"In the early part of the nineteenth century my two grandfathers, Dr. Charles Meriwether and Mr. Charles Barker, deciding that Virginia had become too overcrowded and effete, determined to emigrate to the wide spaces of the West where a gentleman would have more room and privacy than he had with neighbors within a few miles of him. So mounting their horses they journeyed over the mountains and through the pleasant lands of Tennessee and Kentucky, going even so far as Missouri. On their way they had traversed fertile plain on the border line between Kentucky and Tennessee whose rolling lands covered with lush grass and whose many springs of water had caught their fancy. It had, moreover, the great advantage of being many days nearer Virginia, in those days of the covered wagon and slow transportation. So they bought several thousand acres of land, almost all of which still belongs to their descendants, and here they built their homes and established their families.
Barker home: "Fairfields"
Meriwether home: "Meriville"
Dr. Charles Meriwether
From "The Meriwethers and Their Connections" by Louisa H. A. Minor:
Among the most prominent of the Meriwether family in the United States is that which resides in or around Clarksville, Tenn., and which is descended from Dr. Charles Meriwether, who removed to that part of the country from Virginia in 1811.
Dr. Meriwether, who was the son of Col. Nicholas Meriwether and Margaret Douglas, was a most courtly and polished gentleman, and of vast erudition. He was born at the old Meriwether home "Clover Fields," in Albemarle county, Va., in 1766. His grandfather, Rev. William Douglas, was a learned man and fine scholar, and a noted instructor of youth, and numbered among his pupils men who afterward stood high as scholars, orators and statesmen. His grandson, Charles, was his pet and pride, and he spared no pains to give him a fine classical education. The grandson desired to fit himself for the profession of medicine, and at that early day the necessary diploma was only to be had by going across the ocean. So, from a letter to his grandfather, from Richmond, Va., of the date Sept. 27, 1789, he writes that he expected to sail the next week to Scotland.
In Edinboro', during the next three years, we know from his letters that he worked hard at his medical studies, but has time to write affectionate, courtly letters to his mother and grandfather. To his eldest brother, William D. Meriwether, who is a practical farmer in Virginia, he writes his observations on the manner of restoring and enriching lands in Scotland, and gives very learned theories on the subject. It is amusing to us at this day to read of a machine he had seen, and describes it to his brother, for getting out grain from the straw, which is worked by a horse, cost is about £50 (what would be his wonder to see the many improvements in the machinery of to-day?)
In a letter written in 1792, he speaks of the Revolutionary wave which is fast spreading over Europe: says, that in Great Britain even its own people predict that in ten years there will be no crowned head to rule over them. A prediction which we of to-day know a hundred years has failed to carry out. In 1791, he writes to his mother and grandfather, of his hope to persuade "a little Scotch cousin" of Galloway, by name Lydia Laurie, to return to America with him, and is very anxious for their consent and blessing for the marriage. She is a daughter of Mr. Patrick Laurie, and a niece of his grandmother, Mrs. Nicholas Hunter Douglas; writes, that like Isaac and Jacob, of old, he has gone among his mother's people to take a wife. In a letter dated Edinboro', March 7th, 1792, he writes that he has married Lydia, describes her as "pretty of face and shape, and has every accomplishment of body and mind that can add to his happiness." In Oct., 1792, he writes, that he has taken out a degree for the practice of medicine. His family still preserve his graduating thesis, which is written in Latin, and was esteemed by the medical faculty of Edinboro' of sufficient importance to print in book form. His wife's kindred were anxious for him to remain in Scotland, so he settled in Edinboro' and practiced medicine, until his wife and only child (a daughter) dying, he returned to his Virginia home, the exact date not known, somewhere between 1799 and 1800. In Virginia he was naturally a great toast, being young, handsome, accomplished and wealthy, and was much sought after by the managing mothers, who had marriageable daughters, but he passed by all these snares only to fall a victim to the charms of a little maiden just from school, Nancy Minor (daughter of Dabney Minor of "Wood Lawn", Orange county, Va.), who was so hoydenish, she had to be called down from a cherry tree by her "black mammy," to receive the addresses of her stately suitor.
