John Lewis (1803 - bef. 1861)

Born 5 Jul 1803 in Sophiasburgh, Prince Edward, Upper Canada

Husband of Mary (Richardson) Lewis — married about 1833 in Upper Canada [uncertain]

Descendants

Died before 1861 before age 57 in Madoc Township, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Lorraine Nagle [send private message] and Bob Burley [send private message]

Biography

John Lewis was born about 1803 in Sophiasburgh, Prince Edward, Upper Canada and was baptized on July 5, 1803 in Fredericksburgh, Prince Edward, Upper Canada. He was the son of Stephen Lewis and Elizabeth (Monterpa) Lewis. ^[1][2]

John wed Mary Richardson before 1834 based on the birth date of their oldest known child, Isaiah.

John and Mary had the following children;

• Isaiah Lewis b. abt 1834 m. Catherine F. Bowen
• Charity Lewis b. 2 Apr 1837 m. William Burley
• Rachel Lewis b. 5 July 1839 m. Henry Leed.
• Elsie Ann Lewis b. 21 Aug 1841 m. Stanton I. Sager
• Eva Lewis b. 22 Mar 1848 d. 1913

In 1851 John Lewis, his wife Mary and their five children are farming in Hastings County, in Tudor, Elzevir and Madoc, Canada West. Just below the Lewis family is John's nephew, Marshall Bidwell Scrimshaw and family. John's occupation is Yeoman which means he is a freeholder of land. ^[3]

John Lewis died before 1861. The Census of 1861 shows John's son Isaiah as head of his mothers household. Johns wife Mary is listed as Widowed^[4]

Research Notes

Update July 2020 New information regarding the parents of John Lewis has been provided by a relative of a Nicholas Lewis b. 1818 in Hastings, Upper Canada who is a son of Stephan Lewis and Elizabeth Monterpa. The maiden name of Elizabeth Monterpa? is possibly misspelled. It is believed that Nicholas is a brother of our John Lewis. This would partly answer our question about parentage for John Lewis. Nicholas has been added as a brother to John Lewis as "most likely" based on the information received. But the information on where Stephen Lewis and Elizabeth Monterpa originated from is lacking, more research is needed, there is always the possibility that this is incorrect.

We have not been able to find any documents or any information about John Lewis (Louis?) that tell us much about him either. Its possible that John Lewis (Louis) was of French descent, his parents or grandparents, perhaps from Quebec having come from New York State (Loyalists?) who immigrated to Canada. I can find no record of John Lewis in the United Empire Loyalist information.

Possible Child:

• Hannah Lewis b. 16 Jan 1831 m. Marshall Bidwell Scrimshaw

On the 1851 Census (see source below), in Madoc Township, Canada West, John is with his wife Mary and children. Just below the Lewis family is the Scrimshaw family. Hannah (maiden name Lewis) is with her husband Marshall Bidwell Scrimshaw (John Lewis's nephew) and son William George Scrimshaw. Marshall Bidwell Scrimshaws mother is Eve Lewis, who is John Lewis's sister. We think Hannah was possibly a child of John and Mary Lewis though no birth record has been found for her. Hannah possibly could be a first cousin of her husband. Marriage records that we have managed to find for the Lewis children don't mention the maiden name of the mother.

Update - Found Death Record for their child Eva Lewis that confirms that the maiden name of her mother, Mary, was Richardson.

• Michigan, Death Records, 1867-1952", Source: Ancestry.com citing Michigan Department of Community Health, Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics; Lansing, Michigan; Death Records, online database, Transcribed - Name: Eva A Louis, Gender: Female, Race: White, Marital status: Single, Death Age: 63, Birth Date: 22 Mar 1850, Birth Place: Canada, Death Date: 15 Aug 1913, Death Place: Marine City, St Clair, Michigan, USA, Father: John Louis, Mother: Mary Richardson, Certificates, 1897-1920, 188: St Clair-Wayne, 1913, Pg 423

Tracing the family lines back from John and Mary's son, Isaiah Lewis (who married Hanna Bowen), we can link right back to the family that Mary Richardson descended from. Our John Lewis and Mary Richardson were close in age. Mary was born in Fredericksburgh and John was baptized there. The records show their families were settled in the Fredericksburgh area of Ontario .

Sources

1. ↑ "Papers and Records, Vol. 1, 1899", Internet Archive (archive.org),
   Ontario Historical Society,Record, (accessed 2023-04-30],
   A Register of Baptisms for the Township of Fredericksburg, Rev. John Langhorn, Baptisms of 1803, Pg 51: John, son Stephen and E. Lewis, Fredericksburg, July 5, 1803
2. ↑ Paul Lewis[Writer], to Lorraine Nagle [recipient], personal correspondence by email, 6 July 2020, professional genealogy research results and personal family memories of the Nicholas Lewis Family
3. ↑ "1851 Census of Canada", Library and Archives Canada,
   LAC Record, accessed 2023-11-26, Lewis, John, Age: 48, Birth: 1803, Item ID number: 23256528, Province: Canada West (Ontario), District Name: Hastings (county), District Number: 15, Sub-District Name: Tudor, Elzevir and Madoc, Sub-District Number: 127,126,125, Page Number: 11, Line 31, Microfilm: C-11727, Reference: RG 31, Image number: e002353035
4. ↑ "1861 Census of Canada", Library and Archives Canada,
   LAC Record, accessed 2023-11-26,
   Lewis, Isaih, Age: 26, Birth: 1835, Item ID number: 45066484, Province: Canada West (Ontario), District Name: Hastings, Sub-District Name: Madoc, Page Number: 72, Line Number: 40, Microfilm: C-1033, Image number:4108078_00217

See Also;

• "1851 Census of Canada Transcript", Source: Automated Genealogy, online database, Transcript