1667 - 1743 (76 years)
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Name |
MERIWETHER Nicholas [1] |
Prefix |
Col |
Suffix |
Jr. |
Birth |
26 Oct 1667 |
Dendron, Surry, Virginia, United States [1, 2] |
Gender |
Male |
Occupation |
Farmer/Planter, land speculator; Attorney [1] |
Residence |
1729 |
Cismont, Albemarle County, VA |
Cloverfields plantation |
- Cloverfields Plantation: The Cloverfields plantation, which the Meriwether family first acquired as part of the 3,000 acre grant to Nicholas Meriwether II in 1729. No one called it"cloverfields"until at least 1760, when Nicholas Meriwether II and his wife, Margaret Douglas built the first dwelling on the property. At the present time, there are several buildings in which people live. The original chimney from the kitchen still stands on the property, as well as the original smokehouse. The other buildings have been updated and/or rebuilt since the Meriwether's lived there. One of the buildings was added to the property in order to keep it from being destroyed. Developers were building on the land where the building originally stood. The graveyard is, of course, also in its original spot and condition. Edward C. Mead wrote in 1899"Here sleep undisturbed on their native ground those noble men and women who lived in the exciting times of the Revolution and saw the wild country emerge into a'new nation.'"Many of the people who lived at the plantation were originally buried in the family plot, but have since been moved to Grace Church in Cismont. Many people interred in the graveyard lie in unmarked tombs. The most well-known burial there is William Lewis, Meriwether's father. While on leave from the Continental Army to visit his wife and children at Locust Hill, he crossed the Rivanna River in a flood. His horse drowned and he caught pneumonia. Cloverfields, his wife Lucy's childhood home was much closer, so he went there to recouperate. Instead, he died there, and his body was never moved. Cloverfields is still a private property owned by the descendants of the Meriwether family."Cloverfields Cemetery."Write-up by Douglas Valentine. April 1998 and Barnes, Sara Lee. Live Interview at Cloverfields. 2 December 2002.
Source: http://www.vcdh.virginia.edu/encounter/projects/homesteads/map/farm.html The farm was the 1020 acre plantation of Colonel Nicholas Meriweather, a contemporary of Thomas Jefferson's father, where he build his home in 1735. This stretch of land lies in the river flats between Moore's Creek and Meadow Creek. Its simple name comes from it being the earliest cleared loaction West of the Rivanna River and as such became a conspicuous landmark in the area. It was on this site with a view of Monticello that Nicholas Meriweather lived the rest of his life and was buried nearby. His grandson Colonel Nicholas LEWIS, a Revolutionary Officer uinherited the property.
|
Residence |
1735 |
Goochland County, VA |
- The Farm: Col. Nicholas Meriwether II amassed a large quantity of land, at one point owning about 33,000 acres. In 1735 he built his plantation, [which became] "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).
02 May 2013 • F
|
Death |
12 Dec 1743 |
North Garden, Albemarle, Virginia, USA [1, 3] |
Burial |
Albermarle County, Va |
- The Cloverfields plantation, which the Meriwether family first acquired as part of the 3,000 acre grant to Nicholas Meriwether II in 1729. No one called it"cloverfields"until at least 1760, when Nicholas Meriwether II and his wife, Margaret Douglas built the first dwelling on the property. At the present time, there are several buildings in which people live. The original chimney from the kitchen still stands on the property, as well as the original smokehouse. The other buildings have been updated and/or rebuilt since the Meriwether's lived there. One of the buildings was added to the property in order to keep it from being destroyed. Developers were building on the land where the building originally stood. The graveyard is, of course, also in its original spot and condition. Edward C. Mead wrote in 1899"Here sleep undisturbed on their native ground those noble men and women who lived in the exciting times of the REvolution and saw the wild country emerge into a'new nation.'"Many of the people who lived at the plantation were originally buried in the family plot, but have since been moved to Grace Church in Cismont. Many people interred in the graveyard lie in unmarked tombs. The most well-known burial there is William Lewis, Meriwether's father. While on leave from the Continental Army to visit his wife and children at Locust Hill, he crossed the Rivanna River in a flood. His horse drowned and he caught pneumonia. Cloverfields, his wife Lucy's childhood home was much closer, so he went there to recouperate. Instead, he died there, and his body was never moved. Cloverfields is still a private property owned by the descendants of the Meriwether family."Cloverfields Cemetery."Write-up by Douglas Valentine. April 1998 and Barnes, Sara Lee. Live Interview at Cloverfields. 2 December 2002.
Charlottesville
Albemarle County
Virginia USA
Cemetery notes and/or description:
THE OLD FAMILY GRAVEYARD, A DISGRACE TO ALL THE DESCENDANTS
Following the county road already described, starting at Charlottesville and as soon as you cross the Country Bridge over the Rivanna River, you are upon the plantation left by the will of Nicholas (2) "to my grandson Nicholas Lewis the son of Mr. Robt. Lewis, my plantation and land whereon I now live, containing by Patent One Thousand and Twenty acres, together with One Hundred and nineteen acres part of a greater tract bought of Thomas Graves…"
The county road begins to climb the side of the mountain as soon as it leaves the bridge. Off to the left a short distance, and facing the river, is the present Mansion, but upon the right of the road and facing more towards "Monticello", and the bend of the river, stood the old home of Nicholas (2) Meriwether and wife Elizabeth (Crafford). This was the house in which he died, and it was a beautiful site for a home. On the same first ridge of the mountain, but about 150 yards to the right of the present county road, and perhaps 200 yards from the bridge, was the old Meriwether family graveyard in which were buried Nicholas, Col. David, and many of the family.
