Col. Fielding Lewis, of Kenmore

A Patriot of the American Revolution for VIRGINIA. DAR Ancestor # A069909

Family

http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~cbtroots/genealogy/lewis.htm#id823

5. Col. John4 Lewis of Warner Hall (John3, Major2, John1); b. 1700 in Gloucester, VA; m. Frances Fielding, daughter of Henry Fielding, 1717; d. Jan 17, 1754.

Children of Col. John4 Lewis of Warner Hall and Frances Fielding were as follows:

9. Col. Fielding5 Lewis (John4, John3, Major2, John1); m. Catherine Washington, daughter of John Washington and Catherine Whiting, Oct 18, 1746; m. Betty Washington May 7, 1750.

Children of Col. Fielding5 Lewis and Catherine Washington were as follows:

• 13 i. John6 Lewis, m. Elizabeth Jones; m. Lucy Thornton; m. Elizabeth Thornton; m. Mary Ann Fontaine; m. Mildred Carter; b. Jul 22, 1747 in Fredericksburg, VA.
• ii. Frances Lewis; b. Nov 25, 1748 in Fredericksburg, VA.
• iii. Warner Lewis; b. Nov 29, 1749 in Fredericksburg, VA; d. Dec 5, 1749 in Fredericksburg, VA.

Children of Col. Fielding5 Lewis and Betty Washington were as follows:

• i. Fielding6 Lewis; b. Feb 14, 1751.
• ii. Augustin Lewis; b. Jan 22, 1752; d. 1756.
• iii. Warner Lewis; b. Jun 24, 1755; d. Mar, 1756.
• iv. Maj. George Lewis; m. Catherine Dangerfield; b. Mar 14, 1757.
• v. Mary Lewis; b. Apr 22, 1759; d. Dec 25, 1759.
• vi. Charles Lewis; [m. Lucy Taliaferro; b. Oct 3, 1760. NO - that was a different Charles Lewis]
• vii. Samuel Lewis; b. May 14, 1763; d. Sep 3, 1764 at age 1.
• viii. Bettie Lewis; m. Charles Carter; b. Feb 23, 1765.
• ix. Lawrence Lewis; m. Eleanor Curtis; b. Apr 4, 1767.
• x. Robert Lewis; m. Judith Cater Browne; b. Jun 25, 1769.
• xi. Howell Lewis; m. Unknown (f) Pollard; b. Dec 12, 1771.

Biography

https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Lewis_Fielding_1725-1781_or_1782

Fielding Lewis was a merchant, justice of the peace for Spotsylvania County (1749–1781), and member of the House of Burgesses (1760–1769) who helped to found the Fredericksburg Gun Manufactory during the American Revolution (1775–1783). Born at Warner Hall, his family's Gloucester County estate, he moved to Fredericksburg in the 1740s, helping to manage his father's store there. Lewis married George Washington's cousin and, after her death, Washington's sister, serving in the General Assembly and as a justice of the peace. He was known, in particular, for his financial acumen and sometimes advised his brother-in-law on investments. Early in the 1770s Lewis built for his family a large Georgian mansion (later named Kenmore) that was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. In 1775, the third Revolutionary Convention tasked Lewis and his fellow merchant Charles Dick with establishing a weapons factory in Fredericksburg; by May 1777 the Fredericksburg Gun Manufactory produced about twenty muskets per week. The enterprise cost Lewis £7,000 of his own money, which the state never repaid. He died sometime late in 1781 or early in 1782.

Early Years and Public Career

Fielding Lewis was born on July 7, 1725, at Warner Hall in Gloucester County, the third of seven children of John Lewis IV (also known as Colonel John Lewis) and Frances Fielding Lewis. His mother died in 1731 from complications related to childbirth, and during the winter of 1734–1735 John Lewis married Priscilla Churchhill Carter, the widow of Robert Carter II and inheritor of £2,500 from his will. Her son, Robert Carter III, spent two years at Warner Hall before attending school.

