Early Years and Public Career
On April 6, 1742, John Lewis bought 406 acres of land in Fredericksburg, a growing port town on the Rappahannock River in Spotsylvania County and the site of a state tobacco inspection station. Soon he established a store that sold a wide variety of items—including clothing, rum, sugar, and writing supplies—that were likely imported from abroad on Lewis-owned ships. In 1744, John Thornton, who previously owned a tavern in Fredericksburg, became the factor, or manager, of Lewis's business. By April 1747, Fielding Lewis lived in Fredericksburg and helped with the store's management. John Lewis died in 1754, and in February 1757 Fielding Lewis sold the store to Thornton.
Lewis was often entrusted with financial affairs, selling other peoples' lands, executing wills, ensuring that members of the county militia were paid, or, on one occasion, helping to determine the worth of tobacco that was lost in a flood. His judgment of markets was trusted enough, at least, that the colonial government used him as a resource in diplomatic affairs. In December 1751, the governor's Council asked him and two other Fredericksburg merchants, Charles Dick and Robert Jackson, to determine the value of goods that were to be given in a treaty ceremony to Indians in Ohio. Both Lewis and Washington were investors in the Dismal Swamp Company, an unsuccessful venture to drain and develop swampland along the border of Virginia and North Carolina. On November 3, 1763, they signed the "Articles of Agreement of the Dismal Swamp Company," but the venture was not successful. Lewis, who contributed more than £587 with Anthony Bacon, was later sued by Bacon for their losses.
About this time Lewis began construction on his nearly 1,300-acre estate just outside Fredericksburg. A Georgian brick manor house, possibly designed by John Ariss and not given a name, was finished by 1775. In 1819 a later owner, Samuel Gordon, named the house Kenmore and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
American Revolution
On December 14, 1774, Lewis was elected chairman of the forty-five-member Spotsylvania County Committee. One of his first tasks was "to contract for" necessary materials, such as lead, gunflints, and gunpowder. Fredericksburg's position halfway between Alexandria and Williamsburg made it a fitting supply depot, and Lewis was often ordered to send supplies such as salt, lead, and gunpowder either to the Continental army or the state militia. Lewis also was involved in the early formation of Virginia's navy, helping to finance, equip, and staff several ships to patrol the Rappahannock River.
Early on, Dick projected that the manufactory would be able to make 100 muskets per month. Ebenezer Hazard, a visitor to Fredericksburg, reported that in May 1777 the factory produced 20 muskets per week, each costing £4 of Virginia currency to make. Whatever the average output of the factory may have been, the project was increasingly plagued for money as the years passed. On January 4, 1781, Dick wrote to Governor Thomas Jefferson: "I shall continue to direct the Factory and Keep the Workmen together if possible, which I find pretty difficult to do without money and Provisions." A few weeks later, on January 23, he wrote to Jefferson that, because of currency depreciation, the real value of the £1,000 payment he and Lewis had received in 1779 for their services was just £43.
Later Years
As early as January 1780, Lewis mentioned his failing health in a letter to George Washington, and the stress of managing the factory and his own debt likely were contributing factors. His will was drafted on October 19, 1781, and divided his assets—including land in and near Fredericksburg and in Kentucky, in addition to 102 slaves—between his wife and six sons. Lewis died sometime late in 1781 or early in 1782; his will was proved on January 17, 1782. He is buried at an unrecorded site in Frederick County. The state never repaid its debt to Lewis and the manufactory closed in 1783. Betty Lewis died on March 31, 1797. The estate she left behind was valued at £245.
Time Line
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July 7, 1725 - Fielding Lewis is born at Warner Hall in Gloucester County.
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1731 - Frances Fielding Lewis, the wife of John Lewis IV, dies from complications related to childbirth.
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Winter 1734–1735 - John Lewis IV and Priscilla Churchhill Carter are married.
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April 6, 1742 - John Lewis IV purchases 406 acres of land in Fredericksburg. He soon establishes a store there.
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1744 - John Lewis IV hires John Thornton as the factor, or manager, of his store in Fredericksburg.
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October 18, 1746 - Fielding Lewis and Catherine Washington marry in Gloucester County.
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April 1747 - By this date Fielding Lewis is living in Fredericksburg and learning to manage his father's store there.
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February 1749 - Fielding Lewis is sworn in as a justice of the peace for Spotsylvania County.
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February 19, 1750 - Catharine Washington Lewis, the wife of Fielding Lewis, dies from complications related to childbirth.
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May 7, 1750 - Fielding Lewis and Elizabeth (Betty) Washington marry.
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December 1751 - The governor's Council asks Fielding Lewis, Charles Dick, and Robert Jackson to determine the value of goods that are to be given in a treaty ceremony to Indians in Ohio.
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November 8, 1753 - Fielding Lewis wins election to the vestry of Saint George's Parish.
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January 17, 1754 - John Lewis IV dies at Warner Hall, his plantation in Gloucester County.
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February 1757 - Fielding Lewis sells his store in Fredericksburg to the manager, John Thornton.
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October 1757 - Fielding Lewis is named county lieutenant, a position that put him in command of Spotsylvania County's militia, with the rank of colonel.
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February 1758 - Fielding Lewis, the new commander of the Spotsylvania County militia, takes the oath of office.
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1760–1769 - Fielding Lewis represents Spotsylvania County in the House of Burgesses.
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November 3, 1763 - Fielding Lewis signs the Dismal Swamp Land Company Articles of Agreement.
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April 1765 - The Associates of Dr. Bray opens a school in Fredericksburg for the education of slaves.
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October 31, 1768 - Fielding Lewis reports an enrollment of nine students at the Bray school in Fredericksburg.
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1769 - After the removal of Benjamin Grymes, Fielding Lewis becomes the ranking justice of the Spotsylvania County court.
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Winter 1769–1770 - Fielding Lewis closes the Bray school in Fredericksburg.
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December 14, 1774 - Fielding Lewis is elected chairman of the forty-five member Spotsylvania County Committee.
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1775 - Construction is completed on a Georgian brick manor house built by Fielding Lewis on the outskirts of Fredericksburg. A later owner will name it Kenmore.
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August 26, 1775 - The third Revolutionary Convention orders that "a manufactory of arms be erected at or near Fredericksburg."
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November 14, 1775 - In a letter to George Washington, Fielding Lewis writes that progress has been made in establishing a gun factory in Fredericksburg.
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February 9, 1781 - In a letter to the state treasurer, George Brooke, Fielding Lewis explains that he has borrowed considerable sums for the gun factory in Fredericksburg.
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October 19, 1781 - Fielding Lewis drafts a will, dividing his assets between his wife and six sons.
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January 17, 1782 - The will of Fielding Lewis is proved in Spotsylvania County.
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March 31, 1797 - Elizabeth "Betty" Washington Lewis, the widow of Fielding Lewis, dies.
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1819 - Samuel Gordon names his brick Georgian manor house in Fredericksburg, built in the 1770s by Fielding Lewis, Kenmore.
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1970 - Kenmore, a brick Georgian manor house in Fredericksburg, built in the 1770s by Fielding Lewis, is added to the National Register of Historic Places.
References
Further Reading
Cite This Entry
- APA Citation:
Hoppe, G. Fielding Lewis (1725–1781 or 1782). (2016, December 20). In Encyclopedia Virginia. Retrieved from http://www.EncyclopediaVirginia.org/Lewis_Fielding_1725-1781_or_1782.
- MLA Citation:
Hoppe, Geoff. "Fielding Lewis (1725–1781 or 1782)." Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, 20 Dec. 2016. Web. READ_DATE.
First published: November 3, 2016 | Last modified: December 20, 2016