Major John and Isabella’s son John (Nov 30, 1669 – Nov 14, 1725) married Elizabeth Warner .  John and Elizabeth lived at Chemokins, the family farm he inherited from his father.  John was a “Vestryman” at St Peter’s Parish, meaning he had both lay religious duties as well as governmental duties carried out through the church.  John and Elizabeth had 14 children before Elizabeth died.

In 1701/02, when Elizabeth’s brothers died without children, Elizabeth inherited her family estate, Warner Hall, as she was the oldest daughter.  John and Elizabeth packed up and moved from Chemokins in New Kent County to Warner Hall in Gloucester County.

Their third son Robert (our ancestor) was their first child born at Warner Hall.  The original main home burned in the mid-1800s, but some structures there are original.  Warner Hall remained in the Lewis family through 1830.  Warner Hall and 600 acres remain intact, the land was never sub-divided.  Today Warner Hall is a Bed and Breakfast. (paste photos here)

In addition to inheriting Warner Hall, John filled his late father-in-law’s position as “Councilor”, one of 12 men in Colonial Virginia who served in the Governor’s Council and administered the colony.  He is referred to as Councilor John to differentiate him from the many Johns who came before and after him.

Both Councilor John and Elizabeth are buried at the historic cemetery at Warner Hall.  Their Lewis descendants lived here longer than any family, until the last of the family sold it in 1830.

Councilor John Lewis – Family Notes

Councilor John Lewis owned significant land, and married into one of the most prominent Virginia families when he married Elizabeth Warner.  We’ll examine some of her family background, as her ancestors are also our ancestors.

Nicholas Martiau was born in France in 1591, was educated as a military engineer in England, and was naturalized as an Englishman by royal decree.  In May 11, 1620 he left England on the Francis Bonaventure and arrived in Virginia that June.  He was among the individuals listed in the first census of Virginia, which was taken in 1624.  As his descendant, you are eligible for membership in the First Families of Virginia, a society of descendants of those people whose arrival predated that initial census.

As a military engineer, Nicholas Martiau was placed in charge of military fortifications and designed Fort Yorktown.  His descendants are entitled to join two organizations.   “First Families of Virginia” is one, and we are eligible because our ancestor arrived before the first census was taken.  The second society is the “Grand Dames of Virginia”, a group of women whose ancestry dates to early colonial Virginia.  Nicholas is the earliest emigrant ancestor of George Washington, Robert E Lee and of course us.

Nicholas Martiau married the widow Jane Berkely in 1625, and their first child was a daughter Elizabeth.  He also had daughters Mary (married John Scarsbrook) and Sarah (married Captain William Fuller).  Nicholas received a large track of land that is present-day Yorktown, Virginia, where he died in 1657.

Colonel George Reade was born in England on October 25, 1608 into a very prominent and well-documented English family.  He immigrated to Virginia in 1637, was active in colonial politics, and became the secretary of the Virginia Colony.  In 1641 he married Elizabeth Martiau, when she would have been a young girl of around 15.  He was a public servant, becoming Secretary of the Virginia Colony, and was probably the acting Governor when Governor Harvey was recalled to England in 1638 and 1639. Following his retirement, he was a representative in the assembly and then was a member of the Governor’s Council for 18 years preceding his death.

Col George Reade and Elizabeth Martiau Reade had at least eight children, the oldest being their daughter Mildred, who married Col Augustine Warner, Junior.

Colonel Augustine Warner, Senior, was born November 28, 1610 and immigrated to Virginia as early as 1628 but before 1642.  His coat of arms is of the Welsh family Warner.  He is believed to have acquired the land where he built Warner Hall in 1635.  He married a woman named Mary whose maiden name is not known. They had a son Augustine Warner Junior and a daughter Sarah.

Colonel Augustine Warner Senior’s daughter Sarah married Lawrence Townley and is the great-great-great grandmother of General Robert E. Lee.

Augustine Warner, Junior, also known as Speaker Warner, inherited Warner Hall when his father died.  He was Speaker of the Assembly / Burgess, and later was elevated to one of 12 members of the Governor’s Council.  He married Mildred Reade, daughter of Col George Reade and granddaughter of Nicholas Martiau.  They had three sons and three daughters.  Their three sons died without children, so Warner Hall transferred to their oldest daughter, Elizabeth, wife of Councilor John Lewis.

Elizabeth’s younger sister Mildred Warner married Lawrence Washington.  Their son Augustine Washington was the father of George Washington

Elizabeth’s youngest sister Mary Warner married John Smith and is the 7x great-grandmother of Elizabeth, Queen of England and 8x great-grandmother of Charles, Prince of Wales.

Historic Cemetery there – Councilor John, Elizabeth, her parents buried there. (photos)

Children include: John, Charles (of the Byrd), Robert (Robert of Belvoir)

Councilor John and Elizabeth’s oldest son John II inherited Warner Hall.  John II’s oldest son, Warner Lewis, inherited Warner Hall.  John II’s third son, Fielding Lewis, was a great patriot in the revolution supplying many of the cannons to the General Washington’s army, married George Washington’s sister Betty and had his residence at Kenmore.  The Kenmore estate is well preserved today, and is open to the public to visit.

