(CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO ENLARGE)It was quite the interesting trip from England to Massachusetts, wouldn't you agree? And we did meet quite the brave family who took that journey across the ocean, didn't we? They impressed us with their accomplishments and achievements, haven't they? But something just didn't sit right with me. Somehow, what was to follow did not fit. In a way, it was impossible, really. Months and months of research, reading through numerous publications, finally confirmed what drove me crazy for quite some time. Edmund Lewis, no doubt a wonderful man, does NOT belong to the Lewis Family from which my Lewis and my girls descend. Our beginning in the New World starts with a young man named John Lewis. Let us meet this John Lewis who is in his own way something of a mystery.
John Lewis of Wales and his brothers leave England some time in the 1650s making their way across the ocean, arriving in Plymouth, Massachusetts, while John leaves behind his love, his girl. Her parents do not care much for him as they see him as a "wild blade". She writes to him, asking him to please come back and get her, but he responds that he cannot. However, he lets her know that if she were to take on the journey to the New World, he will be there to meet her. The decision is made, she will pack her belongings and travel across the ocean to be with the man who owns her heart. While she is crossing the blue sea, he is building a log home for them. The day of her arrival is here... he makes it down to the shores of Plymouth to wrap her into his arms, and kiss her. They don't waste any precious time and are now pronounced Husband and Wife, Mr. and Mrs. John Lewis.
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| old map of the region of the Narragansett |
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| The Narragansett |
John Lewis is said to have left Plymouth and went to Newport, Rhode Island. Some time before the year 1658 they leave Newport to go to Misquamicut, its Indian Name, today known as Westerly, Rhode Island. John is amongst Westerly's first settlers of some 33 people. He knows the language of the Indian tribe known as the Narragansett, with whom he engages in negotiating the purchase of a tract of land and its settlement. The agreement for purchase is signed this 29th day of June, 1660. To finalize the agreement of the settlement, John Lewis is the seventh person to sign the Articles of Agreement on this 22nd day of March, 1661. The Lewis family is growing, counting Jonathan, born the same year John settles in Westerly, John II born in 1660, Daniel born in 1662, James born in 1664, and David born in 1667.
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| town record list of all ye freemen (only part of it) |
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| Roger Williams, Founder of R.I. |
John departed this earth some time before 1690 and as tradition has it, he is laid to rest at the south eastern corner of his property. Today, we find the Lewis Cemetery near the road leading to Watch Hill and on the east side of the Highway. In later years, we learn that at least 7 generations have been buried here, including John's wife, who survived him by 15 years. The burial ground is unfenced and has only but a few head stones, all without inscriptions. Later yet, more relatives find their final rest in this ground, which in the mid 1940's was purchased for the purpose of building a tennis court. Over the years, the head stones are slowly removed, and the Westerly newspaper reports of human remains being unearthed.
The plans for the tennis court are realized and concrete is poured over what is the final resting place of a man and his family who deserve better recognition of a city to which he was one of the first settlers. Some family members have protested and won the argument, to which the concrete had to be removed. Today, this little unfenced burial ground is flattened and still of no recognition. A new owner of the land, George D. Cross, who placed his big company building right adjacent to the grave site is planing to build and the fight to keep John Lewis' memory alive continues to this day.
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| picture of the Lewis house and burial ground, by P. Lewis |
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IN ADDITION: I was asked to explain what drove me crazy and in the end to the conclusion that Edmund does not belong to John Lewis, as it clearly states that Edmund brought over a 3 year old son and as far as timing is concerned, it could be the same John Lewis. So here is my answer to that and please feel free to correct me or ask any questions : For one, there are two prominent clashing stories, one starting with Edmund which continues with the story of John having left behind his love in England. As a three year old, pretty sure, even at that time, one does not have a girl-friend, let alone fiance, as she is also referred to, depending what publication one reads. For the other, him having come over with his brothers also makes more sense to me as non of John's children or their children where named Edmund. But let's assume, John is the John of Edmund, there are no mentions of him traveling back and forth to England, where he could have met this young lady. I sat and read through numerous volumes of the Lewisiana or Lewis Letters and then it hit me... [the Lewis Letter is a Family letter which collected ancestral information from various Lewis-lineages.] Any Lewis-Family member was asked to send in their family history and updates which then was sent out in the form of a little booklet to those Lewis' and others who subscribed. Each different lineage received their own book number to keep things organized, and our John Lewis of Westerly is book VIII, whereas Edmund Lewis of Lynn, Mass. received book XXXIII. Historians involved in those letters would make sure to join those books together, which show later to be the same lineage. Edmund was never joined with the books of John Lewis of Westerly. Although, looking through those different lineages and the names of their offspring feels as if one reads different alternate realities. There are sooooo many John Lewis', yet not all belong in the same lineage. Most of those John's had several children named Samuel, Jonathan, John, James... it's easy to get confused. But I strongly believe that I got my story sorted out correctly ;-)
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Source of Information:
History of Washington and Kent Counties, Rhode Island, including their early settlements and progress...; by J.R. Cole
Narragansett Tribe of Indians. Report of the committee of investigation; A historical sketch and evidence taken, made to the House of Representatives, at its January Session, A.D. 1880 ; E. L Freeman & Co., Printers to the State
Lewisiana or Lewis Letters, Vol. 1
The Family history of John Ladd Lewis, by John Ladd Lewis; pp. 9-11
The Ancestry of Nathan Lewis Harrison revisited nineteen years later; by Keith G Harrison
The New England Historical and Genealogical register...; by William B Task
American Ancestry: embracing lineage from the whole of the United States; by Thomas P Hughes, Frank Munsell
Pioneer Lewis Family, by Michael L Cook
Babcock & Allied Families, pp 62-63
Westerly (Rhode Island) and its witnesses; by Frederic Denison
Records of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in New England, Volume III, edited by John Russell Bartlett, Secretary of State
Records of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in New England, Volume III, edited by John Russell Bartlett, Secretary of State
* nobody to this day knows for sure where John Lewis came from. Whether he came by himself or with brothers. The numbers of brothers mention VARIES from 3 to 4 brothers. John Ladd Lewis explains in his book that the Lewis name is a traditional Welsh name and for the time and area, it would only make sense that John Lewis originated from Wales.
