The princess of Jefferson County

Hailey Heseltine ECB Publishing, Inc. Jefferson County is often described as being a small and unassuming place. Compared to the large, bustling cities Florida has to offer, Monticello is merely a little dot on the map. For that reason, it may surprise some when they learn about all the national history Monticello has seen throughout its years. It may also be a surprise to learn that Jefferson County was once home to a real princess—Catherine Daingerfield Willis Gray Murat. Catherine Murat was born to parents Colonel Byrd C. Lewis and Mary C. Lewis, a great-niece of George Washington, on Aug. 17, 1803, in Fredericksburg City, Va. She had five siblings, two sisters and three brothers.