Lewis Family Genealogy

Descendants of Edmond Lewes of Lynn, Massachusertts

2011-09-24T19:44:00.001-07:00

After ten years of research, I now have the Lewis line put together in book form: Descendants of Edmond Lewes of Lynn, Massachusetts. This has the descendants pf Edmond Lewes down to my Father, as well as spouses and children not my diect descendants. I also have my latest research on the origin of Edmond Lewes in Suffolk, England.

This is a paper back book, with a coil binding for easy reference. I have it available for cost at Lulu.com at the following address: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Hayduke. You can also download a PDF copy for free.

This is Part one, the House of Lewes. I'll be adding maternal lines to it as I go along, and more research on the origins of the House of Lewes in England.

Enjoy!

Michael

"Descendants of Edmond Lewes" Now in Print

2011-09-18T10:47:00.000-07:00

I've completed the first volume of Descendants of Edmond Lewes of Lynn, Massachusetts.

This is the genealogy of my LEWIS line, from Edmond Lewes, who came to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1634 aboard the ship Elizabeth, from Ipswich Suffolk, England, the culmination of ten years of genealogical research.

I've made this book available for cost, or a free PDF download, at Lulu.com.

Following volumes will document the maternal lines of my paternal ancestry, (CARPENTER, MARSHALL, JANVRIN, RUDE, LOFLAND/LAUGHLIN, DOTY), and my full maternal ancestry (MONKMAN, DEWOLF, CLAXTON, BREWSTER).

"Professional" Genealogists

2011-08-12T15:23:00.000-07:00

In researching my Lewis line over the past ten years, I've come across many web sites for "professional" genealogists, those who offer to do genealogical research for hire. Most of them are legitimate, with real credentials and a track record to demonstrate their expertise.

I have also come across web sites for those who are obviously not professional genealogists, yet who make the claim and offer to do genealogical research for hire.

How can one tell the difference? How can one who really would like some help in the details of intricate genealogical research sift the legitimate genealogists from those simply posing as genealogists for their own reasons?

First of all, genealogy is a discipline based on documentation. Any web site that makes claims of genealogical connections based on heresay, rumor, innuendo, supposition or guesswork is not run by a professional genealogist. A genealogist answers questions with documentation and does not pose hypothetical questions of dubious historical connections. Any genealogists who claims great antiquity to many historical figures is also not a professional, in that deep antiquity cannot be proven, in the absence of very rare and highly unusual documentation.

Another good clue is a raft of genealogical "awards" displayed on the web site, especially when the "award" graphics do not link to any organization or web site, but are merely there for display and personal aggrandizement.

Genealogy is a labor of love, a task many of us take for on our own satisfaction, not to line our pockets with pecuniary recompense. We give our research to others for free, for personal satisfaction and for the love of our families.

Beware of genealogists bearing great gifts! If they seem to good to be true, they probably are.

The Edmond Lewes Welsh Myth

2011-08-12T10:02:00.000-07:00

The continued assertion that Edmond Lewes was born in Llys Talybont, Glamorgan, Wales is based on two references listed in The Lewis Families of Wales and America, 1928, by Edward Simmons Lewis.

“'William Lewis of Roxbury, brother to Edmund Lewis of Lynn, was descended from a very respectable family in Wales. His descendants enjoy great satisfaction in being able to trace their descent from a very high antiquity.” from the Annals of Lynn.

"Edmund Lewis of Lynn was brother to William Lewis of Roxbury, who descended from a Welsh family with a pedigree running back centuries.” From the History of Lynn by Alonzo Lewis and James Newhall.

These two quotations are both refuted by subsequent research. 1602 - WILLIAM LEWIS - 1671 of Stoke-by-Nayland, England and Some of his Ancestors and Descendants by Isaac Newton Lewis, 1932, documents the origin of William Lewes of Roxbury in Stoke-by-Nayland, Suffolk, England, a descendant of Edmond Lewes, born in 1519. I.N. Lewis made the claim that Edmund Lewis of Lynn was "a cousin of William Lewis of Roxbury," not his brother, but he provides no documentation to substantiate this claim.

