William Lewis (1761-1841) of Dobbs, Glasgow, Greene, Wayne, Lenoir, Duplin, Sampson, Robeson and Cumberland Co., NC and Marion and Horry Co., SC.

Marty and Karla Grant

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[Lewis Home] - [Table of Contents] - William Lewis (1761-1841)

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William Lewis is my 5 times Great Uncle. He is also the great grandfather of two of my 3 times Great Aunts (by marriage), Edna Lewis Roberts (1840-1930) and Abigail Lewis Roberts (1845-1886), both of Wayne Co., NC who married two of my Roberts uncles.

William filed for a Revolutionary War Pension in 1833 while a resident of Sampson Co., NC. It is a most informative document and has been very helpful especially considering how much of a nomad he was. He moved around a considerable amount, most of which he outlined in the application.

William Lewis was born 6 Sep 1761 in Dobbs, now Greene Co., NC. Both are per his pension application.

Unfortunately for researchers, the bulk of the Dobbs County records were destroyed in court house fires, two in Lenoir County (1878 and 1880) and one in Greene County in 1876, making research in this area extremely difficult. There are some state/colonial records that survive for Dobbs including land warrants and surveys. The Dobbs deed books were lost, but a few of the indexes remain and those are helpful for showing residence and association, but no details were included such as acreage or where the land was.

I believe that William is a son of Jacob Lewis (bef 1729-c1795) who was residing in Dobbs at the time of William’s birth. The evidence is circumstantial, mainly that William and Jacob, as well as William and Jacob’s children, were associated over many years in various places. However, there is no primary evidence that I’ve found (thus far) that proves beyond a doubt that Jacob is his father, but the circumstantial evidence appears strong to me.

The next alternative father for William would be an older William Lewis (c1717) (brother of Jacob) who was also in Dobbs at the time of William (1761)’s birth. There is a case to be made that he could be the father of this William (1761), though other researchers claim that William Lewis (c1749-1811) of Horry Co., SC (wife Mourning Van Pelt) is a son of that William (1717). William (1749) and wife Mourning were indeed in Dobbs County in the 1760s, so there’s that. Sorting out these Williams isn’t easy because all three are associated with Jacob Lewis, though William (1761) has more associations with him than William (1749). A 1793 deed (see below) may have the answer, if we can interpret it correctly. It is a bit confusing in some respects.

Finally, one other potential father for William (1761) is Thomas Lewis who was also in Dobbs Co., NC early on.

William’s likely father, Jacob Lewis, had land in what is now Greene Co., NC between Rainbow Creek (or Swamp) and Wheat Swamp Creek. This region is usually described as “South of Great Contentnea” which was the major waterway in the area.

Rainbow Creek rises in present day Greene Co., NC south of Snow Hill, a short distance east of the Arba community. It flows generally easterly and north easterly for several miles until joining Contentnea Creek at the town of Hookerton. Wheat Swamp, the next waterway to the east and south of Rainbow, rises just two or three miles below Arba on the present Lenoir / Greene county line and is itself the boundary between the two counties for a considerable distance. At first it flows southeasterly then takes a northeasterly turn and flows several miles until joining Contentnea Creek a mile or two east of Hookerton.

William Lewis (1717) and brother Jacob were in this area by the 1750s. They also had a likely brother John, but I’ve found no evidence for him in this area, so he’s probably not a candidate to be father of William (1761). Another likely brother, named Benjamin, was also in the area in the 1750s through 1760s.

Jacob Lewis made a deed between 1777 and 1779 in Dobbs county to William Lewis. (Dobbs Co., NC Deed Book 11, p. 309.)

Jacob’s son William would have been 16 in 1777 and 18 in 1779, so this could be him, but it might be Jacob’s brother William (1717) instead. Unfortunately all we have is the index and not the actual deed, so we don’t know what was deeded.

William Lewis served during the American Revolution beginning in 1777 and was commissioned as a Captain in 1779 (only age 18 then!). See his pension application for details of his service. (Language warning, on the very first line there is a quote that uses very strong language! Apparently it was taken from somewhere in the document. I don’t know what the context might have been.)

