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| Jean Louis (also see family tree) 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. The date of his death is currently being researched. Stay tuned. | |||
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John Lewis's (Jean Louis's) first son, William Lewis, Sr., was 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. John Lewis's (Jean Louis's) second son, John, settled in London and set up his own law practice after escaping from France. He eventually moved to Virginia and settled along the Rappahanock River. Among his descendents are Fielding Lewis, Howell Lewis, and Robert Lewis, the secretary to and nephew of George Washington. There is no further information in this site on this John Lewis nor his descendents. John Lewis's (Jean Louis's) third son, Thomas, settled in Wales after escaping from France. He later emigrated to Virginia and settled on Dragon Swamp in Middlesex County. He was probably the Thomas Lewis who surveyed the Fairfax line for Lord Fairfax in 1746. And, he was the progenitor of the Ivison, Zachary, and John Lewis lineage. There is no further information in this site on this Thomas Lewis nor his descendents. |
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| There is substantial evidence that Jean Louis (John Lewis) was directly related to the Lewises of Harpton Court in Radnorshire County, Wales. This family resided in Radnorshire County for as long as any record of that county has existed. Its lineage is traceable for many generations before the custom of using surnames prevailed in Wales. Thomas Lewis was the Sheriff of Radnorshire in 1522. Thomas Lewis of the House of Brunswick was in Parliament for the borough of Radnorshire for fifty years, about 1720 to 1770. Sir Thomas Franklin Lewis was representative of the County of Radnorshire, vice-president of the Board of Trade, and Treasurer of the Navy. | |||
| The greatest amount of the above information comes from the book, "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. | |||
| If anyone has additional information on Jean Louis (John Lewis) of France and any hard evidence of his ancestors and/or kinfolk, please contact me at the address shown below. |