<center>THOMAS D. LEWIS - PIONEER</CENTER>

Selections from Morgan County History, Volume I

These selections from Selections from Morgan County History, Volume I, Sesquicentennial Volume by Helen Price Stacy and William Lynn Nickell are used with the written permission of Helen Price Stacy.

Thomas D. Lewis 

According to Miss Bonnie Ruth Lewis, daughter of Ernest and Corda Easterling Lewis of Wrigley, (Morgan County, KY) and a descendant of pioneer Thomas D. Lewis, the clan has traits "characteristically Lewis."

These traits include "longevity and clarity of mind into extreme old age...more recent examples of their being long-lived, as they called it, are Cousin Frank Lewis who was past 99 when he passed away in 1960, and his sister, Mrs. Fannie Day, who lived to be over 103.

"Looking over my kinsmen, standing together, their backs as straight as ramrods, with their piercing blue eyes, high cheekbones and fair complexions, I wondered if Old Thomas who lived to be 94 should join them, wouldn't he too look just like all the others."

At the time Thomas D. Lewis was making his way to what later would be Morgan County, he was walking on land owned by Henry French of Mercer County. The Lewises at one time could walk eight miles in a line on their own land and all of it once the property of French, including that land bought for West Liberty.

Miss Lewis, a teacher at Wrigley school, and her brother, Dr. Cohen Lewis of Jackson, have amassed a wealth of material on the family. They point out that most of the early records of Morgan County were burned in the fire that destroyed the Floyd County Courthouse in 1808. It would be well to remember that persons who might already have signed deeds and other papers prior to 1808, had to list their property again after 1808. (Due to the 1808 fire, some early marriage records have been lost.)

If longevity and clarity of mind are Lewis traits, then pride in their ancestral heritage is another. One of the honored papers of another era is the military record of pioneer Thomas D. Lewis.

REVOLUTIONARY WAR PENSION FILE, THOMAS LEWIS, VA., W-9124

State of Kentucky / Morgan County:

On this 8th day of August 1833 personally appeared in Open Court before the Court of Morgan County now sitting, Thomas Lewis, a resident of the County of Morgan and State of Kentucky, aged seventy-five years, who being duly sworn according to Law doth on his oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefits of the Act of Congress passed June 7th, 1832. That he entered the service of the United States under the following named officers and served as herein stated. Was drafted in Washington County, State of Virginia, where he then resided on the ____day of June 1776 under Captain A. Bowen, A. Campbell was colonel, and was marched to Robersons fort on Clinch River and was there stationed & at Cowens fort on Clinch River for six weeks and was then discharged and returned home, and on the ___day of September 1776 was ordered out to guard the Frontiers of Virginia by Captain A. Bowen and was marched in September 1776 to Robertson & Cowans fort on Clinch River where I was in service for two months and was discharged & returned home to Washington County, Virginia, and was again drafted on the ___day of July 1780 in Washington County, Virginia, and was in July 1780 marched to Surry Courthouse and was detached at Surry Courthouse under Captain A. Bowan as a Ranger or Spy on the Adkin River and on New River and served for four months and was marched back to Washington County, Virginia, and discharged by Captain A. Bowen, William Campbell was colonel. And on the fourth Tour was drafted in December 1780 to Abingdon in Virginia where I joined the Army and marched to the Long Island on Holston and by the bend of Chucky to French Broad and thence crossing French Broad and traveling six miles we fought the Indians on the ___day of December 1780 and whiped them and proceeded on our march crossing the Tennessee River and stationed at the Cherokee Towns on the Tennessee River about two weeks, was then marched to th Tellico Towns and thence to Highwasse where we stayed about two weeks, and then marched back to Tellico where we remained about two weeks and was then marched back to the Cherokee Towns and from the Cherokee Towns we marched back home to Washington County, Virginia, and was discharged in March 1781 by Captain James Crabtree. And in 1782 moved to Kentucky and settled on Dicks River and in October 1782 and started in a few days and lay all night the 4th of September (sic) 1782 at Danville, the place of Rendezvous, where I joined a company under Colonel Barnett (?), John Downey Captain, James Downey Major, we marched immediately to the Falls of the Ohio River where we was attached to the Army commanded by General George R. Clarke. We then marched to the Apost we marched up the Wabash River about eighty miles where we halted and returned to the falls of the Ohio where we remained two days and was discharged. I was out under the last named officer two months.

And that he has no documentary evidence and that he knows of no person whose testimony he can procure who can testify to his services. He hereby relinquishes every claim whatever to a pension or annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension Roll of the Agency of any State. Sworn and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.