On April 6, 1742, John Lewis bought 406 acres of land in Fredericksburg, a growing port town on the Rappahannock River in Spotsylvania County and the site of a state tobacco inspection station. Soon he established a store that sold a wide variety of items—including clothing, rum, sugar, and writing supplies—that were likely imported from abroad on Lewis-owned ships. In 1744, John Thornton, who previously owned a tavern in Fredericksburg, became the factor, or manager, of Lewis's business. By April 1747, Fielding Lewis lived in Fredericksburg and helped with the store's management. John Lewis died in 1754, and in February 1757 Fielding Lewis sold the store to Thornton.

On October 18, 1746, Lewis married Catharine Washington, his own second cousin and a cousin of George Washington. Their marriage produced three children, two of whom survived into adulthood. The third child died in infancy, followed a few months later, on February 19, 1750, by his mother. On May 7, 1750, Lewis married Elizabeth (Betty) Washington, the sister of George Washington. The pair had eleven children, six of whom survived to adulthood. Fielding Lewis and George Washington were familiar, if not close, throughout their lives. When Washington passed through Fredericksburg, he often stayed with Lewis. Lewis conducted business on behalf of Washington in Fredericksburg, and also advised his younger brother-in-law on other matters, from finance to agriculture.

Lewis was often entrusted with financial affairs, selling other peoples' lands, executing wills, ensuring that members of the county militia were paid, or, on one occasion, helping to determine the worth of tobacco that was lost in a flood. His judgment of markets was trusted enough, at least, that the colonial government used him as a resource in diplomatic affairs. In December 1751, the governor's Council asked him and two other Fredericksburg merchants, Charles Dick and Robert Jackson, to determine the value of goods that were to be given in a treaty ceremony to Indians in Ohio. Both Lewis and Washington were investors in the Dismal Swamp Company, an unsuccessful venture to drain and develop swampland along the border of Virginia and North Carolina. On November 3, 1763, they signed the "Articles of Agreement of the Dismal Swamp Company," but the venture was not successful. Lewis, who contributed more than £587 with Anthony Bacon, was later sued by Bacon for their losses.

Lewis's public career began in February 1749, when he was sworn in as a justice of the peace for Spotsylvania County. He held the court position until his death and from 1769, after the removal of Benjamin Grymes, presided as chief magistrate, or the court's senior member. On November 8, 1753, he won election to the vestry of Saint George's Parish, with records indicating his presence at meetings for sixteen non-continuous years between 1754 and 1781. In October 1757, Fielding was named county lieutenant, a position that put him in command of Spotsylvania County's militia, with the rank of colonel. (He took the oath of office in February 1758.) He likely replaced John Spotswood, who was dismissed for unprofessional conduct, including drunkenness. A letter recommending Lewis for the position praised him as "a Gent: of fortune & Character in that County" who was "much esteemed by the people." In 1760, after the death in office of William Waller, Lewis won election to the House of Burgesses from Spotsylvania County, serving until 1769. He sat on the prestigious Committee of Propositions and Grievances with Edmund Pendleton, George Wythe, and Richard Henry Lee.

For a time Lewis helped to administer a school for the children of enslaved African Americans. It served sixteen students and was built with money loaned to Saint George's Parish by the Associates of Dr. Bray, a group formed in 1724 by the Anglican clergyman Thomas Bray to proselytize and educate enslaved African Americans. The school opened in April 1765, but there was opposition from slaveholders, many of whom believed literacy among slaves to be "rather a disadvantage," as Lewis explained in a letter to the Associates of Dr. Bray. In October 1768 Lewis reported that enrollment had dropped to nine students, with only four attending that summer. Lewis closed the school sometime during the winter of 1769–1770.

