Map of Lordstown Township in 1856 (from Newton Falls Information Network, 1856 Map of Trumbull County Ohio). Note "H. Lewis" in lot 28. The "SH" nearby is the school house mentioned in the text.
Bassett-Edgecomb-Snyder Archives home
Peleg and Lydia Lewis1
Key words: Peleg Lewis, Lydia Lewis, Peleg and Lydia Lewis, Pegley Lewis
Peleg and Lydia Lewis were probably from Massachusetts. Lydia may have been Lydia Reed of Dighton, MA.2 20 22 Peleg served in the Revolutionary War in August 1780 in Captain Peleg Peck's Company.2a In 1790 they were listed in the town of Swanzey (now Swansea), Massachusetts. (The eastern section of old Swanzey was known as "Somerset", which was originally the native American name "Shawomet".16) In the 1800 census they were living in the town of Shaftsbury, Bennington Co., Vermont.2b Sometime soon after that they moved to Otsego Co., NY (living there in 1810). Eventually, Peleg moved to Cortland County, NY (living there in 1820) where he served as Overseer of Highways, a post later held by his son Jonathan.
The following is a list of their probable children. The first two were born in Massachusetts and the rest probably in Vermont.
Here is an attempt to rationalize census records on the basis of the list above.
United States Census, 1790, Town of Swanzey,
MA, [blank 1790 form]
Peleg Lewis, 1 male over 18 [Peleg, Sr.], 1 male under 18 [Peleg,
Jr. age 4], 2 females [Lydia, unknown daughter age 2].
United States Census, 1800, Town of
Shaftsbury, Bennington County, Vermont, p.171.
[blank 1800 form]
Peleg Lewis, 3 males under 10 [David 9, Jonathan 9, John 3, Abraham 4?], 1 male
10-15 [Peleg, Jr. age 14], 1 male 45 and over [Peleg, Sr.], 4 females under 10
[unknown daughter 7, Betsy 6, Elsie 4, Mary about 0?], 1 female 10-15 [unknown daughter age
12], 1 female 26-44 [Lydia]
U.S. Census
of 1810 for New York, Otsego Co., Town of Otsego p. 207.
[blank 1810 form]
P. Lewis: 3 males under 10 [grandchildren?], 1 male 10-15 [John 13, Abraham
14?], 2 males 16-25 [David 19, Jonathan 19], 1 male 45 and over [Peleg, Sr.], 2
females under 10 [grandchild?, Mary about 10?], 1 female 10-15 [Elsie 14], 2 females 16-25
[unknown daughter 17? or wife of married son, Betsy 16], 1 female 26-44 [Lydia]
P. Lewis: 1 male 16-25 [Peleg, Jr. 24], 1 female 16-25 [wife]
U.S. Census of 1820 for Solon, Cortland
Co., NY, p. 584.
[blank 1820 form]
Peleg Lewis: 1 male under 10 [?], 2 males 10-15 [grandchildren?], 1 male over 45
[Peleg, Sr.], 2 females 16-25 [Elsie 24, ?], 1 female over 45 [Lydia]
Jonathan Lewis: 1 male under 10, 1 male 26-44 [Jonathan 29], 1 female under 10, 2 females 16-25 [Nelly, ?]23
Abraham Lewis: 1 male under 10, 1 male 26-44 [Abraham 29], 2 females under 10, 1 female 16-25]
U.S.
Census of 1820 for Cincinnatus, Cortland Co., NY, p.502.
[blank 1820 form]
Sylvester Roberts: 1 male under 10, 1 male 18-25 (Sylvester), 1 female under 10,
1 female 16-25 (Mary)
United States Census, 1820,
Ohio, Trumbull Co., Warren Twp, p. 282.
[blank 1820 form]
John Lewis age 18-25 [John 23], Peleg Lewis age 26-45 [Peleg, Jr. 34], David
Lewis age 26-45 [David 29]
United
States Census, 1830, Cincinnatus, Cortland Co., NY, p.27.
[blank 1830 form]
Sylvester Roberts: 1 male under 5, 1 male 5-9, 1 male 10-14, 1
male 30-39 (Sylvester), 1 female 10-14, 1 female 20-30 (Mary)
Map of Lordstown Township in 1856 (from Newton Falls Information Network,
1856 Map of
Trumbull County Ohio). Note "H. Lewis" in lot 28. The "SH"
nearby is the school house mentioned in the text.
John, Peleg, and David Lewis moved to Trumbull County, Ohio by 1820 where they were listed in the township of Warren6a. In 1826, Samuel Bassett, Peter Snyder, and Peleg and John Lewis were listed as living "north of the center".6b On 21 June 1827 the first election for Township officers was held at James Kennedy’s house. Peleg Lewis was elected Trustee, and John Lewis was elected Constable. David Lewis was appointed as Fence-viewer. On 7 January 1828 Peter Snyder was elected Justice of the Peace.17 By 1830, John, Peleg, David, Betsy and Elsie were living in Lordstown, Trumbull Co.7 That year a church was organized at the log cabin school house on the northeast corner of David's farm. David was elected as a deacon with Elsie and her husband Samuel, Betsy and her husband Peter Snyder, Mary and her husband Sylvester Roberts, Peleg, and David and his wife listed as original members8 9. Also listed as original members were Fanny and Rachel Lewis. It is possible that Fanny and Rachel were also children of Peleg and Lydia.
