Fielding Lewis
Encyclopedia
Fielding Lewis was a Colonel
during the American Revolutionary War
and the brother-in-law of George Washington
.
Lewis was born at Warner Hall in Gloucester County
, Virginia
, the son of John Lewis (1694-1754) and Frances Fielding (c1702-1731). He was the third of seven children. One of his father's brothers, Robert Lewis (1704-1765), was the grandfather of famed explorer Meriwether Lewis
.
Lewis married Catharine Washington on October 18, 1746. She was his second cousin, daughter of John Washington and Catharine Whiting and first cousin to George Washington. The marriage produced three children. Catharine died on February 19, 1750.
His second marriage was to another second cousin, Betty Washington, the sister of George Washington, on May 7, 1750. The marriage produced 11 children, including Lawrence Lewis, who married Eleanor Parke Custis, George Washington's adopted daughter and step-granddaughter. Betty outlived Fielding, passing in 1797.
Commissary General of Munitions during the American Revolutionary War
, Lewis held the rank of Colonel
. He and his second wife resided near Fredericksburg, Virginia
. In 1769, Fielding and Betty started construction of a large Georgian mansion, which was completed in 1775 at their estate, later named Kenmore House
. It is now open to the public for viewing. Lewis died in Fredericksburg in 1781.
The Kenmore estate purchased the property said to be "George Washington's Boyhood Home", Ferry Farm
, to keep it from being developed. Both Fielding and his wife Elizabeth "Betty" are commemorated with street names in the nearby Ferry Farm subdivision
(Fielding Circle and Betty Lewis
Drive).
His great-granddaughter was Catherine Willis Gray
who married into the Bonaparte
family of France. A sixth-generation descendant, Fielding Lewis Wright
, was Governor of Mississippi.
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
and the brother-in-law of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
.
Lewis was born at Warner Hall in Gloucester County
Gloucester County, Virginia
Gloucester County is within the Commonwealth of Virginia in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area in the USA. Formed in 1651 in the Virginia Colony, the county was named for Henry Stuart, Duke of Gloucester, third son of King Charles I of Great Britain. Located in the Middle Peninsula region, it...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, the son of John Lewis (1694-1754) and Frances Fielding (c1702-1731). He was the third of seven children. One of his father's brothers, Robert Lewis (1704-1765), was the grandfather of famed explorer Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis was an American explorer, soldier, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition also known as the Corps of Discovery, with William Clark...
.
Lewis married Catharine Washington on October 18, 1746. She was his second cousin, daughter of John Washington and Catharine Whiting and first cousin to George Washington. The marriage produced three children. Catharine died on February 19, 1750.
His second marriage was to another second cousin, Betty Washington, the sister of George Washington, on May 7, 1750. The marriage produced 11 children, including Lawrence Lewis, who married Eleanor Parke Custis, George Washington's adopted daughter and step-granddaughter. Betty outlived Fielding, passing in 1797.
Commissary General of Munitions during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, Lewis held the rank of Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
. He and his second wife resided near Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
. In 1769, Fielding and Betty started construction of a large Georgian mansion, which was completed in 1775 at their estate, later named Kenmore House
Kenmore Plantation
Kenmore, perhaps also known as Kenmore Plantation, was the home of Fielding Lewis in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Fielding was married to Betty Washington Lewis, the sister of George Washington. The house was built in the 1770s on a plantation. The property was purchased by the Gordon family in 1819...
. It is now open to the public for viewing. Lewis died in Fredericksburg in 1781.
The Kenmore estate purchased the property said to be "George Washington's Boyhood Home", Ferry Farm
Ferry Farm
Ferry Farm, also known as George Washington Boyhood Home Site or Ferry Farm Site, is the name of the farm and home at which George Washington spent much of his childhood. The site is located in Stafford County, Virginia, along the northern bank of the Rappahannock River, across from the city of...
, to keep it from being developed. Both Fielding and his wife Elizabeth "Betty" are commemorated with street names in the nearby Ferry Farm subdivision
Subdivision (land)
Subdivision is the act of dividing land into pieces that are easier to sell or otherwise develop, usually via a plat. The former single piece as a whole is then known in the United States as a subdivision...
(Fielding Circle and Betty Lewis
Betty Washington Lewis
Betty Washington Lewis was the younger sister of George Washington and the only sister to live to adulthood. She was the first daughter of Augustine Washington and Mary Ball Washington. She is considered a "founding mother" of America.She was born Elizabeth Washington in Westmoreland County,...
Drive).
His great-granddaughter was Catherine Willis Gray
Catherine Willis Gray
Catherine Daingerfield Willis Gray Murat was born near Fredericksburg, Virginia and died in Tallahassee, Florida, United States.-Family:...
who married into the Bonaparte
Bonaparte
The House of Bonaparte is an imperial and royal European dynasty founded by Napoleon I of France in 1804, a French military leader who rose to notability out of the French Revolution and transformed the French Republic into the First French Empire within five years of his coup d'état...
family of France. A sixth-generation descendant, Fielding Lewis Wright
Fielding L. Wright
Fielding Lewis Wright was a Democratic politician who served as Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi from 1944 to 1946, then as Governor after the incumbent, Thomas L. Bailey, died in office in 1946. Wright was elected Governor in his own right in 1947 and served a full four year term...
, was Governor of Mississippi.
External links
- http://www.hffi.org/fieldinglewisstore.html Restoration of Fielding Lewis' Store in Fredericksbug, VA
- Historic Kenmore, the Kenmore estate website.