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Lewis Family of Jennings
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Lewis Family of Jennings County, Indiana Summary Notes Cornelius Lewis>Zadoc(k) Lewis>William Lewis>Daniel Lewis The following summary of the Lewis family is derived from correspondence I (Jonathan Loppnow) had with Herschel Lewis, great-grandson of Daniel Lewis through Francis M. Lewis. Cornelius Lewis "My information starts with Cornelius Lewis who lived in Falmouth, Massachusetts from the early 1700's to 1742. We do not know where he came from at this time. From Massachusetts he went to, and settled in, Marlboro, New York. There is some indication that he may have lived for a while on Long Island. At any rate his children, including our Zadoc were likely born in Massachusetts." A sheet Herschel included shows a Cornelius b 1700 married a Sarah Green on Jan. 1726. Children: Micajah b. 1727, Rebecca b 1729, Elijah b 1730, Zadoc. Zadoc Lewis Zadoc fought in the Revolutionary War. William Lewis was born shortly after the Revolution. Zadoc had two brothers and two sisters and we do have quite a bit of information on them. William undoubtedly grew up in the Marlboro, Milton, New York area. We know nothing of his youth. nor do we have documentation of his birth as the son of Zadoc (other than a family letter written by William's son, John M. Lewis), yet there are enough records of the family and their doings to confirm in my mind that we are correct in our assumptions" - - Herschel Lewis A Zadoc married a Comfort________ . (Is it the same Zadoc?). Editor's note: There is no current proof this is the same Zadoc. As far as I'm concerned we can only reliably say that a Zadock was the father of William Lewis as John M. Lewis would know this. Also, until a copy of this letter can be obtained even that his hearsay. Any family listing going back before this Zadoc and ascerting reliable connections to either a wife such as Comfort or Zadoc's parentage is all speculation in my opinion. - Jonathan Loppnow) Assumed Children of Zadoc Zadoc is found in the 1790 census of Ulster County. New York. "... They had lost record all together of Zadock Lewis except what he did, he had little offices, highway something. I found him in the 1790 census still in Ulster County. He had about 4 sons (Ed. - Likely Daniel R. Lewis, Elijah Lewis, Zalmon Lewis and William B. Lewis (I) and 3 daughters (Ed. - unknown), but of course names weren't given and then I don't know what happened to him...William was born in Ulster County NY in 1783. I don't know how long he was in Seneca County. We don't know who his mother was. William's wife was a Miller (Ed. - Sarah Miller, widow of a Butler)." - Mary Lewis Osterman Assumed children: It appears all four of Zadoc's sons went to Indiana, at least we know William, Zalmon, and Daniel R. did. Revolutionary War John Miller Lewis, (brother to
Daniel and son of William, notice he has his Mother's maiden
name of Miller as his middle name) wrote that (This letter may be confirmed by
the finding of a Zadock Lewis in the military records at the
National Archives: Is this the same Zadock? "His (Zadoc's) family fled to
Steuben County (this should be Seneca County not Steuben likely as they were first in Seneca then Steuben), New York, where William Lewis my father,
married Sarah Butler of Irish descent. - John M.
Lewis" - Oral history of family origins A daughter of Daniel's other brother. Rev. William B. Lewis, wrote of the family origins as passed down to her. She reports the dates incorrectly,as the Lewis family arrived in America in the 1600's. Mary Lewis Osterman believes the family originated in France and were French Huguenots. The Huguenots were forced from France and settled in many different lands. In this case the Lewis family went to Holland and from there to America: "There were three brothers by
the name of William B Lewis. John I. Lewis and
George C. Lewis; all sailed in a ship of his own from
Holland in 1787 (sic) and landed at Boston, Mass. And there
was a storm on the ocean the night before they landed the
next day. The brother by the name, George C. Lewis
got lost from the other two and they never knew if he ever
got to land or if his ship sank."