This second marriage of Dr. Meriwether's was also soon unhappily ended by the death of his young wife, who, dying, left him one son, Charles Nicholas Minor Meriwether.
After some years Dr. Meriwether again married, this time a widow, Mrs. Daniel, whose maiden name was Mary Walton, a woman of commanding handsomeness, great courage, intellect and goodness, and who was in every respect fitted to be the wife of such a man. They lived for a while in Halifax county, Va., and from there moved west, buying a large tract of the fertile land that lies on the border, between Kentucky and Tennessee, near Clarksville. This land is still owned by his descendants, whose boast it is, that not a foot of it has ever belonged to any one but a Meriwether. Dr. Meriwether built a handsome house and called the new home "Meriville," a name that throughout the country is synonymous with large-hearted hospitality. Here, two sons, William Douglas and James Hunter, were born to him, and here, in the fullness of years and honors, he died and was buried in the cedar-shaded family burying ground he himself had laid out.
There could be no finer specimen of manhood than he was. Beloved for his generosity, revered for his wisdom, respected for his unswerving integrity, the very soul of honor, it is impossible to estimate the influence of such a man in forming the morals and manners of a new community.
TMSI [89]
Barker home: "Fairfields"
Meriwether home: "Meriville"
Dr. Charles Meriwether
From "The Meriwethers and Their Connections" by Louisa H. A. Minor:
Among the most prominent of the Meriwether family in the United States is that which resides in or around Clarksville, Tenn., and which is descended from Dr. Charles Meriwether, who removed to that part of the country from Virginia in 1811.
Dr. Meriwether, who was the son of Col. Nicholas Meriwether and Margaret Douglas, was a most courtly and polished gentleman, and of vast erudition. He was born at the old Meriwether home "Clover Fields," in Albemarle county, Va., in 1766. His grandfather, Rev. William Douglas, was a learned man and fine scholar, and a noted instructor of youth, and numbered among his pupils men who afterward stood high as scholars, orators and statesmen. His grandson, Charles, was his pet and pride, and he spared no pains to give him a fine classical education. The grandson desired to fit himself for the profession of medicine, and at that early day the necessary diploma was only to be had by going across the ocean. So, from a letter to his grandfather, from Richmond, Va., of the date Sept. 27, 1789, he writes that he expected to sail the next week to Scotland.
In Edinboro', during the next three years, we know from his letters that he worked hard at his medical studies, but has time to write affectionate, courtly letters to his mother and grandfather. To his eldest brother, William D. Meriwether, who is a practical farmer in Virginia, he writes his observations on the manner of restoring and enriching lands in Scotland, and gives very learned theories on the subject. It is amusing to us at this day to read of a machine he had seen, and describes it to his brother, for getting out grain from the straw, which is worked by a horse, cost is about £50 (what would be his wonder to see the many improvements in the machinery of to-day?)
In a letter written in 1792, he speaks of the Revolutionary wave which is fast spreading over Europe: says, that in Great Britain even its own people predict that in ten years there will be no crowned head to rule over them. A prediction which we of to-day know a hundred years has failed to carry out. In 1791, he writes to his mother and grandfather, of his hope to persuade "a little Scotch cousin" of Galloway, by name Lydia Laurie, to return to America with him, and is very anxious for their consent and blessing for the marriage. She is a daughter of Mr. Patrick Laurie, and a niece of his grandmother, Mrs. Nicholas Hunter Douglas; writes, that like Isaac and Jacob, of old, he has gone among his mother's people to take a wife. In a letter dated Edinboro', March 7th, 1792, he writes that he has married Lydia, describes her as "pretty of face and shape, and has every accomplishment of body and mind that can add to his happiness." In Oct., 1792, he writes, that he has taken out a degree for the practice of medicine. His family still preserve his graduating thesis, which is written in Latin, and was esteemed by the medical faculty of Edinboro' of sufficient importance to print in book form. His wife's kindred were anxious for him to remain in Scotland, so he settled in Edinboro' and practiced medicine, until his wife and only child (a daughter) dying, he returned to his Virginia home, the exact date not known, somewhere between 1799 and 1800. In Virginia he was naturally a great toast, being young, handsome, accomplished and wealthy, and was much sought after by the managing mothers, who had marriageable daughters, but he passed by all these snares only to fall a victim to the charms of a little maiden just from school, Nancy Minor (daughter of Dabney Minor of "Wood Lawn", Orange county, Va.), who was so hoydenish, she had to be called down from a cherry tree by her "black mammy," to receive the addresses of her stately suitor.
