William Lewis, of County Donegal

WILLIAM LEWIS, Sr., born in France around 1660 and returned to Wales in 1687, where he married Mary McClelland (of Scotland) in 1688 and settled in Northern Ireland. They had three sons, William Lewis, Jr., John Lewis, and Andrew Lewis, all who moved their families to the New World in the 1700s, settling in North Carolina and Virginia. William Lewis, Sr. established a new law practice in Northern Ireland, where he lived out the remainder of his life, dying in 1720.

Biography

From https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Lewis-13326

When William Lewis was born in 1660 in Noviant-aux-Prés, Duchy of Lorraine, France, his father, John, was 25. William moved to Wales in 1687 with his father who fled here after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, France. He married Mary McClelland (of Scotland) in 1688 and settled in County Donegal, Ulster, Ireland. They had three sons during their marriage:

• William Lewis, Jr., 1690 Ulster, Donegal, Ireland
• John Lewis, 1692 Ulster, Donegal, Ireland
• Andrew Lewis, 1695 Ulster, Donegal, Ireland all who moved their families to the New World in the 1700s, settling in North Carolina and Virginia.

William Lewis, Sr., died in 1720 in Donegal, Ulster, Ireland, at the age of 60.

Origins

Jean Louis Lewis was born in France circa 1635, where his ancestors had lived for several generations, originally coming from Wales. In 1687, after France revoked the Edict of Nantes and thereby prohibited Protestantism, Jean Louis and his wife and three sons fled to Wales where he bought a tract of land, settled, and presumably lived for the remainder of his life. Jean Louis immediately re-anglicized his name to John Lewis. He was a gallant soldier for the British Army as evidenced by his participation in nineteen pitched battles and twenty-three sieges. He was finally appointed Commander-in-Chief and Colonel of the First Foot Guard.

From https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/182538620/william-l.-lewis (no Citations)

MAJ William L. Lewis

• BIRTH 1632 Llansoy, Monmouthshire, Wales
• DEATH 1658 (aged 25–26) Donegal, County Donegal, Ireland
• Spouse Mary McClelland Lewis 1638–1690
• Children: Andrew Lewis 1648–1700 & Harry Lewis 1656–1699

Was the son of General Robert L. Lewis, of Gloucester County

Which does not seem correct

Links

• http://history.loftinnc.com/Lewis.htm
• http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/b/e/n/Nancy-Bennett-GA/W...
• http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/b/e/n/Nancy-Bennett-GA/WEBSITE-0001/UH...
• http://www.senclewises.com/jeanlouis.html
• "William Lewis, Jr. and His Descendents of Black River North Carolina," written by Mr. Claude S. Lewis of Sampson County, NC and published by its author in 1982.
• http://www.senclewises.com/wlewisjr.html
• U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 for McClelland

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From http://history.loftinnc.com/Lewis.htm

The Lewis Family

Name Origin: WALES, IRELAND

The roots of the Celtic name of Lewis originates in Wales - from the Welsh name "Llewellyn" meaning "lion-like" or "leader".

Lewis is also the Americanized form of any of various like-sounding Jewish surnames. Our most recent Lewis ancestors were from IRELAND. Judith Lewis married Uriah Sherrill on 25 Dec 1753. The Lewis & Sherrill line connects to the Johnson and then the Goble lines.

The largest number of Lewis families in the US reside in Virginia, Georgia, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Illinois, Texas and California. North Carolina also has a sizeable group of Lewis families.

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• 2 William Lewis, b. Abt. 1632, Whales/England, d. Abt. 1658, Donegal, Ireland + Mary McClelland, b. Abt. 1638, Northern Ireland/Scotland, d. Abt. 1690, Ireland
• 3 Andrew Lewis, b. Abt. 1648, Ulster, Donegal, Ireland, d. Abt. 1700, Ireland, m. 167 + Mary Calhoun, Abt. 1652, Corkagh, Donegal, Ireland, d. Abt. 1700, Donegal, Ireland

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Legendary Origins

Jean Louis Lewis was born in France circa 1635, where his ancestors had lived for several generations, originally coming from Wales. In 1687, after France revoked the Edict of Nantes and thereby prohibited Protestantism, Jean Louis and his wife and three sons fled to Wales where he bought a tract of land, settled, and presumably lived for the remainder of his life. Jean Louis immediately re-anglicized his name to John Lewis. He was a gallant soldier for the British Army as evidenced by his participation in nineteen pitched battles and twenty-three sieges. He was finally appointed Commander-in-Chief and Colonel of the First Foot Guard.