In the best of Southern traditions, descendants of Nicholas Meriwether have been determinedly focused on strong family connections and have a long history of documenting the family, starting with publications by George Wood Meriwether (1855/1889), Gov. George Rockingham Gilmer (185?), Louisa H. A. "Aunt Lou" Minor (1892), Col. Minor Meriwether (1895), William Ridgely Griffith (1899), George B. Wilds (1924), Sarah Travers Lewis (Scott) Anderson (193?), Lottie Wright Davis (195?) and, finally, Nelson Heath Meriwether (1964). So in a sense, a Meriwether Society has existed at least since the mid 1800s.
With the publication of The Meriwethers and Their Connections in 1964, a renewed sense of "family" began. Through the collaborative efforts of Mrs. Kenneth C. (Elise) Franklin and the author, Heath Meriwether, interested Meriwether “cousins” were invited to gather at Williamsburg, Virginia, in May 1979, just to get to know one another. The camaraderie present there led to the formation of The Meriwether Society at the close of that first gathering. It was decided that the group would meet biennially to renew friendships and foster new Meriwether connections.
In an effort to keep the family connected between reunions and to communicate with those who could not attend, Meriwether Connections, a quarterly newsletter, was first published in 1982. The newsletter seeks to foster fellowship among the members by reporting historical, genealogical and general information of interest to the Meriwether family.
By 1987, it was clear that a more formal organization was needed in order to establish goals, to conduct new research and to continue the feeling of family that had been fostered through the years. The Meriwether Society, Inc., was chartered by the Commonwealth of Virginia on 2 December 1987.
Today's generation certainly owes a huge debt of gratitude to "those who came before" and kept our family stories alive through three hundred plus years of turmoil and growth. The Meriwether Society, Inc., is now the protector and incubator of that legacy and we hope to be around another three hundred years!
