Lewis and Clark Lecture and at Library and Archives

Called the "First Scientist of the Mississippi Valley, Antoine Saugrain was a chemist and naturalist and the only physician in the frontier community of St. Louis when Lewis and Clark arrived there in 1803. Dr. Saugrain helped to outfit the Lewis and Clark Expedition with medical supplies along with items such as thermometers and matches that he made himself. Saugrain was also the first physician west of the Mississippi River to use the Jenner cowpox vaccine to prevent small pox, beginning in 1809. Char Ollinger Waughtel, a descendant of Dr. Saugrain, will be at Lewis County Public Library and Archives on Saturday, April 15th at 1 p.m. to discuss the life and adventures of her famous ancestor and his connection to the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Char Ollinger Waughtel is the fourth great-granddaughter of Dr. Antoine Saugrain. She is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and National Society United States Daughters of 1812, and other patriotic and heritage organizations. She has been conducting historical and genealogical research for over 25 years and was honored by the Daughters of the American Revolution Historic Preservation Committee with an award for Excellence in Historic Preservation in 2022.

This lecture is the second in a series of scholarly presentations and family events scheduled to coincide with "Reimagining America: The Maps of Lewis and Clark" a traveling exhibit produced by the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation that will be on display at the historic Hohenwald Depot March 26 through May 6. "Reimagining America" is hosted by the Lewis County Historical Society, the Meriwether Lewis Chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, and the Friends of the Lewis County Public Library and Archives.

For more information about "Reimaging America" and other presentations in the Lewis and Clark Lecture Series, stop by the library, call the library at (931) 796-5365, or visit http://www.lewislibrary.com/events.