                                                    Thomas Lewis
We, William Coffee a Clergyman residing in the County of Morgan and John Henry residing in the same County, hereby certify that we are well acquainted with Thomas Lewis who has sworn and subscribed to the above declaration, that we believe him to be seventy-five years of age, that he is reputed and believed in the neighborhood where he resides to have been a Soldier of the Revolution and Sworn and subscribed the day and year aforesaid.
                                                                                           William Coffee

                                                                                                    John Henry
The following was not included in "History of Morgan County". It is from the papers of Mrs. Dayton Royse, (Elymira McGuire) of Okalahoma City. Her papers were donated to the Genealogical Library of Oklahoma by her son after her death.

And the said Court do hereby declare their opinion after the investigation of the matter and after putting the interrogatories prescribed by the War Department that the above named applicant was a Revolutionary Soldier and served as he states. And the Court further certified that it appears to them that William Coffee who has signed the preceding certificate is a Clergyman resident in Morgan County and that John Henry who has signed the same is a resident in the same County and is a credible person and that their statement is entitled to Court.

        Jos. Nickell                    John S. Oakley
        Isaac Lykens                    John McGuire
        Uriah Cottle                    James Hamans
I James G. Hazelrigg, Clerk of the Court of Morgan County, do hereby certify
that the foregoing contains the original proceedings of the said Court in the matter of the application of Thomas Lewis for a pension.  In Testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and Seal of Office this 8th day of August 1833.
                                James G. Hazelrigg, Clk. M. Cy.
Resulting from the above application, Certificate No. 19592 of Kentucy - was issued to Thomas Lewis of Morgan County in the State of Kentucky who was a private in the company commanded by Captain Bowen of the Regt. commanded by Col. Campbell in the Virginia Line for 1 years & 12 days. Inscribed on the Roll of Kentucky at the rate of 41 dollars 33 cents per annum to commence on the 4th of March 1834. Certificate of Pension issued the 25th day of September, 1833. James G. Hazelrigg, West Liberty Arrears to the 4th Sept., 103.32; Semi-anl. Allowance ending 4 March 20.66 = $123.98. Revolutionary Claim, Act June 7, 1832..Recorded by Danl. Boyd, Clerk, - Book E, Vol. 7, Page 17.

Following is from "Selections from Morgan County History":

Children of Thomas Lewis and Hannah Hopkins were: Francis Hopkins Lewis, born March 3, 1786, married first Eleanor Perry, daughter of John Perry; second Ellender Caskey, daughter of Thomas and Lydia Hopkins Caskey, Francis died Feb. 22, 1874 and is buried in Lewis Cemetery, Licking River, Morgan Co., KY. (Note: the cemetery at Pomp spoken of as the Green Lewis cemetery, is referred to in Kerr's History as the McClure-Harrison cemetery, according to Ronnie Lewis.)

William Lewis, born Sept. 10, 1787, married Jane Perry, daughter of John Perry.

John Lewis, born Jan. 22, 1789, married Elizabeth Elliott, daughter of James Stewart Elliott (he the son of Richard and Catherine Stewart Elliott is said by descendants to be the father of John Lisle Elliott of Elliott county and grandfather of Judge John Milton Elliott assassinated in 1879) and his first wife Hannah Scott.

Anne Lewis, also called Nancy, born April 8, 1793, married Travis Day.

Elizabeth (Betsy) Lewis, born Nov. 23, 1794, married first Wells Morgan, then Stephen Cassity.

Hannah Lewis, born Aug. 17, 1796, married John Caskey, son of Thomas and Lydia Hopkins Caskey.

Thomas Lewis, Jr., born July 27, 1798 married Elizabeth Mynhier. Thomas was only child to leave Morgan; he and Elizabeth settled in Bath County.

Diedamia (Damy) Lewis, born Feb 20, 1800, married Jesse Cogswell.

Gardner Hopkins Lewis, born Nov. 8, 1801, married Mary (Polly) Amyx.

Edmund Price Lewis, born Aug. 5, 1803, married Cyntha Cox.

Sarah Lewis, born April 10, 1805, never married.

Henry Hopkins Lewis, born March 4, 1808, married Catherine Dyer.

Belinda (Malinda) Lewis, born March 14, 1811, married David N. Cottle.

If you would like to add to this history in any way or have any corrections to the articles from the Selections from Morgan County History, please contact:

Dr. Helen Price Stacy
555 Prestonsburg Street
West Libery, KY 41472-1141