Albert Lewis
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Melvin Albert Lewis (1869 - 1928)

Melvin Albert (Albert) Lewis
Born in Metcalfe Township, Middlesex, Ontario, Canadamap
Ancestors ancestors
Husband of — married 1890 [location unknown]
Husband of — married 22 Dec 1909 in Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri, United Statesmap
Descendants descendants
Died at age 58 in San Diego, San Diego, California, United Statesmap
Problems/Questions Profile manager: Scott Lee private message [send private message]
Profile last modified | Created 1 Sep 2015
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Contents

Biography

Melvin Albert Lewis was born on December 14, 1869, in the Metcalfe Township of Middlesex, Ontario, Canada. He was the son of George Sylvester Roe Lewis and Emma Elizabeth Mann. Both of Albert's parents were born in Southern Ontario, Canada. Albert's family was of German descent and they belonged to the Church of England.[1]

Albert grew up learning to play the violin, which he played until the day he died.

M. Albert Lewis, Violinist. [2]

In 1880, Albert (age 11) migrated with his family from his home in Middlesex, Ontario, Canada, to the town of Humbug, in Stanton County, Nebraska, United States. [3] . Albert's new home was just north of the Platte River, on the banks of Humbug Creek. An exciting time for a young boy, and It was the year that the town of Humbug finally got connected to the railroad.[4]

Stanton County offered great farming land for grain crops and the farmers, like Albert's father, could get their agricultural products to market easily. Workers were in demand and many German settlers made their home in Stanton County, just like Albert's family. [4]Albert, as he liked to be called, was the oldest of six siblings:

  • Franklin Fremont Lewis - b. 18 Oct 1871, Metcalfe, Middlesex, Ontario, Canada.
  • George Wilmott Rowe Lewis - b. 29 Jun 1873, Metcalfe, Middlesex, Ontario, Canada.
  • Orville Osborne Lewis - b. 30 Mar, 1875, Westminster, Middlesex, Ontario, Canada.
  • Lenora Lucretia Lewis Frazier - b. 7 Mar 1878, Ekfrid, Middlesex, Ontario, Canada.
  • Maud E. Lewis Watson - b. Aug 1880, Nebraska, United States.
  • Harvey Hilton Lewis - b. 11 Mar 1884, Nebraska, United States.

The year 1885 found Albert's family living in the village of Pierce, Pierce County, Nebraska, not more than 25 miles northeast of his home in Stanton County. He was helping his father at home, on their farm. Pierce was formed in 1859, but it was not until ten years later in 1869 when a colony of Germans made their home there. The population of Pierce was rapidly growing when Albert (age 15) moved there. A new creamery had just opened up and a flour mill had been operating for a few years. Pierce also had an ice-house. The Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad came right through town. The population in 1880 was a total of 73 people. In 1910 the town recorded 1,200 folks. [5]

On September 23, 1890, in Franklin, Kansas, United States, Albert (age 20), married Jennie Mary Hibbard (age 21) [6]

Albert and Jennie's Marriage License

Jennie was from Crawford, Pennsylvania, and she came to Kansas with her family. Her father was a carpenter and he had found a lot of work, building new homes in Kansas.

Two years later, in 1892, Albert and Jennie had their first child. They called him Warren Ray Lewis. In 1894, Jennie delivered another child, named Vera L. Lewis Griggs.

At the time of the 1895 Kansas State Census, Albert (age 25) and Jennie (age 25) were living in Osage, Kansas, with their two children, Ray (age 3), and Vera (age 1). Albert was working as a Jeweler.[7]

That same year, in 1895, Albert's mother, Emma, a widow, was living on her own in Melvern, Kansas, with five of her children. She is listed as a merchant, and her son George (age 21), is a Jeweler in the store. Albert’s father must have died sometime after the 1885 Nebraska census. [8]

Two years later, in 1897, Jennie gave birth to their third child, a daughter, who they named Alva Lewis.

Jennie and Albert's last child, Alberta Lewis Lee, was born on August 8, 1898, in Carbondale, Kansas.