There is a William Lewis listed on the 1780 tax list in Dobbs Co., NC. William (1761) would have been 18 or 19 then, so probably wouldn’t be listed unless he had property. This particular tax list didn’t include “tithes” or “polls.” The listing is probably for William (1717) instead, though it’s entirely possible it’s William (1761), or maybe even William (1749) if he was still in Dobbs at this time.

1780 Dobbs Co., NC Tax List, Granger District

Line # Name Value

52 Jacob Lewis 400

53 James Lewis 400

54 Stephen Lewis 400

55 Willm Lewis 400 <---

The above four Lewises were listed next to each other. The list wasn’t alphabetical, so they were actually neighbors. Granger District covers the area I described earlier, between Rainbow and Wheat Swamp. As noted, this might be one of the older William Lewises and not William (1761).

William Lewis married someone, name unknown, in the early 1780s, presumably in Dobbs (now Greene) Co., NC. I haven’t found a single source document that includes his wife’s name thus far. There is an old DAR application that lists his wife’s name as “Mourning Herring” but that’s a mistake, as it was William’s son Laban Lewis who was married to her, not William. There is a 1766 Bertie Co., NC Deed for William Lewis and wife Mourning, of Dobbs, and this might also be the source of the confusion. However, in 1766 our William was a small child and definitely not married yet. The one in the 1766 deed is William (1749-1811).

The 1830 census shows William’s apparent wife was born in the 1770s which suggests to me she was a second wife, thus he probably married more than once. Unfortunately I’ve found no record of his second wife’s name either.

William Lewis voted in the 1788 election in Dobbs which was held to elect delegates to the convention in Hillsborough for ratifying the US Constitution. James Lewis and Benjamin Lewis also voted. Those are probably his brothers. They weren’t listed near each on the list, so they didn’t vote at the same time.

William Lewis and Samuel Harrell submitted a petition to the state between 1788 and 1790. No details were listed, though the next paragraph related to the requested division of Dobbs County. (North Carolina State Records, Vol XXI, p. 916.)

The above is interesting in that 1790 deed in Gates Co., NC shows William Lewis and Samuel Harrell together purchasing land from the Chowan Indian Nation. This would almost certainly be the same two men from the petition, and perhaps that’s what the petition was about. However, this isn’t the same William Lewis from Dobbs. There was a Samuel Harrell in Dobbs at the same time as William Lewis. However, that’s probably a coincidence. William Lewis of Gates (m Leah Harrell there in 1785) died in 1797 in Gates so couldn’t be William of Dobbs, but I do suspect William of Gates is related somehow due to a Van Pelt connection (more later on why that is of any interest.)

William’s father Jacob, brother Benjamin, and brother John, all left Dobbs Co., NC in the late 1780s and moved to what was then Georgetown Dist., SC in a section that is now Marion and Horry Counties. All three of them are listed there on the 1790 census, along with several other Lewis families, many likely related.

William Lewis is not listed on the 1790 census in Dobbs, though his brother Stephen was still there (along with John and James, and a Benjamin Lewis (1755/58) who isn’t related as best as we can tell.) Did William also move to South Carolina at this time? He does mention in his pension application that he lived in SC for four years, though in the sequence he listed it, it would seem to be much later than this. He may have listed it out of order, or just forgot to mention the first time he moved to SC. Regardless, he isn’t in Dobbs, nor anywhere else in the region. There are two Williams in Georgetown Dist., SC in 1790 though. One of them is William (1749-1811), and the other one *could* be William (1761), but I can’t say for sure. I think it’s more likely it’s William Lewis (bef 1755-1801) (wife Ruth) instead of this William (1761).

All the options in eastern NC and eastern SC, most are accounted for, but a few are not, so one of them could be our William, assuming he wasn’t just simply missed in 1790.

