David Lewis is the earliest recorded Lewis as a property owner in Bladen County, NC as having been granted land by King George II on 2/20/1735. David also shows up in early records of Brunswick County, but no evidence that he actually lived on these lands in Bladen or in Brunswick County currently exists. It is very likely that this David is somehow related to Josiah Lewis (see below) but the Author has not made the connection as yet. Jacob Lewis and James Lewis purchased land in Bladen County, NC in 1735 also, but again, no evidence exists to confirm that these Lewises actually lived on these lands.

The earliest known Lewis to permanently settle in Bladen County is Josiah Lewis, arriving in the early 1750s with his brothers Samuel and William. Samuel did not stay in Bladen County long, but William and Josiah stayed for the remainder of their lives.