Lewis of Warner Hall; Wm. and Mary Qrtly., Vol. 9, No. 3

Transcribed by Kathy Merrill for the USGenWeb Archives Special Collections Project

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Lewis of Warner Hall

   William and Mary College Historical Magazine, Vol. 9, No. 3.
   (Jan., 1901), pp. 191-192.

                              LEWIS OF WARNER HALL.

   The tradition in this family is that they descend from "General Robert Lewis, of Brecon
in Wales", who emigrated to Gloucester county, Va.  A Robert Lewes, aged twenty-three, was
in 1635 entered to be carried to Virginia in the Plain Joan of London.  A man of the same
name appears in the records of York county (out of which Gloucester was cut in 1651) as
early as 1645, when the estate of Thomas Smallcombe is debtor to Robert Lewis for a cheese
bought of him.  On Sept. 30, 1656, a court was held for York county at the house of Col.
Nathaniel Bacon for auditing and perfecting the accounts of Capt. Ralph Langley concerning
the estate of Robert Lewis, deceased, whose widow Mary and administratrix he married.  At
the same court Mary, oldest orphan of Robert Lewis, deceased, was given into the care of
Capt. Ralph Langley, and Alice, the youngest daughter, in that of Capt. Thomas Ramsey.  At
an orphan's court, held for York county, Sept. 10, 1658, Ralph Langley admitted that he had
in his charge some cattle "belonging to Mary and Alice Lewis and Ann Holman, which came to
them by their brother Henry Jones, deceased".  I find no grants made by the government to 
this Robert Lewis, or any other of the name.  But the said Robert Lewis did

Page 192.

purchase in his life time from John King 500 acres on Poropotank Creek, in Gloucester
county, and the court in 1656, ordered that the said land did belong to Mary and Alice
Lewis, children of the said Robert Lewis.  I find no evidence that this Robert Lewis had
a son John, or that he had any title whatever.

   But there was a Major William Lewis, who had a real connection with the Lewises of
Warner Hall.  He was probably the William Lewes, aged twenty-five, that in 1635 entered
himself for Virginia in the Globe of London.  He obtained numerous patents of land - 50
acres in York county, southwest side of the freshes of York River, October 14, 1653; 1,200
acres in Gloucester county, north side of Mattaponi River, May 25, 1654; 640 acres in
Gloucester county, north side of Mattaponi, May 25, 1654, 2,000 acres in New Kent, north-
east side of same river, bounded with Mamasheement on the northwest side of Mattaponi
River, on Arsantan's Creek, adjoining 640 acres of said Lewis, in New Kent county, June 8,
1655; 2,600 acres on the southwest side of the freshes of York River, including half the
divident commonly called Port Holy alias Chimahocans, purchased by said Major Lewis of
Col. John West, January 20, 1656; 2,000 acres in Westmorelant county, June 28, 1658 
(patented with Robert Hubbard).  There are probably other grants of land to him.  
Gloucester county was formed from York in 1651, and New Kent from York and Gloucester
soon after.

   Now it appears that "Chemokins alias Port Holy, lying in the parish of St. Peters in
New Kent county, containing 1,300 acres more or less, and being part of a patnet granted
to Major William Lewis", was in the possession and seizin of Major John Lewis of Warner
Hall in 1717, who deeded it to his son Charles.  (Hening's Statutes, VII., p. 377).

   Major William Lewis had the title of Major as early as 1653.  

                                 (To be Continued).