William was the son of Azariah Lewis (c 1750-1808) and Mary Ann Berry (c 1752 - aft 1808).
He married Elizabeth Burns, daughter of Philip Burns and Anna Miller, on 31 March 1812 in Washington county, Kentucky.
William was a War of 1812 veteran, for which he received a pension and a soldier's warrant, which were continued to his widow. In 1828 he and his wife and seven children started for Illinois, which was at the time extreme frontier. They made the journey with a two-wheeled cart, which was drawn by a pair of small oxen, preceded by horses. They were four weeks on the journey, and most of the family came on foot. They were among the very earliest settlers of Illinois, the country then wild and abounding with game. On their arrival in Morgan (now Cass) County, they had only fifty cents between them; and all who were able went out to work by the day and month--worked on farms, split rails, and did whatever they found to do. The honest, hard-working father was finally able to buy 40 acres of government land in Mason County, IL where William built a small cabin. He resided in this cabin until his death at age 55 in 1844. His devoted wife survived him many years, on the original 40 acres which she had assisted in reclaiming from the wilderness. By her careful management, she had acquired a nice little property. She had 12 children. (This information is from "Biographical Review of Cass County, Illinois".)
Birth and death shown on FindaGrave.com are per Debra, who said this is from data shown in the Heston Cemetery records and that it showed he was age 56 at death. Data I was given is that William died on 4 April 1844, which per above bio would have made his birth year c 1789.
Children:
Azariah, Mary, Anna, Lucinda, Alma Jane, Susan, Catherine, Landen, John, William, George W., Levi.
He married Elizabeth Burns, daughter of Philip Burns and Anna Miller, on 31 March 1812 in Washington county, Kentucky.
William was a War of 1812 veteran, for which he received a pension and a soldier's warrant, which were continued to his widow. In 1828 he and his wife and seven children started for Illinois, which was at the time extreme frontier. They made the journey with a two-wheeled cart, which was drawn by a pair of small oxen, preceded by horses. They were four weeks on the journey, and most of the family came on foot. They were among the very earliest settlers of Illinois, the country then wild and abounding with game. On their arrival in Morgan (now Cass) County, they had only fifty cents between them; and all who were able went out to work by the day and month--worked on farms, split rails, and did whatever they found to do. The honest, hard-working father was finally able to buy 40 acres of government land in Mason County, IL where William built a small cabin. He resided in this cabin until his death at age 55 in 1844. His devoted wife survived him many years, on the original 40 acres which she had assisted in reclaiming from the wilderness. By her careful management, she had acquired a nice little property. She had 12 children. (This information is from "Biographical Review of Cass County, Illinois".)
Birth and death shown on FindaGrave.com are per Debra, who said this is from data shown in the Heston Cemetery records and that it showed he was age 56 at death. Data I was given is that William died on 4 April 1844, which per above bio would have made his birth year c 1789.
Children:
Azariah, Mary, Anna, Lucinda, Alma Jane, Susan, Catherine, Landen, John, William, George W., Levi.
William was the son of Azariah Lewis (c 1750-1808) and Mary Ann Berry (c 1752 - aft 1808).
He married Elizabeth Burns, daughter of Philip Burns and Anna Miller, on 31 March 1812 in Washington county, Kentucky.
William was a War of 1812 veteran, for which he received a pension and a soldier's warrant, which were continued to his widow. In 1828 he and his wife and seven children started for Illinois, which was at the time extreme frontier. They made the journey with a two-wheeled cart, which was drawn by a pair of small oxen, preceded by horses. They were four weeks on the journey, and most of the family came on foot. They were among the very earliest settlers of Illinois, the country then wild and abounding with game. On their arrival in Morgan (now Cass) County, they had only fifty cents between them; and all who were able went out to work by the day and month--worked on farms, split rails, and did whatever they found to do. The honest, hard-working father was finally able to buy 40 acres of government land in Mason County, IL where William built a small cabin. He resided in this cabin until his death at age 55 in 1844. His devoted wife survived him many years, on the original 40 acres which she had assisted in reclaiming from the wilderness. By her careful management, she had acquired a nice little property. She had 12 children. (This information is from "Biographical Review of Cass County, Illinois".)
Birth and death shown on FindaGrave.com are per Debra, who said this is from data shown in the Heston Cemetery records and that it showed he was age 56 at death. Data I was given is that William died on 4 April 1844, which per above bio would have made his birth year c 1789.
Children:
Azariah, Mary, Anna, Lucinda, Alma Jane, Susan, Catherine, Landen, John, William, George W., Levi.
He married Elizabeth Burns, daughter of Philip Burns and Anna Miller, on 31 March 1812 in Washington county, Kentucky.
William was a War of 1812 veteran, for which he received a pension and a soldier's warrant, which were continued to his widow. In 1828 he and his wife and seven children started for Illinois, which was at the time extreme frontier. They made the journey with a two-wheeled cart, which was drawn by a pair of small oxen, preceded by horses. They were four weeks on the journey, and most of the family came on foot. They were among the very earliest settlers of Illinois, the country then wild and abounding with game. On their arrival in Morgan (now Cass) County, they had only fifty cents between them; and all who were able went out to work by the day and month--worked on farms, split rails, and did whatever they found to do. The honest, hard-working father was finally able to buy 40 acres of government land in Mason County, IL where William built a small cabin. He resided in this cabin until his death at age 55 in 1844. His devoted wife survived him many years, on the original 40 acres which she had assisted in reclaiming from the wilderness. By her careful management, she had acquired a nice little property. She had 12 children. (This information is from "Biographical Review of Cass County, Illinois".)
Birth and death shown on FindaGrave.com are per Debra, who said this is from data shown in the Heston Cemetery records and that it showed he was age 56 at death. Data I was given is that William died on 4 April 1844, which per above bio would have made his birth year c 1789.
Children:
Azariah, Mary, Anna, Lucinda, Alma Jane, Susan, Catherine, Landen, John, William, George W., Levi.
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