1790 Census

Camden Co., NC

p. 265 William Lewis 1-1-1-0-1 William Lewis m Ruth Gregory here 1788, d here before 1805

Carteret Co., NC

p. 441 William Lewis 1-3-3-0-0

Craven Co., NC

p. 414 Wm Lewis 1-0-0-0-0

p. 427 Wm Lewis 1-0-4-0-1

Gates Co., NC

p. 345 William Lewis 2-1-4-0-2 William m Leah Harrell here 1785. He died here 1796.

Nash Co., NC

p. 15 William Lewis 3-1-3-0-4

Northampton Co., NC

p. 571 William Lewis 1-2-3-0-1 To Darlington Dist., SC by 1800.

Cheraws Dist., SC, St. Thomas Parish

p. 370 William Lewis 2-1-3-0-0 Possibly William (wife Elizabeth) to Chester by 1800, or not.

Chester Dist., SC

p. 178 William Lewis 2-3-5-0-0 Still in Chester in 1800 along with 2^nd William Lewis.

Georgetown Dist., SC, All Saints Parish

p. 508 Wm Henry Lewis 1-2-6-0-20 William Henry Lewis son of Charles.

Georgetown Dist., SC, Prince George Parish

p. 507 William Lewis 3-5-2-0-5 William Lewis (d 1811) wife Mourning Van Pelt

p. 507 William Lewis 1-3-5-0-1 William Lewis (d 1801) wife Ruth

William’s land was mentioned in a 21 Apr 1791 survey for Isaac Croom in Dobbs Co., NC. The surveyed land described as on both sides of Stirrup Creek ... corner of a patent to Richard Caswell ... Thos McClendon’s corner ... Abraham Boid’s patent ... William Lewis’s line ...

In 1791 Dobbs County was abolished by being split into two new counties, Lenoir for the southern half, and Glasgow County for the northern half. (Glasgow was renamed Greene in 1799.) Our Lewises lived (or had lived) in the part that became Glasgow, later Greene.

On 9 Aug 1793, William Lewis Junr of Glasgo Co., NC, and William Lewis Senr of Kingston Co., SC, made a deed in Bertie Co., NC to Peter Vanpelt for 225 pounds, current money, for 450 acres in Bertie. The metes and bounds of the land was given, but no landmarks or neighbors were mentioned. William Lewis Junr and William Lewis Senr signed the deed. Witnesses were Thomas Granberry and Simon Vanpelt. The deed was proven November 1793 court by Thomas Granberry. (Bertie Co., NC Deed Book P., p. 448.)

Kingston Co., SC was a part of Georgetown Dist., SC that was cut off to form Horry District in 1801. Thus William Sr resided in what is now Horry Co., SC.

The above deed is the confusing one I mentioned earlier. There are two possible explanations as I see it. One, it’s not our William (1761) at all, though I thought he was the only one in that area at that time, but I could be wrong. It’s entirely possible that William (Jr) son of William (1749-1811) was still in the area then, unbeknownst to me. That could explain this deed, as they were father and son, and perhaps this land was part of the inheritance Mourning Van Pelt (wife of William Lewis (1749)) received from her Van Pelt Grandfather, some of which they sold in 1766. Perhaps this was the remainder of that land or a new inheritance from her father or other relative, though why William Jr had to be on the deed is unknown. Perhaps William Jr had been specifically named as a co-heir, thus had to sign the deed. Nothing in the deed itself explains the origin of the land.

The second explanation is that this William Jr is William (1761) and that William Sr isn’t William (1749-1811) but rather William (1717). That depends on whether he was still alive in 1793. He’d be about 76 then, so it certainly could be him. There was a William Lewis and wife Winniford who sold land in Horry Dist., SC ca 1792. This might be William (1717) and wife, but I’m not certain of that.

William Sr (1717) and William (1761) are uncle and nephew by my reckoning, so why would they be jointly selling land? Or, are they father and son instead? If so, the same question arises, why are they jointly selling land and where did they get it?