During the 1900 U.S. Census, Albert (age 31) and Jennie (age 31) were living in Carbondale, Ridgeway, Osage, Kansas, with their four children, Ray, Vera, Alva and Alberta. Albert was working as a watchmaker. [9] Albert's mother, Emma Mann Lewis was living next door, with two of her children, Maud (age 19) and Harvey (age 16), who were still in school. Emma (age 51) was widowed and she was running a rooming house. Living with her was a boarder by the name of William Watson, who was a barber in town.[10]

Sometime after the birth Alberta, Albert and Jennie (age 35) separated, with Albert leaving before the date of March 1, 1905. [11]

On December 22, 1909, Albert married Susan E. Johnson , in Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri.

M.Albert and Susan C. Lewis Marriage License
[12]

Susan was five years younger than Albert, born in July of 1874, in Washington County, Tennessee, living at home with her mother. Albert moved in after they married.[13] [14]

By 1910, Albert's first wife, Jennie Hibbard, (age 44), had moved from Kansas, to the town of Colton, San Bernardino County, California, where her father, John Henry Hibbard, was living. In Colton, she rented a house near her father, and was living there with her four children. [15] Jennie is listed as 'widowed' on this census.

Albert's mother, Emma E. Lewis (age 60), had moved to Colorado by the time of the 1910 census, to live with her daughter, Maud and her husband John W. Watson. [16] (Could this be the young William Watson that was a boarder at Emma's Rooming House while living in Carbondale, Kansas, during the 1900 census?)

In 1920, Albert (age 49) is making watches in his own retail store, in Bonner Springs, Wyandotte County, Kansas, just outside of Kansas City, and he has a mortgage on his home.[17]

Sometime after 1925, [18] Albert and Susan left Kansas and headed southwest to San Diego, California. Albert died in 1928, at 59 years old and is buried at the Mount Hope. Cemetery.[19]

Jennie Hibbard lived with their daughter, Alberta and her husband Orie Finiae Lee until she passed away on August 3, 1949, in Los Angeles, California.

Research Notes

  • Pierce County Genealogy[20]

