The
The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and
Printed Ephemera
Henry Francis du Pont
5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur,
Delaware 19735
Telephone: 302-888-4600 or 800-448-3883
OVERVIEW OF
THE COLLECTION
Creator: Lewis family.
Title: Papers
Dates: 1793-1896
Call No.: Col. 491
Acc. No.: 76x46.3-.27, .29
Quantity: 26 items
Location:
BIOGRAPHICAL
STATEMENT
The Lewis family resided in the area of Stratford, Fairfield
County, Connecticut, during the late 18th century and throughout the 19th
century. Some members of the family also
owned land in Bridgeport, Conn. The
progenitors of this branch of the Lewis family were Elizabeth Freeman
(1738-1802) and her husband Benjamin Lewis (1729-1800). Their children included Benjamin (1755-1822;
married Frances Westbrook), Freeman, Huldah (1765-1858, married Agur Curtiss),
Agur (1767-1853, married Charity Birdseye), Mary (born 1772, married a Mr.
Curtiss), Daniel (born 1776), Elizabeth (or Betsey, born 1778, married Abijah
Ufford), and Adonijah (born 1779).
Freeman Lewis (1764-1830, name also spelled Freemund)
married Cherree (or Cherry) French (1767-1831), and they had a son named Alanson
F. Lewis (1795-1859).
Daniel (born 1776) had a son Daniel, Jr. (born 1805,
still alive in 1880). Junior married a
woman named Miranda, and they had a daughter named Lorintha (1839-1919; married
Charles Beach). The fees for settling
the estate of Daniel Lewis in 1896 were probably for Daniel, Jr., but that has
not been confirmed.
SCOPE AND
CONTENT
Collection primarily contains land deeds and
receipts collected by the Lewis family between 1793-1896. The receipts are for a cemetery lot, a gravestone,
textiles, shingles, schooling and books for Daniel's daughter Lorintha, and
breeding a cow. Several receipts are
associated with the execution of wills and the appraisal and settling of
estates. The deeds are for land in
Stratford or Bridgeport, Connecticut.
They name adjacent landowners, some of whom were other members of the
Lewis family.
ORGANIZATION
The items are divided into smaller pieces (receipts,
bills, etc.) and larger pieces (deeds and one quitclaim), and then they are in
chronological order within each group.
LANGUAGE OF
MATERIALS
The materials are in English.
RESTRICTIONS
ON ACCESS
Collection is open to the public. Copyright restrictions may apply.
PROVENANCE
Purchased from Whitlock Farm Booksellers, Bethany,
Conn.
ACCESS POINTS
People:
Lewis family.
Topics:
Deeds –
Connecticut.
Education – Finance
– 19th century.
Estate
settlement costs - 19th century
Land titles -
Connecticut.
Stratford
(Conn.) – Schools.
Deeds.
Receipts.
DETAILED
DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION
Location: 34 J 3
All accession
numbers begin with 76x46.
Receipts and
checks:
.29 slip of paper with various dates,
1795-1831, one of which is preceded by the word born, so probably the remnants
of some genealogy notes
.24 receipt: Freeman Lewis paid Benjamin
Lewis, Stratford, Oct. 13, 1810, for Benjamin’s share of their father’s estate
[father Benjamin
Lewis died in 1800; some of his children were minors when he died]
.23 quitclaim: Pixlee[?] Judson signed this
quitclaim to Freeman Lewis for part of a salt meadow at De[illegible] Point,
July 27, 1813;
.25 receipted bill: the executors of estate
of Freeman Lewis paid Pembroke Burial Ground Association, Jno Brooks,
treasurer: for lot no. 62 and other charges; Alanson Lewis paid the bill for
the estate, April 22, 1831;
The bill has been backed
with cloth, used to mend a tear; this is an old mend;
.16 receipt: Alanson Lewis paid Abijah
Tomlinson for a pair of gravestones for his mother; Stratford, Dec. 22, 1831;
.18 receipted bill: Daniel Lewis, Jr., paid
David Wheeler for yards of fabrics and other goods (perhaps something to do
with spinning or weaving? Handwriting
difficult to read); Trumbull, June 27, 1833;
On back: some accounts
of Benjamin Lewis (carting a load of wood) and Willys[?] Stillman (bushel of
eels?), 1839;
.17 receipt: Josiah Gorham, treasurer for the
Pembroke or Old Mill School district, paid Benjamin Lewis $41, Stratford, Oct.
15, 1847
.27 receipted bill: Mr. Lewis paid Frederick
Sedgwick for tuition and other school expenses of Lorintha, Stratford, Sept.
30, 1853
[Lorintha was the
daughter of Daniel Lewis, Jr.]
.19 receipted bill: Daniel Lewis paid Edmund
Thompson for services of bull for one cow, Bridgeport, Jan. 4, 1854;
.26 receipted bill: Mr. Lewis paid Frederick
Sedgwick for tuition and other school expenses, including drawing materials, of
Lorintha, Stratford, June 30, 1855
Printed form; with
notice about school on back, listing tuition charges for various subjects;
.22 bill for appraising the estate of Daniel
Lewis, June 10, 1896; the appraisers were George W. Spall and Lewis H. Burritt;
this bill was submitted to the probate judge Charles H. Peek and was approved
by him;
.21 receipt for payment to Probate Court of
fees and charges relating to estate of Daniel Lewis, Stratford, Nov. 14, 1896;
signed by judge Charles H. Peek
.20 receipted bill: Daniel Lewis, [Jr. was
crossed out] paid L. H. Russell, for sawed, cedar, and pine shingles, and
nails, Aug., no year;
Calculations
on back
Deeds and
quitclaim: [mostly printed forms]
.3c “Freeman Lewis’s deed from John Peck [or
Peek], received to record April 22, 1793….”