Regardless of who William Sr is, what is the meaning of the deed? I found no record in Bertie showing how the two Williams received the 450 acres they sold. I mentioned already that Mourning Van Pelt, wife of William Lewis (1749) inherited land from her grandfather that she and her husband sold in 1766. That may not have any bearing on this 1793 deed since she wasn’t included on it, but was very much alive then. The fact the land was sold to Van Pelts may be a coincidence, or perhaps not, since these Lewises are all part of the same extended family anyway, and would likely know the same people back in Bertie.

The mystery of the above deed remains unsolved at present, unless any reader had a better explanation for it. If so, please let me know your theory!

William Lewis was apparently in Robeson Co., NC in 1794 because on 11 Jan 1794 he witnessed a deed from his father Jacob Lewis to John Lewis (William’s brother). Benjamin Lewis also witnessed. Benjamin resided in Georgetown Dist., SC at that time per other records. It’s possible this is some other William Lewis, but I think not. (Robeson Co., NC Deed Book D, pp. 250-252.)

He also witnessed another deed from his father Jacob to John on the same date (11 Jan 1794). This one wasn’t proven in court until 1803, by the oath of William Lewis, showing was back in Robeson at that time. (Robeson Co., NC Deed Book M, p. 248.)

William Lewis is listed on the 1800 census in Greene Co., NC. As noted earlier, Glasgow County was renamed to Greene in 1799.

1800 Census, Greene Co., NC

Page

Name

M0-9

M10-15

M16-25

M26-44

M45+

F0-9

F10-15

F16-25

F26-44

F45+

FPC

Slaves

909*

William Lewis

My analysis (who each person *might* be):

1m 26-44 (1755/1774) William Lewis (1761)

1m 16-25 (1774/1784) Ulle Lewis (c1780s) son

1m 10-15 (1784/1790) Urban Lewis (1788) son

1m 0-9 (1790/1800) Laban Lewis (1784/90) son

1f 26-44 (1755/1774) 1. Wife?

1f 10-15 (1784/1790) Daughter?

3f 0-9 (1790/1800) 1. Daughter?

2. Daughter?

3. Daughter?

1 Slave (before 1800) ?

He must have been visiting his kin in Robeson Co., NC in 1803 for in January 1803 he proved a deed in court from Jacob Lewis (his father) to John Lewis (his brother) that he’d witnessed on 11 Jan 1794. (Robeson Co., NC Deed Book M, p. 248.)

There was a younger William Lewis (1784/94) who began appearing in the Robeson records beginning in 1805. He might be a son of James Lewis, and thus a nephew of William (1761).

On 15 May 1805, William Lewis (1761) entered land in Greene Co., NC, described as 50 acres joining his own lines. The Land Warrant was issued 21 Mar 1806. The survey was made 1 May 1806 for only 12 1/4 acres (probably meaning the rest of the 50 acres entered land was already claimed by someone else). It was described as being on the south side of Great Contentnea and north side of the Rainbow. Chain carriers were Jesse Jones and Kader Lewis. The land was granted to William on 20 Apr 1807.

Cader Lewis is William’s nephew, a son of Stephen Lewis. Stephen died in 1801 in Robeson Co., NC. Apparently Cader joined his uncle William after Stephen died and followed him around a few years.

On 21 Nov 1806, Samuel Herring of Duplin Co., NC, made a deed to William Lewis for 50 pounds for 161 acres on both sides of the South Prong of Sleepy Creek in Wayne Co., NC. The deed was signed by Samuel Herring. Witnesses were William Gerley and Ulle Lewis (William’s son). (Wayne Co., NC Deed Book 10, No. 58, p. 55.)

This apparently signifies a move to Wayne Co., NC. William mentioned this in his pension, and that he lived in Wayne “four or five years.”

Sleepy Creek rises just east of Dudley and flows easterly until it the junction with Burnt Mill Branch, then it turns north eastward and flows into the south side of the Neuse River. I know this area and the Lewis Cemetery is not far from it where one of William’s grandsons is buried.

On 5 Jan 1807, William Lewis sold Thomas Brown a “Negro Woman named Fillis age eightee.” I think that might should say eighteen, but the N is not there, thus she might actually have been 80? William Lewis signed. Witnesses were E. Slocumb and Urban Lewis (his son). (Wayne Co., NC Deed Book 8, no 310.)

