Catherine Daingerfield Willis Gray Murat (August 17, 1803 – August 6, 1867) was an American socialite and preservationist. In 1858, she was appointed the first vice regent for

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...

by the

Mount Vernon Ladies' Association The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association (MVLA) is a non-profit organization that preserves and maintains the Mount Vernon estate originally owned by the family of President George Washington. The association was founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunning ...

. Together with

Ellen Call Long Ellen Call Long (1825-1905) was the daughter of Florida territorial governor Richard Keith Call and a member of the influential Call-Walker political family of Florida. She acquired The Grove from her father in 1851 and held it until 1903. She re ...

, she raised significant funds for the acquisition and restoration of

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is an American landmark and former plantation of Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States George Washington and his wife, Martha. The estate is ...

. Catherine Murat was the great-grandniece of George Washington and was married to the former

Prince Achille Murat Charles Louis Napoleon Achille Murat (known as Achille, 21 January 1801 – 15 April 1847) was the eldest son of Joachim Murat, the brother-in-law of Napoleon who was appointed King of Naples during the First French Empire. After his father was d ...

Early life

Catherine was born in Fredericksburg City, Virginia on August 17, 1803. She was a daughter of

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

Byrd Charles Willis (1781–1846) and his wife Mary (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth ...

Lewis) Willis (1782–1834), the granddaughter of

Fielding Lewis Fielding Lewis (July 7, 1725 – December 7, 1781) was an American merchant, member of the House of Burgesses and a Colonel during the American Revolutionary War. He lived in Fredericksburg, Virginia and also owned a plantation in Spotsylvan ...

, George Washington's brother-in-law. Through the Lewis family, she was also a relative of explorer

Meriwether Lewis Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 – October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, wi ...

. Her parents made their first home in

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower * Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum ...

near the Court House. Later they came to Willis Hill. Col. Willis paid little attention to the management of the plantation and instead spent his time fox hunting, racing, and attending parties. Income was derived from the race profits and the sale of fire wood. Catherine's first husband, Atchison Gray, died less than a year after their marriage. She moved with her parents to Florida, and in 1826 she married Achille Murat.

Preservation

Catherine Murat became involved in the nation's first successful

historic preservation Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK), is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philos ...

project, the work to preserve George Washington's home. In 1858 she was appointed the first Vice Regent for Florida for the

. Vice Regent was the title given the principal person in each state in charge of organizing the association's work. Working closely with

, she led the efforts as the state raised $3,791 toward the restoration of

, the largest per capita amount raised by any of the 30 contributing states. Murat served in that post until her death. Despite her staunch Unionism, she was named master of ceremonies during the celebrations of the Florida Secession Convention in 1861. Later, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

, Murat participated in the local "Soldiers Aid Societies," who met as sewing circles to clothe the southern troops.

Personal life

Catherine married Atchison Gray (b. 1800), son of John Gray of

Traveller's Rest (Kearneysville, West Virginia) Traveller's Rest, also known as the General Horatio Gates Home, is an historic plantation house located on Bowers Road near Kearneysville, Jefferson County, West Virginia. Built in 1773 and enlarged a few years later, it was the home of Cont ...

. Atchison died less than twelve months after their marriage and their child, born after his death, died also.

Second marriage

About 1825, Catherine came to Tallahassee with her parents, three brothers and two sisters. She met Prince Charles Louis Napoleon Achille Murat, who became her second husband in 1826. He was a son of

Joachim Murat Joachim Murat ( , also , ; it, Gioacchino Murati; 25 March 1767 – 13 October 1815) was a French military commander and statesman who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. Under the French Empire he received the m ...

, former

King of Naples The following is a list of rulers of the Kingdom of Naples, from its first separation from the Kingdom of Sicily to its merger with the same into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. Kingdom of Naples (1282–1501) House of Anjou In 1382, the Kin ...

and the former

Caroline Bonaparte Carolina Maria Annunziata Bonaparte Murat Macdonald (French: ''Caroline Marie Annonciade Bonaparte''; 25 March 1782 – 18 May 1839), better known as Caroline Bonaparte, was an Imperial French princess; the seventh child and third daughter of Ca ...

. His maternal uncles included

Joseph Bonaparte it, Giuseppe-Napoleone Buonaparte es, José Napoleón Bonaparte , house = Bonaparte , father = Carlo Buonaparte , mother = Letizia Ramolino , birth_date = 7 January 1768 , birth_place = Corte, Corsica, Republic ...

Napoleon I of France Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

Lucien Bonaparte Lucien Bonaparte, 1st Prince of Canino and Musignano (born Luciano Buonaparte; 21 May 1775 – 29 June 1840), was French politician and diplomat of the French Revolution and the Consulate. He served as Minister of the Interior from 1799 to 180 ...

Louis Bonaparte Louis Napoléon Bonaparte (born Luigi Buonaparte; 2 September 1778 – 25 July 1846) was a younger brother of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French. He was a monarch in his own right from 1806 to 1810, ruling over the Kingdom of Holland (a French ...

and

Jérôme Bonaparte Jérôme-Napoléon Bonaparte (born Girolamo Buonaparte; 15 November 1784 – 24 June 1860) was the youngest brother of Napoleon I and reigned as Jerome Napoleon I (formally Hieronymus Napoleon in German), King of Westphalia, between 1807 and 1 ...

. His maternal aunts included

Elisa Bonaparte Maria Anna Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi Levoy (French: ''Marie Anne Elisa Bonaparte''; 3 January 1777 – 7 August 1820), better known as Elisa Bonaparte, was an imperial French princess and sister of Napoleon Bonaparte. She was Princess of Lucca ...

and

Pauline Bonaparte Paula Maria Bonaparte Leclerc Borghese (French: ''Pauline Marie Bonaparte''; 20 October 1780 – 9 June 1825), better known as Pauline Bonaparte, was an imperial French princess, the first sovereign Duchess of Guastalla, and the princess cons ...

. Murat, was entertained when abroad. On 8 September 1831, Catherine was present at the coronation of

William IV of the United Kingdom William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded ...

and was given a seat in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

. In 1847, she inherited the Lipona Plantation in

Jefferson County, Florida Jefferson County is a county located in the Big Bend region in the northern part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,510. Its county seat is Monticello. Jefferson County is part of the Tallahassee, FL ...

upon the death of her husband. In 1854 she bought Bellevue, in Leon County, which became her primary residence. Early in 1866,

Napoleon III of France Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

, a maternal first cousin of her husband, granted Murat an annuity from the French government in consideration of her losses during the Civil War. Catherine Murat died August 6, 1867 at Bellevue in Tallahassee.

Legacy

Murat's marker in the old

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the populatio ...

Episcopal Cemetery reads:

"SACRED to the Memory of PRINCESS C. A. MURAT, Widow of COL. CHARLES LOUIS NAPOLEON ACHILLES MURAT, and Daughter of the late COL. BIRD C. WILLIS, of Virginia. Who departed this life on 6 August 1867, in the 64th year of her age. A kind and affectionate wife and sister, a sincere and devoted friend. None knew her but to love her. None named her but to praise. This Monument is erected to her memory, by her bereaved Brother and Sister."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Catherine Willis 1803 births 1867 deaths Historical preservationists History of Leon County, Florida Murat Lewis family People from Fredericksburg, Virginia People from Tallahassee, Florida Princesses Murat