This second marriage of Dr. Meriwether's was also soon unhappily ended by the death of his young wife, who, dying, left him one son, Charles Nicholas Minor Meriwether.
After some years Dr. Meriwether again married, this time a widow, Mrs. Daniel, whose maiden name was Mary Walton, a woman of commanding handsomeness, great courage, intellect and goodness, and who was in every respect fitted to be the wife of such a man. They lived for a while in Halifax county, Va., and from there moved west, buying a large tract of the fertile land that lies on the border, between Kentucky and Tennessee, near Clarksville. This land is still owned by his descendants, whose boast it is, that not a foot of it has ever belonged to any one but a Meriwether. Dr. Meriwether built a handsome house and called the new home "Meriville," a name that throughout the country is synonymous with large-hearted hospitality. Here, two sons, William Douglas and James Hunter, were born to him, and here, in the fullness of years and honors, he died and was buried in the cedar-shaded family burying ground he himself had laid out.
There could be no finer specimen of manhood than he was. Beloved for his generosity, revered for his wisdom, respected for his unswerving integrity, the very soul of honor, it is impossible to estimate the influence of such a man in forming the morals and manners of a new community.
TMSI [89]
"In the early part of the nineteenth century my two grandfathers, Dr. Charles Meriwether and Mr. Charles Barker, deciding that Virginia had become too overcrowded and effete, determined to emigrate to the wide spaces of the West where a gentleman would have more room and privacy than he had with neighbors within a few miles of him. So mounting their horses they journeyed over the mountains and through the pleasant lands of Tennessee and Kentucky, going even so far as Missouri. On their way they had traversed fertile plain on the border line between Kentucky and Tennessee whose rolling lands covered with lush grass and whose many springs of water had caught their fancy. It had, moreover, the great advantage of being many days nearer Virginia, in those days of the covered wagon and slow transportation. So they bought several thousand acres of land, almost all of which still belongs to their descendants, and here they built their homes and established their families.
Barker home: "Fairfields"
Meriwether home: "Meriville"
Dr. Charles Meriwether
From "The Meriwethers and Their Connections" by Louisa H. A. Minor:
Among the most prominent of the Meriwether family in the United States is that which resides in or around Clarksville, Tenn., and which is descended from Dr. Charles Meriwether, who removed to that part of the country from Virginia in 1811.
Dr. Meriwether, who was the son of Col. Nicholas Meriwether and Margaret Douglas, was a most courtly and polished gentleman, and of vast erudition. He was born at the old Meriwether home "Clover Fields," in Albemarle county, Va., in 1766. His grandfather, Rev. William Douglas, was a learned man and fine scholar, and a noted instructor of youth, and numbered among his pupils men who afterward stood high as scholars, orators and statesmen. His grandson, Charles, was his pet and pride, and he spared no pains to give him a fine classical education. The grandson desired to fit himself for the profession of medicine, and at that early day the necessary diploma was only to be had by going across the ocean. So, from a letter to his grandfather, from Richmond, Va., of the date Sept. 27, 1789, he writes that he expected to sail the next week to Scotland.