On 21 Nov 1807, William Lewis made a deed for love and affection “unto my son Urbain Lewis.” He sold him a tract in Wayne County that was partly in Duplin County, described as on the branch of Major Lumbers line and Brooks? Swamp, being 220 acres. William Lewis signed. Witnesses were Ezekiel Slocumb and Ulle Lewis (his son). (Wayne Co., NC Deed Book 10, No. 46, pp. 44-45.)

I don’t know where the above land is exactly. While searching for it I did find a Lewis Branch that rises south east of Dudley, not far from Sleepy Creek and near Hopewell, and flows southeasterly a few miles before emptying into the Northeast Cape Fear, which is the Wayne and Duplin border. Was Lewis Branch named for William? Or one of his sons perhaps?

On 8 Nov 1808, William Lewis of Wayne County made a deed to Ulley Lewis of the same place, for love and affection toward “my son.” He gave him 100 acres. Signed by William Lewis. Witnessed by Ezekiel Slocumb and Aaron Martin. (Wayne Co., NC Deed Book 9, No. 358, pp. 322-323.)

On 1 May 1809, William Lewis sold land to “Laben Lewis” for 50 pounds, being 161 acres on both sides of Sleepy Creek. William signed the deed. Witnesses were Urban Lewis (son) and Major Searls (his mark). (Wayne Co., NC Deed Book 10, No. 55, pp. 37-38.)

Laban Lewis is a proven son of William Lewis, though he didn’t get a deed of gift like his brothers had. However, in his (Laban’s) estate papers it refers to land he got from “his father” William Lewis by deed, thus proving the relationship.

On 19 Oct 1809 William Lewis deeded land to Burwell Rouse of Lenoir Co., NC for $867 for land on both sides of Brooks Swamp containint 385 ½ acres. William Lewis signed. Witnesses were Britton Hood and Urbane Lewis (son). (Wayne Co., NC Deed Book 9, No. 372, pp. 334-335.)

On 3 Mar 1810, the Sheriff of Wayne County was ordered to summon William Lewis, Urban Lewis and Laban Lewis to answer a suit brought by Thomas ??? and others. (Wayne Co., NC Court Minutes.)

I couldn’t find William Lewis on the 1810 census. It’s possible he was back on his Greene County property (if he still had any) because, unfortunately, the 1810 census for Greene County has been lost. His sons Urban, Ulle and Laban were listed in Wayne for the 1810 census, as was nephew Cader Lewis (Cader, Ulle and Urban were all next to each other). None of these had anyone William’s age residing with them. He might have been residing with a married daughter in 1810, or just been missed entirely due to him moving around so much.

In his pension application he states that he left Wayne for Duplin where he resided about three years. He wasn’t in Duplin for the 1810 census though. He did have land there, at least by 1811 for he’s included on an 1811 tax list, but only for land, no polls meaning he didn’t reside there. Nephew Cader Lewis was listed by him, as was Stephen Lewis, who might be William’s son, or perhaps another nephew.

I should note that there was another William Lewis in Duplin records back in the 1770s. I don’t know who he was yet, but there’s actually a chance it’s this same William. That earlier William purchased several tracts of land near Goshen Swamp which if you look at a map is on the Duplin / Wayne border not all that far from his Wayne County land. The reason I think it might be the same William (other than the proximity) is that one of those deeds (1779) was witnessed by John Beck. An 1813 deed was also witnessed by John Beck and this later deed is definitely William (1761). Of course it’s possible these were two different men of the same name, but it certainly jumped out at me. The earlier one in Duplin could be William (1717) as we don’t know where he was at that time.

On the 1811 Duplin tax list William had 300 acres, no polls. “Kedar” Lewis had 1 poll, no land, and Stephen had 1 poll, no land.

