| Family History |
| This was copied from the Lewis Genealogy Booklet. |
| Sincere appreciation to Henry Woodfin Lewis who initiated, collected and assembled the data for this genealogy and to William Inge (Billy) Smith who put the information in form for the production of this booklet. |
| It has not been possible to find out much about the Lewis Family before Benjamin Oliver Lewis. The census of 1850 list a James Lewis, age 65, who was born in South Carolina; a Mary Lewis, age 55, who was born in Georgia; a Mary Lewis, age 16; and a Benjamin Lewis, age 12. A comparison of census data with birth and death dates already kown confirms that this was the family of Benjamin Oliver Lewis, namely his father, mother and sister. His sister Mary was never married. She lived with her brother until his death and then perhaps lived with other members of the family. The name James has been passed down through the generations. |
| The military service record of Benjamin Oliver Lewis, on file at The Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Alabama, shows that he volunteered for service in the Confederate Army and was mustered in roll in Greenville, Alabama, March 14, 1862 at age 23, and was assigned to Company E, 33rd Infantry Regiment. The records does not give his release date. He returned to Ramer when he was released from military service. |
| Apparently, after the death of Benjamin Oliver Lewis on September 1, 1901, his widow, Eliza Jane Dendy Lewis, continued to live at the home place near Ramer. In 1910, she applied for a widows pension. In those days military records must not have been kept very accurately because several men in the community who had known her husband had to certify that he served honorably and did not desert. The application was prepared by a Justic of the Peace and sent to the proper authorities in Montgomery. The application shows that she had 300 acres of land valued at $300. Another application shows that she had 160 acres of land valued at $600 and household kitchenware valued at $25. The veteran's widows who applied for and received a pension received about $12 per month. |
| It has been pasted along that Benjamin Oliver Lewis bought the land he owned from a person by the name of Champ Athey and paid for it with cotton. Barter was not uncommon in those times and he very likely paid for the land over a period of years with cotton when he harvested his cotton crop in the fall. |
| When Eliza Jane Lewis decided to sell the land, Dr. A. D. Cowles, a practicing physician at Ramer, purchased the land. She and her sister-in-law, Mary Lewis, probably visited around among close relatives or had a place of their own in Montgomery. |
| posted 05/16/02 by Stough Lewis |
| Updated 1/13/03 |