In Edinboro', during the next three years, we know from his letters that he worked hard at his medical studies, but has time to write affectionate, courtly letters to his mother and grandfather. To his eldest brother, William D. Meriwether, who is a practical farmer in Virginia, he writes his observations on the manner of restoring and enriching lands in Scotland, and gives very learned theories on the subject. It is amusing to us at this day to read of a machine he had seen, and describes it to his brother, for getting out grain from the straw, which is worked by a horse, cost is about £50 (what would be his wonder to see the many improvements in the machinery of to-day?)
In a letter written in 1792, he speaks of the Revolutionary wave which is fast spreading over Europe: says, that in Great Britain even its own people predict that in ten years there will be no crowned head to rule over them. A prediction which we of to-day know a hundred years has failed to carry out. In 1791, he writes to his mother and grandfather, of his hope to persuade "a little Scotch cousin" of Galloway, by name Lydia Laurie, to return to America with him, and is very anxious for their consent and blessing for the marriage. She is a daughter of Mr. Patrick Laurie, and a niece of his grandmother, Mrs. Nicholas Hunter Douglas; writes, that like Isaac and Jacob, of old, he has gone among his mother's people to take a wife. In a letter dated Edinboro', March 7th, 1792, he writes that he has married Lydia, describes her as "pretty of face and shape, and has every accomplishment of body and mind that can add to his happiness." In Oct., 1792, he writes, that he has taken out a degree for the practice of medicine. His family still preserve his graduating thesis, which is written in Latin, and was esteemed by the medical faculty of Edinboro' of sufficient importance to print in book form. His wife's kindred were anxious for him to remain in Scotland, so he settled in Edinboro' and practiced medicine, until his wife and only child (a daughter) dying, he returned to his Virginia home, the exact date not known, somewhere between 1799 and 1800. In Virginia he was naturally a great toast, being young, handsome, accomplished and wealthy, and was much sought after by the managing mothers, who had marriageable daughters, but he passed by all these snares only to fall a victim to the charms of a little maiden just from school, Nancy Minor (daughter of Dabney Minor of "Wood Lawn", Orange county, Va.), who was so hoydenish, she had to be called down from a cherry tree by her "black mammy," to receive the addresses of her stately suitor.
This second marriage of Dr. Meriwether's was also soon unhappily ended by the death of his young wife, who, dying, left him one son, Charles Nicholas Minor Meriwether.
After some years Dr. Meriwether again married, this time a widow, Mrs. Daniel, whose maiden name was Mary Walton, a woman of commanding handsomeness, great courage, intellect and goodness, and who was in every respect fitted to be the wife of such a man. They lived for a while in Halifax county, Va., and from there moved west, buying a large tract of the fertile land that lies on the border, between Kentucky and Tennessee, near Clarksville. This land is still owned by his descendants, whose boast it is, that not a foot of it has ever belonged to any one but a Meriwether. Dr. Meriwether built a handsome house and called the new home "Meriville," a name that throughout the country is synonymous with large-hearted hospitality. Here, two sons, William Douglas and James Hunter, were born to him, and here, in the fullness of years and honors, he died and was buried in the cedar-shaded family burying ground he himself had laid out.
There could be no finer specimen of manhood than he was. Beloved for his generosity, revered for his wisdom, respected for his unswerving integrity, the very soul of honor, it is impossible to estimate the influence of such a man in forming the morals and manners of a new community.
TMSI [89]
Barker home: "Fairfields"
Meriwether home: "Meriville"
Dr. Charles Meriwether
From "The Meriwethers and Their Connections" by Louisa H. A. Minor:
Among the most prominent of the Meriwether family in the United States is that which resides in or around Clarksville, Tenn., and which is descended from Dr. Charles Meriwether, who removed to that part of the country from Virginia in 1811.
