Thank you, Sandra! The Great Valley church reference is very helpful! I think it's clear that in the 1750s and '60s I'm looking at Vincent Twp--and perhaps later, given this reference. My father always said they were Quaker, but how he would know that, I don't know--certainly no indication of that later--though a lot of dismissals from meeting early. Since I was a Lewis surname for about 30 years, I'm well aware of how common Lewis is--the most common name in Wales--and they all came to the states! Also some Scottish ones, but I think I'm looking at Welsh here in Chester. One of Philip's sons even claimed his father was born in Wales on one census--but the other brothers all say PA. Wasson is an odd name. It appears to be Ulster Scot. There was an Archibald Wason/Wasson in Chester 1745, but he left for NC early. However. in 1771 a Robert Wason/Wasson (also found it transcribed as Warson in 1765) was a landowner in Chester. A Matthew Wasson left a will in Birmingham Twp 1773. I had never heard it before I read Z.T. Lewis' letter about his grandfather's first wife. Thanks again! Karen ----- Original Message ----- From: Sandra Ferguson<mailto:ferg@ntelos.net> To: PA-OLD-CHESTER-L@rootsweb.com<mailto:PA-OLD-CHESTER-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, July 17, 2006 5:59 PM Subject: Re: [PaOldC] Lewis/Wasson An inmate, by definition, is a single man who lives in the township but doesn't own land. So, he could be employed by someone else and be given his board, or even rent property in his own name...there is no way to tell by the term inmate...only that he owned no land, was single., and lived in the twp. I'm sure you know that the name Lewis is an extremely common one in Chester Co, and there are many seemingly pa-unrelated Taylor families, which makes your problem harder....there are probably 50 listed in the 1765 Chester Co Archives.... and dozens in the index of Futhey and Cope.. I find both a Philip and a Enoch Lewis as having been baptized as members of the Great Valley Baptist Church....this was around 1770. An Enoch Lewis is listed on a letter, Sept 21, 1771, as wishing to leave the Great Valley Church and join the newly created Vincent branch of the Great Valley. There were also Lewises who were Quakers, and an Enoch Lewis is listed as a teacher at the Friends Boarding School, in the 1790s. The given name Enoch seems to be a not uncommon one for those with the Lewis surname. I checked the CD of PA wills and found the name Enoch Lewis mentioned as witness in several area wills; Haverford 1731; Williston 1768 and 1771;East Whiteland 1768. There are none that mention the name Philip Lewis. I can't find any sort of mention of the surname Wasson in Chester resources. I did find mention of a Henry Wasson in Del Co, but in 1802...and a will, probably for the same Henry...in 1825.. Sandra I am descended from Philip Lewis, born ca. 1751, who was in Adams/Scioto Ohio by 1796 (deed). A family history by his grandson Zachary Taylor Lewis (1847-1900) was published in the Lewisiana letters in the 1890s. In that history, Z.T. says that Philip lived on the Cheat River in PA. and served as a wagon master in the Revolution. He also thought Philip's father was an Enoch who was killed by Indians in PA "about the time of the Revolution." > > While there is not a stated link to Chester Co. there was a Philip Lewis > who served as a Private in Capt. John Heister's Company, First Class, > Chester County Militia of Foot, commanded by Col. John Hannum. He entered > service 28 Jun 1777. Based on this claim--and with no other apparent link > that I can see, DAR, accepts the Philip in Chester as the Philip in Adams > Co. OH. > > I have recently been trying to verify Z.T.'s history--and determine if the > link between the two Philips is accurate. I started with the assumption > that the Philip in Washington Co. PA 1790 was the one in Ohio--and after > consulting tax records for Washington and Westmoreland counties, I can > place a Philip Lewis in Greene Twp, Washington, 1782--through which runs > the Cheat River. Additionally, I have found one tax record from > Westmoreland Co.(Washington created from Westmoreland 1781) which includes > Philip Lewis Sr. and another Philip Lewis just households apart. It is my > suspicion that Z.T. was wrong about the name of OH Philip's father--I > think he was also Philip Lewis. The grandfather was probably Enoch (the > name recurs in the Ohio Lewises). > > So on to Chester. Though I have barely begun, I have found an older Philip > in Chester records. He served in Capt. Adam HEYLMEN's Co., French & Indian > War (1756): Chester County, PA > Called "an Independant Company, under the Denomination of the St. Vincent > and > Pike's Land Assoc........raised in May of 1756, with Adam Heylmen, Capt., > John > Hart, Lt., Adam Roontour , Ensign. There is also a Philip Lewis in Vincent > Twp 1765 (listed as inmate--haven't gotten the actual record to see what > household he's in--perhaps a boarder--a lot of single men and inmates in > Vincent 1765. What was going on there?). In 1774 there is a Philip listed > as a property owner in West Nantmel who could be either--but is probably > the older one. And then there is the 1777 enlistment--which again could be > either, but is probably the younger one. > > Since finding that there were probably two Philips in both Chester and > Westmoreland, I am becoming more convinced that Philip of Ohio was indeed > the Rev. soldier from Chester, but thus far have been unable to connect > them to the major Lewis families there. The name "Enoch" seems the best > clue. > > Z.T. Lewis's history also says that Philip's (younger) first wife was > Elizabeth Wasson, the widow Thomas, and so I am interested in the Robert > Wasson who also appears in Chester records at an appropriate time to be > her father, though I am more interested in identifying an Enoch Lewis who > might have been the father of the older Philip--and in ascertaining if > there are any more records on a Philip Lewis in Chester records. -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.10.1/389 - Release Date: 7/14/2006 ==== PA-OLD-CHESTER Mailing List ==== Unsubscribing.... To leave PA-old-chester-l, send mail to PA-old-chester-l-request@rootsweb.com<mailto:PA-old-chester-l-request@rootsweb.com> with the single word unsubscribe in the message or subject slot. 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Can anyone tell me what the origin of the Vincent Township is? Kim Spangrude On Jul 17, 2006, at 9:17 PM, DAVID KAREN DALE wrote: > Thank you, Sandra! The Great Valley church reference is very helpful! > I think it's clear that in the 1750s and '60s I'm looking at Vincent > Twp--and perhaps later, given this reference. My father always said > they were Quaker, but how he would know that, I don't know--certainly > no indication of that later--though a lot of dismissals from meeting > early. > > Since I was a Lewis surname for about 30 years, I'm well aware of how > common Lewis is--the most common name in Wales--and they all came to > the states! Also some Scottish ones, but I think I'm looking at Welsh > here in Chester. One of Philip's sons even claimed his father was born > in Wales on one census--but the other brothers all say PA. > > Wasson is an odd name. It appears to be Ulster Scot. There was an > Archibald Wason/Wasson in Chester 1745, but he left for NC early. > However. in 1771 a Robert Wason/Wasson (also found it transcribed as > Warson in 1765) was a landowner in Chester. A Matthew Wasson left a > will in Birmingham Twp 1773. I had never heard it before I read Z.T. > Lewis' letter about his grandfather's first wife. > > Thanks again! > Karen > > >