Nicholas Meriwether (1736–1772)
©The Meriwether Society, Inc.
Nicholas, born in 1736, married Margaret "Peggy" Douglass on 31 Dec 1760. She was the daughter of the noted Anglican minister and teacher, Parson William Douglass. Nicholas and Peggy had six known children: William Douglass (1761–1845), Thomas (1763–1802), Nicholas Hunter (1765–1805), Charles (1766–1843), Francis Thornton (1768–1814), and Elizabeth (1771–1855).
According to Minor Meriwether in his 1895 genealogy of the Meriwethers and Minors, "Nicholas was fearless and self-possessed in the most difficult of situations.… He once descended a nearly perpendicular precipice of Humpback Mountain, by the use of his fingers and toes, and drank water which issued from its side, while his brother Frank tremblingly looked on, expecting him to be dashed to pieces on the rocks below, imagining that no one would believe him when he told what his sensible brother had done."
Minor Meriwether also recounted the story that "Mr. Jefferson said of Col. Nicholas Meriwether that he was the most sensible of men he ever knew and William H. Crawford of Georgia made the same remark of Nick's brother, Frank."
A number of early Meriwether genealogies state that Nicholas "was one of four American soldiers belonging to the Virginia Regiment attached to the Army of General Braddock, who bore the wounded General from the field after his defeat near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania on 9 July, 1755. The General's sister sent him from Ireland a gold lace embroidered military dress coat, which previously belonged to her deceased brother, and which remained for a long time as a curiosity in Nicholas Meriwether's family." This story is incorrect, however. While Nicholas was there, it was his older and more experienced uncle, Col. Nicholas Meriwether, who was on Gen. Braddock's staff and supposedly caught the mortally wounded General as he fell and helped bear him off the field. It was this Nicholas who received the coat from the General's sister.
Nicholas built his Albemarle county plantation "Clover Fields" in 1760 on part of the 1730 land grant of 17,952 acres patented by his great-grandfather, Nicholas Meriwether II. His g-granddaughter, May Walker Meriwether, married Maj. Thomas Jefferson Randolph, g-grandson of Pres. Thomas Jefferson, and their descendants still own and live at "Clover Fields" in the 21st century. Some contemporary references use "Cloverfields" instead of the original "Clover Fields".
Another story frequently recounted by many Meriwether aunts, cousins and grandmothers to us young Meriwether lads recounts that as a young pupil of Parson Douglass, the Parson frequently remonstrated Nicholas by crying "Nicky, why can't you be clever like little Tommy Jefferson!" Seems apocryphal, as Nicholas was seven years older than "Tommy", but it makes a good story! And, given the demonstrated genius of Thomas Jefferson the adult, possibly somewhat an unfair comparison.
Nicholas died in 1772 at the age of 36; after his death, his children were raised by their grandfather, Parson William Douglass.
∼TMSI [5]: M1221 — GG-Grandson of Nicholas Meriwether
©The Meriwether Society, Inc.
Nicholas, born in 1736, married Margaret "Peggy" Douglass on 31 Dec 1760. She was the daughter of the noted Anglican minister and teacher, Parson William Douglass. Nicholas and Peggy had six known children: William Douglass (1761–1845), Thomas (1763–1802), Nicholas Hunter (1765–1805), Charles (1766–1843), Francis Thornton (1768–1814), and Elizabeth (1771–1855).
According to Minor Meriwether in his 1895 genealogy of the Meriwethers and Minors, "Nicholas was fearless and self-possessed in the most difficult of situations.… He once descended a nearly perpendicular precipice of Humpback Mountain, by the use of his fingers and toes, and drank water which issued from its side, while his brother Frank tremblingly looked on, expecting him to be dashed to pieces on the rocks below, imagining that no one would believe him when he told what his sensible brother had done."
