The Meriwether Society, Inc.

MeriRep: Society Genealogist

Book Project: Volume I

Metrics: 45,452 descendants and spouses identified; 53,000 plus when including parents of spouses and some additional collateral family info. Approximately 2,000 individuals to be covered in Volume I.

Biographical Sketch:

Nicholas Meriwether arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, probably about 1652. The first confirmation of his existence in Virginia was 4 July 1653 when he patented 300 acres of land in Lancaster County. From at least 13 Oct 1653 until 13 Dec 1656, Nicholas served as a clerk of the Quarter Court and Governor’s Council for the Colony in Jamestown. Although many researchers state he was clerk of Surry County, there is no evidence that he was. About 1661, he bought “The Island House” from Elizabeth Kingsmill & her husband Nathaniel Bacon, a relative of the Bacon who started “Bacon’s Rebellion”; a marker on Jamestown Island identifies the “Island House” location today.

Sometime in the 1660’s, after the English monarchy was reestablished, Nicholas bought “Indian Springs” in Surry County and seems to have retired from public office to pursue land speculation and tobacco production and shipping. Since his entire government career was during the reign of Cromwell and he ceased upon restoration of the throne, this seems to contradict those who claim Nicholas was one of the “Cavaliers”, supporters of the Crown who came to the Colony to escape persecution.

Recent research has tried, without success, to determine if Nicholas came to Virginia in 1652 as part of the Parliamentary fleet that forced the surrender of Virginia to the Cromwellian government. This would certainly explain his appearance in 1653 as a clerk of the Quarter Court and subsequent years working for the colonial government.

The birth date of Nicholas was derived from an affidavit in which he stated his age. His death date was supposedly found in the bible of Nicholas Meriwether II, in possession of descendants in Louisville, Ky, in the late 1800’s. Efforts to locate this bible in the late 1900’s have failed. Documents created in the mid 1800’s, 200 years after Nicholas was in the Colonies, refer to him, or possibly his son, Nicholas II, as “The Welshman”. No evidence has been found to indicate that he was from Wales, however. Nothing has been found to track him to a particular location in England, either; efforts to locate Nicholas in Kent or Wiltshire, where many English Meriwether families are found, have not been successful.

We know that when Nicholas died, his wife's name was Elizabeth, as she was appointed Executrix of his estate. The maiden name of Elizabeth is not known, though most Meriwether genealogies since 1899 have stated that she was, or is believed to have been, Elizabeth Woodhouse. Although some claim that she is the daughter of Henry Woodhouse of Lynnhaven Parish, this is not possible, as Henry's daughter Elizabeth married Giles Collins. There is some speculation that she was the daughter of Thomas Woodhouse of Jamestown, but there is no evidence that Thomas was even married, much less that he had a daughter named Elizabeth. At this time The Meriwether Society does not recognize "Woodhouse" as her maiden name, though it remains a possibility. Other possible names are May and Williams. Volume I, The Colonists, will have a detailed analysis of the research leading to this policy.

A careful reading of the will of Henry Hartwell also indicates that Nicholas was probably married twice, with Elizabeth being the second wife and mother of the last five children, starting with Nicholas II. It seems probable that the oldest child of Nicholas I, also named Elizabeth, had a different mother. Again, Volume I, The Colonists will discuss this in detail. For now, the following is the official policy of The Meriwether Society regarding the family of Nicholas Meriwether:

About 1660, Nicholas married an unknown woman and they had the following child:

1. Elizabeth (M11)

About 1665, Nicholas married Elizabeth (?) and they had the following children:

1. Nicholas II (M12)

2. Francis II (M13)

3. Jane (M14)

4. Thomas (M15)

5. William (M16)

See the Family Group entry for details on each of these individuals.

MeriRep: Society Genealogist

Book Project: Volume I

Metrics: 41,991. Nicholas and his nine children will be covered in detail in Volume I. Anne Johnson, Jane Lewis, maybe William, and most of the children of son David will have their own volumes.

Biographical Sketch:

Col. Nicholas Meriwether II amassed a large quantity of land, at one point owning about 33,000 acres. In 1735 he built his plantation, “The Farm”, in Goochland (now Albemarle) County, the site of which is now the city of Charlottesville, Virginia. His will, one of the longest recorded in Virginia, was witnessed by Peter Jefferson, father of Thomas Jefferson.

Descendants of Nicholas Meriwether II & Elizabeth Crawford are eligible for membership in the Magna Charta Dames or to the Barons of Runnymede (NHM p. 174).

