Lucy (Meriwether) Marks (1752 - 1837)

Born 4 Feb 1752 in Charlottesville, Albemarle, Colony and Dominion of Virginia

Ancestors

Wife of William Lewis — married 1769 in Albemarle, Virginia

Wife of John Marks — married 13 May 1780 in Virginia

Descendants

Died 8 Sep 1837 at age 85 in Charlottesville, Albemarle, Virginia, United States

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Biography

Lucy Meriwether Lewis Marks (1752-1837): Her Life and Her World ^[1]

by Patricia L. Zontine, April 2009

Lucy’s Family:

Lucy Thornton Meriwether was born into Albemarle County gentry on February 4, 1752. She was the daughter of Col. Thomas and Elizabeth Thornton Meriwether. Her father’s ancestors had emigrated from England, probably Kent County, in the mid-17th century and settled in the counties of Tidewater, Virginia. “Meriwethers brought a large amount of wealth to the colonies, rich in lands, in plate and slaves.” (Anderson, pp. 141-2) The family, as most of the other “gentry” families that migrated, was given high offices and large land grants that allowed them to become part of the “ruling oligarchy that ran the colony for many generations.” (Fischer, p. 212) They served as burgesses, magistrates and clerks of court in their respective counties, and commanders of militia units. Lucy’s father, Thomas, was prominent in local politics and was a member of the vestry for St. Anne’s parish in 1742.Vestry men had civil powers as well as religious duties. (Meriwether, p. 72)

Lucy’s great-grandfather, Nicholas Meriwether II, together with his son-in-law Robert Lewis, pushed north from Tidewater into Virginia’s Piedmont and, being “good judges of fertile, well-watered land,” obtained land grants of over 19,000 acres in the Southwest Mountains area of Albemarle County. (Anderson, p. 62) As was the custom among Tidewater families, “they first dispatched slaves and overseers to clear and cultivate new quarters for some years before moving themselves and their families to the Piedmont.” (Moore, p. 19)

Thomas Meriwether (b. 1714 – 1756) was considered a man of great wealth, due almost entirely to the bequest of his grandfather, Nicholas Meriwether, II. His home was at “Clover Fields” and it is probable that Lucy was born there. Thomas continued to purchase land to add to the land gifted to him by his grandfather until his total land holdings were 9,000 acres spread over several estates. At the time of his death, his holdings dwindled to only 3,000 acres, due to the gifts of land he gave to his children. (Saindon, p. 73) He married Elizabeth Thornton in 1735 and that same year, “he had eleven slaves, two horses, a plow and farm implements, eighteen head of cattle and over a hundred hogs, sows and pigs on his Totier Creek property.” (Moore, p. 29) His wife, Elizabeth Thornton (1717 – 1794) was descended from the Taliaferros, also an early settler family in the Colony. Together, they had eleven children. Following her husband’s death, Elizabeth married Robert Lewis of “Belvoir” who later became Lucy’s father-in-law as well as her step-father.

Lucy’s Personal Characteristics

The only existing portrait of Lucy shows her as an old woman but those that knew her remembered that “her person was perfect” and even in old age, she retained “fine features, a fragile figure and a masterful eye.” An admirer also said that “her activity (went) beyond her sex.” (Bakeless, pp. 16-17)

While researching his book Lewis and Clark: Partners in Discovery, biographer John Bakeless spent a lot of time visiting Albemarle County interviewing descendents of the Lewis and Meriwether families who had heard stories from those who knew Lucy. He describes Lucy as “a Virginia lady of the patrician breed, a benevolent family autocrat, with a character so sharp and definite that her twentieth-century descendents still refer to her as Grandma Marks.” A neighbor from her Georgia years described her as “sincere, truthful, industrious and kind without limit.” (Bakeless pp.15-16)

From the letters written by her son, Meriwether, with their teasting tone, it is safe to assume that Lucy also had a playful side and a healthy sense of humor.

She was also known for her intellectual interests. Lucy owned a small personal library that was valued at $30 by her estate appraisers in 1837; a modern equivalent would be several hundred dollars. She left directions in her will for the distribution of her books. Given that she was locally famous as a “yarb” or herb doctor, presumably her books included herbals and medical handbooks. Unfortunately, it appears that all of Lucy’s books and personal papers were lost in the “Locust Hill” fire of 1837.

