When you have a collection of many similar portraits, it’s
easy to dismiss this type of photograph as just another portrait of a man from
the 1880s. I try not to do that, but it’s true that the more unusual the
portrait, the more I’m drawn to writing about it. However, when I look at this rather
usual portrait of “Rich Lewis,” I notice his serious, but inquisitive expression. I
get the sense that he was a thinker. I probably spend way too much time looking at
portraits, trying to imagine who I’m looking at and what their personalities
might have been. So instead of guessing, let’s try to nail down who Mr. Rich
Lewis was, as best we can.
There are a few clues on the reverse of the cabinet card.
The handwritten pen inscription reads:
To Harry
-From Grandpa-
Grand Haven Mich
~Sept 6th 1881~
And at the bottom of the back:
Rich Lewis
Taken 1880 – Al [April] – 56
The photographer’s name, William Cass, Artist is
stamped across, beneath the inscription. And those of you who have read my blog before, you've probably guessed I've tried to locate an archive of Mr. Cass' photographic images for a quick solution to my photo identification problem. Sadly, no luck.
Even though we have a name, place, and date, I wasn’t
confident that I could be successful in narrowing down the identity of the man
in the portrait. Rich (Richard) Lewis could be considered a common name. The
dates given do not indicate a birth date or the marking of a special, traceable
occasion. So, for me, the biggest clue, outside of the name Rich Lewis and the
location of Grand Haven, is the name of his grandson, Harry.
I started a search on Familysearch.org with what I knew.
The first hit was a Find-a-Grave listing for Richard Lewis, born in 1824,
buried in Grand Haven. This piqued my interest because of the inscription at
the bottom of the photograph. The “56” likely refers to the age of Mr. Lewis in
1880. That would place his birth date about 1824. I put this information aside
and decided to look for the 1880 census. There was one hit. Richard Lewis was a Minister, 55 years old, married
to Margret with two daughters, Jennie K, 18, and Maggie A, 15 as well as one
grandchild living in the household. The family lived on Clinton Street. I suspected
the grandchild, Grace Dunswell, 2, could possibly be the child of another of
Richard’s daughters, not living in the household. To get a better look at the
family, I went in search of earlier censuses.
Prior to Michigan, the family lived in Canada. Based on
information in the 1871 and 1861 censuses the other children in the family were:
Alexander R, born about 1851; William H., born about 1853; Grace, born about
1855, and George, born about 1857.
I learned that Grace Swinton Dunwell, the grandchild of
Richard and Margaret Lewis, was born in Ludington, MI in 1878 to F.P. Dunwell
and Grace Swinton Lewis. Grace, the mother, died in March of 1878, possibly in
childbirth, and so Richard and Margaret Lewis took care of the child after the
death of their daughter.
This leaves Harry. Did one of the children above have a
child by that name? Yes, indeed. Alexander
R. Lewis and his wife, Gertrude Spearman had a son, Harry Spearman Lewis, born August
15, 1879, in Appleton, Wisconsin. As I was researching Harry and his parents, I
found the 1909 will of his father, Alexander, online at Ancestry.com.
I’ve read many wills as part of my various genealogical
research projects, and I have never seen one with such emphasis on family items
of genealogical value. Alexander Richard Lewis’ will details the distribution
of various photographs and bibles. The will reads, “I give and bequeath to my
son, Harry Spearman Lewis, the old family bible, dated A.D. 1683 given me by my
mother, Margaret Crawford Hart Lewis; our family bible given me by my father
and mother, Richard and Margaret C. Lewis, 1876, the pictures of my grandfather
Lewis and grandmother Lewis.” He later bequeaths to his daughter, Grace, “the
miniature of her great-great-grand-father, Henry Swinton and also of her great-grandmother,
Grace Swinton Hart.” I wonder where those items are now. I hope someone is cherishing them!
The Reverend Lewis died 22 Jul 1902, and is
buried in Lake Forest Cemetery, Grand Haven. The following notice in the
Hinsdale Doings newspaper (Hinsdale, IL) on August 8th, 1902 provides a little
background information on Richard Lewis' movements and ministerial life:
“The sympathy of his friends is extended to Geo. F.
Lewis who was lately called to be with his mother and
family. Rev. Richard Lewis died at his home in Grand Haven,
Mich., July 22, he was nearly 78 years old. Born in
England, his parents moved to Brooklyn, N. Y.,when he was
ten years old. There he spent the years of his early manhood.
Later the family moved to Canada where he worked with
his father not until he was nearing middle life and had
four children … the call of God. … graduated in 1863 from
Canadian Congregational College, now affiliated with McGill
University of Montreal and in 1874 returned to the U.S.