There are many Vestry meeting notes in New Kent Parish mentioning Councilor John, and some of the meetings were held at his home Chemokens.  Another prominent vestyman was Captain Nicholas Meriwether, whose daughter Jane married Councilor John’s third son Robert.

Sorely Notes:

Speaker Warner married Mildred Reade.  Their daughter Elizabeth was born 1672 at Chesake in Glocester County, before Speaker Warner moved to Warner Hall in 1674.

Speaker Warner died June 19, 1681 at age 39.  A portrait of Speaker Warner hung in the library of William and Mary college in 1935.

Mildred Reade Warner died 1694.  One son pre-deceased her.  Two other sons died after her and did not have children, so Warner Hall reverted to eldest daughter Elizabeth upon death of last son.

John Lewis, son of Lewis ap Richard (Prichard, Prickett, Ryckett) and Catherine Morgan,  was born near Abergavenny.   He was baptized at St Telio’s Church Feb 22, 1591/2 in Llantilio Pertholy.

John married Johanne Lewis on Feb 3, 1610.  Johanne’s great-grandfather, Lewis ap John (Wallis) was the vicar of both Abergavenny and Llantilio Pertholy.  There is a Lewis Chapel in the church of Abergavenny in his honor.  Other ancestors of Johanne’s were Lords of the manor Triley on the slope of the Deri Mountain.  The Triley Chapel in the church of St Teilio is dedicated to them.  Their coat of arms are on the east window of the church of Llanddewi Rhydderch.  (GM p 13)

Johanne’s father Richard was Curate and Vicar of St Teilo’s Church, where John was baptized and their three children were also baptized.  It is most likely that John and Johanne met and grew up together in St Teilio’s church since it was the home church of both of their families.

John and Johane Lewis had three children baptized at Church of St Teilio.

1)      Gwenllian, Feb 5, 1611 (same name as John’s maternal grandmother)

2)      Lettus (Lettyce) March 1, 1615

3)      Watkin, January 1, 1621 (same name as John’s maternal grandfather)

Johanne is believed to have died sometime after Watkin was born, although there is no record in the church of her burial.

John had at least two sons, John and Edward, after Johanne’s death.  One author says his second wife was Catherine Phillip, but I am not aware of source documents to support that assertion.

John Lewis’s son John was baptized at the Church of St Teilo on December 15, 1633, and the church record does not name his mother.  It appears the Patronymic naming system was abandoned by 1633 because emigrant John is listed in the church register as John Lewis and not John Lewis Prickett.  The baptism of emigrant John’s youngest son Edward is not in the church register, and records are incomplete starting in 1641???

John Lewis held land and homes in the town of Abergavenny.  John was sometimes referred to as a Merchant, sometimes a Mercer; sometimes a Burgess.  He was also referred to as a Gentleman (used to denote “arms bearing”).  The History of Monmouthshire, Vol I, Pt II, p. 153, presents the “Charter of King Charles I to the Town of Abergavenny,” November 9, 1638, and named John Lewis as Senior Burgess.  One obligation of the office of Senior Burgess was to militarily defend the county in times of distress.

It has been theorized that John Lewis, along with Major William Lewis (likely the son of John’s older brother William, or possibly the nephew of John’s first wife Johanne) and Ensign Lewis (possibly son of Major Lewis), led the defense of Chepstow Castle in English Civil War when Cromwell and the Puritans took on King Charles and the Church of England.  The castle is less than 25 miles from Abergavenny, and on the border with England.  Cromwell’s forces of seized Chepstow Castle and overtook it on May 25, 1648.  A John Lewis, Major William Lewis and Ensign Lewis were taken prisoner and later exiled to Barbados for two years.

Recent evidence indicates it was not John Lewis, but another Lewis who led the defense at Chepstow Castle.

Land sale records in Wales dated May 6, 1652, show John was selling property just prior to coming to Virginia.  It was customary to list a wife in the sale if a man was married, and John is listed alone, so it appears he was widowed at that time.

If John was indeed exiled to Barabdos, upon returning to England he sold his lands, and sailed to Virginia in 1653 with his nephew Major William Lewis, sons John and Edward, and a Lida Lewis.  They most likely sailed from Bristol, England, but that cannot be confirmed because embarkation records only started being kept at Bristol in 1654, the year after they left for Virginia.

If John was not exiled to Barbados, then some other impetus led him to sell his land and journey to Virginia at an advanced age.

July 1, 1653 his Grant of Land shows he is a resident of Virginia.  John was granted 250 acres on Poropotank (Lewis) Creek.

He died 3 years later and was buried there.  His son John’s wife, Isabella Miller Lewis, is buried there also.  The graves were “discovered” by Dr Malcom Harris in 1948.  The coat of arms on the stones was the key to unlocking our family history.

Stone on John Lewis' Grave

John’s tombstone reads “Here lieth interred the body of John Lewis (borne in Munmoth shire) died the 21^st of August 1657 aged 63 years.  The anagram of his name I shew no ill”.

The Tidewater area of Virginia has sandy soil, and no local stone suitable for tombstones.  They had to be ordered from England, a process which took about two years and was very expensive.  Gravestones were uncommon in tidewater Virginia in that era, only the wealthiest had them.  The coat and tombstone indicate the survivors of Emigrant John Lewis wanted to make a permanent record of his Welsh family bloodline.

