California Biographies
Mendocino and Lake Counties, California
 
Transcribed by Peggy Hooper

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives 
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm

Source:
History of Mendocino and Lake Counties, California
With Biographical Sketches
History by Aurelius O. Carpenter And Percy H. Millberry
Illustrated, Complete In One Volume
Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, California, 1914


WILLIAM LEWIS. � One of the most successful and well known men 
of Willits is Mr. Lewis, who is one of California's native-born sons, having 
been born in Portwine, Sierra county, March 17, 1865. He is the son of Evan 
Lewis who was a sailor on the high seas and a native of Wales and who came 
around Cape Horn, located at San Francisco, and there married Lizzie Wal- 
ters, a native of Wisconsin. Mrs. Lewis having passed away while living in 
Sierra county, Evan Lewis decided to locate in Lake county, and with his four 
children came to Lower Lake, where he engaged in teaming up to the time of 
his death, which occurred at Adams Springs. In Lake county, William Lewis 
received his earlier education and when twelve years old he began to engage 
in teaming, being employed by his father. The first team he ever handled 
was one of six horses over the roughest mountain roads, but he became an 
expert teamster and driver, later driving logging teams at different mills in 
the county and many times had as high as seven and eight yoke or fourteen 
to sixteen oxen for a logging team. These ox teams would be strung out 
one hundred and twelve feet along the road and were hitched to a string of 
logs a quarter of a mile long. It necessitated great quickness of eye and 
decision coupled with tact and ability to handle these immense teams, but 
he was always successful even when driving the largest teams. To achieve 
his greatest success it was always necessary to purchase only the finest ani- 
mals and he was always particular in his choice, placing the fastest oxen 
as the leaders. Finally he purchased a team of leaders whose combined weight 
was 4400 pounds. In 1902 he took his outfit to Mendocino county where he 
did logging and heavy teaming for the Northwestern Redwood Company at 
Willits, then also for the mills in the Sherwood valley and later the Dickinson 
Mill on the Tonikiah river, and the Irvine Muir Lumber Company. 

In 1909 Mr. Lewis gave up the business of logging to engage in the trans- 
fer and general contracting business, buying the business of O. Cureton and 
Morgan Whitcomb. which he successfully and ably conducts until now he 
has the largest business of the kind in Willits. For his teaming he has two 
six-ton drays, his spans of horses weighing over three thousand pounds. He 
is also engaged in grading and leveling. Besides his residence property on 
Main street, he also owns a very valuable site of two hundred and forty feet 
on the same street where he has his large barns, models of their kind in the 
county. 

Mr. Lewis is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Wood- 
men of the World and Knights of the Maccabees, and is an ardent Democrat, 
entering into all political matters for the good of the community. He entered 
into marriage in Lake county with Betty Thompson, also a native of Cali- 
fornia, and of their union there are two children, Vernoi and Blanche. For 
four years Mr. Lewis was a member of the board of trustees of the town of 
Willits and served his term faithfully and well. He is a very successful man, 
and it is due entirely to his own untiring and unceasing labors that his finan- 
cial success may be attributed. Every person with whom he comes in con- 
tact forms for him an everlasting respect.