Participant in Connecticut’s Early Days — William Lewis

B. about 1620 in England or Wales¹
M. (1) before 6 May 1645 in Hartford, Connecticut¹
Wife: Mary Hopkins
M. (2) 22 Nov 1671 in Boston, Massachusetts²
Wife: Mary Cheever
D. 18 Aug 1690 in Farmington, Connecticut³

The story of William Lewis is entangled with the early history of Connecticut, having arrived there with his parents in 1635, then serving in local leadership roles throughout his life.

William was born in about 1620 to William Lewis and Felix Collins.¹ Some sources say that he and his parents were from Wales, but the raw data supporting this isn’t evident. William was the only known child of his parents. William migrated to Massachusetts with his parents on the ship Lyon in 1632.⁴ For a couple of years, the family lived in Cambridge, then joined Reverend Thomas Hooker’s party who settled in Hartford.⁴ After William came of age, he settled in the new community of Farmington, originally named Tunxis. In 1645, William became Farmington’s first town clerk.⁴

In about 1644, William married Mary Hopkins in Hartford,¹ and over the next 23 years, they had ten children. Mary died, and on November 22, 1671, William married Mary Cheever,² the daughter of Boston Latin School headmaster, Ezekiel Cheever. The wedding took place in Boston on November 22nd. William and his second wife had six children, with the youngest born in 1681 when William was over 60-years-old.⁵

William was a prominent person in Farmington. Along with being town clerk, he was deputy to the Connecticut General Court in 1689 and 1690.⁶ He also served in the town’s militia, first as a lieutenant in 1651, then as captain in 1665.⁶ He led the militia during King Philip’s War which was involved in the Narragansett campaign in 1675.⁶

Like some men who lived in colonial New England, William owned several slaves, two of whom were Native Americans.⁷ He was also known to have an African slave named Sampson.⁶ Puritans may not be thought of as having been slaveowners, but in 1640, there were actually more Africans in New England than there were in Virginia. Some of William’s enslaved people were left to his family in his will, and were freed later on.^6,7

Part of the inventory of William's estate with two slaves on last line.

On August 18, 1690, William died.³ He was buried in the Ancient Burying Ground in Farmington. His wife remarried in 1692;⁸ she passed away in 1727.⁹ Famous descendants of William include Franklin Delano Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan, W.K. Kellogg, television inventor Philo Farnsworth and Mitt Romney.¹⁰

The lasting legacy of William is perhaps the house he built during the 1660s on property he got from his father.¹¹ He lived there with his family and presumably, his younger children were born there. The house remained in the family after his death and was expanded during the 18th century, becoming a much larger house.¹¹ By the American Revolution, it became the Elm Tree Inn, a landmark in Farmington for many years.¹¹ Today the building is a condominium with over eight units. At least one of them includes the original house built by William.

The house that grew around William's house, as it looks today. 

Children by Mary Hopkins:
1. Mary Lewis — B. 6 May 1645, Farmington, Connecticut;¹² D. about 1691, Farmington, Connecticut;¹³ M. Benjamin Judd (1643-1689), about 1667, Farmington, Connecticut¹³

2. Phillip Lewis – B. 13 Dec 1646, Hartford, Connecticut;¹⁴ D. 1724, Fairfield, Connecticut;¹⁵ M. Sarah Ashley (1648-1698), about 1669, Hartford, Connecticut¹⁶

3. Samuel Lewis — B. 18 Aug 1648, Farmington, Connecticut;¹⁷ D. 28 Nov 1725, Farmington, Connecticut;¹⁷ M. (1) Elizabeth Orton (~1654-?), about 1687, Farmington, Connecticut;¹⁸ (2) Mary (?-1745)¹⁷

4. Sarah Lewis — B. 1 Oct 1652, Farmington, Connecticut;¹⁹ D. 10 Aug 1722, Hadley, Massachusetts;¹⁹ M. Samuel Boltwood (1648-1704)¹⁹

5. Hannah Lewis — B. about 1653, Farmington, Connecticut;²⁰ D. 24 Feb 1725, Hadley, Massachusetts;²⁰ M. (1) Samuel Crow (1649-1676), 17 May 1671, Hadley, Massachusetts;²¹ (2) Daniel Marsh (1653-1725), 5 Nov 1676, Hadley, Massachusetts²²

6. William Lewis — B. about Mar 1657, Farmington, Connecticut;¹ D. about 1737, Farmington, Connecticut;¹ M. Phebe Moore (1669-1725)¹

7. Felix Lewis — B. 12 Dec 1658, Farmington, Connecticut;¹ D. after 1738, (probably) Hadley, Massachusetts;¹ M. Thomas Selden (1655-1734), before 16 Jun 1675, Hadley, Massachusetts²³

8. Ebenezer Lewis — B. 1660, Farmington, Connecticut;²⁴ D. 22 Jan 1709, Wallingford, Connecticut;²⁴ M. Elizabeth Merriman (1669-1750), 2 Dec 1685, Wallingford, Connecticut²⁵