- The preceding story does not align with the account by John M. Lewis because the date is not correct. The story itself, however, is corroborated by Selena Ann (Lewis) Edwards, daughter of Daniel's brother Timothy B. Lewis. She also has the timing wrong as the 3 brothers would have come far before the Revolutionary War and it would not have been the sons to fight in it but their sons. She wrote: "The story of the first William Lewis to arrive in America was (that he was) a very rich man. His Father's ships were trading in all the ports that those ships could go. They bought lots of things - silks and other articles in different ports of the world and then they traded for furs with the Indians then they sold the fur. They liked the colonies of the New World. So finally the sons of the old merchant came in from his ships with his gold. They bought about half of utchess (Dutchess?) County. They came from Holland with their wives and children, but there were more children born in York state. When the Revolutionary War came on, William and his brother must have enlisted. Seems to us that they spoke of another ship with another brother was lost." - Salena Ann (Lewis ) Edwards, daughter of Timothy B. Lewis. Although these stories do not align with John M. Lewis' in detail we can still safely assume that the Lewis family immigrated from Holland to Massachusetts, then to New York State. The Lewis family came to
Indiana Herschel Lewis continues the story for us: "William Lewis came to Jennings County, Indiana in 1822. He came from Seneca County (should be Steuben County. He was at Seneca first then moved to Steuben, left from there to Indiana.), New York. where he lived for a time on the shore of Seneca Lake. We have assumed that he was born and raised at Marlboro, New York, on the lower Hudson River. There is documentation that Zadoc Lewis and his brothers lived at Marlboro and no evidence that they left there. How William got from Ulster County to Seneca County has to be speculative. It was an age of canal building and since William Lewis was known to have been a skilled stonemason we are inclined to think that he was connected with canal building. Marriage to Mrs. Sarah Miller
Butler (Ed. - Herschel adds in a letter to Jonathan Loppnow: "Sidney and Lewis Butler had children born in New York well after the time of William’s arrival in Indiana so obviously they did not come to Jennings County until later. I have a note that says Lewis Butler sold his farm to his son-in-law Thomas Williams and moved to Michigan in 1873." (This is correct Sidney and Lewis came later, Lewis went to Michigan then to Indiana then back to Michigan. Sidney came and stayed and can be found there in the 1850 census.) In doing more research I found a marriage record for a Martha Butler marrying a Thomas Williams on Dec. 26, 1856 in Jennings County, joined by her half-uncle Timothy B. Lewis.) We know almost nothing of the family of Sarah. (Other than that she was of Irish descent.) According to Mrs. Osterman (Mary Lewis Osterman) Sarah was a redhead and very well educated for a woman of that time. Supposedly she taught her children and at least some of the children of the community how to read and write. Some of the family claimed. and the source was probably John M. Lewis (son of William, brother to Daniel), that Sarah told of her father or perhaps her grandfather, being a graduate of Cambridge Univerisity in England. (Note: it was said by Mary Lewis Osterman that Sarah Miller's father was Martin Miller and that the Miller family came to Jennings County as well. I have never seen any corroborating sources however). William was a planner and helped to build the first school in their community. Speculation is that Sarah was the instigator of the school and probably the first teacher. (William was a stonemason apparently. It is believed he helped with the building of Daniel's house and his son John's house) War of 1812 Pension To Indiana Imagine such an undertaking, it was not an endeavor for the faint of heart. William has a wife who was 8 months pregnant and children ages 1, 2, 5, 7, 8 & 10. Timothy was the 2 year old and my great-grandfather (Daniel) was 8. The trip was completed and the raft tied up a few miles below Madison, Indiana. On April 25, 1822 John M. Lewis (the youngest child of William and Sarah Lewis) was born on the raft. John M. Lewis was to become a farmer, a lawyer, and an engineer. He built the first bridge across the Muscatatuk River on the road that was to become US 31. John M. Lewis lived to be 93 (Note: John was a prominent citizen of Seymour, Indiana. There were 3 generations of "John M. Lewis' in the legal profession. ) Pension Land The Keith Family Daniel R. Lewis and Sarah Jane Keith Carpenter Lewis had 4 children which made the children both first and second cousins of my grandfather Francis Marion Lewis. (Interesting note: Daniel R. Lewis and Sarah Jane Keith Carpenter Lewis had a son named John Peter Lewis who married Sarah Emma Lawrence daughter of Lavinia Lewis Lawrence and Rev. W.H. Lawrence. Lavinia was the daughter of Daniel Lewis, Daniel R. Lewis' nephew. This means that John Peter Lewis was a cousin to Daniel Lewis and he married Daniel's granddaughter) My great grandfather Danel Lewis had 11 children with Harriet and when Harriet died at age 39 he married Harriet's 25 year old cousin Francis Keith and proceeded to sire 11 more children. ) Two of Daniel's sons, William Baker (should be Barber) Lewis (Jr) and Timothy B. Lewis, probably partially due to their superior education were not content to be farmers alone and so became Baptist ministers. Both took an active part in the Coffee Creek Baptist Association and consequently their names can be found in the History of the Baptist Church in Indiana. This book can be found in almost any library in the state of Indiana. William Baker Lewis was a highly regarded speaker. He built a church just outside of Seymour, Jackson County, Indiana, and was the minister there for several years. This church was to move into Seymour in later years and become First Baptist Church of Seymour. Today this church is probably the largest congregation in that town. Marion Baptist Church was built on land owned by Daniel Lewis and Timothy B. Lewis became it's first minister. Timothy B. Lewis was said to have a natural affinity for young people and was to become known as the marrying preacher. I have gone over hundreds of marriage records in Jennings County, Indiana and Timothy B. Lewis' name appears quite frequently."