About this time Lewis began construction on his nearly 1,300-acre estate just outside Fredericksburg. A Georgian brick manor house, possibly designed by John Ariss and not given a name, was finished by 1775. In 1819 a later owner, Samuel Gordon, named the house Kenmore and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

American Revolution
On December 14, 1774, Lewis was elected chairman of the forty-five-member Spotsylvania County Committee. One of his first tasks was "to contract for" necessary materials, such as lead, gunflints, and gunpowder. Fredericksburg's position halfway between Alexandria and Williamsburg made it a fitting supply depot, and Lewis was often ordered to send supplies such as salt, lead, and gunpowder either to the Continental army or the state militia. Lewis also was involved in the early formation of Virginia's navy, helping to finance, equip, and staff several ships to patrol the Rappahannock River.

On August 26, 1775, its last day in session, Virginia's third Revolutionary Convention ordered that "a manufactory of arms be erected at or near Fredericksburg," and that "Fielding Lewis, Charles Dick, Mann Page, jun. William Fitzhugh, and Samuel Selden, gentlemen, or any three of them" be appointed its commissioners. The task fell entirely to Lewis and his longtime friend Charles Dick. The convention appropriated £2,000 to Lewis, who, with Dick, leased a millhouse and, in early November, purchased ten acres of land. Lewis wrote to George Washington on November 14 that "Our Gunn Manufactory is now beginning & expect by New Years day to have near fifty Men imploy'd who will make about Twelve Gunns compleat a Day," although on March 6, 1776, another letter to Washington admitted that "Our Manufactory has not yet made one Musquet." Gun barrels were in production, however, and older guns were being repaired. By then the complex consisted of a factory, a powder magazine, a cartridge works, and repair shops.

Early on, Dick projected that the manufactory would be able to make 100 muskets per month. Ebenezer Hazard, a visitor to Fredericksburg, reported that in May 1777 the factory produced 20 muskets per week, each costing £4 of Virginia currency to make. Whatever the average output of the factory may have been, the project was increasingly plagued for money as the years passed. On January 4, 1781, Dick wrote to Governor Thomas Jefferson: "I shall continue to direct the Factory and Keep the Workmen together if possible, which I find pretty difficult to do without money and Provisions." A few weeks later, on January 23, he wrote to Jefferson that, because of currency depreciation, the real value of the £1,000 payment he and Lewis had received in 1779 for their services was just £43.

On February 9, 1781, Lewis informed the state treasurer, George Brooke, that he had borrowed between £30,000 and £40,000 for the manufactory on the state's orders, and that he had used £7,000 of his own money to keep it running. Lewis's own resources were so depleted, he wrote, that he was "not able to pay the collector my taxes and continue my business in the usual manner." At the time, hoarding and speculation were widespread problems that often frustrated state officials. The fact that Lewis spent so much of his own money to fund a state enterprise, when he likely suspected repayment was doubtful, speaks to his devotion to the Revolutionary cause.

Later Years

As early as January 1780, Lewis mentioned his failing health in a letter to George Washington, and the stress of managing the factory and his own debt likely were contributing factors. His will was drafted on October 19, 1781, and divided his assets—including land in and near Fredericksburg and in Kentucky, in addition to 102 slaves—between his wife and six sons. Lewis died sometime late in 1781 or early in 1782; his will was proved on January 17, 1782. He is buried at an unrecorded site in Frederick County. The state never repaid its debt to Lewis and the manufactory closed in 1783. Betty Lewis died on March 31, 1797. The estate she left behind was valued at £245.

Time Line

July 7, 1725 - Fielding Lewis is born at Warner Hall in Gloucester County.

1731 - Frances Fielding Lewis, the wife of John Lewis IV, dies from complications related to childbirth.

Winter 1734–1735 - John Lewis IV and Priscilla Churchhill Carter are married.

April 6, 1742 - John Lewis IV purchases 406 acres of land in Fredericksburg. He soon establishes a store there.

1744 - John Lewis IV hires John Thornton as the factor, or manager, of his store in Fredericksburg.