His aged wife of 52 years survives him.”
So, is this the image of the Richard Lewis,
Congregationalist Minister, of Grand Haven, Michigan, and earlier of Canada and
Portsmouth, England? Is Harry, the recipient of the photograph, Harry Spearman
Lewis? I can’t say absolutely. It’s a possibility. After viewing a photograph
of the Reverend Richard Lewis on the Familysearch Tree, I think the possibility
is even greater. It does look like him, much older, but I feel it is the same
person. What do you think? I’ve included a link to the Familysearch page in the
sources list below.
This photograph was found at an antique store in Victoria, British Columbia.
*********
Sources:
"Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch
(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVG2-VR2C : 14 April 2023),
Richard Lewis, ; Burial, Grand Haven, Ottawa, Michigan, United States of
America, Lake Forest Cemetery; citing record ID 128073938, Find a Grave,
http://www.findagrave.com.
"United States
Census, 1880", database with images, FamilySearch
(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MW34-DDQ : Wed Aug 02 17:53:18 UTC
2023), Entry for Richard Lewis and Margret C. Lewis, 1880.
"United States
Census, 1880", database with images, FamilySearch
(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNH4-2CV : Thu Aug 03 13:34:09 UTC
2023), Entry for Alexander R. Lewis and Gertrude S. Lewis, 1880.
"Canada
Census, 1871," database, FamilySearch
(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4QZ-RZC : 7 April 2022), Richard
Lewis, Belleville, Hastings, Ontario, Canada; citing 1871; citing National
Archives of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario.
"Canada,
Ontario Census, 1861," database, FamilySearch
(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X3FX-469 : 9 March 2018), Richard
Lewis, Jr., Saint James' Ward, Toronto City, Ontario, Canada; citing p. 117,
line 4; Library and Archives Canada film number C-1105 & C-1106, Public
Archives, Toronto; FHL microfilm 390,245.
Michigan, U.S., Death Records, 1867-1952 [database
on-line] Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca).
Richard Lewis, 22 Jul 1902, Certificates, 1897-1920, 051: Oakland-St Clair,
1902. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.ca.
History of Ottawa County, Michigan with illustrations and
biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Chicago : H. R. Page, 1882. Page 46.
Richard Lewis biography.
Encyclopedia of History, Volume I: People. Wallace K. Ewing, 5th
digital printing, January 2022. William Cass, biography. https://www.loutitlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/HISTdirectoriesi2.pdf
Encyclopedia of
History, Northwest Ottawa County, Volume I: People. Wallace K. Ewing, 6th
digital printing, January 2023. Richard Lewis biography. https://www.loutitlibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/HISTdirectoriesi.pdf
"Michigan Marriages, 1868-1925," database with
images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N3D3-P3P :
18 February 2021), George Calvin Asby and Grace Swinton Dunwell, 6 Aug 1902;
citing Marriage, Ludington, Mason, Michigan, , Citing Secretary of State,
Department of Vital Records, Lansing; FHL microfilm 4032371.
"Michigan Marriages, 1868-1925," database with
images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NQS6-G5J :
18 February 2021), Frank P Dunwell and Grace Swinton Lewis, 30 Jan 1877; citing
Marriage, Ludington, Mason, Michigan, , Citing Secretary of State, Department
of Vital Records, Lansing; FHL microfilm 4207589.
"Michigan Births, 1867-1902", database with
images, FamilySearch
(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NQ4Z-J4M : 22 April 2023), Grace
S. Dunwell, 1877.
Ancestry.com. New Jersey, U.S., Wills and Probate
Records, 1739-1991 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com
Operations, Inc., 2015, will for Alexander Richard Lewis, 5 Mar 1909, citing Probate
Records, 1780-1930; Indexes, 1803-1971 [Middlesex County, New Jersey]; New
Jersey. Surrogate's Court (Middlesex County), Wills, Vol Y, 1910-1911.
"England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes
(RG4-8), 1588-1977," database, FamilySearch
(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FWXH-2V5 : 11 December 2014), Richard
Lewis, 03 Feb 1825, Baptism; citing p. 167, Portsea, Hampshire, record group
RG4, Public Record Office, London.
"United States, Social Security Numerical
Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007", database, FamilySearch
(https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6KSB-9MWK : 10 February 2023),
Alexander R Lewis in entry for Harry Spearman Lewis,
Image of Rev. Richard Lewis on Familysearch Tree (you'll need to sign in): https://www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/100150011?p=27491998&returnLabel=Richard%20Lewis%20(MVD1-P3D)&returnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.familysearch.org%2Ftree%2Fperson%2Fmemories%2FMVD1-P3D
