families Record information. Name: Meriwether Lewis Birth Year: 1774 Birth date: August 18, 1774 Birth State: Virginia Birth City: near Ivy Birth Country: United States Gender: Male Best Known For: Meriwether Lewis teamed. Help. The expedition also collected scientific data, and information on indigenous nations. Obviously, Theodesia's pleas fell on deaf ears. 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. Lewis, who had a better education, possessed a philosophical and speculative outlook and was at home with abstract ideas. After returning from the expedition, Lewis received a reward of 1,600 acres of land. Because of bureaucratic delays in the U.S. Army, Clark officially only held the rank of Second Lieutenant at the time, but Lewis concealed this from expedition members and shared the leadership of the expedition, always referring to Clark as "Captain".[4]. He married Amanda Cosby on 15 December 1827. . FamousKin.com cannot and does not guarantee the accuracy and reliability of these sources. Following his return from the West, he visited President Jefferson at the White House where he became ill probably in late 1807. Miller, Robert J. Clark and Lewis were both relatively young and adventurous and had shared experience as woodsmen-frontiersmen and Army officers. He registered for military service in 1861. Lewis, Meriwether, 1774-1809 Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806) Clark, William, 1770-1838 He established roads and was a strong proponent of the fur trade. Re: Meriwether Lewis/Woodson Connection By Gary Stella February 06, 2005 at 12:59:36. Captain Meriwether Lewis was born August 18, 1774, at the Lewis family estate, Locust Hill, in Albemarle County, Va. His family had many decorated soldiers, including his father, William Lewis, who served in the Continental Army as a lieutenant. It was like coming back from the moon.. He and William Clark, born August 1, 1770, accompanied each other on a dangerous expedition. In 1793, Lewis graduated from Liberty Hall (now Washington and Lee University), joined the Virginia militia, and in 1794 was sent as part of a detachment involved in putting down the Whiskey Rebellion. So Richard Ashcraft's mother was a Great aunt to Meriwether Lewis. 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. Our Family Tree: Branch: Ray's Extended Family Tree : View. (Lay, 2002). 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. 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. Meriwether was the firstborn son of Lucy Meriwether and William Lewis. More information is available at her website: abigailtucker.com, 2023 Smithsonian Magazine The exact details of his death have never been learned because the early morning events were not directly witnessed by anyone. The Lewis family of Virginia is one of the most distinguished families in the State. 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. Lewis was a poor administrator, often quarreling with local political leaders and failing to keep in touch with his superiors in Washington. (Henley, 2002) She lived there until her death in 1837 with her widowed daughter Jane Meriwether Anderson. Scholars have reconstructed lunar cycles to prove that the innkeepers wife couldnt have seen what she said she saw that moonless night. Connect to the World Family Tree to find out, Aug 18 1774 - Charlottesville, Albemarle County, Virgina, Oct 14 1809 - Natchez Trace, Breton County, Tennessee, Aug 18 1774 - Locust Hill, Ivy, Albemarle County, Colony of Virginia, Oct 11 1809 - Grinder's Stand, Lewis, Tennesssee, United States, Jane Meriwether Anderson, Lucinda Lewis, Reuben Lewis, Aug 18 1774 - Locust Hill, Charlottesville, Albemarle, Colony of Virginia, British Colonial America, Oct 11 1809 - Grinder's Stand, Natchez Trace, Lewis, Tennessee, United States, riwether Lewis, Jane Meriwether Anderson (born Lewis), Lucinda Lewis, Dr. Reuben Lewis, John Hastings Marks, Mary Garland Moore (born Marks), Aug 18 1774 - Locust Hill, Ivy, Albemarle, Virginia, United States, Aug 18 1774 - Locust Hill, Albemarle, VA, USA, Oct 11 1809 - Natchez Trace, Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee, United States, Aug 18 1774 - Albemarle County, Virginia, Verenigde Staten, Oct 11 1809 - Hohenwald, Lewis County, Tennessee, USA, Aug 18 1774 - Locust Hill,Near Charlottesville,Virginia, Oct 11 1809 - At Grinder's Inn in Lewis County,Tennessee, Aug 18 1774 - Charlottesville, United States, Oct 11 1809 - Natchez Trace, Tennessee-Murder Or Suicide, Locust Hill Plantation, Albemarle County, Virginia, British Colonial America, Natchez Trace Parkway, Mile Post 385.9, Lewis County, Tennessee, United States, Pioneer Cemetery, Hohenwald, Lewis County, Tennessee, United States, Navigation-Navigators/the Science of Navigation, http://lewis-clark.org/content/content-article.asp?ArticleID=2295. 1 1.Meriwether Lewis, born August 18, 1774; died October 17, 1809 in Lewis County, Tennesse.He was the son of 2. His mother, Lucy Meriwether was his father's cousin. . When theres so much uncertainty and doubt, we must have more evidence. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meriwether_Lewis. He gave the Grinders money to maintain Lewiss grave and visited the site himself. . Meriwether Lewis was born in Albemarle County, Virginia, to Captain William Lewis (1712 1781) who was of Welsh ancestry, and Lucy Meriwether (1751 1837). Your Privacy Rights He served until 1801 achieving the rank of captain. Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 October 11, 1809). Father of Joseph "De Smet" Lewis 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. 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." IE 11 is not supported. Lewis, who had not been publicly mourned when he died, was honored on that occasion with his first public memorial service. Meriwether Lewis was born in Albemarle County, Virginia, in the present-day community of Ivy. 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. Meriwether Lewis, (born Aug. 18, 1774, near Charlottesville, Va. [U.S.]died Oct. 11, 1809, near Nashville, Tenn., U.S.), American explorer, who with William Clark led the Lewis and Clark Expedition through the uncharted American interior to the Pacific Northwest in 1804-06. The account given by the the innkeeper's wife was inconsistent, and with each telling becoming further muddled. When Clark and Jefferson were informed of Lewis' death, both accepted it as suicide, but his family contended it was murder. Clark and Lewis were both relatively young and adventurous and had shared experience as woodsmen-frontiersmen and Army officers. Lewis started out with the intention of traveling to Washington by ship from New Orleans but changed his plans while en route down the Mississippi and decided to make an overland journey via the Natchez Trace instead. Lucy Meriwether was born at Cloverfields on February 4, 1752. Library of Congress, https://memory.loc.gov/service/mss/mtj/mtj1/029/029_0175_0184.pdf. A cave, Lewis and Clark Caverns between Three Forks and Whitehall, Montana. Meriwether Lewis was born in Albemarle County, Va., on Aug. 18, 1774. Patrick Gass, a carpenter and architect of wooden forts, and one of the 33 members of the Corps of Discovery. 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. The intrigue surrounding the famous explorers untimely death has spawned a cottage industry of books and articles, with experts from a variety of fields, including forensics and mental health, weighing in. His friends assumed it was suicide. Meriwether Lewis, in addition to being a great explorer and trailblazer, was the Governor of Louisiana. He died on October 11, 1809, at the age of 35, under mysterious circumstances that have been the subject of much speculation and debate. Reenactors who participated in the official bicentennial marched to Lewis' grave in period uniform accompanied by drum and fife. Meriwether Lewis was born on the family plantation in Virginia. 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. In 1803 President Thomas Jefferson acquired from France's Napoleon Bonaparte territory that became known as the Louisiana Purchase. As a nonprofit, we offer free help to those looking to learn the details of their family story. 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. (Davis, 1951). 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. Meriwether Lewis Gov. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.