William Lewis 10th great grandfather on RootsMagic tree

William Lewis was born in Cardiff, Wales January of 1594. In 1620 he married Felix Collins also of Wales. On June 22, 1632 William, Felix and their young son William Jr. sailed from London to New England, arriving in Boston on September 16, 1632.

John Winthrop of New England kept a journal in 1630s and 40s, one thing he recorded was ships arriving and leaving. “He brought one hundred and twenty three passengers whereof fifty children, all in health, they had been twelve weeks aboard and eight weeks from Land’s end.”

The Winthrop Journals are at HathiTrust  more info on John Winthrop at Wikipedia 

William settled first in Cambridge and was a freeman on Nov 6, 1632. He moved to Hartford then Farmington, Connecticut where he was a selectmen, constable and deputy. As a selectmen William would have helped put his new town together, selectmen explained at Wikipedia  “In most New England towns, the adult voting population gathered annually in a town meeting to act as the local legislature, approving budgets and laws. Day-to-day operations were originally left to individual oversight, but when towns became too large for individuals to handle such work loads, they would elect an executive board of, literally, select(ed) men to run things for them.”

William wrote and signed a will August 30, 1683, his estate was settled December 18 1683, his son William was executor. “I William Lewis, being stricken in years, do think it meet to set in order the Estate which God hath graciously given me.” Volume 1 page 331 A digest of the early Connecticut probate records at HathiTrust.

William Lewis 1594 – 1683
William Lewis 1620 – 1690
Mary Lewis  1645 – 1690
Hannah Judd  1681 – 1747
Hannah Smith  1711 – 1785
Prudence Risley  1735 – 1816
Joseph Gaines  1756 – 1841
Obed Gaines  1793 – 1877
William Newcomb Gaines  1825 – 1907
Mary Ella Gaines  1855 – 1917
William E Miller  1879 – 1949
Faber W Miller  1905 – 1957