Dr. Meriwether, who was the son of Col. Nicholas Meriwether and Margaret Douglas, was a most courtly and polished gentleman, and of vast erudition. He was born at the old Meriwether home "Clover Fields," in Albemarle county, Va., in 1766. His grandfather, Rev. William Douglas, was a learned man and fine scholar, and a noted instructor of youth, and numbered among his pupils men who afterward stood high as scholars, orators and statesmen. His grandson, Charles, was his pet and pride, and he spared no pains to give him a fine classical education. The grandson desired to fit himself for the profession of medicine, and at that early day the necessary diploma was only to be had by going across the ocean. So, from a letter to his grandfather, from Richmond, Va., of the date Sept. 27, 1789, he writes that he expected to sail the next week to Scotland.
In Edinboro', during the next three years, we know from his letters that he worked hard at his medical studies, but has time to write affectionate, courtly letters to his mother and grandfather. To his eldest brother, William D. Meriwether, who is a practical farmer in Virginia, he writes his observations on the manner of restoring and enriching lands in Scotland, and gives very learned theories on the subject. It is amusing to us at this day to read of a machine he had seen, and describes it to his brother, for getting out grain from the straw, which is worked by a horse, cost is about £50 (what would be his wonder to see the many improvements in the machinery of to-day?)
In a letter written in 1792, he speaks of the Revolutionary wave which is fast spreading over Europe: says, that in Great Britain even its own people predict that in ten years there will be no crowned head to rule over them. A prediction which we of to-day know a hundred years has failed to carry out. In 1791, he writes to his mother and grandfather, of his hope to persuade "a little Scotch cousin" of Galloway, by name Lydia Laurie, to return to America with him, and is very anxious for their consent and blessing for the marriage. She is a daughter of Mr. Patrick Laurie, and a niece of his grandmother, Mrs. Nicholas Hunter Douglas; writes, that like Isaac and Jacob, of old, he has gone among his mother's people to take a wife. In a letter dated Edinboro', March 7th, 1792, he writes that he has married Lydia, describes her as "pretty of face and shape, and has every accomplishment of body and mind that can add to his happiness." In Oct., 1792, he writes, that he has taken out a degree for the practice of medicine. His family still preserve his graduating thesis, which is written in Latin, and was esteemed by the medical faculty of Edinboro' of sufficient importance to print in book form. His wife's kindred were anxious for him to remain in Scotland, so he settled in Edinboro' and practiced medicine, until his wife and only child (a daughter) dying, he returned to his Virginia home, the exact date not known, somewhere between 1799 and 1800. In Virginia he was naturally a great toast, being young, handsome, accomplished and wealthy, and was much sought after by the managing mothers, who had marriageable daughters, but he passed by all these snares only to fall a victim to the charms of a little maiden just from school, Nancy Minor (daughter of Dabney Minor of "Wood Lawn", Orange county, Va.), who was so hoydenish, she had to be called down from a cherry tree by her "black mammy," to receive the addresses of her stately suitor.
This second marriage of Dr. Meriwether's was also soon unhappily ended by the death of his young wife, who, dying, left him one son, Charles Nicholas Minor Meriwether.
After some years Dr. Meriwether again married, this time a widow, Mrs. Daniel, whose maiden name was Mary Walton, a woman of commanding handsomeness, great courage, intellect and goodness, and who was in every respect fitted to be the wife of such a man. They lived for a while in Halifax county, Va., and from there moved west, buying a large tract of the fertile land that lies on the border, between Kentucky and Tennessee, near Clarksville. This land is still owned by his descendants, whose boast it is, that not a foot of it has ever belonged to any one but a Meriwether. Dr. Meriwether built a handsome house and called the new home "Meriville," a name that throughout the country is synonymous with large-hearted hospitality. Here, two sons, William Douglas and James Hunter, were born to him, and here, in the fullness of years and honors, he died and was buried in the cedar-shaded family burying ground he himself had laid out.
There could be no finer specimen of manhood than he was. Beloved for his generosity, revered for his wisdom, respected for his unswerving integrity, the very soul of honor, it is impossible to estimate the influence of such a man in forming the morals and manners of a new community.
TMSI [89]
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