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- THOMAS LEWIS, one of the wealthy retired farmers of
- Albany, Green county, is the subject of this review, and
his life history begins away across the ocean, in Radnorshire,
Wales, where he was born Oct. 19, 1829. His paternal and maternal
grandfathers, John LEWIS and Robert LEWIS, respectively, were
natives of Wales, and spent their whole lives in that land, where
they were agriculturists.
- David LEWIS, the father of our subject, was born in Wales,
- and there married Sarah LEWIS, to which union came a family
of
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- seven children: Thomas (our subject), John, Emma, Martha
Richard, Sarah and Frances. John, Emma, Sarah and Frances are
still residing in Wales; the others are deceased. David LEWIS
died when about sixty years old, and his wife has also passed
away. She was one of thirteen children.
- Thomas LEWIS was reared on a farm in Wales, and came to America
in 1854. His educational
- advantages were meager in his native land, but since his
location in the United States he has not only learned the language,
but has become a well-informed man. The first nine months in
America he passed in Waukesha county, Wis., and later came to
Green county, where he first purchased forty acres of fine land
in Albany township, subsequently adding 160 acres in Brooklyn,
and another 149 acres in Albany. Mr. LEWIS lived in Albany until
1888, at which time he rented out his farms and moved into the
town, where he purchased a very comfortable home.
- In 1855 our subject was married to Mrs. Margaret (JONES)
SWANCOTT, the widow of John
- SWANCOTT, and a daughter of John and Mary (SHEEN) JONES,
both of whom were natives of Wales, where Mrs. LEWIS was born
Nov. 7, 1823. Her father died in Albany township, aged sixty-eight
years; his father, who bore the name of Edward JONES, died in
Wales. The mother of Mrs. LEWIS died March 31, 1845, aged fifty-seven
years; she was a worthy woman, and had long been identified with
the Episcopal Church. William SHEEN, the maternal grandfather
of Mrs. LEWIS, was a farmer in Wales. By her first marriage Mrs.
LEWIS had nine children: Philip, John, David, Mary, Elizabeth,
David, all now deceased except Philip and John. Philip married
Kate FLINT, and resides in South Dakota; he has two children,
Earl and Maggie. John married Judie BUTTS, and has one daughter,
Luella; they reside in Brooklyn, on a farm. Mr. and Mrs. LEWIS
have had two children: Hiram, who died when five years old; and
William A., who married Miss Jane WILLIAMS, and resides on the
farm; they have five children, Della, Orrin, Ray, Inez and Birdie.
- Mrs. LEWIS owns a fine farm of eighty acres in Albany township,
Mr. LEWIS also retaining a farm
- of 189 acres, having sold his tract of 160 acres in the fall
of 1900. Since 1888 our subject and estimable wife have resided
in comfort in the pleasant town of Albany, where they enjoy the
comforts suited to their age and circumstances. Although no politician,
and opposed to joining any of the political parties, Mr. LEWIS
exercises his right to the ballot, but reserves to his own judgment
the decision as to which is the best man for the position. Although
not formally connected with any religious denomination, both
Mr. and Mrs. LEWIS are Christian people in their daily living,
kind to the needy, generous to worthy objects, and they are among
the most respected citizens of Albany.
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- Taken from "Commemorative Biographical Record of
the Counties of Rock, Green, Grant, Iowa and Lafayette Wisconsin,"
(c)1901 Union Publishing; pp. 603-605.
-
- Courtesy of Carol.
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