| Thomas Lewis migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See Great Migration Begins, by R. C. Anderson, Vol. 2, p. 1181) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm |
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Thomas Lewis was born about 1590 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, son of Andrew Lewis and Mary Herring.[1]
He married at St Chad's, Shrewsbury, 29 August 1618 Elizabeth Marshall, daughter of Roger Marshall and Katherine Mytton.[2] She died by 8 Oct 1640.[3]
ELIZABETH MARSHALL, married at St. Chad's, Shrewsbury, Shropshire 29 August 1618 THOMAS LEWIS, Gent., of St. Chad's Shrewsbury, Shropshire, son of Andrew Lewis of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, by Mary, daughter of William Herring, of Shrewsbury, vintner and draper. They had two sons, Andrew (1st) and Andrew (2nd), and five daughters, Mary (wife of [Rev.] Richard Gibson), Susanna, Margaret, Elizabeth (wife of Robert Heywood), and Judith (wife of James Gibbins). [4]
In 1629 he and [Capt.] Richard Bonython were granted a tract of thirty-two square miles on the eastern bank of the Saco River in the Province of Maine by the Plymouth Company. He immigrated to Maine by 28 June 1631. He was joined by his wife and three daughters in 1637. THOMAS LEWIS died before 1640. His wife, Elizabeth died before 8 October 1640.[5] Note: Some sources have the family arriving in 1631.
He emigrated in 1628, arriving first in Saco. He returned to England. and then returned to Saco in 1631. [6] [7] According to Filby his family emigrated in 1631. Passenger record:Thomas Lewis; arr 1628 New England; family members, Wife Elizabeth Marshall; Daughter Susanna; Daughter Elizabeth; Daughter Judith; Son Andrew; Daughter Margaret; Daughter Mary.Arrival date: 1631 Arrival place: Maine.
Thomas Lewis, the patentee of Saco in the Province of Maine, ...his father was a wealthy merchant and his grandfather a prosperous yeoman possibly named Lewis Ap Jevan, whose sons, abandoning the Welsh system of nomenclature, adopted their father's Christian name for the English surname. [8] A Welsh heritage is uncertain, and is found in older sources. It is possible the family originated in Wales, but had been in Shrewsbury for several generations.
As Thomas Lewis, son of Andrew Lewis, draper, he was apprenticed to a member of the Drapers Company in 1607, but his principal business, after his apprenticeship ended, was that of vintner, or wine merchant. His grandfather Herring, who was a vintner, left no sons, but two of his grandsons, Thomas Lewis and Thomas Woley, who was also a vintner, probably inherited his business. In 1618/9 he was the owner or lessee of the Sextry, a tavern and in the Sextry Shut, managed by his partner George Cleeve... The Sextry, now known as the Golden Cross, is still one of the taverns of Shrewsbury. Thomas Lewis and Elizabeth Marshall were married in 1618. By this marriage he must have added to the not inconsiderable means which had come to him as his father's only son when Andrew Lewis died in 1617.[9]
June 28, 1631, found Mr. Lewis arrived from England and entering into possession of his property, livery of scisin being given to Mr. Edward Hilton of New Hampshire... [10] Thomas Lewis, With Bonython, Vines and Oldham...was one of the original patentees of the present cities of Saco and Biddeford, whither he had emigrated prior to 1630. He had acted as attorney of the Council of Plymouth for giving possession in 1629 of the Hilton Patent at Piscataqua. [Belknap, New Hampshire, i. 20]. He was taxed 3 pounds in 1636 for support of the church minister at Saco, and was probably an official in the provincial government of Maine previous to the government of William Gorges, 1636. At the first court of the latter, a complaint was entered against Lewis, and he was ordered to "show cause whjy he will not deliver up the combination" to the new government, meaning the instrument of mutual agreement for self-government. This was to be led by Ferdinand Gorges with no connection to Plymouth. There was some difference of opinion between him and Lewis. At the same court he served as councillor, but was sued for trespass by John Richmond, and in another cause was ordered to pay to Thomas Wise "one fathom of this cuntry(s) beads.” [11]