October 18, 1746 - Fielding Lewis and Catherine Washington marry in Gloucester County.

April 1747 - By this date Fielding Lewis is living in Fredericksburg and learning to manage his father's store there.

February 1749 - Fielding Lewis is sworn in as a justice of the peace for Spotsylvania County.

February 19, 1750 - Catharine Washington Lewis, the wife of Fielding Lewis, dies from complications related to childbirth.

May 7, 1750 - Fielding Lewis and Elizabeth (Betty) Washington marry.

December 1751 - The governor's Council asks Fielding Lewis, Charles Dick, and Robert Jackson to determine the value of goods that are to be given in a treaty ceremony to Indians in Ohio.

November 8, 1753 - Fielding Lewis wins election to the vestry of Saint George's Parish.

January 17, 1754 - John Lewis IV dies at Warner Hall, his plantation in Gloucester County.

February 1757 - Fielding Lewis sells his store in Fredericksburg to the manager, John Thornton.

October 1757 - Fielding Lewis is named county lieutenant, a position that put him in command of Spotsylvania County's militia, with the rank of colonel.

February 1758 - Fielding Lewis, the new commander of the Spotsylvania County militia, takes the oath of office.

1760–1769 - Fielding Lewis represents Spotsylvania County in the House of Burgesses.

November 3, 1763 - Fielding Lewis signs the Dismal Swamp Land Company Articles of Agreement.

April 1765 - The Associates of Dr. Bray opens a school in Fredericksburg for the education of slaves.

October 31, 1768 - Fielding Lewis reports an enrollment of nine students at the Bray school in Fredericksburg.

1769 - After the removal of Benjamin Grymes, Fielding Lewis becomes the ranking justice of the Spotsylvania County court.

Winter 1769–1770 - Fielding Lewis closes the Bray school in Fredericksburg.

December 14, 1774 - Fielding Lewis is elected chairman of the forty-five member Spotsylvania County Committee.

1775 - Construction is completed on a Georgian brick manor house built by Fielding Lewis on the outskirts of Fredericksburg. A later owner will name it Kenmore.

August 26, 1775 - The third Revolutionary Convention orders that "a manufactory of arms be erected at or near Fredericksburg."

November 14, 1775 - In a letter to George Washington, Fielding Lewis writes that progress has been made in establishing a gun factory in Fredericksburg.

February 9, 1781 - In a letter to the state treasurer, George Brooke, Fielding Lewis explains that he has borrowed considerable sums for the gun factory in Fredericksburg.

October 19, 1781 - Fielding Lewis drafts a will, dividing his assets between his wife and six sons.

January 17, 1782 - The will of Fielding Lewis is proved in Spotsylvania County.

March 31, 1797 - Elizabeth "Betty" Washington Lewis, the widow of Fielding Lewis, dies.

1819 - Samuel Gordon names his brick Georgian manor house in Fredericksburg, built in the 1770s by Fielding Lewis, Kenmore.

1970 - Kenmore, a brick Georgian manor house in Fredericksburg, built in the 1770s by Fielding Lewis, is added to the National Register of Historic Places.

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Family Tree of Lewis's https://captainjamesdavisgenealogy.wordpress.com/2013/01/26/genealo...

A Patriot of the American Revolution for VIRGINIA. DAR Ancestor #: A069909

Wikipedia Biographical Summary:

"...Fielding Lewis (July 7, 1725 – December 7, 1781) was a Colonel during the American Revolutionary War and the brother-in-law of George Washington..."

"...Lewis was born at Warner Hall in Gloucester County, Virginia, the son of John Lewis (1694-1754) and Frances Fielding (c1702-1731). He was the third of seven children..."

"...Lewis married Catharine Washington on October 18, 1746. She was his second cousin, daughter of John Washington and Catharine Whiting...'

"...The marriage produced three children. Catharine died on February 19, 1750..."