Peleg, Jr. married Philora UNKNOWN in about 1808. He may have had a son Martin (b. 180910). Martin had a daughter listed in the census as "Filora". Peleg died in Warren, OH on 25 Aug 1858. See also footnote 18.
Jonathan and his wife Nelly (or Elanour) moved to Bath Township, Allen Co., OH where he bought land near the Bassitts in 183611. In 1838, their daughter, Elsie Lewis (1818-1891), married Robert Edgecomb who lived nearby. In 1846, Jonathan and Nelly essentially traded farms with Elias Everett12, whose mother-in-law, Chloe (Doud) Olmstead was a sister to Robert's mother Betsey (Doud) Edgecomb. This put Jonathan and Nelly in Monroe Township (just north of Bath Twp.), the location where they spent the rest of their lives. This location was near land owned by Martin Lewis, who was also from Trumbull County and probably the eldest son of Johathan's brother Peleg. Jonathan's eldest son was Peleg (b. 1819-20). In the 1850 census13 for Bath Twp., Allen Co., OH Peleg is listed just before Robert and "Elsy". Thus these two siblings (Peleg and Elsie) were living side by side near the farm bought by their parents in 1836.
John Lewis married Fannie Doud (see her account for more details).
Mary married Sylvester Roberts in Cortland County, NY in about 1817. They lived in Cincinnatus, Cortland Co., NY until 1830 then moved to Lordstown, Trumbull Co., OH. They had children Minerva, Warren (married Lydia Edgecomb, daughter of Uriah), Harriet, George Washington, Mahala (married Martin Fields then Elias Everett), Lewis, Mary Jane, and Charity. Mary died there in Trumbull Co. in 1832 and Sylvester married Lydia Maria Cole on 4 Oct 1832.19 They had a daughter Margaret Ann (m. George Shipley). Sylvester and Lydia moved with their families to Allen Co., OH.14
This account was taken from History
of the Edgecomb, Bassitt, and Snyder Families of Allen County, Ohio by
Steven J. Bassett Baskauf, 2007.
This portion of the book is freely
available under a
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License provided you give the citation
listed above. On the web, a link to this page would be helpful.
Comments? Questions? Contact Steve Baskauf
References:
1. The connections between individuals has not been verified by records such as wills or family Bibles. Therefore it should be considered unproven. However, the strong connections between the listed individuals in land transactions and census records supports the presumed relationships. Thanks to Ken Kinman for figuring out most of this.
2. United States Census, 1790, Town of Swanrey, MA, [blank 1790 form] Peleg Lewis, 1 male over 18, 1 male under 18, 2 females.
2a. Information from Ken Kinman, March 2008. "LEWIS, Peleg of Somerset (formerly Swansea). SOURCE: [25] History of the Town of Somerset, Massachusetts; 1940; pages 245-247."
2b. United States Census, 1800, Town of Shaftsbury, Bennington County, Vermont, p.171. [blank 1800 form] Peleg Lewis, 3 males under 10, 1 male 10-15, 1 male 45 and over, 4 females under 10, 1 female 10-15, 1 female 26-44
3. The 1840 census for Lordstown Twp., Trumbull Co., OH, p. 86 disagrees with this date, listing one male aged 40-50 (i.e. born between 1790-1800. However, the female in the household was aged 50 to 60 (i.e. born between 1780-1790), suggesting that the husband's birth date was closer to 1790 than 1800.
4. United States Census, 1850, Ohio, Allen County, Monroe Township, Jonathan Lewis, aged 59, born in Vermont. Gravestone in Miller Cemetery, Monroe Twp., Allen Co., OH: "Jonathan Lewis. Born Oct 22, 1791. Died Jan 18, 1871. Aged 80 y 2 m 27 d"
5. Tombstone of Elsa Bassitt (enhanced), Old Beaverdam Cemetery, Richland Twp., Allen Co., OH. Census records report her as born in New York in 1850 and "Mass." in 1860; however, the same records give incorrect birthplaces for her husband Samuel so it is probable that the person providing the information was not well informed about where they were born.
6. United States Census, 1850, Ohio, Trumbull Co., Warren Twp. John Lewis, aged 54, born in VT, Fanny Lewis, aged 50, born in Conn.