One interesting note is that, as of June 2007, Emigrant John’s tombstone is the oldest known tombstone in King and Queen County, Virginia.  We know Major William Lewis was very wealthy based on the land he purchased, and it is possible  that he is the one who ordered the tombstone for emigrant John.  Emigrant John’s son William was still a minor

First (top left) Quarter – LEWIS ARMS (coat of Rhys Goch)

Second (top right) Quarter – HOWELL Family, Prince of Caerlleon “Gules, three towers triple-towered Argent“  The son of Rhys Goch, Gemilling (Genillin, Kynyllin, Cynhyllyn) married Jenet, daughter of Sir Howel of Caerlleon.  A Grant of Arms was given to him in the eleventh century to use this arms.

Third Quartering – “Argent three Chevronels Gules“.  Coat of the de Turberville family of Crickhowell in Brecon.

Fourth Quartering – “Azure three plates“.  Fourth position is for the wife, so this was the shield of Johanna Lewis of the family Lewis of Llanddewi Rhydderch.  They were acquired by intermarriage with an heiress of the de Trevely family of that parish.  These Arms were borne by Sir Walter de Trevely who came into Wales with the Norman Conqueror, Bernard de Newmarsh.

The top quarter, the Lewis Quarter, was the “Rhys Goch” line of Brecon, Wales

The three other quarterings indicate three heiresses had married into the Rhys Goch Line – heiresses of such prominence that their Coat-of-Arms warranted being included on the shield of that family.

Lewis Motto – “Omne Solum Forti Patria Est” – “Every Land is Home to a Brave Man”.  This motto does not appear rooted in family records in Wales, and may have been originated in Virginia.

Emigrant John Lewis – Family notes:

MAJOR WILLIAM LEWIS (died between 1658 and 1667)

Major William Lewis was the son of Johanna Lewis’ brother William, so he was the nephew of Emigrant John Lewis.  He was a wealthy man when he came to Virginia, and purchased over 10,000 acres of land within five years of his arrival.  He purchased a 2,600 acre farm Chimahocans, which he referred to as “Port Holy” from Colonel John West in 1658.  Upon Major William’s death, the estate passed to Major John Lewis, the elder of the two sons of Emigrant John Lewis that came with him to Virginia.  Major William Lewis was from the Parish of Llantilio Pertholey in Wales, hence his use of the name Port Holy for his residence in Virginia.

EDWARD LEWIS

Possibly born about 1641 in Wales and attained majority in 1662.  Church of St. Teilio records are incomplete after 1640, and Edward’s baptism was not found in the church register.  There is no conclusive evidence of his marriage or any children he may have had, but there are records of an Edward Lewis who might or might not be this Edward.

LIDA (LYDIA) LEWIS

Lida was possibly a wife or daughter of John the Emigrant or Major William Lewis.  No definite identification has been made based on surviving records.  She was not listed in the land sales made by John Lewis before departing Wales, or on the land purchase made by Major William Lewis.  No record of her death has been found.

Richard Lewis born before 1537 in the area of Llangattock Crickhowell.  He  was a gentleman who lived his life in that same area.  His will was written March 15, 1627 and proved April 18, 1628, so he died between those dates.

Richard Lewis – Family Notes:

His parents were Lewis ap Thomas who married Maud, daughter of Thomas Lewis John ap Gwilym, Lord of Turbeville and Cotys??? Ref.  Maude’s family owned the Castle of Crickhowell in the market town of Crickhowell.  This castle was in ruin during Maude’s life, so although her family owned it they were not living there

The third quartering in the coat-of-arms of emigrant John Lewis was “Argent Three Chevronels Gules”.  This was the coat of the de Turberville family of Crickhowell, and came to our emigrant John Lewis through his great-grandmother Maude de Turbeville.

Crickhowell is a market town, where farmers from the surrounding countryside would come to sell their produce and goods on market day.  It is on the River Usk, between the towns of Brecon thirteen miles to the North and Abergavenny six miles to the South.  It is in the present-day Brecon Beacons National Park.

Richard’s oldest son William was educated at Oxford and became a lawyer in London.   He is named as attorney in several family land transactions.  William died before Richard’s will was testated, and his wife <name> and children <names> are among those named in Richard’s will.

Another son was given the name Lewis (our emigrant ancestor’s father), so he was called Lewis ap Richard under the Patronymic naming system used in Wales at that time. Lewis ap Richard had also died by the time Richard’s will was testated, and Lewis’s son John Lewis, our emigrant ancestor, was named in the will.

Two younger sons of Richard were Edward and Thomas who both died in 1635.

Rhys Goch (Red-Haired), also referred to as Cynhyllin foel ap Rhys Goch, Lord of Ystrad Yw and Ewyas, (T Jones: History of Brecknockshire p. 225) was a tribal chieftain born around 1070 in Breconshire, Wales.  Ystrad-Yw, literally meaning yew tree by the riverbank, was a large area containing parishes of Crichhowell, Llanbedr, Llanfihangel Cwm Du, Llangattock, Llangenny, Llanelly and Llangynidr.  Today only the area around the village of Llanbedr is still referred to as Ystrad-Yw, but that subset of the original Ystrad-Yw is not the area where our ancestors lived.