"His second marriage was to another second cousin, Betty Washington, the sister of George Washington, on May 7, 1750. The marriage produced 11 children..."

SOURCE: Wikipedia contributors, 'Fielding Lewis', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 26 April 2011, 19:24 UTC, <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fielding_Lewis&oldid=4260...> [accessed 4 September 2011]

Children with Catherine Washington :

Children with Betty Washington:

1. Lawrence Lewis
2. Robert Lewis
3. Betty Lewis
5. http://kenmore.org/genealogy/lewis/gene_lewis.html
7. http://kenmore.org/kp_home.html

___________________________________

Birth: Jul. 7, 1725 Gloucester County Virginia, USA Death: c. Dec. 7, 1781 Fredericksburg City Virginia, USA

Fielding Lewis is the brother-in-law of President George Washington. Fielding married Betty Washington, the sister of President George Washington.

Family links:

Parents:

 John Lewis (1692 - 1754)

Spouses:

 Catherine Washington Lewis (1724 - 1750)*

 Betty Washington Lewis (1733 - 1797)*

Children:

 Fielding Lewis (1750 - 1803)*

 George Washington Lewis (1757 - 1821)*

 Betty Lewis Carter (1765 - 1830)*

 Lawrence Lewis (1767 - 1839)*

*Calculated relationship

Burial: Saint Georges Episcopal Burial Ground Fredericksburg Fredericksburg City Virginia, USA Plot: Grave located in the foundation of the church.

Maintained by: Find A Grave Record added: Aug 09, 2000 Find A Grave Memorial# 11598

http://www.kenmore.org/genealogy/lewis/gene_lewis.html

The Lewises were a prominent and wealthy family in Gloucester County, Virginia. Fielding moved to Fredericksburg as a young man, in 1746, to learn the business of running his father's store, which he inherited in 1754 upon his father's death. As a planter and importer/exporter, Fielding became wealthy in his own right. He started construction of the new Lewis mansion (which would only be named Kenmore many years later) in 1769 and the family moved into the house in the fall of 1775.

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Fielding Lewis MyHeritage Family Trees Saxony roots in Ahnengemeinschaft aus Sachsen, managed by Thomas Werner (Contact) Birth: July 7 1725 - Warner Hall, Gloucester County, Virginia

Death: Dec 7 1781 - Kenmore Plantation, Fredricksburg, VA 1781 - Spotsylvania County, Virginia, USA

Parents: John III. Lewis, Frances Lewis (geb. Fielding) Siblings: John Lewis, Warner Lewis, Mildred Lewis, Frances Lewis, John Lewis, Charles Lewis Wife: Elizabeth Lewis (geb. Washington) Wife: Catherine Lewis (geb. Washington) Children: John Lewis of Kinmore, Frances Lewis, Warner Lewis, Fielding Lewis, Augustine Lewis, Warner Lewis, George Washington Lewis, Mary Lewis, Charles Lewis, Samuel Lewis, Betty Carter (geb. Lewis), Lawrence Lewis, Robert Lewis, Howell Lewis ___________________________________________________________

Ancestor List for Fielding Lewis This basic ancestor view uses the ahnen numbering system. See Fielding's family tree for a more conventional pedigree chart.

Generation 1: Fielding Lewis

1. Fielding Lewis: Born Warner Hall, Gloucester co, Virginia 07 Jul 1725. Died Kenmore House, Frederickburg, Virginia 07 Dec 1781.

Generation 2: Parents of Fielding Lewis

2. John Lewis II: Born Warner Hall, Gloucester County, Virginia 08 Feb 1694. Died Warner Hall, Gloucester County, Virginia 17 Jan 1754. Father of 1. Son of 4 & 5.

3. Frances Fielding: Born King Queen, Virginia 1700. Died Warner Hall, Gloucester, Virginia 27 Oct 1731. Mother of 1. Daughter of 6 & 7.