On 22 Feb 1811, William Lewis and Benjamin Lewis (his brother), made an agreement with Solomon Rouse to purchase the estate of Starling Powell. William and Benjamin signed. Solomon Rouse made his mark. Witnesses were Lewis Rouse and Hanney? Rouse. (Duplin Co., NC Court Minutes 1804-1816.) See the deeds below dated 1813 and 1815 for what this was about.

On 17 Oct 1813, William Lewis of Duplin Co., NC made a deed with John Lewis of Robeson Co., NC (his brother) for “certain rights.” He released his claims to a certain tract of land from Thomas, Douglas and Nicholas Powell, heirs of Starling Powell deceased, who had deeded the land to William and Benjamin Lewis (also William’s brother). It’s interesting how William’s relinquishment of his right to the land precedes the actual deed by 2 years. That probably means the deed was made orally before ever being written down. (See below for the deed in question which was filed in Robeson County.) William Lewis signed the above deed. Witnesses were John Beck and Thomas Barfield. (Duplin Co., NC Deed Book 4A, pp. 411-412.)

William Lewis was back in Wayne Co., NC on 6 Feb 1815 for on that date he witnessed a deed between Anna Rhodes and James Tindol. Britton Hood also witnessed. (Wayne Co., NC Deed Book 10, No. 179, pp. 182-183.)

On 5 May 1815, Douglas Powell, Thomas Powell, and Nicholas Powell made a deed to Benjamin Lewis & William Lewis for $100 each to us ... property both real and personal belonging to our brother Starling Powell deceased ... that fell to us ... (no land description at all). The deed was signed by N. Powell, Douglas Powell (his mark) and Thomas Powell (his mark). Witnesses were B. Lee, Elijah Lee, and Robert Powell. (Robeson Co., NC Deed Book R, p. 222)

This deed is the one that William had already signed over his half to his brother John Lewis in 1813. (See above.)

William was mentioned in one more deed related to the Powell land, when on 20 May 1815, John Lewis of Robeson Co., NC and (his brother) Benjamin Lewis of Marion Dist., SC, sold the land to Solomon Rouse of Duplin. The land was described as on the North Side of Goshen Swamp. It mentions that it was deeded to William and Benjamin and that William had sold his rights to John. The deed was signed by John Lewis and Benjamin Lewis. Witnesses were Lewis Rouse and Solomon Barfield. (Duplin Co., NC Deed Book 4A, pp. 410-411.)

I didn’t find any records for William Lewis in Duplin after 1815, he appears to have moved back to Wayne or Greene.

William Lewis was not on the 1816 tax list in Greene Co., NC, so he probably had no land left there. I believe he was in Wayne by this time. He definitely was by 1818.

William Lewis was one of the purchasers at the estate sale of Nathan Minshew, deceased, on 8 Sep 1818 in Wayne Co., NC. Minshew was a neighbor in the Sleepy Creek vicinity, I believe.

Once again, William is missing on the next census. I didn’t find him on the 1820 census in Wayne, Greene, Duplin or anywhere near there. Perhaps not coincidentally, I wasn’t able to find his sons Urban, Ulle or Laban Lewis on the 1820 census either. Perhaps their section of Wayne County got missed somehow. Nephew Cader Lewis was also missing in 1820, though by 1824 he was in Marion Dist., SC where he remained.

In his pension application, William Lewis stated that after living in Duplin he went to South Carolina for four years. There were several Williams listed on the 1820 census in South Carolina, but all those in our area of interest (Horry and Marion) were too young. The other Williams were in unlikely places for ours to have gone. Then again, one of those could have been him. One in Fairfield District and one in Pendleton District both work age-wise, but I have no data to prove or disprove either of them are our William (1761). I didn’t find any likely matches anywhere in south eastern North Carolina in 1820.

After South Carolina, William stated he lived in Lenoir Co., NC for about four years. There were no Lewis listings there in 1820 or 1830. As noted earlier, Lenoir County suffered massive record losses in two court house fires (which also took out the Dobbs County records), so there are practically no county records left for this era for Lenoir.