* Not all publications agree on where John came from prior to settling in Westerly, however, there is strong belief but little supporting evidence of him having come from Newport to Westerly. Or even that he was in Plymouth, Massachusetts prior.
* A name of John's wife cannot be found. Some claim the name to be Mary Button (of which there is no proof), others claim it to be Ruth (also no evidence available, at least not for this John Lewis)
* Most publications argue John's arrival around 1650 A.D., a couple publications state his arrival around 1640 A.D.
* His exact date of death cannot be determined, but is believed to be before 1690 or some time in 1690.
* In the Records of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in New England, Page 68, it shows a list of people who had to give the oath of allegiance, counting 33 people, not 21 as is mentioned in other publications
* In the Records of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in New England, Page 68, it shows a list of people who had to give the oath of allegiance, counting 33 people, not 21 as is mentioned in other publications
More, more. This is so interesting and exciting. Thank you for taking me and everyone else along ton this awesome journey.
ReplyDeleteCurt... once again, thanks for reading my silly ole stories. next installment shall follow soon ;-) huge hugs ;-)
ReplyDeleteMore than ready to meet Samuel or whomever you present for our inspection... My family, too, had a long, protracted battle over a cemetery in Illinois, took the matter to court and eventually won... You certainly can tell a story, can't you... have you figured out how many hours of research went into each paragraph that you have given us? I submit it is a LOT... but worth every minute... thank you again for sharing this remarkable story.
ReplyDeleteTom, isn't that sad... just knowing that people could care less. On the other hand, i guess it's just a typical behavior if you have no connection to what who those people are and it's easy to just see it all for the bones and dirt it is. When I read the newspaper articles about all that, and actually one newspaper article in which Lewis' gr gr gt father was interviewed, .. well, it all just brought me to tears, knowing that a simple concrete slap can erase people completely from this earth :-(
ReplyDeleteYou know how I always luv to read your blogs....Massachusetts eh? Wow!!! This was interesting to read Liane....and Misquamicut...it was a very sad thing to have happened...and I do have to say that the research you did....quite amazing. A great read my sweet one....thank you!!
ReplyDeleteOh my Liane, what a wonderful post. I am so amazed at the amount of research you have put into this. You must author a book about this. It is only fair to the many Lewis genealogists that will follow in your footsteps in the centuries to come. You have taken my emotions on a roller coaster ride with ups and downs and twists in between. Thanks again for your research, as I am thoroughly enjoying the fruits of your labor.
ReplyDeletethis was a intersting read and for as much reserach as we can do.... there are times when i think we could never gain insight... unless we found a time machine and went back and watched.... I wish i could.... *sighs*
ReplyDeleteits funny how some things fall apart the more you know...
very good read...
Lindy... i am glad you like what i write. Can't wait to reach the post where the Lewis and Hawes come together ;-)
ReplyDeleteSir Thomas... I know, that's one of the reason why my sister won't do the research of her family (we are half-sisters, sharing the same mother). You never know what one can find in the history of a German family.. she refused to find out...
Thia is quite the adventure your family has been and is on.
ReplyDeleteI would think that a monument is placed on the site to mark the place of a family who helped plant roots for the generations that followed.
It's obvious you have put in a lot of work to give us this amazing story of your families beginning in the new world.
liane I understand that.. somethings are better left unsaid or unknown, but that does not make us any less curious to the matter.
ReplyDeleteIt's entirely possible that John Lewis of Westerly and Edmond Lewes of Lynn were brothers. The coincidence of childrens' names would suggest a connection, though it is not proof.
ReplyDeleteI think that the confusion is that John Lewis of Westerly came to Plymouuth in 1630, rather than that being his birth date.
Michael, that's a good thought, however, all i could gather as far as Edmund Lewis of Lynn is concerned, is that he, his wife and two children came here on the Elizabeth. nowhere did it state that he also came with brothers. The ship's list I found does not (if i recall correctly) show another Lewis (or Lewes) on that roster. And as far as John Lewis' arrival in Plymouth, all publications I've read, say he came to Plymouth in the 1650s then went to Newport, Rhode Island in the later part of the 1650s and then participated in the purchase of Westerly. I will, hopefully, be able to shed some more light on this after my trip to Rhode Island where I will meet with a historian, a couple of librarians and even a Pastor who is familiar with the Lewis-Family of that time.
ReplyDeleteLiane,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great story. I am also a descendant of John Lewis from his first son Jonathan Lewis. Maybe one day we will all know more about John.
Michael Edward Lewis
I have been working on getting the cemetery restored and marked. The task isn't easy since the Town seems to have tried to keep the presence of the Lewis Family a secret. My daughter and I are deep into the research and my latest effort is to identify and follow the Leis Women.
ReplyDeleteThe self-centered members of the Westerly Historical Society, who celebrate the Babcocks, Perrys, Kenyons, Hazards, Burdicks, Langworthys, Crandalls, and others forget that the Lewis Women were the source of all future members of those families.
During that time, every person was essential, and having mothers was just as important, if not more so, as having a man around. Children were worth their weight in gold, needed for labor in the wilderness they settled.
I am a descendant of John Lewis. This is an interesting piece of information. Do you know if any of this branch moved to Block Island, whihc is right across the ocean directly from Westerly?
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