52 Ancestors #9 - Thomas Lewis

Thomas Lewis came from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England to Saco, Maine (then MA) in 1628. He returned to England for a bit and then is back in Saco by June 28, 1631. The date of birth for Thomas Lewis is estimated as about 1590. The Great Migration says he was born in Shrewsbury to Andrew and Mary (Herring) Lewis. In May 1637, we know he was still living as he was sued by his future son-in-law, Richard Gibson for debt. However, he is called "deceased" in court records from April 28, 1640. 

The Council for the Affairs of New England in America granted a patent to Thomas Lewis, gentleman and Captain Richard Bonython on February 12, 1629. This patent extended along the north side of the Saco River for four miles from the mouth of the river and eight miles inland. In return for the patent, the patentees were required to transport fifty people to their colony in the next seven years and pay a small annual rent tot he Council. Thomas Lewis was a vinter and the owner of a tavern in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England called "The Sextry." This tavern was run by his partner, George Cleeve (another Maine immigrant). The web site "Discovering Shropshire's History" has a great deal of information about the tavern which it calls "one of Shrewsbury's best-known and most prestigious taverns." It says Thomas Lewis is of Welsh origin and his parents were Thomas Lewis, a draper and alderman and the daughter of Robert Ireland, Jr. This is in conflict with the information provided by the Great Migration Begins sketch. 



On August 29, 1618, Thomas Lewis married Elizabeth Marshall at St. Chad's, Shrewsbury. Elizabeth was the daughter of Roger and Katherine (Mytton) Marshall. Her will was executed on October 8, 1640 so she likely died shortly before that date. 

St. Chad's Old Church built in the 7th century - a new church was built in 1792

Children: 

1. Mary Lewis was baptized at St. Chad's on June 28, 1619. She married Rev. Richard Gibson in late 1638. It would seem this was not a love story from the court testimony as follows "which marriage was thought a fit means of closing the differences and settling an order both for religion and government...some troublous spirits...have cast an aspersion upon her...which tends to her utter infamy...I married the maid upon long demures..."
2. Susanna Lewis was baptized at St. Chad's on November 2, 1620 and there are no further records for her. 
3. Margaret Lewis was baptized at St. Chad's on April 22, 1622 and there is no further records for her. 
4. Elizabeth Lewis was baptized at St. Chad's on April 7, 1623 and married Robert Haywood of Barbados before March 29, 1662. 
5. Andrew Lewis was baptized at St. Chad's on February 22, 1624/5 and buried at St. Chad's on November 15, 1625. 
6. Judith Lewis was baptized at St. Chad's on October 23, 1626 and married James Gibbons (Gibbins) before 1648 - based on the birth of their first child. 
7. Andrew Lewis was baptized at St. Chad's on March 25, 1628 and there are no further records for him. 

Thomas Lewis
Judith Lewis
Rachel Gibbons
Thomas Edgecomb
Gibbins Edgecomb
Thomas Edgecomb
Mary Edgecomb
Benjamin Perley Philbrick
Lizzie Philbrick
Ray Everett Cotton
Fern Lyndell Cotton - my grandmother

Ancestry.com. The ancestry of Charity Haley, 1755-1800 : wife of Major Nicholas Davis of Limington, Maine [database on-line]. Provo, UT: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005.

Original data: Davis, Walter Goodwin,. The ancestry of Charity Haley, 1755-1800 : wife of Major Nicholas Davis of Limington, Maine. Boston, Mass.: Stanhope Press, 1916.

Ancestry.com. New England, The Great Migration and The Great Migration Begins, 1620-1635[database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013.

Original data: Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633, Volumes 1-3; The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volumes 1-6. Boston: New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 1996-2011.

Black Sheep Sunday - Slaves in the Family

Usually I find the blogs of other genealogists intelligent, thoughtful and interesting. Yesterday I found one that disturbed me. The blogger offered a critique of the PBS show Finding Your Roots, hosted by Henry Lewis Gates, Jr. The author of this critique found the show "boring" and speculates that it would not appeal to a wide audience because it seems Gates has an "agenda" to make every show about slavery or find black ancestry of white people or vice versa. I do agree that the show could focus more on how the information is found but I suspect more people tune in for the family stories than the how-to's of genealogy. 


