On 4/17/05 (7:14:12 PM MDT), in a posting to NY-LONGISLAND-L@rootsweb.com, Pam in California (Sowel59@aol.com) asked, "I am new to the list and hope someone can give me some advice. I am looking for the family of FRANCIS WARD LEWIS born July 17, 1817 in New York. He married MARIA EMIGDIA RAMONA GUEVARA in Santa Barbara in 1850. The marriage entry in the Santa Barbara Mission records say he was the son of FRANCIS ISAAC and EMILIA LEWIS of New York. He came to California as a sailor (mate) on the barque Elizabeth. I recently came across an article about his grandson ALBERT CHRISTIAN in which there is a quote about his grandfather. He said his grandfather Francis was a captain for 35 yrs (I think this is incorrect) and was once shipwrecked in the Indian Ocean. He also said that Francis Ward was born in Long Island, New York. Francis and Emigdia lived in California in Contra Costa County until their deaths. Does anyone have any advice on where I should look next for information on his parents? According to the marriage entry FRANCIS ISAAC was deceased at the time of his son's marriage. Better yet, if anyone is researching this family I would be delighted to hear from you and share what I have on his descendents." For a quick summary of the life of the Francis Lewis that signed the Declaration of Independence, please see: http://www.colonialhall.com/lewis/lewis.php If FRANCIS WARD Lewis is a descendent of Francis Lewis, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, whose house was located in the then Hamlet of Whitestone in the Town of Flushing in Queens County, and whose name is both a major street (Francis Lewis Boulevard) and a high school (Francis Lewis High School) in Queens (borough and county), then you might want to contact the Queens Historical Society and the Queens Borough Public Library: Queens Historical Society 143-35 37th Avenue New York (Flushing P.O.), NY 11354 Tel: 718/939-0647, ext 17 Fax: 718/539-9885 eMail: info@queenshistoricalsociety.org http://www.queenshistoricalsociety.org/ Queens Borough Public Library 89-11 Merrick Boulevard New York (Jamaica P.O.), NY 11432 Tel: 718/990-0700 Fax: 718/???-???? Contact information: http://www.queenslibrary.org/about/gen_info.asp Home page: http://www.queenslibrary.org/ I hope this information is useful or, at least, interesting. Wishing all a ziessen Pesach (sweet Passover)*, Walter Greenspan * The 8-day Biblical Festival of Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of Nissan (that's the Babylonian 'Nissan', not the Japanese 'Nissan'), which this year occurs at sunset on Saturday, April 23 on the civil calendar.