“The Farm”

Most histories of Nicholas II mention that he built and died on a plantation known as “The Farm.” As the following will show, Nicholas himself never refered to any of his propert by that name, nor did those who inherited his lands. The first use of that name is therefore lost in the mists of antiquity.

“Nicholas moved to Goochland between 1735 and 1738. He was living on 1,849 1/2 acres when he died. This consisted of 1,020 acres (all but 20 acres on the west bank of the Rivanna) which he cobbled together into a patent from a purchase from Charles Lynch and a previous patent, and 819 1/2 acres that he purchased from Thomas Graves in 1738. In his will he gave his grandson Richard 700 acres of the Graves purchase and the remaining 1,139 (dropping the 1/2 acre) acres to grandson Nicholas Lewis. In neither case did he mention the term “The Farm,” although he did refer to “…my Plantation commonly called and known by the name of Roundabout …” in another bequest. He did use the term “…my Plantation and whereon I now live …” referring to the 1020 acres of the 1139 acres that he gave Nicholas Lewis. Therefore I conclude that NMII did not use the name “The Farm” or, at least, there is no proof that he did. Griffith says that NMII lived and was buried on the east bank of the river which means the 20 acres on that side.

Lewis sold the 140 acres (added 1/2 acre) on the east bank in 1765 to Henry Fry. He did not use the term “The Farm,”  but rather referred to the tract given to him by his grandfather. Although he may have lived in the house on the east bank for a time, Lewis supposedly built a house on the west side of the river, now part of what is called “The Farm.” He later sold other parts of this tract without using the term. At this point I don't know when that term was first used. More work is needed but I am sure that NMII never used it.” GMB 2 Jun 2002

Birth of Nicholas Meriwether II

Two sources state that Nicholas was born 26 Oct 1667. The first is an old mutilated Register in the possession of George Wood Meriwether, supposedly written by his great-grandfather, William Meriwether (M121), son of Nicholas. GWM actually cites a date of 1647, but this is obviously in error and can be explained by the stated condition of “mutilated” for the state of the Register. This 1647 date was repeated by later writers, but can be discounted.

The other source is a leaf from, supposedly, the Bible of Nicholas Meriwether II himself. The Bible leaf was in the possesion of family in Louisville, Kentucky and a copy was provided to William R. Griffith. Attempts to locate this Bible leaf today have been unsuccessful.

The date of 1667 conflicts with other sources that strongly indicate that Nicholas was age 21 before Oct 1688 and a year of 1665 seems more likely.

Death Date of Nicholas Meriwether II

The exact date of the death of Nicholas II is not known, although at least one reference specifies 5 Nov 1744 (NHM, p. 29 [3]). No documents have been found to substantiate this claim. The only date we can go by is  24 Nov 1744, the day his will was proved in Goochland, and most early Meriwether genealogies (GWM [6], LHAM [8], WRG [7]) simply state he died in the fall or autumn of 1744. Courts in some counties met every 3 months (not sure what the practice in Goochland was). Assuming this was the case in Goochland, he could have died just before the previous court, namely in August or even late July. It is doubtful that families rushed from the death bed to the courthouse with the will. Further, the witnesses needed to be notified and assembled.

Before Albemarle was formed in 1744, Nicholas was living in Goochland but the farm he was living on fell into Albemarle afterwards. If he died after the formation of Albemarle, his will should have been filed in Albemarle since, as far as is know, he did not own any other property in Goochland (not sure how strong a legal requirement this is). So, the date of the formation of Albemarle might be a clue as to when he died. The assembly approved the formation of Albemarle in September of 1744. However, since the first Albemarle court was held in ____ 1745, the Goochland filing may have been a practical consideration.  (gmb, jmo)

M12 Family Group Sheet

Name: Col. Nicholas Meriwether, (2) M1.2
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Birth: 26 Oct 1665 Virginia
Birth Memo: Based on research by TMSI that indicates he had to have been born before 1667.

Birth: 26 Oct 1667
Birth Memo: Commonly accepted date, based on WRG’s “old Bible leaf” transcript.

Death: bef 20 Nov 1744 Goochland or Albemarle County, Virginia

Burial: Albemarle County, Virginia
Burial Memo: East bank of Rivanna River, near present day Charlottesville. Actual site has been lost.

Occupation: Farmer/Planter, land speculator; Attorney

Father: Nicholas Meriwether (~1631-1678)
Mother: Elizabeth (~1638-<1695)

Marriage: abt 1687 Saint Peter’s Parish, New Kent County, Virginia

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Spouse: Elizabeth Crawford
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Birth: abt 1672 “Assasquin”, New Kent County, Virginia
Birth Memo: Some place her birth as 1656; unlikely.