Generation 3: Grandparents of Fielding Lewis

4. John Lewis III: Born Chemokins, New Kent Co., VA 30 Nov 1669. Died Warner Hall, Gloucester, Virginia, USA 14 Nov 1725. Father of 2. Son of 8 & 9.

5. Elisabeth Warner: Born Warner Hall, Gloucester, Virginia, United States 24 Nov 1672. Died Warner Hall, Gloucester, Virginia, United States abt 05 Feb 1718. Mother of 2. Daughter of 10 & 11.

6. Henry Fielding: Born King & Queen County, Virginia abt 1670. Died King and Queen County, Virginia 1712. Father of 3. Son of 12 & 13.

7. Mary Lane: Born abt 1680. Died [date unknown]. Mother of 3. Daughter of 14 & 15.

Generation 4: Great-Grandparents of Fielding Lewis

8. John Lewis Jr.: Born Wales 1633. Died Henrico,Northampton, Virginia, USA 1726. Father of 4. Son of 16 & 17.

9. Isabella Miller: Born New Kent or Gloucester Co VA 24 Aug 1640. Died Gloucester, Virginia, USA 09 Feb 1704. Mother of 4. Daughter of 18 & 19.

10. Augustine Warner Jr.: Born Warner Hall, Gloucester, Virginia, United States 03 Jun 1642. Died Warner Hall, Gloucester, Virginia, United States 19 Jun 1681. Father of 5. Son of 20 & 21.

11. Mildred Reade: Born Warner Hall, Gloucester, Virginia, United States 02 Oct 1643. Died Warner Hall, Gloucester, Virginia, United States 20 Oct 1686. Mother of 5. Daughter of 22 & 23.

14. Capt John Lane: Born [date unknown]. Died [date unknown]. Father of 7. Son of 28 & 29.

Generation 5: Great-Great-Grandparents of Fielding Lewis

16. John Lewis 1594-1657: Born Monmouthshire, Wales abt 1594. Died King and Queen County, VA 21 Aug 1657. Father of 8. Son of 32 & 33.

17. Catherine Philip: Born . Died Wales bef 1653. Mother of 8. Daughter of 34 & 35.

18. James Miller: Born . Died York County, VA 1657. Father of 9. Son of 36 & 37.

19. Mary Unknown: Born [date unknown]. Died [date unknown]. Mother of 9. Daughter of 38 & 39.

20. Augustine Warner Sr.: Born Norwich,,Norfolk, England 28 Nov 1610. Died Warner Hall,Gloucester, Virginia, USA 24 Dec 1674. Father of 10. Son of 40 & 41.

21. Mary Towneley: Born Stone Edge,,Lancashire, England abt 1614. Died Warner Hall,Gloucester, Virginia, USA abt 1662. Mother of 10. Daughter of 42 & 43.

22. George Reade: Born Linkenholt Manor, Hampshire, England 25 Oct 1608. Died Yorktown, York, Virginia, United States bef 20 Nov 1671. Father of 11. Son of 44 & 45.

23. Elizabeth Martiau or Martin: Born England abt 12 Dec 1615. Died Yorktown, York, Virginia, United States bef 10 Feb 1686. Mother of 11. Daughter of 46 & 47.

Generation 6: Great-Great-Great-Grandparents of Fielding Lewis

32. William Lewis 1560-1657: Born Newport, Monmouth, England 1560. Died New Kent, New Kent, VA 21 Aug 1657. Father of 16. Son of 64 & 65.

33. Margaret Puleston 1565-1594: Born Newport,,Monmouth,, England 1565. Died Anglesley,,, England aft 1594. Mother of 16. Daughter of 66 & 67.

40. Thomas Warner: Born Hoe,,Norfolk, England abt 1581. Died Hoveton,Thorpe-By-Norwich,, England abt 1657. Father of 20. Son of 80 & 81.