Rhys Goch was a warrior who fought the Norman invaders as they attempted to conquer Wales.  His older brother, Bleddyn ap Maenyrch, was killed in the fighting with the Norman invaders.  As second son, he inherited his Lordship.  His younger brother, <name>,

Rhys Goch’s coat of arms was “a dragon’s head erased vert, holding in its mouth a sinister hand gules“.  This same coat was on the top of the shield and in the first quarter of the coat of arms on the grave stone of our emigrant ancestor John Lewis.

The meaning of this coat has been lost in history, but one recorded theory is that the chieftan Llewellyn ap Ynyr, of Ial, or Yale, in Denbighshire was talking to his Prince, Gryffydd ap Mdaoc, Lord of Dinas Bran, after a battle.  His left hand was smeared with blood.  He accidentally drew it across his sword, and left on it the mark of his four fingers.  The Prince, observing this, ordered him to carry them on his shield.

Rhys Goch Family Notes:

King Arthur

Caradawg Freichfras

Rhys Goch’s son Gemilling married a woman Genet, daughter of  Sir Howell, Prince of Caerllon (today the city of Caerlon ), about 25 miles South of Crickhowell.  This is the town the Romans garrisoned the second legion, and extensive Roman ruins exist there today.

Sir Howell’s coat was “Gules three castles triple-towered Argent“.  Sir Howell inherited these arms from …, and gave a grant of the Howell arms to Gemilling.  These arms are found on the second quarter of the coat of arms on the grave stone of our emigrant ancestor John Lewis.

The Rhys Goch coat of arms passed down through sons to two sets of families.  The first family ended up with the names Herbert and Morgan, and the second was our Lewis family.  The Herbert / Morgan descendents settled in Llangeny, while the Lewis branch (our ancestors) remained in Llanelly.  The ancestral home of the Lewis family was Aberclycach, meaning above the Clydach. Clydach is a small settlement between Llanelly and Bryn Mawr, in the parish of Llanelly.

Four of the six history books that contain accounts of Rhys Goch  show his father as Maenyrch, Lord of Brecknock, a male descendent of Caradawg Freichfras 14?? generations removed.  Two of the six books show his father as Einion ap Gwage, not a descendent of Caradawg Freichfras.  However, all six agree that his mother was Elinor, daughter of Einion ap Seleff, Lord of Cantreff-Seleff, who descended from Caradawg Freichfras but through a different line.  So, Rhys Goch was descended from Caradawg Freichfras through one parent if not both.

Here is the family crest of our immigrant ancestor, John Lewis, the key to unlocking the history of our family.

Paste map here

Since out ancestors lived in Wales for so long, I thought it would be interesting to learn more about the culture and history of Wales over the years they lived there.  This may give you new appreciation for some of the highlights that influenced our ancestors’ lives over the centuries.

Wales is a mountainous country that proved hard for invaders to conquer.  It is about 160 mi long and 80 miles wide – roughly the size of Massachusetts.

When the Celts of the Silure tribe arrived in Wales sometime between 2,000 BC and 400BC, they entered land that was occupied by an earlier generation of native peoples.

The next wave of new peoples to come to Wales were the Romans.  In May of 43 AD, 40 years after Christ’s crucifixion, 40,000 Romans sailed to Britain.  Around 75 AD the Roman Second Legion was garrisoned at a fortress in Caerlon , home of our Howell ancestors, whose coat-of-arms is one of the four on the coat of our emigrant ancestor John Lewis’s grave.

There were thirteen Roman campaigns to subdue Wales between 48 and 79 AD.  Grain, which was needed by the Romans to feed their forces, was scarce in Wales, so it was difficult for them to eat and fight the Welsh..  The Welsh fought with guerilla tactics.  The Romans built many hill forts scattered throughout Wales to protect themselves, and over 100 of them survive to this day.

By 300 AD Christianity had more followers than the Celtic religion in Britain.  In 400AD all religions but Christianity were banned in the Roman Empire.

Around 410 AD the Romans recalled their forces home, ending the Roman Empire and their domination of England.  After the Roman departure, Angles and Saxons, both Germanic tribes, invaded and conquered much of Britain.  These Germanic peoples planted small kingdoms in South East Britain.  The 200 years after Roman withdrawal were formative years for Briton and Wales, but the written records are scarce and not at all clear.  There were many myths and fantasies, especially in the years 400 – 600.  One of the greatest is Arthur, hero of the Britons in their battle against Anglo-Saxon invaders.

There are at least two historical records of Arthur, and a handful of allusions to him from that time.  A monk named Gildas wrote in his book De Excidio that in year of his birth (believed 496 AD) there was a battle victory at Mons Badonicus, attributed to Arthur.  From 490 – 555 the Saxon communities spread, and Arthur was a leader in fighting them.

Hundreds of years later Arthur was elevated to a great hero, tied to noble chivalry in his kingdom of Camelot and the knights of the round table.   It is reasonable to believe a man named Arthur did exist, he was a leader of Brythonic (tribal Celts, early Britain) people, won a battle in 496, and died or disappeared in 515 after the battle of Camlan.  The fame of Arthur is a mystery in the history of Wales, as is the location of Mons Badonicus.  Nennius, writing History of the Britons a thousand years ago, states Mons Badonicus was one of many victories.  This suggests Arthur led mobile cavalrymen across Britain, which would be consistent with the many Arthurian traditions across Britain.

