Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1915
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 947
CHARLES W. LEWIS

Occasionally a representative of a family is met who displays all the characteristics of his family in a marked degree, and this is the case with Charles W. LEWIS, who traces his ancestry back to England in the early days, while more recently his ancestors are found in New England, and they exhibited those characteristic Yankee traits of solid honesty, shrewdness and sturdiness of body. Mr. LEWIS' solid convictions, honesty, business ability and vigorous health are, to a large extent, the inheritance from his ancestors.

Charles W. LEWIS was born on December 14, 1866, near Council Bluffs, Iowa, the son of Nelson and Emily Jane (MUSSED) LEWIS. Nelson LEWIS was a native of Monroe, Michigan, from which place he moved to Kanesville, Pottawattamie county, Iowa. Nelson LEWIS was the father of twelve children, ten sons and two daughters, of whom Charles is the eldest son. Nelson LEWIS was the next youngest of a family of nine children, all of whom were boys. When he was eighteen years of age he and three of his brothers came west to Kanesville, Iowa. They were teamsters and drove across the plains from Omaha, Nebraska, to Denver, Colorado, and down into Texas. After leaving this line of work, Nelson LEWIS bought eighty acres of land on which his son, Charles, was born. This land was located just east of Council Bluffs, and was government school land, which later became the family homestead, and it was here that Nelson LEWIS lived until his death. Nelson LEWIS was a dairyman and conducted a dairy farm with one hundred and twenty-five cows. He and his sons supplied cream for the dining cars on all the railroads which went through council Bluffs from Chicago to Portland, Oregon, and San Francisco. The dairy also maintained three delivery wagons in Council Bluffs, one of which was driven by Charles LEWIS. Nelson LEWIS was very active in the politics of his day, serving in the ranks of the Republican party. He held several prominent township offices, and in recognition of his services, LEWIS township, Pottawattamie county, was named for him and his brothers.

Having received a good education in the schools of Council Bluffs, which he attended until he was eighteen years of age, Charles W. LEWIS, in 1888, went to Leadville, Colorado, where, for one year, he followed the life of a cowboy, but soon tiring of this he took a position as bookkeeper with a Leadville firm, and later returned home to resume work on the farm. After his father disposed of his dairy farm interests, Charles W. LEWIS and his family moved to Neola, Iowa, where he rented land for six years. He moved to Harrison county in 1900 where he rented for three years, and, in 1904, he bought eighty acres of land which lies east of Missouri Valley, in La Grange township. He owned this property for three years, and then sold out and moved to Douglas township, where he again rented and still rents one hundred and sixty acres of land.

Mr. LEWIS was married to Minnie PAGE on January 12, 1892, at Council Bluffs, Iowa. She was born on January 23, 1865, in New York city, the daughter of James H. and Mary Esther (TAYLOR) Page, natives of New York and Bridgeport, Connecticut, respectively. James Page was a merchant in New York city, where he maintained a grocery store on Division street.

James Page, with his family, went west to Council Bluffs, in 1872, in which city he secured a position as a bookkeeper. A few years later he went back to New York for a visit and he, with his brother-in-law, Charles Taylor, drove back to Iowa in a wagon, the journey consuming three months, as they traveled in the winter.

Mr. LEWIS and his wife are the parents of five children, of whom three are boys and two are girls, James Nelson, born on August 31, 1897; Esther Jane, born on June 25, 1900; Margaret Fannie, born on September 14, 1902; Charles William, Jr., born on August 4, 1904, and Francis Varian, born on October 9, 1906. All of these children are still living at home.

The families of both Mr. Page and his wife, were of English stock. It is related of Mr. LEWIS' uncle, Silas, that he was shot by the Indians while freighting in Texas. The father of Mrs. LEWIS, James Page, was a sailor in the Civil War, serving in a mine-gathering crew. Mrs. LEWIS' mother was a member of the Vevian family, who were of Dutch descent. It is related of the great-grandfather of Mrs. LEWIS that he was the owner of a large farm in what is now part of New York city. The Jerome Park race course is located on a part of the old homestead which was the site of a large stone mansion, that is still standing on the ground. The great-grandfather was an extensive slave-holder, but he freed those in his possession at the time of the first agitation of that question.

Mr. LEWIS is a member of the Improved Order of Red Men. His wife is a member of the Episcopal church, and while he has never taken an active interest in politics, his inclinations are toward the Republican party. Out of his varied experiences in life, Mr. LEWIS has gained the true knowledge of happiness and contentment. He has worked hard at all times, and the notable success which he has achieved is at best but the fair reward for his efforts.

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