John Peck [or Peek] of
Stratford, Fairfield County, Conn., sold to Freeman Lewis three acres of land
in Stratford, James Common and James Beach forming two of the boundaries; dated
April 22, 1793; witnessed by Joseph Curtiss, Jun. and Abijah Brooks; signed by
Robert Walker, justice of the peace;
Printed form
.6 “Freeman
Lewis deed from Enoch Foot, received to record October 6, 1802…”
Enoch Foot of Stratford,
Conn., sold to Freeman Lewis three acres of land in Stratford; dated Oct. 15,
1802; witnessed by Ezra Wheeler and Joseph Backus; signed by Joseph Backus,
justice of the peace;
Printed
form
.7 “Freeman
Lewis deed from Asa Benjamin, received to record Aug. 13, 1804….”
Asa Benjamin of
Stratford, Conn., sold to Freeman Lewis 2.5 acres of meadow land at Wood End in
Stratford; dated Aug. 10, 1804; witnessed by Robert Walker and Wm. Cairns; and
signed by Robert Walker, justice of the peace;
.4 “Freeman Lewis Deed from Agur Lewis,
received to record July 19, 1805, …”
Agur Lewis of Stratford,
Conn., sold to Freeman [written as Freemund] Lewis four acres of land in
Stratford, and gave permission for Freeman to cross his woodland when there is
no crop on the land; mentions Agur’s sisters Huldah and Mary Curtiss, and also
Daniel Lewis, as abutting land owners; witnessed by Lewis Burton, May 28, 1805;
signed by Abijah McEwen, justice of the peace;
Printed form
.5 “Elizabeth Lewis Deed from Agur Lewis,
received to record April 11, 1809, …”
Agur Lewis of Stratford,
Conn., sold to Elizabeth Lewis two acres of land at Wolf Swamp in Stratford;
witnessed by Lewis Burton and Abijah McEwen, May 28, 1805; signed by Abijah
McEwen, justice of the peace;
Printed
form
.8 “Freeman
Lewis’s deed from James Daskum[?], received to record May 29, 1810…”
James Daskum, of
Trumbull, Fairfield County, Connecticut, sold to Freeman Lewis of Stratford,
1.75 acres of land in Stratford, abutting Lewis’ land, May 15, 1810; witnessed
by Joseph Strong and David Sterling; signed by Joseph Strong, justice of the
peace;
Printed form
.9 “Alanson F. Lewis from F. Lewis,
received for record, May 20, 1823….”
Freeman Lewis of
Stratford, Conn., gave to Alanson F. Lewis out of “the love and affection I
have for my son,” three acres of land in old Mill Hill, Stratford, also half of
a salt meadow, April 24, 1823; witnessed by George W. Ufford and Elijah Ufford;
signed by Elijah Ufford, justice of the peace;
Printed
form;
.10 “Alanson F. Lewis’s deed from Freemund
& Charree Lewis, received to record Jan. 25, 1827….”
Freemund Lewis and his
wife Charree Lewis, both of Stratford, for the consideration of love and
goodwill gave their son Alanson F. Lewis ten acres of land at Ox Hill in
Bridgeport and another nine acres at Fresh Pond, also in Bridgeport, dated
January 4, 1827; witnessed by Isaac Sherman and Hanson W. Canfield; signed by
Isaac Sherman, Justice of the peace
Printed form;
.12c “Daniel Lewis, Jr., Deed from Daniel Lewis,
rec’d for record Nov. 27, 1827….”
Daniel Lewis of
Stratford sold to Daniel Lewis, Jr., fourteen acres at Old Mill, in Stratford;
dated November 27, 1827; witnessed by Corn. Brooks and David Brooks, who also
signed as justice of the peace;
Printed
form;
.15 “Alanson
F. Lewis deed from Ebenezar French, received to record October 25, 1828….”
Ebenezer French of
Bridgeport, Fairfield County, Conn., sold to Alanson F. Lewis of Bridgeport a
half acre of land near the Berkshire Bridge in Bridgeport, Oct. 23, 1828;
witnessed by Louisa [initial unclear] Plumb and Noah Plumb, who also signed as
justice of the peace;
Printed
form;
.11b “Alanson F. Lewis deed from Freeman &
Charre Lewis, received to record Jany. 23, 1830…”
Freemund Lewis and
Charree Lewis, husband and wife, of Stratford, out of love and good will gave
their son Alanson F. Lewis of Bridgeport fifteen acres of land at Chops Hill
near Seely’s sawmill, in Bridgeport; January 23, 1830; witnessed by Isaac
Judson and Josiah Gorham, who also signed as justice of the peace
Printed form;
.14 “Daniel Lewis, Jr. deed from Daniel
Lewis, received for record Sept. 2, 1834….”
Daniel Lewis of Stratford,
sold his son Daniel Lewis, Jr., also of Stratford, fifteen acres at Old Mill in
Stratford; the abutting land was owned by other sons; September 2, 1834;
witnessed by Benjamin Lewis and David Brooks, who also signed as justice of the
peace;
Printed form;
.13b quitclaim: Elijah Curtiss, Stiles Judson,
and Lewis Wells, selectmen of Stratford, in consideration of money received
from Daniel Lewis, Jr., quit claim to him a strip of land in Old Mill,
Stratford, containing about six acres; October 17, 1835, witnessed by Abraham
Hubbell[?] and David Brooks, who also signed as justice of the peace;
Printed form; some paper
loss