My research confirms the Stoke-by-Nayland origin of William Lewes of Roxbury. I found no Edmond/Edmund Lewes in this line born in or around 1600 that could be our Edmond Lewes of Lynn.

However, there are numerous records of the birth of an Edmond Lewes in the communities surrounding Ipswich, Suffolk, and patterns of occurance of this Lewes line through time, including records of his presence in Ipswich from 1630. (Descendants of Edmond Lewes of Lynn, Arana Gulch Press, 2011)

Since a document exists recording the presence of Edmund Lewis at Llys Talybont, Glamorgan, Wales in 1637 (Survey of Lystalyboint, 1653), there is no longer reason to continue the myth that the Edmond Lewes of Watertown and Lynn, Massachusetts was the same historical person as Edmund Lewis of Wales.

Edmond Lewes not from Glamorgan, Wales

2011-08-11T19:16:00.000-07:00

We now have definitive documentation that Edmond Lewes of Lynn, Massachusetts was not the same historical figure as Edmund Lewis of Llys Talybont, Glamorgan, Wales, as claimed by Edward Simmons Lewis in The Lewis Family of Wales and America, 1928,The Journal of American History, Volume XXII, Third Quarter, Number 3.

To whit:

Surveyof Llystalybont of 1653

EdmundLEWIS, Gent, Houldeth There by coppie of court rowle enrowled andbearing the date eight day of may in the 13th; year of the late KingCharles I, in the year of our lord god 1637. One messuadge one ofchard. one garden, and 36 acres of lands arable meadow and pasturewith appurtence for the terme of his leiff and the lives of CATHERINhis wiffe and Thomas LEWIS their sonn and the longest liver of themsuccessive lie according to the custome of the said manor at Yeyearlie rent of 8/4d. Etc; etc; signed by Thomas LEWIS esq; ThenSteward of the Said Manor.

(TheOld County borough of Cardiff, Vol III, page 313, dated 1653;Local Studies Dept., Cardiff Central Library)

This definitively proves that Edmund Lewis of Llys Talybont, Glamorgan, Wales was alive and still living in Llys Talybont on May, 8, 1637, three years after Edmond Lewes had sailed from Ipswich, Suffolk, England to Watertown, Massachusetts.

From: Descendants of Edmond Lewes of Lynn, Copyright 2011, Arana Gulch Press, Santa Cruz, California, all rights reserved.

Edmond Lewes of Lynn - his maculate conception

2011-06-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

Edmond Lewes of Lynn, Massachusetts is an historically documented individual. His name was variously spelled "Edmund Lewis" or "Edmond Lewes," as spelling was not yet standardized. The "Lewis" surname became established in the 18th Century. Edmond Lewes's name was not spelled Louis or Luis in any documentation.

The Lewis Family of Wales and America, 1923, by Edward Simmons Lewis, states that Edmund Lewis came from Llys Talybont, Glamorgan, Wales, but offers no documentation to support the claim that the Edmund Lewis of Wales was the same person as the Edmond Lewes who traveled to Massachusetts Bay Colony aboard the Elizabeth out of Ipswich, Suffolk, England, 250 miles from Cardiff over primitive roads.

Descendants of John Gamage of Ipswich, MASS, Archeologia Cambrensis, Planagenet Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, History of Antiquities of Glamorganshire and his Families and Ancestry of C.S. Lewis say nothing about Edmond Lewes of Lynn, Massachusetts.

Francis Lewis, signer of the American Declaration of Independence in 1776, was not related to Edmond Lewes of Lynn in 1634.

Edmund Lewis of Lynn Massachusetts and Some of His Descendants by George Harlan Lewis in 1908,does not state that Edmund Lewis of Lynn came from King's Lynn (Lynn Regis), Norfolk, England. Lewis says, "Edmund Lewis, who came to this country and first settled in Watertown, is said to have come from Lynn Regis (King's Lynn), England, but there is no record of him or any of his family on the church records there."