- Herschel Lewis Note: William B. Lewis became pastor of Marion Baptist and he and his family are buried there. Kansas Wagon Train Timothy B. Lewis, Daniel's brother, along with his nephews, Eli Lewis, Timothy Martin Lewis and Charles Newton Lewis all moved to Kansas shortly after the Civil War. John Wesley Keith, brother-in-law to Daniel also went. The entire group first settled in Riley County, Kansas where Timothy B. Lewis and John Wesley Keith remained (Herschel states Timothy B's children went to the state of Washington), while Eli, Timothy M. and Charles Newton Lewis all eventually moved to Washington County, Kansas. Eli stayed there the rest of his life as far as I can tell, at Greenleaf. He had been married to Judilee Stewart (also from Indiana). They had at least 2 daughters that lived, one being Florence Lewis who married Edward Gullion first. They had two daughters, the one named Myrtle married a Law. Florence and Edward divorced and she remarried to Ulysses Grant Stewart. They were living in Topeka KS for a time. They moved to Henry County MO then to Missippi where they lived near one of their daughters. Judilee and Eli divorced too and she ran a boarding house in Clay County but do not know what happened to her either. Eli died in 1915 at Florence's home in Missouri and is buried in the Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Topeka KS. He applied extensively for a Civil War disability pension but never got it. I have copies of those records. Charles Newton Lewis later moved to Oregon. Timothy M. Lewis eventually moved to Kendrick, Florida, near his brother Alonzo who resided in Bartow. He died there. Serelda Lewis Owens, daughter of Daniel Lewis, along with her husband and child Harriet had joined her brothers in Kansas. She and husband,William Jackson Owens, homesteaded in Republic County which adjoins Washington County. After the death of their first child, Harriet, and after they received deed to the land they went back to Indiana where they stayed long enough to give birth to son Allan Clifford Owens, and then migrated to Texas. William Jackson Owens was the son of Willis Calloway Owens who was married to a Sarah ________. He served as a Justice of the Peace in Crothersville for a time. He and his wife are buried in the nearby Gorrell Cemetary which is out in the middle of a woods down a two track. This is all I know about this Owens line but they were in Indiana very early and likely came from Kentucky. William Jackson Owens as first a Baptist minister when he and Serelda moved to Texas. He later converted to the Methodist church and became a circuit rider preacher. Serelda and William are buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in Paris Texas. Lewis family association with Coffee Creek Baptist Church - Paris Crossing, Indiana An obituary in the Jennings County, "Plain Dealer" on the death of a Williamson Dixon, March 24. 1886 states that Williamson Dixon was a member of the Coffee Creek Baptist Church and "30 years ago" could be seen sitting next to Sidney Butler (son to Sarah Miller Butler Lewis), Samuel Hall (son-in-law to Sarah and William). Samuel Malcomb, William Lewis. Sr. and Thomas Hill, among others" This confirms William's going to the church and adds a detail - if he was William Senior then he would likely have been William Barber Lewis Senior (land records consistently show middle name of Barber not Baker). Daniel and Harriet were members at the church as well, joining by baptism in July of 1840 and being dismissed by letter in February of 1851. I would be very interested to know if they joined one of the churches pastored by Daniel's brothers. As I recall I came across a reference to Daniel serving as the clerk at one point at Marion Baptist. Some day I hope to check that church's records. Another note - Zalmon Lewis was a member of this church and though I didn't find a reference to Elisha there is a stone with that name in the Coffee Creek cemetary - The death and burial place of Sarah Miller Butler Lewis and William B. Lewis, Sr. William B. Lewis, Senior, born ca 1783 and died May 1864, around the age of 81 (Vol III p 296 of Coffee Creek Baptist Church Minutes) and wife Sarah Miller Butler Lewis preceded him in death. Sarah Miller born ca 1781 died November 26, 1848. The minutes record: "Sister Sarah Lewis departed this life November the 26th. 1848 in the 67th year of her age." Sarah had been received by relation on January 1824, only two years after having come to Indiana. William is shown living with his daughter, Elizabeth Lewis Hall and her husband Samuel Hall in 1850. He is then shown living with his son Daniel in 1860 and disappears from the census by 1870. Mary Lewis Osterman states that he spent his last days at the home of John M. Lewis and was blind at that point. As to his final resting place, we must rely on Mary Lewis Osterman's testimony. She cites that Lodema Lewis said that William and Sarah are buried next to Elizabeth and Samuel Hall's grave in the Old Coffee Creek Baptist Church Cemetery. This cemetery has been visually recorded many times over the years. Although I found Samuel and Elizabeth's shared stone I found no stone for William, but I did find an index which referenced William on the same page as them but when I turned to the page he was not listed there. In October of 1996 I visited this old cemetery. It is abandoned and very poorly cared for. It appears that many of the stones are gone. Judging from the records a major portion of the cemetery has been destroyed and the stones are either buried or removed. These conclude my notes to this date. I have added a transcription of an interview with Mary Lewis Osterman conducted by Herschel Lewis which is interesting reading as well. |