Anne (Montgomery) Lewis (1737 - 1808)

Born 1 Sep 1737 in New Castle, Delaware, British Colonial America

Ancestors

Wife of William Lynn Lewis — married 18 Apr 1754 in Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware

Descendants

Died 8 Jul 1808 at age 70 in Sweet Springs, Monroe, Virginia, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: M Nason [send private message]

Biography

Ann Montgomery was born on September 1, 1737, in New Castle, New Castle, Delaware.^[1] She was the daughter of Alexander Montgomery.^[2][3] (See Research Notes)

At the age of 16, Ann married William Lynn Lewis on April 18, 1754, in Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware, when he was 29.^[4][5] (See Research Notes) They had eight children - - Margaret Lynn, John, Thomas, Alexander, William J., Agatha, Elizabeth Montgomery, and Charles William.^[6].

In his Historical Collections of Virginia, Howe relates an anecdote about Ann (perhaps apocryphal) during the Revolutionary War:^[7][8]

When the British force under Tarleton drove the legislature from Charlottesville to Staunton, the stillness of the Sabbath eve was broken in the latter town by the beat of the drum, and volunteers were called for to prevent the passage of the British through the mountains at Rockfish Gap.

The elder sons of William Lewis, who then resided at the old fort, were absent with the northern army. Three sons, however, were at home, whose ages were 17, 15 and 13 years. William Lewis was confined to his room by sickness; but his wife, with the firmness of a Roman matron, called them to her, and bade them fly to the defence of their native land. 'Go, my children,' said she, 'I spare not my youngest, my fair-haired boy, the comfort of my declining years. I devote you all to my country! Keep back the feet of the invader from the soil of Augusta, or see my face no more!'

When this incident was related to General Washington, shortly after its occurrence, he enthusiastically exclaimed, 'Leave me but a banner to plant upon the mountains of Augusta, and I will rally around me the men who will lift our bleeding country from the dust, and set her free!' "

After the war, in about 1786, William and Ann moved away from the Staunton area to establish his own domain in less crampled quarters, moving the family to Sweet Springs, Botetourt, Virginia (now in Monroe County, West Virginia). Sweet Springs Resort was first developed in the 1790s by William Lewis with several log cabins, a courthouse and jail - all used to house those who came to enjoy the benefits of the springs. William also pursued various initiatives to develop a town named Fontville in the Sweet Springs area. While this plan did not succeed, it did lead to William receiving the label "the Civilizer of the Border" from some of his supporters.^[6]

Ann died on July 8, 1808, at "the Brick House" they had constructed on the Sweet Springs property in Monroe County, Virginia. She was buried at Catholic Cemetery in Sweet Springs, Monroe, West Virginia.^[1]

Children

Children of WILLIAM LEWIS and ANNE MONTGOMERY are:

i.MARGARET LEWIS, b. 1756.

ii.JOHN LEWIS, b. 1758.

iii.THOMAS LEWIS, b. 1761; d. 1804. " Thomas Lewis, Major U.S.A.., (appointed by Washington), was greatly distinguished for gallantry, and was called the modern Chevalier Bayard, "sans peur et snas reproche." He killed Dr. Bell, of S.C., in a duel, and never enjoyed peace of mind afterwards. He died, s p, in 1804.^[3]

iv.ALEXANDER LEWIS, b. 1763; d. 1797.

v.WILLIAM I. LEWIS, b. 1766; d. 1828, Mount Athos, near Lynchburg; m. ELIZABETH CABELL. "Col. Wm Lewis m Elizabeth Cabell, of Nelson co., Va. He died, s p, at his home, Mount Athos, near Lynchburg, in 1828. He was remarkable for his talents and acquirements, and his friends several time sought to make him Governor of Virginia."^[3]

vi.AGATHA LEWIS, b. 1774; d. 1831.

vii.ELIZABETH MONTGOMERY LEWIS, b. 1777; d. 1837.

viii.CHARLES W. LEWIS, b. 1780.^[3]

Research Notes

• Peyton (1882), page 287, also says "Her (Ann's) father, when a child, was sent to Scotland from Ireland, to avoid persecution. There he married Miss Thomson, a relative of the famous poet, James Thomson, of Roxburgshire, the author of 'The Seasons.'"^[3]
• The DAR's "Lineage Book of the Charter Members" by Mary S Lockwood and published 1895 stated Anne Montgomery was the sister of "Gen. Richard Montgomery, who fell at Quebec." This statement is oft repeated but not substantiated (see, for example, Cabell (1858)^[8]). See Frazier (1985), page 61.^[6]
• The family history by Montgomery (1863) states that Ann died unmarried, but that her sister Mary married William Lewis. This is almost certainly a transcription error.
• This person was created through the import of LaBach Family TreeApril28_2011.ged on 05 May 2011.
• Profile created by Margaret Engelhardt through the import of Renick-Mason-2018.ged on Mar 1, 2018.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Find A Grave: Memorial #5020118
2. ↑ Montgomery, Thomas H. (1863). Genealogical History of the Family of Montgomery. Philadelphia, PA: Henry B Ashmead, Printer. 1863. Page 154-55. Link
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4} Peyton, J. Lewis. (1882). History of Augusta County, Virginia. Samuel M. Yost & Son, Staunton, Virginia. 1882 Pages 287, 297, 340-41. Link or Link
4. ↑ Ancestry.com. Delaware, U.S., Marriage Records, 1750-1954 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. Link
5. ↑ Family Search Link
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} Frazier, Irvin; Cowell, Mark W. Jr.; and Fisher, Lewis F. (1985). The Family of John Lewis, Pioneer. Fisher Publications, Inc., San Antonio, TX (1985). Pages 59-68, 200-01.
7. ↑ Howe, Henry (1845). Historical Collections of Virginia, Charleston, SC. 1845. Page 183. Link
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Cabell, Margaret A. (1858). Sketches and Recollections of Lynchburg from Its Oldest Inhabitant. Richmond, VA: C.H. Wynne, 1858. Page 318. Link

• SAR Application - Thomas Peyton Grasty Link
• SAR Application - Henry B. Lewis Sr. Link
• SAR Application - Harry Frazier Link
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• DAR Lineage - Minnie Coursin. Ancestry.com. North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 [database on-line]. Title: Lineage Book of the Charter Members of the DAR Vol 074 Link
• DAR Lineage - Isabella Gray Welch. Ancestry.com. North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 [database on-line]. Title: Lineage Book : NSDAR : Volume 027 : 1898 Link
• DAR Lineage - Margaret Ayers Lunsford. Ancestry.com. North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 [database on-line]. Title: Lineage Book : NSDAR : Volume 146 Link
• DAR Lineage - Victoria Eaton Potts. Ancestry.com. North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 [database on-line]. Title: Lineage Book : NSDAR : Volume 095 : 1912 Link
• DAR Lineage - Ethel Eaton. Ancestry.com. North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 [database on-line]. Title: Lineage Book : NSDAR : Volume 140 : 1918 Link
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