After Lenoir, William Lewis moved to Sampson Co., NC where he was residing in 1833 when he made his pension application. Sampson borders Duplin and Wayne counties, so he might not have moved very far, depending on where he was in Sampson exactly. There had been Lewises in Sampson in the mid 1700s, but none were listed there in 1790, 1800 or 1810 censuses. There was a William Lewis there on the 1784 tax list. In 1820 Stephen Lewis and James Lewis were the only of that surname listed in Sampson. Those are likely sons of Cader Lewis, thus nephews of William.

On 19 Feb 1830, Thomas K. Morisey, Sheriff of Sampson Co., NC, made a deed to William Tew per a court order in the case of Tew vs. John Lewis & William Lewis from May 1828 to Aug 1828, wherein Tew won $9 from the defendants, the sheriff and also money due to Jesse Wiggins for the use of Henry Durden vs John, William and Benjamin Lewis, for $25, and more for other cases mentioned. The result was the sheriff was ordered to sell land to cover the amount of $9.36, thus he sold land described as on south east side of the Hornet Dismal, Lucy Warwick’s corner, being 150 acres. Also another sheriff’s deed the same date, the same parties, described as on the East side of Little Coharie ... Bearskin Swamp, also being 150 acres.

(Sampson Co., NC Deed Book 14, pp. 193-196.)

It isn’t clear just whose land was being sold in the above deeds, though from the wording, it seems to be land belonging jointly to John, William and Benjamin Lewis, though I don’t know where they got that particular land. In this case, I believe that John and Benjamin are William’s sons or grandsons, these aren’t his brothers of those names, John was dead then, and Benjamin may have been as well.

There are two William Lewises on the 1830 census in Sampson. The first one listed is too young (born 1780s) if he’s the younger man in the household, or too old (born 1730s) if the older man in the house. That means the second entry is more likely ours.

1830 Census, Sampson Co., NC

Page

Name

(Males first row, females on second)

0-4

5-9

10-14

15-19

20-29

30-39

40-49

50-59

60-69

70-79

80-89

90-99

100+

187

William Lewis

Slaves=0

202

William Lewis

Slaves=0

My analysis (who each person *might* be):*

1m 70-79 (1750/1760) William Lewis (1761)

1f 50-59 (1770/1780) Wife?

1f 15-19 (1810/1815) Daughter? Granddaughter?

William was next door to Benjamin Lewis who is either a younger son or grandson. It isn’t his brother Benjamin who was probably dead by 1830. William’s son Ulley Lewis was listed in this county in 1830 as were several other Lewises, some perhaps related to him, some perhaps related to the other William whose origins I don’t know.

On 3 Feb 1836, the Wayne County court issued a summons to the Sampson County Sheriff to seize $42 work of goods, chattels, etc., of William Lewis that is owed to Lewis Cogdell. On the back of the summons is written:

“No property of the Deft in my county if he has its unknown to me.” Carn. Thomas Shff

That either means William was found but had no property to seize, or more likely, he was no longer in Sampson County by then. We do know he made yet another move, this time to Robeson Co., NC, which is where his father and siblings had moved some time earlier, though all were dead by this time. He did still have some relatives still in Robeson.

William’s apparent wife from the 1830 census (born 1770s) was no longer with him in 1840, so probably died in the 1830s, perhaps in Sampson Co., NC.

He’s listed on the 1840 census in Robeson. He’s living alone, but very near Wright Lewis, Isaac Lewis and widow Rhody Lewis. Wright is Rhody’s son, but I don’t know if Isaac is, nor do I know who Rhody’s husband had been, but probably a nephew of William (presumably) or perhaps even one of his sons. William is listed as a pensioner, aged 79, which put his birth at ca 1760/61 which matches what he gave in his pension application.