Minor Meriwether also recounted the story that "Mr. Jefferson said of Col. Nicholas Meriwether that he was the most sensible of men he ever knew and William H. Crawford of Georgia made the same remark of Nick's brother, Frank."
A number of early Meriwether genealogies state that Nicholas "was one of four American soldiers belonging to the Virginia Regiment attached to the Army of General Braddock, who bore the wounded General from the field after his defeat near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania on 9 July, 1755. The General's sister sent him from Ireland a gold lace embroidered military dress coat, which previously belonged to her deceased brother, and which remained for a long time as a curiosity in Nicholas Meriwether's family." This story is incorrect, however. While Nicholas was there, it was his older and more experienced uncle, Col. Nicholas Meriwether, who was on Gen. Braddock's staff and supposedly caught the mortally wounded General as he fell and helped bear him off the field. It was this Nicholas who received the coat from the General's sister.
Nicholas built his Albemarle county plantation "Clover Fields" in 1760 on part of the 1730 land grant of 17,952 acres patented by his great-grandfather, Nicholas Meriwether II. His g-granddaughter, May Walker Meriwether, married Maj. Thomas Jefferson Randolph, g-grandson of Pres. Thomas Jefferson, and their descendants still own and live at "Clover Fields" in the 21st century. Some contemporary references use "Cloverfields" instead of the original "Clover Fields".
Another story frequently recounted by many Meriwether aunts, cousins and grandmothers to us young Meriwether lads recounts that as a young pupil of Parson Douglass, the Parson frequently remonstrated Nicholas by crying "Nicky, why can't you be clever like little Tommy Jefferson!" Seems apocryphal, as Nicholas was seven years older than "Tommy", but it makes a good story! And, given the demonstrated genius of Thomas Jefferson the adult, possibly somewhat an unfair comparison.
Nicholas died in 1772 at the age of 36; after his death, his children were raised by their grandfather, Parson William Douglass.
∼TMSI [5]: M1221 — GG-Grandson of Nicholas Meriwether
Nicholas Meriwether (1736–1772)
©The Meriwether Society, Inc.
Nicholas, born in 1736, married Margaret "Peggy" Douglass on 31 Dec 1760. She was the daughter of the noted Anglican minister and teacher, Parson William Douglass. Nicholas and Peggy had six known children: William Douglass (1761–1845), Thomas (1763–1802), Nicholas Hunter (1765–1805), Charles (1766–1843), Francis Thornton (1768–1814), and Elizabeth (1771–1855).
According to Minor Meriwether in his 1895 genealogy of the Meriwethers and Minors, "Nicholas was fearless and self-possessed in the most difficult of situations.… He once descended a nearly perpendicular precipice of Humpback Mountain, by the use of his fingers and toes, and drank water which issued from its side, while his brother Frank tremblingly looked on, expecting him to be dashed to pieces on the rocks below, imagining that no one would believe him when he told what his sensible brother had done."
Minor Meriwether also recounted the story that "Mr. Jefferson said of Col. Nicholas Meriwether that he was the most sensible of men he ever knew and William H. Crawford of Georgia made the same remark of Nick's brother, Frank."
A number of early Meriwether genealogies state that Nicholas "was one of four American soldiers belonging to the Virginia Regiment attached to the Army of General Braddock, who bore the wounded General from the field after his defeat near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania on 9 July, 1755. The General's sister sent him from Ireland a gold lace embroidered military dress coat, which previously belonged to her deceased brother, and which remained for a long time as a curiosity in Nicholas Meriwether's family." This story is incorrect, however. While Nicholas was there, it was his older and more experienced uncle, Col. Nicholas Meriwether, who was on Gen. Braddock's staff and supposedly caught the mortally wounded General as he fell and helped bear him off the field. It was this Nicholas who received the coat from the General's sister.