Lucy’s type of doctoring was called “Empiric” and based on practical experience. She was folk practitioner – a job often filled by women. (Breeden, p. 26) She traveled throughout Albemarle County by horseback caring for the sick well into her early eighties. Perhaps she learned medicine from her father, also known as a healer, and her brother Francis, who was a “Regular” or formally-trained doctor. No doubt Lucy grew medicinal plants in her garden at “Locust Hill” and collected them in the wild as well. Her famous son, Meriwether Lewis, relied on the skills he had learned from his mother when he treated himself and others on the Lewis and Clark expedition. Her son John attended medical school. Some accounts also refer to her son Reuben as a doctor, though it is likely that he was “yarb” doctor like Lucy rather than a “regular” doctor like his brother John. An 1842 merchant’s account statement listed items that he could have used in treating ailments; e.g., sassafras, turpentine, and packages of commercial pills. (Special Collections, UVA Library: See in the “Documents” section of this web site)

Lucy was also known for her culinary skills: Thomas Jefferson preferred her hams to those on his own plantation; his overseer recorded that every year he would get a few for Mr. Jefferson’s special use. (Anderson, p. 16)

There are many stories handed down through the family about Lucy’s bravery and “can do” spirit. Handy with a gun, she drove off a party of drunken British officers being held at The Barracks, a nearby prisoner-of-war camp, from her home during the Revolutionary War. Another favorite family story was of Lucy and “the deer.” It seems a large deer hunting party had gone out from “Locust Hill” and returned tired, hungry and empty-handed to find that Lucy had bagged a large buck in her front yard, had it dressed and cooked awaiting their return. (Anderson, p. 17)

Peter M. McGhee, Esq., wrote an article on Meriwether Lewis* (Special Collections, UVA Library: see “Document” section of this web site) in which he not only wrote about Meriwether but added interesting information and personal memories of others in the family. Writing about Lucy, her children and the loss of their father, he states: “[the children] continued some years under the fostering care of a tender mother but a good disciplinarian. When her two sons Meriwether and Reuben were quite small boys, she made them each a suit of new clothes, put them on Sunday morning, told them, ‘Now you get these clothes dirty and muddy today, I will surely whip you.’ They came in at night with their clothes all dirty and muddy. She carried them in [to] the closet next morning to carry out her threat when Meriwether said to her, ‘Now Mammy you find a switch and I will fend back,’ but she laid [sic] on the switch so heavily that she never had to find [a] switch again.” (p.3)

• This essay by Mr. McGhee seems to be the source for many of the incidents about Lucy and Meriwether Lewis that were used in both the Anderson and Bakeless books.

More extensive information located here ^[2]

Death

Death: Sep. 8, 1837

Albemarle County, Virginia, USA

Burial:

Locust Hill Cemetery

Ivy, Albemarle County, Virginia, USA^[3]

Lucy was born on February 4, 1752 in Albemarle, British Colonial Virginia. She was the daughter of Thomas Meriwether and Elizabeth Thornton. She married William Lewis on August 31, 1760 in Albemarle, British Colonial Virginia. They had 5 children. Her husband passed away in 1779. She later married a Marks. She passed away on September 8, 1837 in Ivy, Virginia at age 85.

Sources

1. ↑ Source [1]
2. ↑ https://www.monticello.org/library/exhibits/lucymarks/lucymarks/lucy.html
3. ↑ FIndAGrave: Mary Garland Marks Moore: Memorial ID: 63366265 Maintained by: The Meriwether Society, Originally Created by: P Fazzini Record added: Dec 27, 2010. Last accessed jan 16, 2018.

• "Meriwether Lewis." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Oct. 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meriwether_Lewis>.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=63366265

Mother of Gov. Meriwether Lewis

Lucy's first husband was Lt. William Lewis, buried at "Clover Fields" in Albemarle County, Virginia.They had the four children shown linked below.

Her second husband was Capt. John Marks, a friend of William Lewis. John died about 1791 in Oglethorpe County, Georgia and is presumably buried there. John and Lucy had two children, Dr. John Hastings Marks who died in Baltimore and Mary Garland (Marks) Moore, who died in Alabama. Burial places are not known for either.

NOTE: John Marks is not the Rev. John Marks someone has linked to Lucy. (bio by: The Meriwether Society, Inc.)

Family links: Parents: Thomas Meriwether (1713 - 1757) Elizabeth Thornton Lewis (1713 - 1774)

Spouses: William Lewis (1748 - 1779) John Marks (1716 - 1788)*

Children: Jane Meriwether Lewis Anderson (1770 - 1845)* Lucinda Lewis (1772 - ____)* Meriwether Lewis (1774 - 1809)* Reuben Lewis (1777 - 1844)*

Siblings: Nicholas Meriwether (1736 - 1772)* Francis Meriwether (1737 - 1803)* Mary Meriwether Gilmer (1742 - 1800)* Elizabeth Meriwether Johnson (1745 - 1812)* Lucy Meriwether Marks (1752 - 1837) Mildred Meriwether Gilmer (1753 - 1826)* Jane Meriwether Dabney (1757 - 1833)*

• Calculated relationship

Note: TMSI [127]

• https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/L6XF-ZPR/lucy-marks-1752-1837