41. Elizabeth Southerton: Born St Mary,Hellesdon,Norfolk, England 1582. Died Norwich,,Norfolk, England 1629. Mother of 20. Daughter of 82 & 83.

42. Lawrence Towneley III: Born Stone Edge,,Lancashire, England 1570. Died Colne,,Lancashire, England 12 Feb 1655. Father of 21. Son of 84 & 85.

43. Jennet Halstead: Born Windlehouse, Lancashire, England 1594. Died Burnley, Lancashire, England abt 1623. Mother of 21. Daughter of 86 & 87.

44. Robert Reade: Born Linkenholt, Hampshire, England 1551. Died England 10 Dec 1626. Father of 22. Son of 88 & 89.

45. Mildred Windebank: Born Haynes Hill, Hurst, Berkshire, England abt 1580. Died Linkenholt Hall, Hampshire, England aft 15 Aug 1630. Mother of 22. Daughter of 90 & 91.

46. Nicholas Martiau: Born Nantes, Loire-Atlantique, Pays de la Loire, France 02 Apr 1591. Died Yorktown, York, Virginia, United States abt 16 Apr 1657. Father of 23. Son of 92 & 93.

47. Jane Berkeley: Born Yorktown, York, Virginia, United States abt 1593. Died Hampton, Elizabeth, Virginia, United States 1625. Mother of 23. Daughter of 94 & 95.

Generation 7: Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandparents of Fielding Lewis

66. John Puleston: Born Bersham, England abt 1545. Died [date unknown]. Father of 33.

67. Elizabeth Woolrich: Born Salop, England abt 1540. Died [date unknown]. Mother of 33.

80. William Warner: Born 1540. Died 1611. Father of 40.

82. Augustine Sotherton: Born Hellesdon, Norfolk, , England 1553. Died Norwich, Norfolk, , England 26 Mar 1585. Father of 41.

83. Ann Peck: Born St Michael, London, , England 12 Apr 1553. Died Norwich, Norfolk, , England 1600. Mother of 41.

84. Lawrence Townley Jr: Born Barnside, Lancashire, England 1543. Died Stone Edge, Colne, Lancashire, England abt 19 Jan 1597. Father of 42.

85. Margaret Mary Hartley: Born Lancashire, England 1574. Died England 1582. Mother of 42.

86. John Halstead: Born Lancashire, England 1555. Died Burnley, Lancashire, England 10 Jul 1601. Father of 43.

88. Andrew Reade: Born . Died [date unknown]. Father of 44.

90. Thomas Windebanke: Born Haines Hillhurst, Parish, Berkshire, England abt Jan 1538. Died Charing, Westminster, Berkshire, England 23 Oct 1607. Father of 45.

91. Frances Dymoke: Born Scrivelsby, Lincolnshire, England 1539. Died Hurst, Berkshire, England 03 Mar 1610. Mother of 45.

92. Nicholas Martiau: Born France 1547. Died [date unknown]. Father of 46.

93. Éléonore Desormiers: Born . Died [date unknown]. Mother of 46.

94. Edward Berkeley: Born England 1571. Died Yorktown,,Virginia,USA 1622. Father of 47.

95. Elizabeth Jane Page: Born Wircestershier, , , England 1593. Died Elizabeth City, , Virginia, USA 1640. Mother of 47.

Fielding Lewis is the brother-in-law of President George Washington. Fielding married Betty Washington, the sister of President George Washington.

...a leading citizen and patriot in Fredericksburg before and during the Revolutionary War. He married Betty Washington, George Washington's only sister.

Colonel Lewis owned a plantation of about 1300 hundred acres in what is now downtown Fredericksburg. He and his wife built their home there in 1775. Today, that home is known as Kenmore House, named for Kenmuir Castle in Scotland by a future owner, Samuel Gordon, in about 1819. Kenmore House still stands, as well as the Lewis Store, built in the 1740's by Fielding's father, Colonel John Lewis. It was used as a store until the 1830s, when it was converted to a residence. Historic Fredericksburg Foundation is currently in the process of restoring the store to be operated as an interactive museum, with costumed interpreters selling reproduction 18th century wares. Kenmore House is also currently undergoing extensive renovation.