Another person of this era was Caradawg Freichfras, (Caradawg Strong Arm or Caradawg Brawny Arm).  According to Arthurian legend, Caradawg Freichfras was one of the main knights of Arthur, and his horse was named Luagor (Host -Splitter).  He is said to have died in the battle of Cattreath  in 546 AD where 360 of Arthur’s knights fought and only three survived.  In A History of Wales, Davies says Caradawg Freichfras was ………  We’ll see in the next chapter how Caradawg Freichfras fits in our family tree.

Caradawg Freichfras was the great-great grandson of Brychan, his mother being a granddaughter of Brychan.  Caradawg Freichfras became ruler of Brychenoig (early Brecon) through the right of his mother.  Breconshire is the ancient name for a section of Wales similar to a county, today part of Powys??.  It is famous for mountains called the Beacons, and contains the Brecon Beacons National Park.  These are all named after Brychan.

By 550 there were secluded monasteries in Wales.  They later dominant parts of Wales, both spiritually and materially (they controlled up to 25% of the land in Wales at their height), and were (taken over by King Edward?? in 15xx).

Llans (enclosures) were built as consecrated enclosures to bury the dead.  Later churches were built within the enclosures, and they were called llan, followed by the name of the saint or patron the church was dedicated to.  By 1200, there were over 60 churches dedicated to St David (llandewi), Teilo was #2 with 25 churches (Llantilio).  Towns and villages often took their name from the local church, which is why there are so many towns in Wales whose names starts with Llan.  Some locations of interest to our family are Llanelli, home of our ancestors for centuries,  Llandewi Rhydderch, the home parish of Emigrant John’s first wife Johanne, and Llantilio Pertholey, the church where emigrant John and his children were baptized.

There was a great plague in 549, much like the more famous Black Plague in 1349/50.  It is estimated that each plague killed about a quarter of the population of Wales.  The high percentage of people who lived outside towns probably accounts for the relatively fewer deaths in Wales compared to other parts of Europe that were more urbanized.

Approximately 600 AD the Welsh language began being written down.

Wales was divided into many small kingdoms, with much fighting between them over the centuries.  The kingdoms of Wales began being united by marriage starting around 800.

In 789, Northmen (Vikings) ravaged the coast of England.  The pagan Northmen had no respect for religion and plundered monasteries close to the coast.  By 911 the Northmen (Normans) possessed a large part of Northern France.

Around 950, Wales was wholly rural, without any cities.  People had summer (highland) pasture called hafod where they lived in huts called hafety. In the winter, the lived in lowland houses called hendre.  Their agricultural economy centered around pasturing cattle.  In later years sheep were introduced by the monks.  Grains were grown in the lowlands by this time, but raising grain did not represent the majority of the agriculture.

There were no coins in 1050 – you paid your bills in cattle.

A man’s right to own land depended on his status.  The Welsh law had a basic division between free and unfree people.  Free people included two groups – King and his relations, and a gentleman of ancestry.   Some unfree people had rights protected by law.  Others, the slaves, had no rights.  By 1300, over 50% of males were free, which was a fairly recent phenomenon.

One interesting insight into Welsh culture was galanus (blood money).  It was a fine that had to be paid to kindred if a man was killed (or paid to the owner if the person killed was a slave).  Murder was considered an offense against the family of the deceased, not a crime to punished by the state.  The amount of the galanus depended on the status of the deceased, and his status was largely determined by his ancestry.   This was spelled out in the Welsh Law, with the useful purpose of soothing anger and preventing retaliation.  Galanus was set for a male, and calculated for females.  A daughter had half the galanus of her brother.  A wife had one third the galanus of her husband.  At this time, a woman could neither own land nor transfer land to her children.

Welsh law treated marriage as a contract, unlike the Catholic Church which treated it as a sacrament.  The Welsh Law had provisions for how to distribute property in the event of divorce.  Catholics regarded Welsh Law as the “Law of the Devil” because of the way it addressed divorce.

The Norman Invasion of England occurred in 1099.  On Oct 14, 1066, William of Normandy had victory at Hastings, defeating the English King.  The Normans then spread out, conquering more land across Britain.  By 1110 the Normans built many shore castles like the one they built at Chepstow in 1086.  We will see later the Chepstow Castle played an important role in our ancestor’s decision to emigrate to Virginia.

The book History of Kings of Britain was written in 1136 by Geoffrey of Monmouth, 2^nd Bishop of St Asaph.  About a third of the book is about “King” Arthur.  When historians checked the book against other documentation, it appears most of the book was developed from Geoffrey’s imagination.  His descriptions of King Arthur were vivid, and seem to be the basis for many of the legends about Arthur.