Death: bef 11 May 1762 Virginia
Death Memo: Will proved in Louisa, but may have died in Albemarle.

Burial: Virginia
Burial Memo: Burial place unknown, though some state “Clover Fields.” May also have been with Nicholas on the Rivanna River.

Father: David Crawford Esq. (~1625-1704)
Mother: Jane

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Children
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1 M: William Meriwether, (3) M1.2.1

Birth: abt 1688 James City County, Virginia
Birth Memo: Probably James City County, maybe Surry County.

Death: bef 15 Oct 1751 Virginia
Death Memo: St. Pauls Vestry Book entry dated 15 Oct 1751 states “Supry Harden is Elected Vestry man for this Parish in ye room of Colo. Wm. Meriwether Decesd.”

Spouse: Elizabeth Bushrod

Marriage: abt 1712 Virginia

Children (8): Nicholas, John, Thomas, Richard, William, Jane, Sarah, Mary

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2 M: Col. David Meriwether, (3) M1.2.2

Birth: abt 1690 James City County, Virginia

Birth: abt 1690 New Kent County

Death: 25 Dec 1744 Louisa County, Virginia

Spouse: Anne Holmes

Marriage: abt 1713 New Kent County, Virginia

Children (8): Thomas, David, Nicholas, Anne, Sarah, Francis, James, William.

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3 M: Thomas Meriwether, (3) M1.2.3

Birth: abt 1691 Virginia
Birth Memo: No proof this Thomas actually existed.

Death: bef 1721

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4 F: Anne Meriwether, (3) M1.2.4

Birth: bef 15 Jul 1694 Virginia
Birth Memo: New Kent County?

Death: Mar 1785 Louisa County, Virginia

Spouse: Thomas Johnson

Marriage: abt 1712 Virginia

Children (7): Semiramis, Nicholas, Richard, Jane, Anne, Thomas, William.

Spouse (2): John Cosby

Marriage: abt 1751; no issue.

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5 F: Sarah Meriwether, (3) M1.2.5

Birth: 1697 Virginia

Death: 2 Jul 1733 Virginia

Spouse: William Littlepage

Marriage: abt 1718 Virginia

Children (1): Judith.

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6 M: Nicholas Meriwether III, (3) M1.2.6

Birth: 11 Jul 1699 Virginia

Death: aft 5 Jun 1714
Death Memo: He probably died between 5 Jun 1714 and 8 Apr 1721

Never married

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7 F: Elizabeth Meriwether, (3) M1.2.7

Birth: 20 Jun 1703 Virginia
Birth Memo: New Kent County?

Death: 4 Jan 1732/3 Virginia Age: 29

Spouse: Thomas Bray

Marriage: abt 1724

Children (1): Elizabeth.

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8 F: Jane Meriwether, (3) M1.2.8

Birth: abt 1705 Virginia

Death: bef Sep 1757

Spouse: Col. Robert Lewis

Marriage: abt 1725 Virginia

Children (12): John, Jane, Elizabeth, Anne, Mary, Nicholas, Charles, William, Mildred, Robert, Sarah, Isabelle.

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9 F: Mary Meriwether, (3) M1.2.9

Birth: abt 1707 Virginia

Death: 1745 Virginia

Spouse: John Aylett - No issue

Spouse: Samuel Cobbs - No issue

MeriRep: Society Genealogist

Book Project: Covered in Volume I

Metrics: 34,906. David's life will be covered in detail in Volume I. Each child will have a separate volume.

Biographical Sketch:

MeriRep: Society Genealogist

Book Project: Volume I

Biographical Sketch:

There is no evidence that this Thomas ever existed. He is listed here because all previous Meriwether genealogies listed a son of Nicholas II named Thomas. If he existed, he was not named in any wills, deeds or any other known documentation from the period. It is believed that early researchers confused the records of Thomas (M15), son of Nicholas I, and Thomas (M1221) son of David (M122).

MeriRep: Society Genealogist

Book Project: Covered in Volume I

Metrics: 14.

Biographical Sketch:

MeriRep: Vacant

Book Project: Covered in Volume I

Metrics: 8.

Biographical Sketch:

MeriRep: Society Genealogist

Book Project: Covered in Volume I

Metrics: 0.

Biographical Sketch:

MeriRep: Vacant

Book Project: Not yet assigned - no volunteers.

Metrics: 380. (A poorly researched/documented line, which is a shame because William Browne Sr. married NM1's wido, Elizabeth (?) Meriwether, and raised most of the Meriwether children. And judging by the success and influence that Nicholas II, Francis II and Thomas enjoyed, he did a splendid job. Meriwether descendants owe the Browne line much better treatment.)

Biographical Sketch: