Nicholas Meriwether arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, probably about 1652. The first confirmation of his existence there 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.

A Thomas Meriwether, merchant, of Bristol & London, had business dealings with Nicholas and it was at one time believed he could be a brother or uncle. Evidence found in 2004 no longer supports this.

Descendants of Nicholas Meriwether I (NM) have formed The Meriwether Society, Inc. Additional information may be obtained by sending email to or by writing to the Society at POB 19967, San Diego, CA 92159.

The Society also maintains a web site. The site contains links to Meriwether-related message boards and an online Research Database.



Seal of Nicholas Meriwether

Signature

(copyright 2007 The Meriwether Society, Inc)

• Married: ABT 1661 in Virginia
• Note: Surname and lineage of Elizabeth not confirmed.
• Note:

  
  There is speculation, but no direct evidence, that Nicholas married twice and that his oldest child, Elizabeth, was the daughter of the first wife. This speculation is based on several indirect lines of evidence. First, we know that Nicholas, at the time of his death, was indeed married to an Elizabeth. She later remarried Col. William Browne and had a child, also named Elizabeth. This child was named by Henry Hartwell as "a niece of my wife...", along with all the other children of Nicholas except the first child, Elizabeth (Meriwether) Clough Clements. Henry Hartwell's wife was Jane (?) White Hartwell, who many early genealogies state was Jane Meriwether, sister to Nicholas. However, if she was sister to Nicholas, Elizabeth Browne, daughter of William Browne and Elizabeth (?) Meriwether Browne, would not be a niece! This strongly suggests that Elizabeth (?) Meriwether Browne and Jane (?) White Hartwell are sisters. It is assumed that Henry Hartwell would not mention Elizabeth (Meriwether) Clough Clements as a niece only because Elizabeth was the daughter of a previous marriage by Nicholas. Additional reasoning can be found in Meriwether Society publications.
  
  (copyright 2003 The Meriwether Society, Inc)

1. Elizabeth MERIWETHER b: ABT 1663 in Jamestowne, James City County, Virginia

• Married: ABT 1664 in Virginia
• Note: Surname and lineage of Elizabeth not confirmed.
• Note:

  
  The children shown are all proven to have existed by various primary sources. There is a possibility that the mother of the first child, Elizabeth, was not the Elizabeth who was the mother of the remainder of the children.
  
  Many people also claim descent from a David Meriwether, whose daughter Susannah married a Nicholas Catlett about 1669. There is no record that NM1 had a son David and in any event a son of NM1 could not have been old enough to have a daughter of marital age in 1669 (at which time NM1 himself was only 38).See:
  
  http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=tmsidb1&id=I487
  
  (copyright 2005 The Meriwether Society, Inc)

1. Nicholas MERIWETHER b: 26 OCT 1665 in Virginia
2. Francis MERIWETHER b: ABT 1670 in Virginia
3. Jane MERIWETHER b: ABT 1675 in Virginia
4. Thomas MERIWETHER b: ABT 1677 in Virginia
5. William MERIWETHER b: AFT 17 JUN 1678 in Virginia

1. Publication: The Meriwether Society, Inc.
   URL: http://MeriwetherSociety.org
   Text: Information about this individual has been collected by The Meriweither Society from many sources. As the Society is in the process of verifying the information, it should be treated as unconfirmed at this time. Please do not assume the information is correct.
   
   If you have information about this individual, please contact the Society. PLEASE DO NOT USE THE INFORMATION SHOWN WITHOUT VERIFYING IT YOURSELF!
   
2. Type: Book
   Periodical: The Meriwethers and Their Connections
   Author: Nelson Heath Meriwether
   Publication: Artcraft Press
   Date: 1964
   Detail: Reprinted in 1991 by The Meriwether Society, Gateway Press
3. Type: Family Bible
   Detail: The Meriwether Society Source: S332