1840 Census, Robeson Co., NC

Page

Name

(Males first row, females on second)

0-4

5-9

10-14

15-19

20-29

30-39

40-49

50-59

60-69

70-79

80-89

90-99

100+

296

William Lewis

Pensioner: William Lewis, 79

My analysis (who each person might be):

1m 70-79 (1760/1770) William Lewis (1761)

William made one more move, this time to neighboring Cumberland Co., NC where he died on 6 Oct 1841 aged 80. We have his death date thanks to an obituary in the Fayetteville Observer for Wednesday, 13 Oct 1841:

Died - “In this county, on Wednesday morning, the 6th inst., William Lewis, in the 81st year of his age, a soldier and pensioner of the Revolutionary War, and a native of Contentnea, Greene County, NC. Previous to the commencement of hostilities with the mother country, he united himself with the Wesleyan Missionaries to whose religion tenots (sic) he adhered to the day of his death. He appeared to depart in the full assurances of a blessed immortality when asked if he had doubt as to his future state, he replied, ‘No, I am ready,’ raising his hand and pointing upwards.”

Source: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/cumberland/obits/lewis01.txt

We can only assume that he was buried somewhere in Cumberland Co., NC. What brought him there is unknown to me, perhaps a relative was residing there at the time.

Children

Unfortunately there are no surviving Wills, probate or estate records that would prove who all of William’s children were. However, we do have proof for three sons, Ulley, Urban and Laban, as named in deeds and other records. Urban and Laban remained in Wayne County, whereas Ulley went to Sampson County and was still there in 1850.

I would normally use census analysis to determine other likely children. However, William was missed on the 1790 census and then two other censuses in a row (1810 and 1820) which makes such analysis nearly impossible.

His 1800 census entry shows him with an apparent son aged 16-25 (born ca 1774/1784) which is probably Ulley or Urban, whichever was oldest, and an apparent son aged 10-15 (1784/90) which is probably the other one of the above, and an apparent son aged under 10 (1790/1800) which would have to be Laban, though his age seems off a tad here. Apparent daughters include one aged 10-15 (1784/90) which would be one of those from 1790, the others all gone by 1800, so probably married by then, and also three daughters under 10 (1790/1800). These are three younger daughters, or perhaps the same three other daughters from 1790 census if enumerated wrong in 1800. I can’t be sure. This makes for 10 probable children by the time of the 1800 census.

We don’t have his 1810 or 1820 census entries. By 1830 he had a female 50-59 (1770s) at home, who I assume is his (second) wife, and a girl aged 15-19 (born 1810/1815) which could be a daughter or perhaps a granddaughter instead. She was not with William in 1840 so married or dead by then.

I’ve scoured online trees for clues as to what other researchers know about William, and found that some include James R. Lewis (c1793), Stephen Lewis (bef 1795), Benjamin Lewis (c1799) and Cader Lewis as sons of William. No proof is offered on any of these trees of course.

Cader Lewis is not his son, but rather his nephew, a proven son of William’s brother Stephen Lewis who died 1800 in Robeson Co., NC (as named in Stephen’s Will). The other three do not fit into William’s 1800 household, though if their approximate birth dates are correct, they should be with him on that census. I suspect James and Stephen are more likely Cader’s sons, thus William’s grand nephews, who like Cader, followed uncle William around. I’m going to leave Benjamin attached to William for now, though he could be Cader’s instead, or perhaps from another of William’s brothers. There is also the John Lewis (1800/1810) who was involved in the 1828 court case and 1830 deed with Benjamin and William. He is either a son, grandson or nephew.

Others include a daughter named Rebecca Lewis who married John Herring Casey. I have no proof, dates or other details on her yet.

1. Ulley Lewis (1780s-aft 1850) m Elizabeth ---

2. Urban Lewis (1788-1846) m Susan Casey.

3. Laban Lewis (1780s-1831) m Mourning (Herring?)

4. Unknown Daughter (1784/1790)

5. Unknown Daughter (1790/1800)

6. Unknown Daughter (1790/1800)

7. Unknown Daughter (1790/1800)

8. Benjamin Lewis (c1799-aft 1850) might be a nephew instead.

9. Unknown Daughter (or granddaughter) (1810/1815) > gone by 1840.

For Family Group Sheet and other notes see my database pages for William Lewis.

Revised: June 14, 2026

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