Hezekiah R. Lewis

LEWIS, HASKILL, RUSSELL, STILES, CRANE, MYERS, GOULT, MCCLURE, HAINLINE, STUTSMAN, FLEMING

Posted By: Mike Miller (email)
Date: 2/27/2009 at 13:28:19

Hezekiah R. Lewis
October 25, 1821 - March 28, 1914

Aug. 1st 1913

An Autobiographical Sketch

I now sit down to fulfil (sic) a promise I have made to family to give a sketch of my life.

The Lewises as a whole are a very large family. They doubtless belong to Celtic family occupying England and Wales at the time of the great Roman invasion and it may be they earned their name by resiting resisting that invasion, for the name Lewis signified “Defender of the People.” But if so, they were driven back – and to a very large extent made their homes in Wales from whom probably our branch of the family sprang.

Tradition says our the special branch to which our branch of the family sprang from three brothers, one of whom settled in New England, probably Rhode Island; one in Virginia & one farther South. As a family all Lewises they are combattive (sic), a word and a blow, but the blow comes first, as one who knew them told me.
I am not able to trace our branch of the family farther back than to Joseph Lewis of Rhode Island, born Dec. 20 th 1747, and who is my great
grandfather. He came in early life to N. York, near albany, and soon drifted down to Chenang Forks in Broome county; which for more than a century constituted the great family Home, and where he, and many of his descendants now sleep.
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In 1852 I visited Binghamton N. Y. and was with My Uncle Daniel; and 1870 I visited My Uncle Nicolas at the old homestead at Chenang Forks. He was then 84, and the youngest of my father's brothers
My Mother's Maiden name was Haskill, Adeline Abgail Haskill, and was born in New Bedford on Buzzard's Bay in Mass. Near the year 1780; and her people were among the early arivals (sic) from England to America.

She married a Man by the name of Hezekiah Russell, who, with nearly all the men of New Bedford, was engaged in the Whale fishing business; and they soon settled on the west side Cayuga later in N. Y.; and three miles north of Trumansburgh, in N. Y. He was a Captain in the war with England of 1812-15, and died about 1819 leaving My Mother nine children, -one of whom was born after his death

On the Sixth of January 1821 She Married my father, Spencer Lewis; the oldest son of my grandfather, Joseph Lewis; And I was born to them on the 25 of Oct. following. Afterward another Son was born, My brother Levi, who died in infancy; and of whom I have no memory.
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In 1824 my parents separated from causes of which I have little knowledge, only that her children had something to do with it.

No divorce was sought by either; and everafterward until I left home, I lived sometimes with one, and sometimes with the other.

Father first went about four miles south- one mile south of Trumansburg, Known as Halsey's Mills, and there prosecuted his trade, that of cooper. I have no remembrance of going there; but here occurred the first incident in my life of which I have any remembrance. We boarded with another family. And the good lady had a pin like all pins in common use, only it was much larger, and had a head as large as a small shot; and I, coveting it, took it in my possession; but I had no sooner done it than I felt such a sense of my great sin that it seemed as if the floor would open, and I would be swallowed up; and, trembling, I hastened to replace it where I found it.

From this time until I was past fourteen my father kept me at school; and to the faithfulness of some of my teachers I must bear record. About the first of March 1836 he placed with a Mr. Henry Stiles in Moreland, to learn the blacksmith trade; and I was much attached to him & his family; but father took
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me away in about six weeks under the plea he could not have me to make my home with a family who were Universalists (sic); but I must be pardoned for thinking that the true reason he found a neighborhood a few miles south of where Mr. Stiles lived (in Moreland), and, as I remember it, on Deep Mill Creek, and some six miles more or less north of Elmira, in which I would be employed to teach a school. The school was small; as I remember it, with only ten or twelve scholars; and I lived a Mr. Elisha Crane, with whose family I had had knowledge from my earliest years. His brother, Geo. Crane, was my first teacher, at Halsey's Mills, and his brother Charles lived near My Mother, and I boarded with him when about six yrs old so as to be close at school; and with whom two of my half-brothers learned the Black-smith trade.
So that with Mr. Crane & his family I felt at home; and the fact generally overcome my pain in leaving Mr. Stiles, and my dread of teaching at my age; for I was only a few months over fourteen. And also Mr. Crane was a competent teacher himself; and greatly aided me.

