Thomas Lewis

1789 - 1854  (65 years)

• Name	Thomas Lewis
  Birth	cir 1789	Wales
  Gender	Male
  Residence	31 Dec 1816	Cilcennin, Cardiganshire, Wales Although there is also a small village called Cilcennin, Cilcennin in this database refers to the parish of Cilcennin in Cardiganshire, Wales.  Extract from ‘A Topographical Dictionary of Wales‘ by Samuel Lewis 1833 “KÎLKENNIN (CÎL-CENIN), a parish in the lower division of the hundred of ILAR, county of CARDIGAN, SOUTH WALES, 9 1/4miles (N. W. by N.) from Lampeter, comprising the Upper and Lower hamlets, each of which maintains its own poor, and containing 695 inhabitants. This place is remarkable in history as the scene of a slaughter committed, in 1210 by Rhys and Owain ab Grufydd, at the head of a chosen band of three hundred men, on a superior body of English and Welsh troops, under the command of their uncle Maelgwyn, whom John King of England had reinforced with a body of auxiliaries, to aid him in recovering possession of the estates wrested from him by Llewelyn ab Iorwerth, the reigning prince of North Wales, and by him given to Maelgwyn’s nephews, who, unable to meet in open combat the force under their uncle’s command, here approached his camp secretly by night, and, furiously rushing upon his unarmed soldiers, slew many of them, and compelled the rest, among whom was Maelgwyn himself, to seek safety by flight. The parish is computed to contain about one thousand acres, mostly arable, in some parts rocky and hilly, and in others flat, of which about forty are subject to inundation: the only river is the Ayron, which skirts a part of it. The living is vicarial, being consolidated with the vicarage of Llanbadarn-Trêveglwys, in the archdeaconry of Cardigan, and diocese of St.David’s. The church, dedicated to St. Cannen has recently been rebuilt, in the later style of English architecture, the expense of which was defrayed by public contributions. There is a place of worship for Independents. On the summit of an eminence, in this parish, are the remains of an ancient castle, called Bwlch y Castell, of the foundation and history of which no particulars have been recorded. The average annual expenditure for the maintenance of the poor amounts to £126.18.”
  Residence	1824	Dolefawr, Ciliau Aeron, Cardiganshire, Wales
  Census	1840	Raccoon Township, Gallia County, Ohio, USA
  Deed	18 Mar 1840	Raccoon Township, Gallia County, Ohio, USA
  	Thomas Lewis purchased the northwest half of the northwest quarter of section 18, township 6 (Raccoon), range 16 in Gallia County, Ohio, from Edward and Mary Evans. The witnesses were Timothy Jones and Thomas D. Jones. The property had been sold to Edward Evans on 14 March 1840 by Timothy and Hannah Jones.
  Census	1850	5th Ward, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
  Also Known As	30 Mar 1852	Gallia County, Ohio, USA
  	Thomas T. Lewis
  	The middle initial T appears on the deed dated 30 March 1852 for the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section 29, township 6 (Raccoon), range 16 in Gallia County, Ohio. The property was sold to Thomas Lewis by Daniel D. Thomas and consisted of 40 acres. The middle initial also appears on the delinquent tax list for Gallia County dated 26 January 1849 for section 18, township 6 (Raccoon), range 16. These are the only references found thus far (January 2024) that assign a middle initial to Thomas Lewis.
  Immigration	Between 1 July and 30 September 1839	Port of arrival: Baltimore, Maryland, USA   [1]
  Occupation	Shoemaker
  Death	23 Mar 1854	Gallia County, Ohio, USA
  Probate	25 May 1854	Gallia County, Ohio, USA
  	Civil Journal 1, page 101 Case L-35
  Burial	Tyn Rhos Cemetery, Perry Township, Gallia County, Ohio, USA From Calvinists Incorporated by Anne Kelly Knowles: While the Calvinistic Methodist chapels were located mainly in Madison and Jefferson townships, the chapels built by Congregationalists and other denominations were concentrated along the periphery, particularly on the southeastern side of the settlement. John and Elizabeth Jones, Ty'n Rhos, former members of the Congregational chapel in Cilcennin, organized a seiat in their home shortly after settling in Raccoon Township in 1838. In 1841 they deeded a parcel of their land for the settlement's first Congregational chapel, appropriately named Tyn Rhos (today, pronounced Tin Rohs).
  		Thomas Lewis
  		Thomas and Margaret Williams Lewis The Lewis stones are located near the front of the cemetery.
  		Thomas and Margaret Lewis The Lewis stones are the two in the middle of the picture, Thomas on the left and Margaret on the right. They are near the front of the cemetery near Tyn Rhos Road.
  		Thomas and Margaret Lewis and the (new) Tyn Rhos church Margaret's stone is the one with the large white area on it, and Thomas's is to its right from this back view.
  Notes	The marriage record of Thomas Lewis and Margaret Williams states that they were both from the parish of Cilcennin in Cardiganshire, Wales. According to the obituary of his son, David D. Lewis, the Thomas Lewis family emigrated to the United States in 1834, and lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, "for a good many years" before moving on to Gallia County, Ohio, where many emigrants from Cardiganshire had settled in the first half of the 1800s. However, abstracts of passenger lists of the port of Baltimore, Maryland, show the family arriving between 1 July and 30 September 1839. At the time of the 1850 census, the Thomas Lewis family was living in the 5th Ward in the city of Pittsburgh. The census lists Thomas Lewis, age 58; Margaret Lewis, age 61; David Lewis (shoemaker), age 27; Lewis Lewis (laborer), age 22; Evan Lewis (laborer), age 21; Eleanor Lewis, age 17, and; John Lewis, age 10. All were born in Wales, with the exception of John, whose birthplace is given as Ohio. There were two Thomas Lewises who filed naturalization papers in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, during the 1840s. It is not known if either is this Thomas. The first filed his Declaration of Intention on 2 January 1844, and the other on 14 October 1846. Both gave their birthplace as Wales. Thomas Lewis' will was written on 14 March 1854, and was probated in Gallia County, Ohio, on 25 May 1854. He left his estate to his wife, Margaret, including the northeast quarter of section 29, township 6 (Raccoon), range 16, consisting of approximately 40 acres, which would go to his son David after Margaret's death; the northwest half of the northwest quarter of section 18, township 6, range 16, consisting of approximately 80 acres, which his executor, David Lewis, was to sell to support Margaret, and; lot 44 in the town of Centerville in Gallia County. He also mentioned his other children and his grandson, John Howell. Margaret Lewis sold the lot in Centerville to A.S. Combs on 11 July 1865.
  Person ID	I171	Bryan-Martin
  Last Modified	19 Mar 2025