The various kingdoms in Wales were engaged on nearly ongoing hostility over the centuries.  There had been many Kings in Wales, but by around 1200 there were only two Princes, others were “Lords”

The monasteries proliferated from 1140 – 1202 under Norman patronage.  They were large estates, containing thousands of acres.  Monks introduced sheep, and the Welsh woolen industry was pioneered at Stone Abbey?? around year???  Monks copied and preserved Welsh literature, and wrote its history.  DUPLICATE

The Welsh people were looked down upon by the English as a crude, rough people.  In 1159, the Archbishop of Canterbury said these things about the Welsh – “Welsh are Christians in name only”, “They are barbarians”, “They are a wild people who cannot be tamed”.

John signs the Magna Carta in 1215

The years following 1225 were considered a high point in Welsh history.  They were the age of Llywelyn, where the importance and power of the prince and state increased.  The autonomy of the community and kinship group declined.  Murder was now an offense against the state, not against kindred.  Money was in circulation by this point.

In 1282/3 the Principality of Wales was defeated by the army of Edward I, King of England.  In 1283 Llywelyn was killed, and the Welsh were subjugated.  Edward built many castles to help control Wales, the most famous of which is at Caernarfron. These new castles formed an “Iron Ring” around Wales that Edward used to control the land.

The Welsh revolted in 1294, and Edward led a 35,000 man army to Wales.  The revolt came to end March 5, 1295, and  five days later 500 Welshmen were slaughtered in their sleep.

By 1300, about 10% of the population lived in towns.  Before 1300 there is little evidence of trading.  By 1250 slaves were long gone as a class.  There was a smaller group of taeogion (not slaves, but not freemen either).  Most of the population were free men, bonheldwyr.

167 – Burgess??  Measure of self-government – legal and economic

172 – Welshmen in Edward II’s army were dressed in Green and White – perhaps the first national uniform.  Welsh were reputed to be troublesome soldiers -tended to get drunk, pillage and vandalize, killed prisoners rather than offer them for ransom.

180 – In the generation after the conquest, the Bardic order fell into decay

Black Plague of 1347 – 1350.  Probably about a quarter of the inhabitants of Wales died 1349 – 1350.

Welsh Law had land shared among descendents.  In 1350 the English Law system was adopted, and the oldest son got the inheritance.  Wales went from a community of fairly poor small landowners to a community of a few wealthy estate owners and a large landless proletariat

Dragon Banner was Britain’s symbol of victory in 1401

1530 – 1770 the Welsh were members of Episcopalian Church.  Wales was incorporated into England in 1536

1530 – 1770 was an era of gentry – a privileged few

Articles of Faith 1536.  Monasteries across Wales and the rest of Britain were vandalized for their wealth.  By 1539, the King had seized all property of monasteries.  NAME of King

Feb 1539 – Act of Union, listed new counties in Wales.  Established the boundaries of Wales that exist to today.  Welsh penal code was abandoned, Law of England was only law that was recognized.  In the eyes of the law, the Welsh were English.

English was to be the only language in the courts of Wales.  Those using the Welsh language were not to receive public office.  Implicit was the need to create a Welsh ruling class fluent in English.  Welsh was allowed to be spoken in church services.

2543, Second Act of Union

The New Testament was printed in Welsh in 1567.  By 1588 the entire Bible was translated to Welsh, with an updated translation in 1620 that was used for centuries.

Puritanism crystallized in 1570.  It was stronger in England, almost wholly absent in Wales.  John Perry, the first Welsh dissenter, was hanged in 1593.

Allegiance of most Welsh to the Church of England was superficial.  In 1577 it was reported that some clergy were saying mass in secret, and conducting baptisms and funerals by the Catholic rite.  People made the sign of the cross, cherished holy wells.

Morgan, Herbert, Turbeville were “members of some of the most distinguished lineages in Wales”.  They were prepared to offer protection to the Catholic loyalists who dwelt on their estates.

By the late 1500s the bards (poets) were in decline as a measure of social status.  The wealthy had more desire for family seclusion, and used books for enlightenment vs. poets reciting in large halls with guests.  The ways of expressing gentility were through coat-of-arms, grandiose tombs and extravagant expenditures.

By 1610 wool was increasing in importance, as many as 100,000 people were employed converting fleece to cloth

Gentry lusted for land – it provided substantial and stable returns

For 200 years after 1097 there were fights between King and Normans, Lords and Welsh.  Marsher Lords were loyal to the King, had border holdings (both sides of current border), and provided a buffer between the King and Welsh

Wales is a land of castles.  Unlike continental Europe where castles were homes of Kings and Lords, the castles in Wales were primarily military in nature.  The Romans constructed large garrison forts as well as smaller hill forts.  The Normans built many forts in their conquest of Wales.  King Edward I built a ring of castles around Wales to dominate the country.

1070 – 1135 there were 20 towns established in Wales, 60 by 1300

The Patronymic naming system was used in Wales though the early 1600s, making it difficult to conduct genealogical research.  A son whose first name was Mark and whose father was Harry would have the name Mark ap Harry or simply Mark Harry.  Instead of a surname that identified a family over generations like we have now, their last name changed every generation.  A daughter Ann, son of Glenn, who marked Mark Harry would be named Ann verch Glenn before marriage and Ann Harry after marriage.  Rather a confusing system by today’s standards, don’t you think?  But to the Welsh of that time, it made perfect sense.