9. John Lewis — B. 15 May 1665, Farmington, Connecticut;¹ D. Oct 1694¹

10. James Lewis — B. 10 Jul 1667, Farmington, Connecticut;²⁶ D. after 1728, (probably) Jamaica, Long Island, New York;¹ M. Mary Meekins (1670-?), about 1694, Farmington, Connecticut¹

Children by Mary Cheever:
1. Elizabeth Lewis — B. 20 Oct 1672, Farmington, Connecticut;²⁷ D. 1674, Farmington, Connecticut¹

2. Ezekiel Lewis — B. 7 Nov 1674, Farmington, Connecticut;²⁸ D. 14 Aug 1755, Boston, Massachusetts;¹ M. (1) Mary Braden (1669-1703), 18 Mar 1702, Boston, Massachusetts;²⁹ (2) Abigail Kilcup (~1678-?), 11 Oct 1704, Boston, Massachusetts³⁰

3. Nathaniel Lewis – B. 1 Oct 1676, Farmington, Connecticut;³¹ D. 24 Feb 1752, Farmington, Connecticut;³² M. (1) Abigail Ashley (1681-1727), 25 Nov 1699, Westfield, Massachusetts;³³ (2) Thankful Pomeroy (1679-1773), 4 Jul 1726, Northampton, Massachusetts³⁴

4. Abigail Lewis — B. 19 Sep 1678, Farmington, Connecticut;³⁵ D. 24 Jan 1707, Farmington, Connecticut;¹ M. William Wadsworth (~1671-1751), 10 Dec 1696, Farmington, Connecticut³⁶

5. Joseph Lewis — B. 15 Mar 1679, Farmington, Connecticut;³⁷ D. about 1680, Farmington, Connecticut¹

6. Daniel Lewis — B. 16 Jul 1681, Farmington, Connecticut;⁵ D. 16 Mar 1682, Farmington, Connecticut¹

Sources:
1    The Great Migration Begins, Robert Charles Anderson, 1995, p. 1186
2    Marriage record of William Lewis and Mary Cheever, Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850, FamilySearch.org
3    Death record of William Lewis, C., V. R., P. to 1850
4    Book VXIII of the Genealogy of the Lewis Family, William Richard Cutter, 1891, pp. 7-8
5    Birth record of Daniel Lewis, Connecticut, Births and Christenings, 1649-1906, FamilySearch.org
6    WikiTree listing of William Lewis III
7    Probate file of William Lewis, Connecticut Probate Records, 1649-1932, FamilySearch.org
8    Marriage record of Thomas Bull and Mary (Cheever) Lewis, U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700, Ancestry.com
9    Death record of Mary Bull, Connecticut, U.S., Town Death Records, pre-1870, (Barbour Collection), Ancestry .com
10  FamousKin.com listing of William Lewis
11  “Elm Tree Inn (1655),” Historic Buildings of Connecticut (website)
12  Birth record of Mary Lewis, C., B. & C.
13  Find-a-Grave listing of Mary (Lewis) Judd
14  Birth record of Philip Lewis, C., B. & C.
15  Find-a-Grave listing of Philip Lewis
16  WikiTree listing of Philip Lewis
17  Find-a-Grave listing of Samuel Lewis
18  WikiTree listing of Samuel Lewis
19  Find-a-Grave listing of Sarah (Lewis) Boltwood
20  Find-a-Grave listing of Hannah (Lewis) Marsh
21  Marriage record of Samuel Crow and Hannah Lewis, Massachusetts, State Vital Records, 1638-1927, FamilySearch.org
22  Marriage record of Daniel Marsh and Hannah Crow, M., S. V. R.
23  Birth record of John Selden, Massachusetts, Births and Christenings, 1639-1915, FamilySearch.org
24  WikiTree listing of Ebenezer Lewis
25  Marriage record of Ebenezer Lewis and Elizabeth Merriman, C., V. R., P. to 1850
26  Birth record of James Lewis, C., V. R., P. to 1850
27  Birth record of Elizabeth Lewis, C., B. & C.
28  Birth record of Ezekial Lewis, C., B. & C.
29  Marriage record of Ezekial Lewis and Mary Braden, M., S. V. R.
30  Marriage record of Ezekial Lewis and Abigail Kilcup, M., S. V. R.
31  Birth record of Nathaniel Lewis, C., B. & C.
32  Death record of Nathaniel Lewis, Connecticut, Deaths and Burials, 1772-1934, FamilySearch.org
33  Marriage record of Nathaniel Lewis and Abigail Ashley, C., V. R., P. to 1850
34  Marriage record of Nathaniel Lewis and Thankful Lyman, C., V. R., P. to 1850
35  Birth record of Abigail Lewis, C., B. & C.
36  Marriage record of William Wadsworth and Abigail Lewis, C., V. R., P. to 1850
37  Birth record of Joseph Lewis, C., B. & C.