Nicholas Meriwether I

Nicholas Meriwether arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, probably about 1652, though no record of him being transported has been located. The first confirmation of his existence in the colony 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" plantation on Jamestown Island from Elizabeth Kingsmill & her husband Nathaniel Bacon, an uncle of the Nathaniel Bacon who started "Bacon's Rebellion"; a marker on Jamestown Island identifies the "Island House" location today. Near the "Island House" location Meriwether built a tobacco barn to support his growing tobacco export business.