One constant in identifying lineage of gentlemen in Wales was the Coat-of-Arms.  It was passed from father to son to grandson.  Arms were only borne by gentlemen, and you could only be a gentleman by birth.  Only individuals bearing arms could own land.  The use of the arms was taken very seriously – it was a crime punishable by imprisonment to use a Coat-of-Arms that was not yours.  Arms passed from father to sons, although upon marrying an heiress (oldest daughter whose father had no sons who produced heirs) a husband could add his wife’s coat to his shield. Wales was a land of economic inequality – most wealth was owned by a small percentage of population – and our ancestors were in that small percentage of wealthy landowners.

“The structure of Welsh society from very early times was essentially aristocratic, and it remained so until the destruction by Henry VIII of the legal concept that buttressed it.  The Welsh theory was that no one could be a freeman, inherit property, enjoy privileges, or be received into the community, unless he could prove an agnatic ancestry for a certain number of generations.”  {Heraldry and the Herald (1982), Rodney Dennis, p. 66.}  From these excerpts it is possible to understand that “bloodlines” were of the utmost importance to Welshmen of this period.

The flag of Wales is a red dragon on a background of white and green.  The dragon has been associated with Wales and our family since the Dark Ages.

 The advent of DNA testing has opened exciting new possibilities in genealogical research.  Certain DNA markers in the Y-chromosome are passed unaltered from father to son, so through analyzing these markers it is possible to determine if two males have a common male ancestor.  Part of the DNA code, called halplotype, is used as part of a current research project to trace the migration of people over thousands of years.

 I participated in DNA testing in 2007, and got enlightening results.  First, our halplotype is R1b1b2, also called R-M 269.  Based on that, our ancestors lived in the Caucasus about 10,000 years ago.  This area is bordered to the South by Turkey and Iran, East by the Black Sea, West by the Caspian Sea, and to the North by Russia.  Our ancestors were Celts, a civilization called “Keltoi” by the ancient Greeks who describeded them as barbarians. 

 (NOTE to self – order these paragraphs logically)

 The Celts were an early people who spoke a group of languages (not one single language) and were not dominated by a single leader.  They were organized primarily as family units aligned with local tribal leaders / chieftains.  They were a proud and independent tribal people occupied as warriors, hunters and farmers.  They never united as a nation due to their independent nature, which prevented them from successfully establishing a national identity.  They used iron to make their weapons.  Their horsemanship skill was high, and they used horses for battle.  They primarily stayed north of the Alps in Western Europe.  Some historians say that calling all these various tribal units by the term Celts is a misnomer, because they never were a unified group. 

 The Celts emigrated to the British Isles as early as 4,000 years ago.  Many ended up living in  what is today Scotland and Ireland, with smaller groups including our ancestors the Silures settling in Wales.  This move to Wales occurred as early as 2,000 BC, but perhaps closer to 400 BC.   Other descendents of our early ancestors did move to the British Isles, but instead remained in Germany, Austria, Sweden, France and other countries.

 The particular Celtic tribe that settled across Southeast Wales was the Silures.  If you are searching on the internet for family history, you will eventually come across references to our ancestors being the Votadini tribe, but since that tribe settled in what is today Southern Scotland and Northern England, and the Silures settled in the land our ancestors lived in, it seems unlikely that we descend from the Votadini.

 In 300 BC, the Celts were the most powerful people in Europe.  The Celts attacked Rome in 390 BC, Delphi in 280 BC.  They left their mark on Europe – Rhone, Rhine, Danube, London, Paris, Vienna are all Celtic names.

 By 52 BC, the Celts were essentially conquered by the Romans.  Having never developed a centralized state, they were defeated by a combination of organization and attrition.

 The Celts were a heroic and a hierarchical society.  They had a lot of pride, were quick to defend their homes and were described as infatuated with war.  Feasting was central to their lives, and they enjoyed wine.  The warriors took great pride in their ancestry.   Priests and warriors were free men, the rest lived in some measure of servitude.

 Another feature of the Celts was the absence of a written language.  Unlike the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, they left no written record of their history.  Instead of written history, the Celts had Bards, or storytellers, who recounted their history and exploits.  These stories were finally recorded around 1,000 years ago, and provide insight into Celtic history.

 The Celts were a religious people, but were not Christians.  They had Druid priests and believed in magical powers of nature – sacred groves of trees (especially Yew trees), glades, speaking stones, healing waters and holy animals.  The names of over 400 Celtic gods have been recorded.  The Isle of Anglesey in Northwest Wales was chief center of druidical religion in Britain.

 Several languages descending from the Celts are still spoken today – Irish, Welsh, Scots, Gaelic, Breton, Manx and Cornish.  There is a recent revival of Celtic languages and Celtic identity, particularly in the British Isles.

This book was written primarily for descendents of Samuel Howell Lewis, who was born March 12, 1796 in Mecklenberg County, VA; married Henrietta Mabrey July 4, 1818 in Warren County, NC; believed to have had children James, Samuel, Hardin and Ansell; later married Jane Darnell and had children Benjamin Darnell, Ann, Robert, and William Baugh; moved to Southern Illinois with his three youngest sons Benjamin, Robert and Will about 1845 after Jane died; died November 28, 1867 in Pope County, IL and was buried in Joyner Cemetery, Stonefort, Saline County, IL.  This book may be of interest to other descendents of the “Warner Hall” Lewis family as well.

