Edward Lewis

AMERICA THE GREAT MELTING POT

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Edward Lewis		see FAMILY TREE
Born: 06 Sep 1697 Barnstable, Barnstable, MA
Married: 14 May 1719 Barnstable, Barnstable, MA
Died: Feb 1789 Norfolk, Litchfield Co., CT

FATHER

John Lewis

MOTHER

Elizabeth Huckins

WIFE

Rebeckah Lathrop

CHILDREN

1. Mehitable Lewis b. 04 March 1721

2. Solomon Lewis b. 22 Dec 1722

3. Isaac Lewis b. 27 Sep 1724

4. Edward Edmond Lewis b. 06 July 1726

5. Hannah Lewis b. 27 Oct 1728

6. Rebeckah Lewis b. 06 Dec 1731

7. Josiah Lewis b. 27 Dec 1733

8. William Lewis b. 11 Sep 1735

9. Sarah Lewis b. 01 March 1742

10 James Lewis b. 10 Dec 1746

Edward Lewis
by Susan Brooke
Feb 2023

Edward Lewis was baptized 23 Jul 1699 in Barnstable, MA. (1) He married Rebecca Lathrop in Barnstable on 14 May 1719, and their first three children were born in Barnstable. (2) However, around 1725 they moved to Guilford, CT. Their next six children were born there. (3) While he was in Guilford his father, John Lewis, died back in Barnstable. In his will written 5 Aug 1736, John Lewis left his real estate of his two sons James and Shubael. Referring to his sons Edward and Gersham Lewis, he wrote that they had already received considerable portion and would thus receive Ł20 and Ł60 respectively. (4) Some have interpreted this to mean that Edward Lewis had moved out of Barnstable to Guilford. This is probably true as his brother Gersham Lewis had also moved to Guilford and married there in 1735. (9)
As stated, Edward Lewis had six children baptized in Guilford between 1726 and 1742. One of those children was his son, Edward Edmond Lewis born in 1726 who is found (along with his father) in the land records of Guilford. (5) One of these land records was in 1746 when Edward Lewis was selling his house. (6) Edward Lewis may have moved to Litchfield at this point. His son, James Lewis, was born in Litchfield 10 Dec 1746. (7) This is important since Edward's brother James Lewis wrote his will in 1761 naming his nephew, "James Lewis son of my brother Edward Lewis." (8) This seems to prove that Edward Lewis first moved from Barnstable to Guilford and then to Litchfield. However, he may have remained in Guilford for awhile. His wife Rebecca died in Guilford in 1747 shortly after the birth of James, their 10th child. (9) Their son, Isaac Lewis, however, seems to have returned to Barnstable and married there in 1747. The only family members still living in Barnstable at that time were Edward's siblings: Thankful, Elizabeth and James. (10)
Edward Lewis lived another 42 years and died in Feb 1789 in Norfolk, Litchfield, CT at the age of 93. (11)

Sources

(1) Baptism 23 Jul 1699 Barnstable West Parish Church Records
Ancestry.com. Mayflower Births and Deaths, Vol. 1 and 2 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors.
Original data:Roser, Susan E. Mayflower Births and Deaths: From the Files of George Ernest Bowman at the Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants. Volumes 1 & 2. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc., 1992.

(2) Marriage Record and Birth Record for first three children
Barnstable Town Records 1713-1781
"Edward Lewis and Rebecca Lothrop married the 14th day of May 1719. Mehitable their daughter born the 4th March 1720/21 Solomon their son born the 22nd December 1722 Isaac Born 27 Sep'ber 1724

(3) Barbour Collection
Guilford Vital Records
Lewis Edward, s. Edward & Rebeckah b. July 16, 1726
Lewis Hannah, d. Edward & Rebeckah, b. Oct. 27, 1728
Lewis, Josiah, s. Edward & Rebackah, b. Dec. 27, 1733
Lewis, Rebeckah, d. Edward & Rebeckah, b. Dec 6, 1731
Lewis, Sarah, d. Edward & Rebeckah, b. Mar 1, 1741/2
Lewis, William s. Edward & Rebeckah, b. Sept. 11, 1735

(4) Barnstable Probate Records
BK 5 page 323
FHL film 904599 image 527

Will of father 5 Aug 1736 probated 25 Apr 1739.
Dearly Beloved Wife, Elizabeth
To sons James and Shubael his real estate
To son Edward Lewis who had already received a considerable part of his portion, Ł20
To son John Lewis 5s together with the privilege of using a third part of my landing place at Coopers Island, etc.
To son Grisham Lewis who had already received a considerable part of his portion. Ł65
To daughter Elizabeth Ł20
To daughter Thankful Ł50

(5) Land records in Guilford for Edward Lewis or his son Edward Edmond Lewis
Guilford CT Deed BK 8 page 55
FHL film 4334 image 462
24 Jan 1757
Gideon Chittenden selling to Edward Lewis of Guilford 13 1/2 acres in Guilford for Ł13 10s.