At the time of the writer's visit the entire field where stood the old house and where is located the old graveyard, was planted in corn. Not even a mound marks a grave, and it seems to him a disgrace to every descendant of the family. Cannot this be rectified? The cost would be very small divided among so many
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Notes |
- Nicholas Meriwether was born on October 26, 1665, in Iceland, the child of Nicholas Meriwether to Elizabeth Woodhouse, age 32, and Nicholas Meriwether, age 34. He married Elizabeth Crawford in 1687 in Buckingham County, Virginia. They had eight children in 17 years. He died in November 1744 in Virginia, having lived a long life of 79 years.
Col. Nicholas Meriwether II
Col. Nicholas Meriwether II amassed a large quantity of land, at one point owning about 33,000 acres. His will, one of the longest recorded in Virginia, was witnessed by Peter Jefferson, father of Thomas Jefferson.
Buried: East bank of Rivanna River, near present day Charlottesville. Actual site has been lost.
Children
William MERIWETHER b: ABT 1688 in James City County, Virginia
David MERIWETHER b: ABT 1690 in James City County, Virginia
Thomas MERIWETHER b: ABT 1691 in Virginia
Anne MERIWETHER b: ABT 1694 in Virginia
Sarah MERIWETHER b: 1697 in Virginia
Nicholas MERIWETHER b: 11 JUL 1699 in Virginia
Elizabeth MERIWETHER b: 20 JUN 1703 in Virginia
Jane MERIWETHER b: ABT 1705 in Virginia
Mary MERIWETHER b: ABT 1707 in Virginia
Lake Meriweather is located there and poss named after him
Historical Background The first plantation house was built by Nicholas Meriwether about 1735 where he died in 1744. Sometime before the Revolutionary War, the house burned and Col. Nicholas Lewis, grandson and heir of Meriwether, built a second main house which has since disappeared. Colonel Nicholas Lewis (1728-1807) (uncle of the famous explorer Meriwether Lewis) was a surveyor who served in several public roles including sheriff, surveyor and magistrate.[4] The 1782 tax records indicate he owned 33 slaves, 80 cattle and 17 horses.[5] His neighbor and friend Thomas Jefferson paid tribute to him in his writings for bravery in fighting the Cherokee Indians in 1776:[6]
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Person ID |
I2136 |
Booth Family |
Last Modified |
11 Sep 2015 |
Father |
MERIWETHER Nicholas, Sr., b. Abt 1631, Kent County, Great Britain d. 19 Dec 1678, Jamestown, James City Cty, Virginia (Age ~ 47 years) |
Mother |
WOODHOUSE Elizabeth, b. Abt 1638 d. Abt 21 Apr 1695, Dendron, Surry, Virginia, United States (Age ~ 57 years) |
Marriage |
Abt 1664 |
Greenville, Augusta, Virginia, USA |
Family ID |
F724 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
Family 1 |
CRAWFORD Elizabeth, b. Abt 1672, New Kent County, VA ("Assasquin") d. Bef 11 May 1762, Greenville, Augusta, Virginia, USA (Age ~ 90 years) |
Marriage |
26 Oct 1665 |
New Kent County, VA (Saint Peter's Parish) |
Children |
| 1. MERIWETHER Nicholas, III, b. 11 Jul 1699, New Kent County, VA d. 1739 (Age 39 years) |
| 2. MERIWETHER Jane, b. Abt 1705, Greensville County, Virginia d. Bef Sep 1757 (Age ~ 52 years) |
| 3. MERIWETHER Elizabeth, b. 1705, New Kent County, VA d. 1 Jan 1725, Hanover County, VA (Age 20 years) |
| 4. MERIWETHER Mary, b. 1707, Albermarle County, Va d. Yes, date unknown |
|
Family ID |
F715 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
Last Modified |
6 Apr 2008 |
Family 2 |
CRAWFORD Elizabeth, b. Abt 1672, New Kent County, VA ("Assasquin") d. Bef 11 May 1762, Greenville, Augusta, Virginia, USA (Age ~ 90 years) |
Marriage |
1687 |
Buckingham, Buckingham, Virginia, USA |
Children |
| 1. Col. MERIWETHER David, b. Abt 1690, James City County, Virginia d. 25 Dec 1744, Louisa County, VA (Age ~ 54 years) |
| 2. MERIWETHER Anne, b. 15 Jul 1694, Goochland County, VA d. Yes, date unknown |
| 3. MERIWETHER Sarah, b. 7 Dec 1697, Goochland County, VA d. 2 Jul 1733, Virginia (Age 35 years) |
|
Family ID |
F723 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
Last Modified |
7 Sep 2015 |
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Sources |
- [S916] Meriwether Genealogy, Meriwether Genealogy (Reliability: 3).
- [S279] Family Bible, Family Bible, (http://dellariola.tripod.com/meriwether.htm), Commonly accepted date, based on WRG's "old Bible leaf" transcript. (Reliability: 3).
- [S279] Family Bible, Family Bible, (http://dellariola.tripod.com/meriwether.htm), East bank of Rivanna River, near present day Charlottesville. Actual site has been lost. (Reliability: 3).
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