One shortcoming of this book is the relatively little information on descendents Samuel’s sons Dr Ben and William, as well as Samuel’s older children and their descendents. I would be delighted to have contact with any of these descendents and gather more material that could be included in a future revision.

This is written in as straightforward a manner as possible.  Deciphering Welsh history and names was anything but straightforward, twisting both the tongue and brain.  I have tried to integrate much information and distill our history to its essence.  Family Notes are included in several chapters to tie in locations, historical events and people who are not our direct ancestors.

Acknowledgements:  This work could not have been possible without the efforts of family history researchers whose work this report is built upon.

Leland Lewis, whose passion for family history led him to travel widely to research family history. He interviewed many people familiar with our family, and preserved stories and lineage of Samuel Howell’s descendents in his book Lewis Genealogy 1557 – 1982. His stories of family and the area around Stonefort were an inspiration to dig deeper into our roots. Much of the information about Samuel Howell and his descendents comes from Leland’s book, and his descendents have very graciously allowed me to include it in this booklet.

• Dr Malcom Harris, whose discovery of the grave of John Lewis on Poropotank Creek near Adner, Virginia in 1948 led to unlocking the mystery of our ancestry. He was a country doctor with a keen interest in the history of the area where he practiced medicine, and spent much of his life collecting and publishing that history.
• Grace McLean Moses, whose unrelenting determination to discover factually supported historical information led to the deciphering of the coat-of-arms on the grave of our immigrant ancestor John Lewis, as well as tracing his history in Wales and Virginia. She documented her research in the book The Welsh Lineage of John Lewis (1592-1657) Emigrant to Gloucester, Virginia, ISBN 0-8063-4542-X. Dr Susan J Daves of the University of Wales was the principal researcher, conducting her extensive work in 1983/ 84 at the National Library of Wales.
• Col Edgerton Sorely who wrote “Lewis of Warner Hall, The History of a Family” in 1935, providing much valuable information on descendents of Councilor John Lewis of Warner Hall. Although his ancestry of the Lewis family of Warner Hall was borrowed from earlier published works, and is inconsistent with source documents uncovered through recent research, his book is a wonderful source of information on Councilor John Lewis and his descendents. One omission that is significant to our branch of the family is the fact that he does not list Robert Lewis of Mecklenberg as a child of Robert of Granville.
• John Cook, who transcribed source records across many states which he later published in his four volumes of the book Pioneer Lewis Families. This excellent reference is no longer in print, but can be found in select libraries.
• David Brown and Thane Harpole, archaeologists who worked at Warner Hall, and published Warner Hall, Story of a Great Plantation, ISBN0-9763585-0-6
• Dr Edy MacDonald, the driving force behind the Lewis DNA Project.
• John Davies, author of A History of Wales. Until recently he was a member of the Department of Welsh History at the University of Wales at Aberystwyth. He wrote this book in Welsh, and later translated it to English. The book is an excellent source of Welsh information and is easier to read than others I encountered on this history journey.

There has been heated controversy for at least 100 years among Lewis families in America about their origins, and we need to address it now so it does not cause some readers to be distracted later in the book.  One strongly held and widely published story by multiple Lewis families in both Virginia and New England is that their emigrant ancestor is one “General Robert Lewis”, son of Sir Edward Lewis of the Van and Lady Ann Sackville, who come to America with his wife Elizabeth on the ship “Blessing” in 1635, and received a grant of land of 33,333.3 acres.  Several Lewis books state this “General Robert Lewis” is the ancestor of the Lewis family of Warner Hall, while others state he is the ancestor of their separate line.

Here is the data that leads me to not accept General Robert Lewis as our emigrant ancestor:

• a Robert and Elizabeth Lewis sailed to the New World on the Blessing on July 16, 1635, but according to the Public Records Office in London the ship sailed to New England, not to Virginia where our ancestors landed
• Robert and Elizabeth Lewis landed in Salem Massachusetts, then moved to Newbury Massachusetts where Robert died in 1644
• Although Sir Edward Lewis of the Van and Lady Ann Sackville had a son named Robert, there is no record linking Robert Lewis of the Blessing to them
• The coat of arms used by the Warner Hall Lewis family is not the same coat as Sir Edward Lewis of the Van
• There has been no military or civil record found of a “General” Robert Lewis in either England prior to 1635 or Virginia following 1635. In fact, the British War Office has no record of any officer of any rank named Robert Lewis at that time
• All Virginia land grants from 1634 forward are recorded, and there is no grant for 33,333 acres to anyone with the last name Lewis during that era
• The grave of Isabella Miller, mother of Councilor John Lewis of Warner Hall, is one of the graves in the same small family cemetery as that of John Lewis who emigrated to America in 1653. Those grave stones, and the multiple church, court and land records that survived the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, link our Warner Hall Lewis family to the emigrant John Lewis buried in that cemetery.

Like many settlers, my ancestors moved South and then West, coming to Illinois in the 1840s where we lived until my family moved away in 1965.

My father is buried in the small Joyner Cemetery outside Stonefort, Illinois, near his father, grandfather, great-grandfather and many relatives.

I am working on a book of family history, and am publishing the work in progress on this site.