314
VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
His will was recorded in Louisa county,
\"irj?inia. June 28, 1757. He married Eliz-
al)cth Thornton, of Fredericksburg, Vir-
ginia. They were the parents of four sons
and seven daughters, the eighth child, Lucy,
married Colonel William Lewis and was
the mother of Meriwether Lewis, the Rocky
Mountain explorer.
(V) Nicholas (3) Meriwether, son of Major Thomas and Elizabeth (Thornton) Meriwether, was l)orn Septeml>er 7, 1736, died December 19, 1772. He married, De- cember 31, 1760, Margaret Douglass, born September 2, 1737, died September 25. 1812, daughter of Rev. William Douglass. The (ioochland county parish register contains this entrv, on page five, marriages : "Nicholas Meriwether and Margaret Douglass in this parish, she is my child, December 31, i7r!0," Nicholas Meriwether's estate was "Clover {•"ields," Albemarle county, \^irginia, where all his children were born. I le had five sons and one daughter, the latter the voungest child.
(\^I) Francis Thornton Meriwether, fifth son of Nicholas (3) and Margaret (Doug- lass) Meriwether, was born November 5, 1768. died in 1814. He lived and died in Bedford county, Virginia. He married, in 1793. Catherine Eliza Davies. Four of their ten children died in infancy, all the others, four sons and two daughters, married and with the exception of one son, George Doug- lass, and one daughter, Harriet Anne, left issue.
(V'H) William Nicholas Meriwether, sev- enth child of Francis Thornton and Cath- erine Eliza (Davies) Meriwether, was born in I'ledford county, Virginia, November 12, 1 810, died November 8, 1887. He was a farmer of Bedford county, prosperous and respected. He married, March 28. 1833, Martha Louisa Manson, born in Bedford county, \'irginia. daughter of Nathaniel J. and Sally K. (Alexander) Manson. Chil- dren: I. George W., born in 1834, died in infancy." 2. Nathaniel Manson, born May 30, 1836, died February 3, 1880; a civil engi- neer; unmarried. 3. h^rancis Thornton, born ^L'lrch 16, 1838: quartermaster-sergeant and lieutenant. Second Regiment Virginia Infantry, Confederate States army; married Lizzie J. Dawson. 4. William Nicholas (2), born i\Iay 12, 1840; married (first) Mary E. Davis, (second) Kate Pollard; he was a private of the Fifty-eighth Virginia Infan-
try, and drill master at Richmond and
Lynchburg in Captain Jenkin's cavalry, Con-
federate States army. 5. George Douglass,
of further mention. 6. John Lee. born July
2T,, 1845. 7. Emmett Manson. born June 4,
1848; married Lizzie Douglass Clarke, May
t8, 1871 ; he was chief engineer for the Wa-
bash railroad at one time and ranked high in
his profession ; he is now engaged in farm-
ing in Florida. 8. Sallie Manson, born June
20. 1850; now residing in Bedford county,
unmarried. 9. James Addison, born Octo-
ber I, 1852; married Annie Clay, in 1891 ;
he prepared for a civil engineer and is now
following his profession in Springfield, Mis-
souri.
(VIII) Dr. George Douglass Meriwether, now a practicing physician of Buena \^ista, Rockbridge county, Virginia, was born in Bedford county, that state, September 22, 1842, fourth son of William Nicholas and Martha Louisa (Manson) Meriwether. He obtained his education in the "field" schools of the county and Lynchburg, in private schools, and in "Bloomfield Academy," at- tending the latter institution two years. He left school at age of nineteen years, and in Mav, i86i, enlisted as a private in the Sec- ond Regiment Virginia Cavalry, Confed- erate States army. He served during the entire war, 1861 to 1865, in that regiment, except for a time under Colonel Peters in another Virginia regiment. His service was princioallv in Northern Virginia, and con- tinued until 1865. A slight wound kept him from active service for a few davs onlv. ])ut later, owinsr to a condition of health Avhich rendered him unfit for active, hard dutv he was detailed for light service in Lvnchburg. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant for meritorious service in the field but never received his commission. After the war he eneaeed in farming for a short time, then, in 1868. began professional studv in the Universitv of Pennsvlvania, Philadelphia. Pennsvlvania. whence he was jjraduated (medical department) Doctor of Medicine, class of 1870. He returned to Bedford count v after receiving his deeree and there began the practice of medicine and suro-ery. Later he located at Buena Vista. Rockbridge county, where he is vet in suc- cessful practice. In 1894 he was elected coroner of the countv. an office he vet holds. For twelve vears he was a member of the Virginia state board of medical examiners.