There is no evidence, circumstantial or otherwise, that Edmond Lewes married Mary Carey. Nor is there any evidence circumstantial or otherwise, that Edmond Lewes of Lynn, Massachusetts was the same historical person as Edmund Lewis of Llys Talybont, Glamorgan, Wales. Offering this as a possibility merely perpetuates
the myth of Edmond Lewes's origin.

The Lewis family in America by Stephen M. Lawson, Family History: Colonial Genealogies, Colonial Families, Vol. VII Lewis Family, Pilgrim Genealogies and Histories, First Puritan Settlers of Connecticut, Planters of the Commonwealth, Lists of Passengers and the Ships Which Brought Them, offer no evidence whatsoever as to the surname of Edmond Lewes's wife.

None of the following sources offer any information as to the origin or Edmond Lewes of Lynn, nor of the surname of his wife Mary:

Lewisianna Letters, Annals and Antiquities of the Counties and County Families of Wales, Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, American Genealogical-Biographical Index, Pioneer Lewis Families by Michael L. Cook, 400 Years with a New England Lewes-Lewis Family, by Barbara Lewis Williams, Twelve Generations of Lewis's in America, 1634-1997 by Delbert Lewis, History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Early records of Watertown, Genealogies of the Families and Descendants of the Early Settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts, Historical collections of Middlesex County, The Pioneers of Massachusetts, A Descriptive List, Drawn from Records of the Colonies, Towns and Churches, and other Contemporaneous Documents, by Charles Henry Pope, Abridged Compendium of American Genealogy: First Families of America, Fredrick A. Virkus, Genealogical and family history of central New York, 1602 - WILLIAM LEWIS - 1671 of Stoke-by-Nayland, England and Some of his Ancestors and Descendants.

Throwing out a compendium of sources obscures the reality of researching the origins of Edmond Lewes, which are buried somewhere in the records of Ipswich and Suffolk County in England.

Genealogical Mythology

2011-05-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

There has been a resurgence of late of the myth of the origin of Edmond Lewes of Lynn, Massachusetts. I have written of it here before, and it becomes necessary to reiterate the realities of Edmond's origin.

First, there is no evidence to support the claim made in The Lewis Families of Wales and America by Edward Simmons Lewis that Edmond Lewes of Lynn, Massachusetts was the same person as Edmund Lewis, born in 1601 in Llys Talybont, Glamorgan, Wales. Unsupported claims are not evidence. Circumstantial evidence is just a guess, it is not evidence. Edward Simmons Lewis made the claim with no support, therefore the claim is not supported.

There is no evidence to support the claim that Edmond Lewes of Lynn married Mary Carey. This is a completely unsupported claim originally posted in the LDS FamilySearch web site. No documentation is offered, no evidence put forth to support the claim. For all we know, this was made up out of whole cloth. Subsequent research in Parish records throughout Norfolk and Suffolk in England have revealed no evidence of the birth of Mary Carey or any subsequent relationship with Edmond Lewes of Lynn. There is not even a hint or circumstantial evidence that Edmond Lewes married Mary Carey.

There is however ample documentation of Edmond Lewes in and around Ipswich in early to mid 17the Century. And therefore there is no reason to make claims about the origins of Edmond Lewes of Lynn anywhere else in the world until it can be proven definitively that the Edmond Lewes's in and around Ipswich are NOT the same person as Edmond Lewes of Lynn, Massachusetts.

Anyone who makes claims of hints, circumstantial evidence, or who poses questions with no answers are engaged in irresponsible speculative genealogy. This only compounds the problems posed by historical publications that contain information that remains unsupported and that are repeated ad infinitum. Genealogies that make fictitious claims of deep antiquity are unrealistic at best and ultimately irresponsible.

Edmond Lewes's Suffolk Origins

2009-01-03T13:56:00.000-08:00

Since there is no evidence that Edmond Lewes of Lynn was born in Wales, it remains to determine if any evidence exists as to his origin. We have only the passenger list of the ship Elizabeth as evidence that he came to Massachusetts from Ipswich, Suffolk, England. Before that, there is no record.