But no sooner was this closed than father had engaged another school of about fifty
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scholars near Savanah (sic). I plead against it for four reasons, - I was too young, a lad under fifteen could not control a school of about fifty, and of ages from say 20 yrs and down, I was too ignorant I felt incompetent; My salary was too small, only a dollar and a half a week, and, worse than all, I was too board among the schollars (sic). I had tried it once on a more limited scale, and some places seemed to me, not much better than pig pens.

So when I started to go to the school, as Father thought, I kept on, and saw Mother no more for Sixteen yrs, nor Father for nineteen. For this I justified myself in my sight at the first; but on more mature judgment I cannot.

I first went East the latter part of the summer in and near albany; but late in the Autumn went west, and spent the winter in Holly, east of Rochester, and about 100 miles from home. The next summer, I went west to Ohio, visited my Oldes (sic) half bro. Isaac, and found a great Many Old friends there from my boyhood home. But in a few weeks went south about 15 miles near Savannah & Ashland. Here I found
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friends, though strangers to me before.

Among them and aged Baptist Minister, named Myers. Also a Mr. John Goult, an Elder in the Pres. Ch. In Savana (sic) Eternity alone will disclose my indebtedness to him and his good wife.

Here also I attended An Aecademy (sic) in Ashland just opened under a young lawyer by the name of Sam. W. McClure. To him I owe much.

I considered the house of Mr. John Goult My home. I found a home also with his brother in law, in the same neighborhood and at other families there. Here I taught my second School.
But I soon went South, and in the winter of 1839 & forty, taught school near Hanover Ind three miles north of the College by that name. In the spring Crossed over into Ky; taught a school near Warsaw in the Autumn; and the Seminary at Carolton (sic) at the Mouth Ky. River the winter following

Then went into Jefferson Co. near Louisville; and for several years taught there and in Boyle Co. near Danville

Here I taught and studied ( as I had for years before) until 1848, when I came to Illinois
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Soon after I went to Ky, I united with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and placed myself as candidate for the Ministry, under the care of Kentucky Pres. of that Church, and in the Autumn of 1842 was Licensed, and this was a short time before I was 21 yrs. of age. But I continued teaching and studying so long as I was in Ky.

On the 2' day of September 1848, I was Married to Miss Priscilla A. Hainline who lived near Mt. Sterling Ky, an estimable lady; and to us six children were born – three of Whom died in infancy; And three at this date are still living – Mrs. Emma Stutsman at Bonaparte, Iowa, - Ennis Lewis, near Grand Junction Colo.; and Edgar Lewis near Wamego, Kans, and near my own home for over 37 yrs.

In the autumn of 1848, I quit teaching. - came to Ills. And spent the Winter at Rushville. Here our first Child was born, and now sleeps

In the spring of 1849, I went to Cambridge the County seat of Henry Co., but the little church was out of the range of migration from the South, where that communion had its home, the county new, and unsettled; and we were compelled to surrender the field. Here Our Daughter Emma was born. Here I may state, I was a Presbyterian in heart from the time I first began to think on these questions; but the Decrees were not plain
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but after more mature thought, my scruples disappeared, and I joined the O. S. Pres. At Jacksonville Ill. In the Autum of 1854 and was first stationed at Virginia in that State. In 1858 Presbytery sent me to Taylorville Here we had no Building and used that of C. P. Church for two years; But they then wanted the house, and I moved to Pana
While at Taylorville, I gathered organized and supplied and housed the Church at Assumption until Autumn of 1862. Until I went into the Army as Chaplain of the 46th Ill. Reg. But while at Pana I gathered organized, West Okaw Ck. And Mowequa, and laid the foundation of Macon Church.

But the Army drained us of Men, and went too. Was mustered out in January 1866, and came to Bentonsport Iowa district. While there I gathered and housed the Church of Bonapare (sic)

In 1873 I came to Valley Falls, Kans.; and while there, gathered, organized the Church in Nortonville. But we were handicapped for want of a house of Worship 1876 I came to Warmego and am here still.
I will only add that in Nov. 1887 my wife and lies here in her grave; and on June 5, 1890, I married Miss Celia E. Fleming of Xenia Ohio and am now still here, happily situated in my old age, just beginning my 93' year

In the left hand margin written in a different hand:

Passed away mar. 28th, 1914

From a box of Stutstman materials held by the Bonaparte Historical Society. Words in italics are edits inserted above the text line. Hand written in ink on 7.75 by 12 .5 inch ruled glossy paper. Transcribed by Mike Miller, February 2009 Bonaparte Historical Society