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Note: N14392 All contemporary histories of Nicholas Meriwether and his family state that his wife was named Elizabeth, and court papers prove that at the time of his death he was indeed married to an Elizabeth, maiden name unknown. Meriwether family history, as first documented by William R. Griffith in 1899, held that her maiden name was Woodhouse, though Griffith was careful to state that he could find no evidence to support such an assertion. Subsequent researchers were not so careful and today it is widely believed without doubt that she was in fact Elizabeth Woodhouse.
Research by the Meriwether Society has been unable to confirm or deny Elizabeth’s maiden name and in fact has confused the situation by publishing strong evidence that Nicholas was actually married twice! Recent (2007) correspondence with an independent researcher unaffiliated with the Society strengthens this conclusion and provides significant additional information that the Society is trying to verify.
If a wife of Nicholas was Elizabeth Woodhouse, who were her parents? Certainly not Henry Woodhouse of Virginia, as is commonly shown. He did in fact have a daughter named Elizabeth, but she is known to have married Giles Collins and was living with him and having his children at the same time as Nicholas was with his wife Elizabeth. From the will of Gov. Henry Woodhouse, dated 16 July 1655:
“I doe bequeath unto my daughter Elizabeth Collins…”
Another possibility is that she was the daughter of Thomas Woodhouse, a tavern owner in Jamestown for whom Nicholas Meriwether acted as an attorney for his estate. However, there is no evidence that Thomas ever married, much less had children.
A third possibility suggested by the independent researcher is that she is the daughter of Bartholomew Woodhouse of Lancaster, Lancashire, England. There are church records to support the birth of both Bartholomew and his daughter Elizabeth. Additional research is needed on this possibility.
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