>>Early Life

Early Life

Meriwether Lewis was born August 18, 1774 at almost the same time as the the American Revolution. During his early years his head would have been filled with stories of the exploits of his father and other Revolutionary figures who triumphed over the British. Albemarle County was a particularly active region during this time, housing troops, imprisoning war captives, and the Tarleton invasion of 1781. Amid all of this wartime fervor and insecurity Meriwether grew with his two siblings and learned what it meant to be a Lewis in this region. His mother was a skilled cook and herbalist whose spunky nature was known throughout the region. Meriwether would have spent the days fishing, hunting or roaming the forests around Locust Hill. Gov. George Gilmer of Georgia described young Meriwether as "having inherited the energy, courage, activity, and good understanding of his mother."(Dillon p. 12)