  
  

  Family	Margaret A. Williams,   b. cir 1788, Wales d. 11 Oct 1867, Centerpoint, Gallia County, Ohio, USA (Age 79 years)
  Marriage	31 Dec 1816	Cilcennin, Cardiganshire, Wales Although there is also a small village called Cilcennin, Cilcennin in this database refers to the parish of Cilcennin in Cardiganshire, Wales.  Extract from ‘A Topographical Dictionary of Wales‘ by Samuel Lewis 1833 “KÎLKENNIN (CÎL-CENIN), a parish in the lower division of the hundred of ILAR, county of CARDIGAN, SOUTH WALES, 9 1/4miles (N. W. by N.) from Lampeter, comprising the Upper and Lower hamlets, each of which maintains its own poor, and containing 695 inhabitants. This place is remarkable in history as the scene of a slaughter committed, in 1210 by Rhys and Owain ab Grufydd, at the head of a chosen band of three hundred men, on a superior body of English and Welsh troops, under the command of their uncle Maelgwyn, whom John King of England had reinforced with a body of auxiliaries, to aid him in recovering possession of the estates wrested from him by Llewelyn ab Iorwerth, the reigning prince of North Wales, and by him given to Maelgwyn’s nephews, who, unable to meet in open combat the force under their uncle’s command, here approached his camp secretly by night, and, furiously rushing upon his unarmed soldiers, slew many of them, and compelled the rest, among whom was Maelgwyn himself, to seek safety by flight. The parish is computed to contain about one thousand acres, mostly arable, in some parts rocky and hilly, and in others flat, of which about forty are subject to inundation: the only river is the Ayron, which skirts a part of it. The living is vicarial, being consolidated with the vicarage of Llanbadarn-Trêveglwys, in the archdeaconry of Cardigan, and diocese of St.David’s. The church, dedicated to St. Cannen has recently been rebuilt, in the later style of English architecture, the expense of which was defrayed by public contributions. There is a place of worship for Independents. On the summit of an eminence, in this parish, are the remains of an ancient castle, called Bwlch y Castell, of the foundation and history of which no particulars have been recorded. The average annual expenditure for the maintenance of the poor amounts to £126.18.”   [2]
  Children	1. Lewis Lewis,   b. cir 1816   d. 11 Sep 1817 (Age 1 year)   2. Jane Lewis,   b. cir 1817   3. Lewis Lewis,   b. cir 1819   d. Feb 1825 (Age 6 years)   4. Daniel T. Lewis,   b. cir 1820, Wales d. 14 Dec 1895, Venedocia, Van Wert County, Ohio, USA (Age 75 years)   5. Thomas Lewis,   b. cir 1822   6. David D. Lewis,   b. 8 Jan 1824, Wales d. 13 Dec 1904, Wellston, Jackson County, Ohio, USA (Age 80 years)   7. Martha Lewis,   b. cir 1826, Wales   8. Lewis Lewis,   b. 29 Nov 1827, Wales d. 11 Jun 1905, Erie, Erie County, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 77 years)   9. Evan Lewis,   b. cir 1830, Wales   10. Eleanor Lewis,   b. cir 1833, Wales   11. Margaret Lewis,   b. cir 1838, Wales   12. John H. Lewis,   b. cir 1840, Ohio, USA d. 18 Mar 1914, Medicine Bow, Carbon County, Wyoming, USA (Age 74 years)
  Documents		Marriage Record of Thomas Lewis and Margaret Williams Parish of Cilcennin, Cardiganshire, Wales
  Family ID	F45	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	15 Nov 2023