On the 12th of February,1629, he received the following grant, a copy of which was preserved in the archives of Massachusetts. To all Christian People, to whom this present writing indented shall come: The Council for the Affairs in New England ... in consideration that THOMAS LEWIS, Gentleman, hath already been at the charge to transport himself and others to take a view of New England ... for the bettering of his experience in the advancing of a Plantation, and doth now wholly intend by God's assistance, to plant there, both for the good of his Majesty's realms and for the propagation of the Christian Religion among those infidels; and in consideration that the said Thomas Lewis, together with Captain Richard Bonython, and their associates have undertaken, at their own proper costs and charges, to transport Fifty Persons thither, within seven years ... have given all that part of the Maine Land, commonly called and known by the name of SAGADAHOCK ... containing in breadth, from northeast to southwest, along by the Sea, Four Miles in a straight line, accounting seventeen hundred and three score yards, according to the standard of England, to every mile, and Eight English Miles upon the Maine Land, upon the north side of the River Sagadahock... He and they yielding and paying unto our Sovereign Lord, the King, one fifth part of gold and silver, one other fifth part to the Council aforesaid. This deed was signed by Edward Gorges; and the Rev. William Blaxton, of Boston, was named attorney for the Council. This grant included 32 square miles, and comprised the whole of the town of Saco. Signed by Gorges.[12] also recorded by Thomas Savage.
Charles Henry Pope writes, “...Thomas, having been at the charges to transport himself and others to take a view of New England," etc. he, in partnership with Richard Bonython, received a patent 12 Feb. 1629, of "that part of the main land called Swackadock," between Cape Elizabeth and Cape Porpus; William Blackstone, clerk, William Jeffries and Edward Hilton, gents. gave possession for the Council June 28, 1631, in presence of Thomas Wiggin, Henry Watts and [George Vahun]. [Mass. Archives 3, 149. Bax. MSS.] Lewis and Bonython undertook to transport 50 persons to the plantation within 7 years, etc. He was one of the commissioners who held court at Saco 25 March, 1636, where he was then residing.[13]
It is possible that Lewis was still alive at the marriage of his daughter Mary in late 1638, since Gibson tells us plainly that the marriage was to settle differences, presumably political differences held between Gibson and Lewis and not between Gibson and the widow Lewis. The effort was in vain, however, for Lewis died and Gibson set sail for England after very few years. [14] [15]
Thomas Lewis died between 7 May 1637 and 28 Apr 1640.[16] The new administration of Thomas Gorges assumed control of affairs, his estate was directed to pay Francis Robinson, executor of his will, certain expenses incurred on account of two of the heirs. [17]
Livery of seizin was performed on 28 June 1631. At Saco court 25 June 1640, Francis Robinson, executor of the estate of Thomas Lewis...was allowed "such reasonable charge as hath been by him expended upon two of the children of the said testator, since his death" [MPCR 1:54]. On 8 October 1640 Francis Robinson and Capt. Bonython, joint executors of Mrs. Lewis's estate, agreed to a partition of her holdings between the daughters Elizabeth and Judith [MHGR 5:124, citing court copy of original partition].
The deeds of the heirs to the Lewis estates, Judith (Lewis) Gibbons of Saco and Robert Haywood, husband of Elizabeth (Lewis) Haywood of Barbados, show the considerable extent of holdings in the joint patent held by Richard Bonython and Thomas Lewis [YLR 3:87, 94-95, 5:45].
Richardson and Anderson do not mention daughter Hester, who married Nathaniel Barnesland Kingsland. She married Kingsland in Christ Church, Barbados in 1648. In 1679 he owned 350 acres, 5 servants and 170 slaves. Davis has a question mark on her name while listing her as a daughter of Thomas Lewis. Elizabeth Lewis Heywood and her husband also emigrated to Barbados but were not in the, Christ Church area.[22]
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Categories: Puritan Great Migration
by Davis, Walter Goodwin, 1885-1966 (https://archive.org/details/ancestryofthomas00davi/page/16/mode/2up)
See page 21. Elizabeth Lewis Heywood (1623-1628)
edited by Richard Schamp
And of course, my original reason for starting this, there is very little proof of Hester Lewis being a daughter, although I did find something,