is anyone interested in the early Virginia Lewis Lines.

Question

I have started with Mary Polly Lewis 1780 Virginia. Lewis-17060. I have DNA connections for the first Lewis families. I  find this whole line very confusing with different options on four or five different web sites. The line goes back to well known military soldiers of the revolutionary war. It gets very confusing before I get there. There have been books written on them with opinions of who is who. They are from the Augusta county including or excluding the Shanandoah Valley to Kanawha County to Point Pleasants West Virginia.  

Thank You Bob Tiffner

Comments

Bob:  Augusta County was Virginia. Follow the county divisions from Augusta to Botetourt, Greenbrier, eyc Andrew Lewis was at the Battle of Point Pleasant, at the juncture of the Great Kanawha, (Kanawhy, Canawhy,etc,). Lewis went to Point Pleasant on The Midland Trail along the Kanawha. I grew up on The Midland Trail, now known as McCorkle Avenue, a part of which is not on the Trail, in Kanawha County.  Before Kanawha County was Kanawha, it was Greenbrier, before that Botetourt, beforethat Augusta.  

Now, for sources, fold3.com (NARA Records, wonderful site) has digitized pensions, etc for Revolutionart Wars, 1812, Civil War, and on up to somecurrent wars.  Again, wonderful site.

Another great site is www.wvculture.org/vrr and other historical events and photos.  Births, deaths and marriages are there, one of the first states to do that.  That site is free and awesome.  Also, familysearch.org will take you to those sources.  Fold3 is free at libraries and you can print for .10 to .15.  Small price for wonderful information.  

Please feel free to ask for anymore information.  Lewisburg, WV, Greenbrier County and all of West Virginia was Virginia before 1863. Many forget that.

Kathryn Miller

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Has anyone found a connection to the Lewis family of New England?  Thomas Lewis arrived during the Puritan Great Migration, and the family living in Lynn, just north of Boston, became wealthy merchants following the American revolution owning the Lewis Wharf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Wharf which was a shopping center in the days when commerce moved in ships.  It seems likely the shipping trade with Virginia would have given some of the New England Lewis family an opportunity to settle in Virginia.

Answer 1

I come from a Lewis family that originated in Ireland. One of my ancestors is said to have been a part of Daniel Boone's group. I have seen a book of Lewis Genealogy on Google play that I think might be a part of...what information do you have? Maybe I'm part of a side limb of the Lewis family.

Answer 2

I am a direct ancestor of Peter Lewis who is a well documented revolutionary war veteran in South Carolina. I suspect he, or his ancestor, immigrated from England through Virginia/Maryland but have not been able to verify this. He lived a long life and was very prolific as were all his descendants. Today you can find a great many of them living (and buried) in north-western Alabama (Hamilton area). My interest is finding a connection to the original European immigrant.

Comments

Look at the Revolutionary War digitized National Archives records.  Lewis records and pensions with lots of information is available there.

Site is fold3.com

 

Kathryn Miller

Answer 3

I have a book titled "History of Augusta Virginia" that mentions a number of Lewises (over 100).  I can trace my family back to Thomas Lewis (born 1755, private, ranger in the Revolutionary War) but not sure if he was born in Wales.  There is a story of the four Lewis brothers from Wales but I can't verify that my 4th great grandfather was actually from Wales.  Many family trees on Ancestry.com have the line going toward Ireland and to John the Pioneer and the Lewises of Augusta County.  If you have any specific name or request, I will be glad to see if that particular person is mentioned in the book I have.  I also have the book "The Genealogy of the Lewis Family in America" by Wm. Terrell Lewis but again, the problem is making the connection to either Wales or Ireland.  Dale

Answer 4

Not obviously related to me (but who knows?), but here's some LEWIS entries from 'Genealogical Abstracts from 18th-century Virginia Newspapers' by Robert Kirk Headley.

"James LEWIS, attorney at law, married Miss Jane WALKER, daughter of the late Thomas WALKER of Fredericksburg", Sep 1797.

"John LEWIS, servant, 18, ran away from John CARTER of Williamsburg", June 1745.

Answer 5

Hi Bob,

My father was a Robert Lewis of a Richwood, Wv in Nicholas county. I had a Descendant report made for my Lewis line by a very reliable person who has studied the various Lewis families from the Va/Wv areas.

I believe Mary Polly Lewis married Henry Cutlip. Her parents  are documented as being Hezekiah Kewis & Diana Oldner..They were my 3rd or 4th great grandparents.

I'll be happy to share this Lewis report with you. My brother & I both have had a variety of DNA tests & Oliver Lewis is a related match to my family. It's 77 pages long & goes back to 1760s... you might find it of some use.

Debbie Lewis Crowe

Comments

Thanks Debbie, We are cousins, Mary Polly and Henry Cutlip are my four grand-parents by way of Henry Long Cutlip I was curious  about the Capt. Lewis of the Point Pleasant battle. I am also from the John Jones line who fought in that battle and the Morris line. John Jones was the first land owner of the Paint Creek area where I was raised,

 Gallagher, West Virginia. My line also married into the Clendinen's of Charleston.

Regards Bob Tiffner

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Hi Bob,

So happy to have another cousin. I’d love to work with you on our Lewis family history. I’m traveing today ( I’m in Lewisburg right now) but I’ll be back home on the east coast tonight.

What are your thoughts about where our Lewis ancestors came from? Even with all our dna tests I still have no idea what to think. I can’t get past 1760s Virginia. I’d love to find out. My husband & I spend a few months each year in Britain & Ireland as he has relatives there.

I’ll send you that Lewis report so you can find yourself in it & let me know what you think?

Debbie

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Bob,

I'm trying to find a way to send the Lewis document from my IPad.....

Debbie Crowe

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Debbie I have tried to send large e-mails by Google and they limit the size. I believe its 25KB. Your 70 pages should be cut in half. I also have reduce the pages before sending, I am running a Mac, it may be different. I am assuming that the same rules apply to wiki tree?  I am excited to look at your research.

Bob Tiffner

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Hi Bob,

I can't seem to find a way to attach or send my document using this site, even when I'm logged on.

If you have a private email address I can send it that way. I promise I won't give it to anyone else, just send the document.

You can send it to dacrowe@comcast.net.

Debbie

I thought I had it posted on ancestry & ftdna, but I didn't see it.....

Answer 6

I am a Lewis. Mine are from West Virginia/KY/TN. I have found records of an elder in my line who traveled to Ireland via England from New York. Living descendants state they do not know why she traveled to Ireland. Edited to add: However, the same line was rumored to have been involved in bootlegging.