Many of the families traveling aboard the Elizabeth were from the area around Ipswich, as recorded in the passenger list. It seams reasonable to look at the historical records of this area to see if there were any Lewis families in the area up to 1634. this turns out to be the case.

There are numerous records of the Lewes and Lewis surnames in the area around Ipswich beginning with Ralph Lewes in Bury St. Edmunds in 1449. In addition, the name Lewes is attached to geographical features, such as Lewesindale and/or Lewes meadows in Bramford at the northwest edge of Ipswich. There is an ancient bureaucratic division in the Woodbridge area east of Ipswich called the Looes Hundred.

Throughout the area from Stoke-by-Nayland near the western border of Suffolk to Laxton in the east, the Lewes surname surfaces in the record throughout 15th through 17th Centuries. (See map) There are three records of wills in the Archdeaconry of Suffolk that name an Edmond Lewes as beneficiary, two of which, from 1625 and 1626, name Edmond as brother of John and William Lewes of Bawdsey, 15 miles east of Ipswich.

Since Edmond Lewes and his family were among passengers on the Elizabeth who were from the Ipswich area, and since the Lewes surname and Edmond Lewes in particular is documented as having lived in the Ipswich area, it seems reasonable to propose that Edmond Lewes of Lynn, Massachusetts was descended from the Lewes familes in the Ipswich area in the early 17th Century.

It remains to find documentation to support this proposition.

Edmond Lewes of Lynn ancestry

2009-01-03T09:46:00.000-08:00

I shall put this very bluntly at the outset:

There is no evidence of the parents of Edmond Lewes of Lynn, Massachusetts, who came to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1634 from Ipswich, Suffolk, England. There is no evidence that Edmond Lewes of Lynn, Massachusetts is the same as Edmund Lewis of Llys Talybont, Glamorgan, Wales. There is no evidence that Edmond Lewes had any Welsh connection whatsoever.

There is no evidence of the surname of Edmond's wife, Mary. The claim that Mary's surname was Carey of Carew is from an unsupported entry in the LDS genealogical database. Therefore there is no King's Lynn or Lynn Regis connection in Norfolk.

If anyone has evidence to support these claims, I would be delighted to see it!

The Arundel Castle connection is from 1602 - WILLIAM LEWIS - 1671 of Stoke-by-Nayland, England and Some of his Ancestors and Descendants by Isaac Newton Lewis, published in 1932. The connection of William Lewis of Roxbury to Edmond Lewes of Lynn is not established in this volume. He merely states, without evidence "Edmund Lewis, cousin of William." I have searched the parish records of Stoke-by-Nayland and I did not find record of Edmond Lewes's birth, marriage nor the birth of Tomas and John.

Lewis is not a Welsh surname. The Welsh Lewis surname comes from the Anglicization of Llewellyn when Henry VIII demanded that all Welshmen adopt surnames in the 16th Century as by the English custom. Thus a Welshman known as John ap Llewellyn (John, son of Llewellyn) became known as John Lewis. (See Late Sixteenth Century Welsh Names by Talan Gwynek, http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/talan/talanWelsh16.html)

Lewis is, in fact, an English surname, derived from Saxon and Frankish roots, coming to England as Ludovich or Ludwig. It's transliteration occurred in England, most probably in East Anglia, during the Danish and subsequent Norman occupations. Lewes in England is much older than Lewis in Wales.

This does not imply that there are no Welsh Lewis lines in America, just that not all Lewis's are of Welsh ancestry.

Lewis DNA Test

2008-12-27T10:54:00.000-08:00

I've just gotten the results on a DNA test I submitted to a private research group, with fascinating results.

It seems that our DNA pattern is quite unique from that of other Lewis lines, from Wales or other parts of the UK. It fits he normal R1B1 haplotype of Western European Anglo-Saxons, but it is distinctly different in two chracters (DSY391 and DSY464, for those in the know. I compared my pattern to that of 63,000 others in a global DNA database and found only one match, in London!