Although not a soldier, Fielding Lewis was a patriot in every sense of the word. He was in charge of the militia in Spotsylvania County, hence the title "Colonel". He provided salt peter, sulphur, powder, and lead for the manufacture of ammunition during the Revolutionary War. He also supplied salt, flour, bacon and clothing to the soldiers, and provided for them when they were wounded.

He was also involved in the outfitting of ships, most notably the Dragon which was built in Fredericksburg. Captain Eleazer Callendar supervised the ship's construction and took command of the ship in October 1777. The Dragon's first mission was to protect the Rappahannock River. Later, it ventured into service in the Chesapeake Bay. It continued to serve after the Revolutionary War and finally sank in the early 1800's while berthed in Norfolk, Virginia.

Fielding Lewis represented Spotsylvania County in the Virginia House of Burgesses on at least 12 occasions, and was in attendance when Patrick Henry, "The Voice of the Revolution", delivered his famous Stamp Act speech to those assembled in Williamsburg in 1765. "If this be treason, make the most of it."

He served on the Committee of Safety of Fredericksburg and in 1775 was appointed, along with Charles Dick and three others, to establish and equip a manufactory of small arms for the newly formed government. Virginia's third revolutionary convention contributed the first 25,000 pounds, but most of the operating funds came from the personal account of Colonel Lewis. It was the first such factory in America. Two historical markers have been placed at the site near Walker-Grant Middle School on Gunnery Road. One marker describes use of the land during the Spanish American War and a spring located there. The other marker (left) describes the gun factory.

In May 1777, a visitor to the "Fredericksburg Gunnery" reported that workers there were producing "20 musquets, complete with bayonets" a week. Of this production schedule, the Kenmore Association says: "Unfortunately, the patriotic zeal which distinguished Col. Lewis also ruined him financially. He advanced increasingly large sums from his personal funds for the expenses of the Fredericksburg Gunnery as well as for outfitting ships."

Fielding Lewis died in December 1781, just two months after the defeat of Cornwallis at Yorktown. The exact date of his death is unknown, but he wrote his will in October 1781 and his estate was settled in January 1782. Historian Paula Felder, a recognized expert on the Lewis and Washington families and author of the book "Fielding Lewis and the Washington Family: A Chronicle of 18th Century Fredericksburg" says Colonel Lewis died while visiting his son, Fielding Lewis, Jr., at his home in the Shenandoah Valley in Frederick County (now Clarke County), Virginia. She bases this on a letter Robert Lewis wrote to his sister Betty "Lewis" Carter in 1826. Both, Robert and Betty were children of Fielding Lewis. In the letter, Robert urges Betty to live on Fielding, Jr.'s land. "You would be in the neighborhood where the venerated remains of our dear decd. Father lie."

Colonel Lewis built his home in Fredericksburg and operated a store there. His home, a mansion renamed Kenmore House sometime around 1819, and his store, still stand. It was built by Fielding's father, John, in the 1740s. It is the oldest standing store in the United States. Renovation on the store was completed in 2003. Work on the interior of Kenmore House continues.

SOURCE: Colonel Fielding Lewis Chapter, Virginia Society, Sons of the American Revolution.

References

• http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=11598
• ”Lewis Family of Warner Hall.” The William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 10, no. 1, 1901, pp. 48–54. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1919805. Accessed 28 Feb. 2021.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fielding_Lewis
• “Lewis Family Descendants” The Lewis Family Descendants help to support the colonial home, Kenmore Mansion, home of Betty Washington and Fielding Lewis in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Our membership includes, primarily, descendants of Fielding Lewis, Sr. and Betty Washington Lewis, George Washington's only sister. Chart