As a historian, I find this idea that connecting New England families to slavery is "digging up dirt" or connotes the bias of Gates disturbing because the author doesn't seem to understand that slavery is not just about the South and not just about black people. Slavery is deeply intertwined in the history of New England and white people. Slavery was legal in all colonies and tied to the occupations of shipbuilders, merchants, and sea captains, key components of the New England economy. As a U.S. history teacher in Maine, I struggle every year to convince students that slavery is part of the history of New England. In addition, I find the show fascinating because it shows that race is not clearly defined and, pardon the pun, history is not black and white - rather we are all human no matter what color our skin may be. As a genealogist, I wonder why one would expect that Gates would not showcase his area of expertise, the ancestry of African-Americans. Personally, I find it fascinating to see how a genealogist works to put together information about a group of people who are difficult to document. 


So far, I have found several indirect links between my New England ancestors and slavery. Today I present two of those stories. 

Samuel Maverick was born in 1602 and is the brother of my 11th great-grandfather. Their father was Rev. John Maverick who brought his family from Beaworthy, Devonshire, England in 1630 and became the one of the first ministers in Dorchester, MA. Samuel settled at Noddle's Island (currently part of Logan Airport after the strait separating it from the mainland was filled in the 1940s). Samuel purchased several slaves who were natives of Tortuga. My cousin and fellow genealogist, **Bill West, wrote about an appalling incident describing how Samuel, wishing to breed more slaves, ordered a male slave to force himself on one of the female slaves. Then one has to consider the contrast of the account by John Winthrop commenting on Samuel's kindness to Indians during a smallpox epidemic. "Among others, Mr. Maverick of Winnesemett is worth of a perpetual remembrance. Himself, his wife, and servants went daily to them, ministered to their necessities, and buried their dead, and took home many of their children." He reportedly buried 30 Indians in one day and took in many orphaned children. Now the question becomes, did he take in those orphans as slaves? 

Noddle's Island

**Bill's post includes information about another interesting story of slavery and the Upton family in New England. 


Ebenezer Ellingwood Jr. (6th great-granduncle) and his brother William were business partners. They were sea captains who sailed to Barbados among other places. Tax records reveal the brothers suffered some losses in their business and in the 1750s he was a hogreeve (overseer of pigs) for Beverly and applied for a license to operate a tavern and inn. Later court records and his estate list him as a yeoman suggesting he had retired from operating a tavern and inn shortly before his death at the age of 53. This is condensed from a posting at dougsinclairarchives.com. A longer explanation of Ebenezer's life with additional sources can be found at his site as well as information on other Ellingwood relatives. Part of the information he shares are stories about the slaves of Ebenezer Ellingwood. 


Ebenezer was abated part of his taxes for the "loss of his negro" in 1758, who is undoubtedly the unnamed slave of Ebenezer in Rev. Hale's Beverly death records who drowned in that year. Those records also mention the death of a slave infant in 1757. The tax list for 1760 includes two slaves. One may have been Jethro, who is known to have been with Ebenezer in 1763. Jethro is the only slave named in Ebenezer's estate inventory. It is very likely Jethro who was beaten by Thomas Diall in 1764. Ebenezer brought him to court for the offense and for trespass and won a judgement of 9 shillings and court costs.

Grave of Ebenezer Ellingwood 

While neither of these are in my direct line of ancestors, they are close relatives of my many times great-grandparents and it is likely that they had contact with each other. I can't help but wonder what others in the family thought about slavery, equality, and the humanity of native and African people. 


http://www.celebrateboston.com/disasters/smallpox-epidemics.htm
http://dougsinclairsarchives.com/ellingwood/ebenezerellinwood.htm


Rev. John Maverick (father of Samuel) - 12th great-grandfather
Moses Maverick (brother of Samuel) - 11th great-grandfather
Abigail Maverick - 10th great-grandmother
Martha Ward - 9th great-grandmother
Martha Tuttle/Tuthill - 8th great-grandmother
Martha Haskell - 7th great-grandmother
Ruth Safford - 6th great-grandmother
Martha Haskell - 5th great-grandmother
Sally Houghton - 4th great-grandmother
Florilla Dunham - 3rd great-grandmother
Nina King Ellingwood - 2nd great-grandmother
Annie Florilla Gibbs - great-grandmother
Fern Lyndell Cotton - grandmother


Ebenezer Ellingwood (father of Ebenezer Jr) - 7th great-grandfather
Joseph Ellingwood (brother of Ebenezer Jr) - 6th great-grandfather
John Ellingwood - 5th great-grandfather
John Ellingwood Jr - 4th great-grandfather
Asa Freeman Ellingwood - 3rd great-grandfather & husband of Florilla Dunham (above)