William moved to Spartanburg from Anson County, North Carolina with his parents in the latter part of 1777. He purchased his first farm in Spartanburg on November 5, 1790. It was 150 acres located on the conjunction of the Encree River and Abner's Creek. William continued to acquire adjoining land and in 1828 he owned 372 acres of farmland.
William left his son Benjamin to operate the farm when he moved to Anderson County, South Carolina. Then in 1828, William purchased 540 acres of land from Jason Perryman. The land was on the Tugaloo River and Big Beaver Dam Creek in Anderson County. William lived on this land for the remainder of his life.
Prior to his death, William deeded to each of his children one-sixth undivided interest in the Spartanburg and Anderson farms with provision that his widow, Elizabeth, would have full use of the properties during her lifetime.
However, during the fall of 1847, Elizabeth, finding the properties troublesome and unprofitable, relinquished her Life Interest in the estate and moved to Spartanburg where she lived until her death at the age of 96.
This is as far as anyone has gone with my Lewis line, at least as far as I know. In our family, Zachariah the elder is interesting because we all know about his grandson, and now we have a new Zachariah, and as the news has spread we have had all had a chance to enjoy other family members realizing that no, we didn't mean that Zachariah, we meant that there is now this new Zachariah. This kind of entertainment keeps us off the streets, at least.
Pioneer Lewis Families (volume 5, page 357, group 333) makes mention of a quote from this Zachariah's grandson through his daughter Lydia, a George Washington Van Hoose. George, speaking of his mother Lydia, said, "Her father was an Irishman Zachariah Lewis, kinsman of Lieutenant George Lewis, who married Martha Washington and his and Martha's tombs are yet at Mount Vernon, Virginia." The book quickly states that this is obviously not the widow of George Washington since she did not remarry. Maybe George Washington Van Hoose was telling a story to go with his name. Although 'George Washington' was very popular at the time, it was almost excessively popular amongst my Lewises. Or maybe it wasn't and it just seems that way to me. Maybe he had some details confused. However, what is important to me is that he describes Zachariah as an Irishman, which may only mean of Irish descent, but it is the most anyone has supplied as to the origins of this man.
In the 1800 census for Orange County, North Carolina, there is 1 male under the age of 10 (George), 1 male 16-26 (Zachariah), 1 female under the age of 10 (Lydia), and 1 female 26-45 (Rachel). The other Lewis listed is a George, over the age of 45, living with a woman over the age of 45, and another female 10-16. I can't help but wonder if this might be Zachariah's father, for whom he perhaps named his son, and his mother and younger sister. Maybe it is the kinsman that George Washington Van Hoose mentioned, or maybe that kinsman was Zachariah's father, and he did marry a woman by name of Martha Washington. I am discouraged that none of the Lewis researchers before me have sorted this out, because I worry that they tried but couldn't find any more information, but who knows what clue may turn up after all...
(Time passes...) My cousin by marriage Frances Woods also passed along the story that Zachariah was a kinsman of George Lewis, a brother-in-law to George Washington. Now, there are some people who say 'nope, checked it out, no deal, been
researching for 50 years, end of story, you'll never break down this brick wall. Of course you and I, Gentle Visitor, know that this kind of person should go suck eggs. They lack the constant sense of pondering that makes for a happy (and successful) genealogist. They particularly underestimate that amount of previously unknown information that is now accessible through the internet and similar means of easily sharing information. Let's let those people go find some other line to clutch onto as they try to put another pin on their DAR sash (no offense to you DAR types who actually have fun with your ancestors), and the rest of us will brainstorm a bit. Follow me to the next paragraph, please...
OK, I first snooped for Lewises around Martha Washington. I found that apparently with her first husband she had a grandchild named Eleanor Parke Custis who married Lawrence Lewis, brother of a George Lewis. This would be in the late 1700s, it seems. George and Lawrence's father was Fielding Lewis and their mother was... Betty Washington. That would be George Washington's sister. So now we see that there were some Lewises around both Martha and George Washington, the same Lewis family in fact, and one was a brother-in-law to George Washington. (Which fits the family story, although it is his son who is named George and I am not sure how the ages and dates go.)
The next thing I did was ask for volunteers to help find gedcoms with Fielding Lewis from around that time on their pedigree CDs. I was searching elsewhere and realised that this Lewis family was something of a big deal in Virginia at the time. That's
when one volunteer came up with a different Fielding Lewis of the time period who had a brother named Zachariah, offspring of both unknown. Obviously not the same Fielding, but perhaps named for the one close to the Washingtons out of respect, or perhaps a sort of cousin. I mean, I am cynical as they get but 'Fielding' just has not popped up as a common name for me. The parents of this Zachariah and Fielding were James Lewis and Sally Boone, according to the researcher who submitted the info. Then, to top it off, in the 1800 Census for Orange County, North Carolina, along with George and Zachariah Lewis there is a Fielding Lewis. Fielding Lewises everywhere! Okay, so maybe it was common. I heard from one man who said he ruled this Fielding out as any sort of relation, but he did not say how, and is of our defeatist camp (see above), so, again, let's let him suck his eggs and we will continue to ponder until substantial evidence sends us down a different path, or further along this one.
However, I was at Kindred Konnections and in their database (under Source Documents) they seem to have the James and Sally Lewis family (except she is a McCoy) and all of the dates are just too late. So put them on the back-back burner for
now.
Now. Brainstorm #2. In a history of Washington County, Arkansas, published by that county's historical society, there is a mention of a Lewis family of Ashe County, North Carolina. They moved to eastern Kentucky, about the same time as my Lewises (now orphaned/widowed and part of a Mankins brood). They married into the same Reed family my Lewises would marry into two generations later. They moved from Kentucky to Washington County, Arkansas, at the same time my Lewises moved to that county. They have names like 'Braxton/Brackin' amongst their bunch. Intriguing, or coincidence? This line is John Lewis and Rachel Hensen, son of James Lewis and Winetrey Hensen. It is being researched by Traci Werner, if anyone wishes to contact her as she knows a lot about it. (Just not if there is a connection to my line...)
(Time passes again) I have seen the above Hensen line at Gendex and what intrigues me is that the immigrant ancestor is shown as a Nathaniel Lewis from Ireland. Provocative considering Zachariah being described as an 'Irishman.' There is also (apparently) a Nathaniel Lewis whose son William married Fanny Lynch (an Irish name) in Orange County, NC, in 1799. (That or they went there later) I found this out from posts on the Lewis list but alas the poster has not written me back yet.
If anyone would like to throw in a theory or four, just drop me a line. I really think we can solve this. Really. Let's not give up.Sources:
Marriage Record: Orange County, North Carolina, Courthouse, p781
Pioneer Lewis Families, Volume 5, p357, Family 333