Sources

  1.  ; Canada Census, 1871, database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4QQ-9XH : 18 March 2021), Melvin Albert Lewis in household of George Lewis, Metcalfe Township, Middlesex, Ontario, Canada; citing 1871; citing National Archives of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.
  2. M. Albert Lewis - Violinist; image shared by Jennifer Shelton; 29 Apr 2018; Ancestry .com.
  3. United States Census, 1880, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8YG-9H7 : 24 November 2021), Melvin Lewis in household of George Lewis, Pilger Election Precinct, Stanton, Nebraska, United States; citing enumeration district , sheet , NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm; (accessed 6 Dec 2021)
  4. 4.0 4.1 Early History of Stanton County
  5. Pierce and Pierce County; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; https://casde.unl.edu/history/counties/pierce/pierce/; (accessed 6 Dec 2021).
  6. Kansas County Marriages, 1855-1911, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q293-XXHV : 23 February 2021), (accessed 4 Dec 2021) Melven A Lewis and Jennie M Hibbard, 23 Sep 1890; citing Marriage, Franklin, Kansas, United States, district clerk, court clerk, county clerk and register offices from various counties; FHL microfilm 1,451,456.
  7. Kansas State Census, 1895, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL8V-V5ZX : 12 March 2020), M A Lewis, 1895. (accessed 6 Dec 2021).
  8. Kansas State Census, 1895 for E.E. Lewis; "Kansas State Census, 1895", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL8V-N9LS : 12 March 2020), E E Lewis, 1895. (accessed 9 Dec 2021).
  9. 1900 U. S. Census for M. Albert Lewis; "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMY8-28W : accessed 9 December 2021), M A Lewis, Ridgeway Township Carbondale town, Osage, Kansas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 125, sheet 4A, family 69, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,494.
  10. 1900 U. S. Census for Emma Mann; E. C. Lewis in the 1900 U. S. Federal Census; Ancestry .com; (accessed 9 Dec 2021). Ancestry Record 7602 #17041028 * Ancestry Sharing Link
  11. 1905 Kansas State Census for Alberta Lewis; Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, Kansas; 1905 Kansas Territory Census; Roll: ks1905_115; Line: 15; Ancestry. com. Kansas, U.S., State Census Collection, 1855-1925 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. (accessed 11 Dec 2021). Ancestry Record 1088 #1961734 * Ancestry Sharing Link
  12. Marriage to Susan C. Johnson; Ancestry.com. Missouri, U.S., Jackson County Marriage Records, 1840-1985 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. Original data: Marriage Records. Jackson County Clerk, Kansas City, Missouri. (accessed 9 Dec 2021); Ancestry Record 8700 #140773 Ancestry Sharing Link
  13. Find A Grave for Susan C. Johnson; Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/113551820/susan-c-lewis : accessed 9 December 2021), memorial page for Susan C Johnson Lewis (Jul 1874–17 May 1938), Find A Grave: Memorial #113551820, citing Mount Hope Cemetery, San Diego, San Diego County, California, USA ; Maintained by Gennaphyr (contributor 47698254) .
  14. 1910 U.S. Census for M. A. Lewis; "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2ZN-J23 : accessed 11 December 2021), M A Lewis in household of Susan E Lewis, Topeka Ward 5, Shawnee, Kansas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 178, sheet 10A, family 224, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 457; FHL microfilm 1,374,470.
  15. 1910 U. S. Federal Census for Jennie M. Lewis; Ancestry .com; (accessed 9 Dec 2021). Ancestry Record 7884 #1465689 * Ancestry Sharing Link
  16. 1910 U.S. Census for Emma E. Lewis; 1910 United States Federal Census for Emma E. Lewis, Ancestry .com; (accessed 9 Dec 2021). Ancestry Record 7884 #1973048 * Ancestry Sharing Link
  17. 1920 U.S. Census for Melvin A. Lewis; "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFXR-YMY : 1 February 2021), Melvin A Lewis, 1920. (acessed 9 Dec 2021).
  18. 1925 Kansas State Census for M. A. Lewis; Kansas State Historical Society; Topeka, Kansas; 1925 Kansas Territory Census; Roll: KS1925_168; Line: 30; Ancestry.com. Kansas, U.S., State Census Collection, 1855-1925 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. (accessed 11 Dec 2021). Ancestry Record 1088 #7937903 * Ancestry Sharing Link
  19. Find a Grave Memorial, database and images Find A Grave: Memorial #113551819 : accessed 06 December 2021), memorial page for Melvin A Lewis (1869–24 Jun 1928), Find a Grave Memorial ID 113551819, citing Mount Hope Cemetery, San Diego, San Diego County, California, USA ; Maintained by Gennaphyr (contributor 47698254)
  20. Pierce County, Nebraska Genealogy,; FamilySearch Wiki contributors, FamilySearch Wiki, , https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/index.php?title=Pierce_County,_Nebraska_Genealogy&oldid=4474043 (accessed December 7, 2021).

Acknowledgements

  • Biography written by D. Scott Lee, a Great Grandson.




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It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Albert by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Albert:

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Comments: 3

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Lewis-17312 and Lewis-25056 appear to represent the same person because: It is curious that two children with almost the same name were born on the same day to the same parents. I could accept the possibility of them being twins, but it is too coincidental that they died the same year in the same city. You would think that they'd be buried side-by-side, but FindaGrave has only one grave for them/him. And the 1880 census lists only one Melvin Lewis in the George and Emma Lewis family. And you have written an extensive (and impressive!) biography for Melvin Alva, but have provided no details whatsoever for Melvin Albert. So I am convinced that these two profiles are for the same person.
posted by Joel Bridgham
The story in Jennie Lewis's family is that Melvin ran away with his piano accompanist. That could certainly be the reason for the divorce.
posted by Karen Brown
At some point before she died, Jennie Hibbard Lewis went to live with her daughter Vera Lewis Griggs in Los Angeles. She was my great-grandmother and I remember her.
posted by Karen Brown

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Categories: Violinists