Very little is currently known about Lewis Edgerton. According to the 1880 and 1900 Federal Census enumerations of his son, Daniel Edgerton (1819 – 1904), Lewis was born in the state of Connecticut, probably circa 1790 – 1795. The first records regarding him are in Mannheim, Herkimer County, New York in the early 1800’s.

Lewis was married to Polly (aka “Mary”) Newman. Polly was reportedly the daughter of John and Deborah (Williams) Newman, of Mannheim, New York, although absolute confirmation of this is yet to be found. John Newman was born in Massachusetts and settled in Herkimer County, New York about the turn of the century of the century, along with a brother, Joseph Newman. John Newman died March 8, 1804 in Herkimer County, New York. His widow, Deborah, later removed to Lenox, Madison County, New York, where she died in 1837.

There is currently information on two children born to Lewis and Polly Edgerton: Joshua, born March 24, 1815; and Daniel, born September 1819. The former was presumably the “Josua, son of Luwis and Mary Adgegetenc”, who was baptized at the Old Yellow Church in Mannheim, New York, with sponsors Diederick Brem and Caty Ritter. The baptismal register (“Baptisms 1811 – 1843”, pg. 13) lists both Joshua’s date of birth (March 24, 1815) and the date of his baptism (July 4, 1815). No baptismal records have been found for any other children of Lewis and Polly. Lewis and Polly may have also had a daughter born circa 1810 – 1820, as indicated by the 1820 Federal Census enumeration of the family (see below).

Lewis Edgerton was listed as “Lewis Adjutant” in the 1820 Federal Census of Mannheim, Herkimer County, New York. (“Adjutant” was a common misspelling of the surname Edgerton, and was no doubt derived from a phonetic rendering of the name. It appears frequently in census records of the early 1800’s.) Lewis’ household was enumerated on page 8 of the Herkimer County census roll, directly after that of his mother-in-law, Deborah Newman (then a widow). Joseph Newman, an uncle of Lewis’ wife, Polly, was also listed on the same page of the census roll. The household of Lewis “Adjutant” was enumerated with the following individuals:

1 male “of 26 and under 45” (Lewis);

2 males “under 10” (sons Joshua and Daniel);

1 female “of 26 and under 45” (wife Polly); and,

1 female “under 10” (daughter ?).

There is no record of Lewis Edgerton after 1820. He does not appear in any of the later Federal Censuses of Herkimer County. There is also no further account of Lewis’ wife, Polly, or his elder son, Joshua. The younger son, Daniel, was married to Sophronia Johnson, of Salisbury, New York and later resided in Jefferson, Oneida and Lewis Counties, New York.