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - cir 1789 - Wales Residence - 31 Dec 1816 - Cilcennin, Cardiganshire, Wales Marriage - 31 Dec 1816 - Cilcennin, Cardiganshire, Wales Residence - 1824 - Dolefawr, Ciliau Aeron, Cardiganshire, Wales Census - 1840 - Raccoon Township, Gallia County, Ohio, USA Deed - Thomas Lewis purchased the northwest half of the northwest quarter of section 18, township 6 (Raccoon), range 16 in Gallia County, Ohio, from Edward and Mary Evans. The witnesses were Timothy Jones and Thomas D. Jones. The property had been sold to Edward Evans on 14 March 1840 by Timothy and Hannah Jones. - 18 Mar 1840 - Raccoon Township, Gallia County, Ohio, USA Census - 1850 - 5th Ward, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA Also Known As - Thomas T. Lewis - 30 Mar 1852 - Gallia County, Ohio, USA Immigration - Between 1 July and 30 September 1839 - Port of arrival: Baltimore, Maryland, USA Death - 23 Mar 1854 - Gallia County, Ohio, USA Probate - Civil Journal 1, page 101 Case L-35 - 25 May 1854 - Gallia County, Ohio, USA Burial - - Tyn Rhos Cemetery, Perry Township, Gallia County, Ohio, USA  = Link to Google Earth
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• Photos » Slide Show	2 Photos
  	Parish Church of St. Michael, Ciliau Aeron, Cardiganshire, Wales Most of the children of Thomas and Margaret Williams Lewis were baptized in Ciliau Aeron, possibly in this church.
  	St. David's Church, Henfynyw, Cardiganshire, Wales Two sons of Thomas and Margaret Williams Lewis are buried in this churchyard. From Wikimedia Commons. Unaltered. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

  
  

  Documents » Slide Show	10 Documents
  	Marriage Record of Thomas Lewis and Margaret Williams Parish of Cilcennin, Cardiganshire, Wales
  	Thomas Lewis Family Passenger List The ship, not named, apparently arrived in Baltimore, Maryland, between 1 July and 30 September 1839.
  	Transcription of the Passenger List This is a transcription of the passenger list of the unnamed ship that brought Thomas Lewis and his family to Baltimore in 1839.
  	Sale of Land by Edward and Mary Evans to Thomas Lewis Northwest half of the northwest quarter of Section 18, Township 6 (Raccoon Township), Range 16, in Gallia County, Ohio. The tract consisted of approximately 80 acres. The sale is dated 18 March 1840 and witnessed by Timothy Jones and Thomas D. Jones.
  	Thomas and Margaret Williams Lewis Family in the 1840 Census Raccoon Township, Gallia County, Ohio, USA
  	Thomas Lewis - Delinquent Tax List, Gallia County, Ohio This accounting was affirmed by the Gallia County Treasurer on 26 January 1849. The Lewises, therefore, must have come to Ohio in the 1840s, but returned to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where they were living at the time of the 1850 census.
  	Thomas and Margaret Williams Lewis Family in the 1850 Census Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
  	Will of Thomas Lewis Gallia County, Ohio
  	Notice by executor of sale of real estate Gallipolis Journal, September 28, 1865
  	Estate Record of Thomas Lewis Probate and Juvenile Court Gallia County, Ohio Civil Journal 1, page 101 Case L-35

  
  

  Maps

  Raccoon Township, Gallia County, Ohio, USA This maps shows the various properties purchased by Thomas Lewis in Gallia County, Ohio. The northwest half of the northwest quarter of section 18 was purchased from Edward and Mary Evans and was sold by his executor to support his widow. The Northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section 29 was purchased from Daniel D. Thomas. Thomas Lewis willed this land to his son, David D. Lewis. The lot in Centerville was sold by Thomas's widow, Margaret, in 1865 to A.S. Combs. Raccoon Township borders on Jackson County, Ohio, to the west.

  
  

• Sources

  [S692] Passenger List. Source Citation The National Archives At Washington, D.c.; Washington, D.c.; Records of the Us Customs Service, Rg36; NAI Number: 2655153; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; Record Group Number: 85 Source Information Ancestry.com. Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., Passenger Lists, 1820-1964 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Original data: Selected Passenger and Crew Lists and Manifests. National Archives in Washington, D.C. [S292] Parish registers, Cilcennin, Cardiganshire, Wales.