The Lewis Family and Related Families
This was copied out of the Lewis Geneology Booklet
Our branch of the Lewis family originated in Virginia and our earliest known Lewis ancestor came to Alabama
with his wife, two sons and two daughters by wagon train through North Carolina, South Carolina, and
Georgia.
Our grandfather, Benjamin Oliver Lewis, was the older of the two young sons who made the trip with the
family and he handed down the only known stories relating to the wagon train trip.  One story of interest
concerned a rather smart young man travelling with  the train who mischievously shot and killed an Indian
while they were passing through South Carolina.  Later at a point further down the wagon trail, a small group
of Indians stopped the train and demanded to be given the one who had killed the member of their tribe.  They
were friendly enough but firm in their demand.
The man was surrendered to the Indians  who took him back to the scene  of the shooting.  One male member
of the wagon train went back with them to see what they were going to do.  On rejoining the train, he reported
that the Indians skinned the man alive   at the spot where he had  killed the Indian.  Other than this, there were
no serious incidents  reported on the trip and the Indians were said to have been very friendly all along the way.
The wagon train ended its journey in Montgomery County, Alabama, and our Lewis ancestors settled near
Ramer which is about twenty-five miles south of Montgomery.  We do not have the names of the father,
mother, two sisters nor the one other brother. Our Lewis ancestor, Benjamin Oliver Lewis, was the other
brother in the family and they arrived in Montgomery County with the wagon train several years before  the
beginning of the Civil War.  His father, after completing the trip from Virginia, died while all four children
were quite small.  It appears that Benjamin Oliver was farmed out to a big farmer in Montgomery County in
order to lessen the burden on his widowed mother with her three other younger children.
Young Benjamin Oliver Lewis grew up as a farmer in Alabama and was said to have been saving his money
towards buying himself some slaves about the time the Civil War broke out.  He joined the Confederate
Army at Montgomery and fought in a number of battles through the Carolinas and Virginia.  At various
periods, his organization was under the commands of General Joseph Eggleston Johnson, and later was
under the command of General Albert Sidney Johnson, brother of General Joseph E. Johnson.  Among the
battles we know of in which he fought were the Battles of Bull Run, Lookout Mountain, Corinth,
Mississippi and Shiloh Church.  During the battle of Shiloh Church, our grandfather's company was badly
depleted of leaders and his captain had told Benjamin Oliver to take command if anything should happen to
him.  As feared, his captain fell in the battle and Benjamin Oliver Lewis, a private, led his company through
the remainder of the battle.
At the end of the Civil War, young Benjamin Oliver Lewis returned to Ramer, Alabama and settled down to
farming - no slaves.  He got a job on a farm owned by the Dendy family who had two daughters.  He married
one, Liza Jane, who became Liza Jane Lewis. The other Dendy daughter, Sally, married George Stoddard and
became Sally Stoddard.
One of Benjamin Oliver Lewis' sisters married and lived on a farm in Montgomery County.  We do not have a
record of her name.  The other sister (?) Mary, lived with Benjamin Oliver Lewis and never married as her
sweetheart was killed in the Civil War.
Our grandmother, Eliza Jane Lewis, (born August 6, 1848/died October 28, 1919, and her sister-in-law Aunt
Mary Lewis (born March 10, 1834/died August 2, 1917) lived with Uncle Cliff Hall and Aunt Nettie Hall in
Montgomery during the period 1900-1915.  Both died in Montgomery while living with Uncle Cliff and Aunt
Nettie.  We have no record of grandfather Benjamin Oliver Lewis' brother.
Benjamin Oliver Lewis married Eliza Jane Dendy.
The above article was written several years ago by Alice Stokes Lewis, wife of Thomas Jefferson Lewis.
updated 1/13/03