6a. United States Census, 1820, Ohio, Trumbull Co., Warren Twp, p. 282. [blank 1820 form] John Lewis age 18-25, Peleg Lewis age 26-45, David Lewis age 26-45
6b. History of Trumbull and Mahoning Counties, Vol. 2, Cleveland, H.Z. Williams & Bro. 1882, p. 536, p. 537
7. United States Census, 1830, Ohio, Trumbull Co., Lordstown Twp, p.196. [blank 1830 form] David Lewis, aged 40 to 50, John Lewis, aged 30 to 40, Peleg Lewis, aged 30-40, p. 194 Samuel Basset: female aged 30 to 40.
8. History of Trumbull and Mahoning Counties, Vol. 2, Cleveland, H.Z. Williams & Bro. 1882, p. 542, p. 541
9. United States Census, 1830, Ohio, Trumbull Co., Lordstown Twp, p. 196. Peter Snider, aged 30 to 40, a female aged 30-40.
10. United States Census, 1850, Ohio, Allen Co., Monroe Twp., p. 737. Martin Lewis aged 41, born in New York.
11. Deeds, Book K, p. 364, 25 Feb 1836. Allen County, OH Recorders Office.
12. Deeds, Book L, p.176, 14 Jul 1846 and Book I, p.584, 22 Jul 1846. Allen County, OH Recorders Office.
13. United States Census, 1850, Ohio, Allen Co., Bath Twp., p.494. "Pegley" Lewis aged 30, born in New York.
14. Email from Keith Dull, 22 May 2008.
15. Mary was apparently referred to as "Charity" in some records, but this may be inaccurate.
16. Email from Ken Kinman, 23 May 2008.
17. History of the Village of Lordstown. http://www.lordstown.com/history.asp .
18. The 1850 census does not show a record for Peleg Lewis in Trumbull County. However, there is a Peter Lewis listed in the 1850 census for Lordstown Twp., Trumbull Co. with wife Philura. That is such an unusual name that it seems likely that Peter may actually have been a misrepresentation of "Peleg". The ages given (63 for Peter and 57 for Philura) are consistent with those expected for Peleg and Philora as well as the birthplace of Mass. for Peleg/Peter.
19. The marriage license was applied for by Samuel Basset, Sylvester's brother-in-law (husband of Elsa) on 3 Oct 1832. The marriage was carried out by Peter Snyder, Justice of the Peace and another brother-in-law of Sylvester (husband of Betsy).
20. The following information was received from Steve von Hitritz but has not been investigated further: "In 'Edmund Lewis of Lynn Mass' there is listed several Lewis families. the most tantalizing is Samuel Lewis and Mary Martin, married in Swansea in 1758. I am reasonably certain Peleg married Lydia Reed and Peleg's brother Samuel married Charity Reed, Lydia's sister.
In a history of the Reed family the Lewis to Reed marriages are listed together. It appears they did not happen in Swansea but in Dighton as the Lewis brothers are both referred to as "from Swansey"
In another reference Samuel Lewis and mary martin are listed with having 4 children, but I cannot identify the children. Their family is conspicuously missing from the Edmund Lewis genealogy."
21. Email from Ken Kinman, 9 Jan 2015. "His death record states that his parents were Peleg Lewis and Lydia. So he is apparently one of the young unidentified males living with Peleg in the 1810 and 1820 census."
22. Email from Ken Kinman, 8 Aug 2017. "I have even more evidence indicating
that Peleg Lewis Sr. was of Swansea, Massachusetts, and that his wife Lydia was Lydia Reed of Dighton.
Samuel Lewis (b. 1763) was almost certainly younger brother of Peleg, and Samuel married Charity Reed (b. 1765),
sister of Lydia Reed. So we have two sisters get married to two presumed brothers in the same town (Dighton) and
just one year apart (and the marriage record says 'of Swansea'). Samuel and Peleg were then listed right next to
one another in the 1790 Census of Swansea, Massachusetts.
Then I discovered that Samuel is almost certainly the S. Lewis listed right next to Peleg in the 1810 Census of
Otsego County, New York. And yesterday I finally found where Samuel Lewis and wife Charity were buried (Orleans
County, New York). See weblinks below.
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=86732567
https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=86732541"
23. Email from Ken Kinman, 8 Aug 2017. "I am also trying to prove that Peleg's son
Jonathan Lewis actually had two wives. There is no female older than 14 years old listed with Jonathan Lewis that is
the age to be his wife in the 1830 Census of Solon, New York (looks like it is just Jonathan and his children).
Jonathan would have then married Eleanor ("Nelly") later in 1830 or in 1831.
The question now is who was his first wife. I suspect her maiden name may have been Stebbins, since there were Stebbins
on the same page with Jonathan in the 1830 Census, and at least one Stebbins family also moved to Trumbull County, Ohio.
I suspect that she was a daughter or niece of Walter Stebbins who died in Solon, Cortland Co., New York, in 1827.
And he is probably the W. Stebbins living in Otsego County in the 1810 Census (Lewis and Stebbins living in adjacent
towns, so they could have even known each other at that time)."
.