While this makes it very easy to natch with another sample, it begs the question of the origin of Edmond Lewis and our particular Lewis line. We are distinctly different in the Lewis Surname DNA project. Only three other samples come close, and two of those I know to be descendants of the Edmond Lewis line.

Visions of Saxon hordes crossing the plains of East Anglia!

Independence from Central Authority

2007-07-03T21:17:00.000-07:00

I'm proud to say that none of my ancestors killed other human beings
for the illusion of independence.

My Doty ancestors were pre-American Revolution, who came to North
America seeking peace and freedom from government oppression. The Lewis
line into which Anne Doty married were descendants of Puritans who came
to the Massachusetts Bay colony in 1634 to escape oppressive central
government and religious rule. They did not seek independence; they
formed communities based on mutual aid, freedom from centralized rule
and embracing a society based on peace, respect for one another and
religious morals, including, most especially, the Sixth Commandment,
Thou Shall not Kill.

My Lewis ancestors became Mormons and traveled across Ohio, Illinois,
Missouri and Iowa and as respected elders formed a community of mutual
aid and self-reliance. None of my Lewis ancestors took up arms to visit
war on other people.

My DeWolf ancestors were dedicated to peace, tolerance and civil
rights. My Great Uncle, Harold DeWolf taught Martin Luther King in
seminary, and Dr. King repeatedly told others that Dr. DeWolf was
instrumental in setting him on a path of peace and mutual respect. The
Dewolfs have been great missionaries, bringing a message of love and
peace to people around the globe.

July 4 marks the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of
Independence. Recall the words of this document written:

"in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies,
solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of
Right ought to be Free and Independent States;

Free and Independent States, of course, does not mean a centralized
government. It was only later that a strong federal government was
established, over the objection of a large number of citizens of the
several states, speaking from a tradition of local self-reliance and
mutual aid.

And finally, ending with a statement in support of each other against
the tyranny of a central government.

"we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred
Honor."

Thus, the Declaration of Independence is a statement of self-reliance
and mutual aid among the members of the several states, not a
declaration of separateness from the rest of humanity. We are a nation
of pacifists, who wish first and foremost to be left far from the grasp
of politicians, petty tyrants and corporate overseers.

If the 4th of July stands for anything, it stands for the hopes and
dreams of our ancestors to live in free and independent states, free of
the tyranny of central rule.

Such is my hope for my descendants.

Michael Alan Lewis
11th generation lineal male descendant of Edmond lewis of Lynn,
Massachusetts

Searching for Edmond Lewis of Lynn

2007-05-06T13:22:00.000-07:00

I'm been actively doing genealogy research for about seven years now. I successfully penetrated my brick wall, to find the ancestors of Thomas Jefferson Lewis, born in Hamilton, Butler County, Ohio in 1810.

Now I'm researching the origin of Edmond Lewis, who traveled to Watertown, Massachusetts in 1634, with his wife Mary and his two sons Thomas and John.

Two books have upheld the myth that Edmond Lewis of Lynn was the same as Edmund Lewis of Llystalybont, Glamorgan, Wales, despite the complete lack of any documentation for the claim. In addition, many sources claim that Edmond Lewis of Lynn married Mary Carey of Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England, again with a total lack of documentation.

I am searching for evidence of Edmond Lewis's origin, marriage and children in Norfolk or Suffolk, England. It makes far more sense that Edmond came from East Anglia than Glamorgan, Wales, as much as I would like to know that my ancestors are Welsh. With the timing of 1634 in the middle of the Great Migration to America, it is likely that Edmond was involved in the Dissenter or Puritan movement, a came to America in company of fellow members of that movement. Most of the passengers on the Elizabeth were from small villages in the Ipswich area.

This doesn't completely discount a possible origin in Wales for Edmond, though such an explanation is less likely.

Michael Alan Lewis