Guilford CT Deed BK 8 page 207
FHL film 4334 image 623
30 Mar 1759
James Parnele selling two acres of land in Guilford for Ł3 14s. to Edward Lewis of Guilford

Guilford CT Deed BK 8 page 274
FHL film 4334 image 693
24 Dec 1763
Josiah Whittlesey selling to Edward Lewis of Guildford a house and barn on 1/2 acres for Ł30

Guilford CT Deed BK 10 page 132
FHL film 4334 image 388
22 Nov 1771
Thomas Hodgkin to Edward Lewis of Guilford 17 acres in North Bristol

(6) Guilford Deed Records

Guiford, CT Deed BK 6 page 72
FHL film 4333 image 620
15 Feb 1738/9
Benjamin Stone to Edward Lewis of Guildford, for Ł150 dwelling house on about 2 and 3/4 acres

Guilford, CT Deed BK 7 page 77
FHL 4334 image 95
11 Oct 1746
Edward Lewis of Guilford selling 3 1/2 acres with dwelling house to Daniel Bradly for Ł230

(7) Birth of James Lewis
Barbour Collection

Lewis, James, s. Edward & Rebecca, 10 Dec 1746

(8) John Howland of The Mayflower: The First Five Generations, by Elizabeth Pearson White1990, page 244
This author concluded that the will of of James Edward proved "that the Edward Lewis who settled in Guilford, Conn., was the same Edward Lewis who was born in Barnstable, Mass. No probate records were found in Litchfield or Guilford for Edward or Rebecca Lewis."

Will of James Lewis
Barnstable Probate BK 12 page 273
1 Jul 1761

Edward's brother, James Lewes of Barnstable, in his will dated 1 July 1761, mentioned his beloved wife, Bethiah, and gave to his kinsman, James Lewis, son of my brother, Edward Lewis, all of his real estate proving this is the Edward Lewis of Barnstable

(9) Death of Rebecca Lathrop Lewis

Families of Early Guilford, Connecticut Vol II by Jacquelyn L. Richer, 1984 page 804

Lewis Families of Guilford

(10) Siblings of Edward Church
Thankful married John Hall and remained in Barnstable
John married Mary Hopkins and moved to Windham CT in 1743
Elizabeth married Jabez Snow and remained in Barnstable
James married Bethia Haddway and remained in Barnstable
Gersham married Mary Maltby in 1735 in Guilford and died in Litchfield, CT
Shubael married Mary Hopkins in 1735 in Barnstable but died in 1766 in Stafford, CT

(11) Church of Christ, Norfolk, record died Feb 1789 aged 93.

Notes on Edward Lewis regarding French and Indian Wars

(This may be his son Edward Lewis)

Edward served in the French and Indian War (1755-1762) and was at Crown Point NY in Captain Bellows Company from Aug. 25, 1755 to Dec. 6, 1755, with his son Josiah, and in the Colonel Eleazer Fitche Regiment as a Lieutenant for campaigns in 1757.

Notes

Note: 5 Fort Ticonderoga NY w/ Ethan Allen Event: Military 17 MAY 1781 Warren's 15th Regiment Vermont Militia (13 days) Event: Military 11 MAY 1781 Capt. Z. Dewey's Co. Vermont Militia (4days) Census: 1790 Poultney Twp. Rutland Co. VT
Sources; Barbour collection of vital statistics, + History of Poultney VT by Joslyn & Frisby pgs. 298-299, + Alvin Talcott's Early settlers of Guilford CT and Genealogy Research report July 13, 2002 by Northeast Professional Genealogy. It is believed and most probable that Josiah Lewis, born 12-27-1733 in Guilford CT is the same Josiah that settled in Poultney Twp. Rutland Co. VT in 1771 with wife Molly Cole and son John. The history of Poultney VT reflects that Josiah was from Connecticut, but, no records have been found of a marriage to Molly Cole, the birth of Molly Cole or the birth location of their son John in CT. All other known individuals by the name of Josiah Lewis in this time frame have been eliminated. Edward Lewis 1697 the father of Josiah Lewis 1733 moved most of his family from Guilford CT to Litchfield Twp. Litchfield Co. CT late in 1746 when Josiah was 13 years of age.. Daughter Sarah (sister of Josiah) married there and son William (brother of Josiah) also married there and William later moved to Wells Twp Rutland Co. VT just south of Poultney VT. William is in the 1790 and 1800 census for Wells Twp. Rutland Co. VT. Josiah and his father Edward were in the French & Indian War(1754-1762) together at Crown Point NY from Aug. 25,1755 to Dec. 6,1755 in Captain Bellows Company from Litchfield CT. Josiah again served from March 10 to Nov. 23, 1757 in Colonel Lymans Regiment from Litchfield CT.The route from Connecticut to Crown Point was probably over the "Military road" through Vermont where the Poultney settlement was established in 1771 and through the farm later established by Josiah. During the Revolutionary War, Josiah was one of over 300 Vermont Green Mountain Boys that assembled on the east side of the Hudson River too over take Fort Ticonderoga (NY) in the early morning of May 10,1775.Ethan Allen led 83 of these Green Mountain Boys, including Josiah, across the Hudson and took the Fort from the British. Vermont Militia documents also record service of Josiah at the Battle of Hubardtown in July 1777, Battle of Bennington August 16, 1777 and service in March 1780 (4) days, October 1780 (13) days, June 1781 (2) days and October 1781 (5) days. Josiah probably married Molly Cole about 1762 in CT and both are believed burried on the 160 acres of land Moly received for her services in the Revolutionary war, which is near the original Josiah Lewis farm that continues in the Lewis name today (yr 2003) operated by Edward Lewis as a dairy farm. One son David also lives on the land.
Note: Event: Military 1777 Vermont Green Mountain Boys, Revolutionary War Event: Military 10 MAY 17 77