Nicholas built his Albemarle county plantation "Clover Fields" in 1760 on part of the 1730 land grant of 17,952 acres patented by his great-grandfather, Nicholas Meriwether II. His g-granddaughter, May Walker Meriwether, married Maj. Thomas Jefferson Randolph, g-grandson of Pres. Thomas Jefferson, and their descendants still own and live at "Clover Fields" in the 21st century. Some contemporary references use "Cloverfields" instead of the original "Clover Fields".
Another story frequently recounted by many Meriwether aunts, cousins and grandmothers to us young Meriwether lads recounts that as a young pupil of Parson Douglass, the Parson frequently remonstrated Nicholas by crying "Nicky, why can't you be clever like little Tommy Jefferson!" Seems apocryphal, as Nicholas was seven years older than "Tommy", but it makes a good story! And, given the demonstrated genius of Thomas Jefferson the adult, possibly somewhat an unfair comparison.
Nicholas died in 1772 at the age of 36; after his death, his children were raised by their grandfather, Parson William Douglass.
∼TMSI [5]: M1221 — GG-Grandson of Nicholas Meriwether
©The Meriwether Society, Inc.
Nicholas, born in 1736, married Margaret "Peggy" Douglass on 31 Dec 1760. She was the daughter of the noted Anglican minister and teacher, Parson William Douglass. Nicholas and Peggy had six known children: William Douglass (1761–1845), Thomas (1763–1802), Nicholas Hunter (1765–1805), Charles (1766–1843), Francis Thornton (1768–1814), and Elizabeth (1771–1855).
According to Minor Meriwether in his 1895 genealogy of the Meriwethers and Minors, "Nicholas was fearless and self-possessed in the most difficult of situations.… He once descended a nearly perpendicular precipice of Humpback Mountain, by the use of his fingers and toes, and drank water which issued from its side, while his brother Frank tremblingly looked on, expecting him to be dashed to pieces on the rocks below, imagining that no one would believe him when he told what his sensible brother had done."
Minor Meriwether also recounted the story that "Mr. Jefferson said of Col. Nicholas Meriwether that he was the most sensible of men he ever knew and William H. Crawford of Georgia made the same remark of Nick's brother, Frank."
A number of early Meriwether genealogies state that Nicholas "was one of four American soldiers belonging to the Virginia Regiment attached to the Army of General Braddock, who bore the wounded General from the field after his defeat near Pittsburg, Pennsylvania on 9 July, 1755. The General's sister sent him from Ireland a gold lace embroidered military dress coat, which previously belonged to her deceased brother, and which remained for a long time as a curiosity in Nicholas Meriwether's family." This story is incorrect, however. While Nicholas was there, it was his older and more experienced uncle, Col. Nicholas Meriwether, who was on Gen. Braddock's staff and supposedly caught the mortally wounded General as he fell and helped bear him off the field. It was this Nicholas who received the coat from the General's sister.
Nicholas built his Albemarle county plantation "Clover Fields" in 1760 on part of the 1730 land grant of 17,952 acres patented by his great-grandfather, Nicholas Meriwether II. His g-granddaughter, May Walker Meriwether, married Maj. Thomas Jefferson Randolph, g-grandson of Pres. Thomas Jefferson, and their descendants still own and live at "Clover Fields" in the 21st century. Some contemporary references use "Cloverfields" instead of the original "Clover Fields".
Another story frequently recounted by many Meriwether aunts, cousins and grandmothers to us young Meriwether lads recounts that as a young pupil of Parson Douglass, the Parson frequently remonstrated Nicholas by crying "Nicky, why can't you be clever like little Tommy Jefferson!" Seems apocryphal, as Nicholas was seven years older than "Tommy", but it makes a good story! And, given the demonstrated genius of Thomas Jefferson the adult, possibly somewhat an unfair comparison.
Nicholas died in 1772 at the age of 36; after his death, his children were raised by their grandfather, Parson William Douglass.
∼TMSI [5]: M1221 — GG-Grandson of Nicholas Meriwether
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TMSI [5] There is no marker for his grave site, so please do not request a photo of one.
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