U.S. Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ -- USGenNet Inc. -- Please read the U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on the following page: ------------------------------------------------------------------- Lewis, Charles Cameron Jr. (1865-1943) ------------------------------------------------------------------- Men of West Virginia, Volume II Biographical Publishing Company George Richmond, Pres.: C. R. Arnold, Sec'y and Treas. Chicago, Illinois, 1903 Pages 705-707 COL. CHARLES CAMERON LEWIS, Jr., of the firm of Lewis, Hubbard & Company, one of the largest wholesale houses in the grocery line in West Virginia, and a leading concern of Charleston, was born August 28, 1865, in Kanawha County, West Virginia, and is a son of Charles Cameron and Elizabeth (Wilson) Lewis. The Lewis family has long been one of prominence, and of both social and commercial integrity in this section of the country for many years. The founder of the family in Virginia was John Lewis, a son of Andrew and Mary (Calhoun) Lewis, who was born in 1678, in County Donegal, province of Ulster, Ireland, and died in Virginia in 1762. Previous to settling in Augusta County, Virginia, he lived in Pennsylvania where he awaited the coming of his family. It is said that the family was of French Huguenot stock, driven from France to Ireland by religious persecutions. Other authorities, with probably more reason, assign it Welsh derivation. Although born in Ireland John Lewis was educated in Scotland and was a man of influence. He possessed by inheritance a handsome estate in Ireland and also leased valuable property contiguous to his own. In 1732, with others he came to America and settled upon a grant of 40,000 acres of land which had been obtained by Isaac Win Meter and his brother by warrant from the Governor of Virginia. John Lewis was the first white settler in Augusta County, and founded the town of Staunton. He married Margaret Lynn, a native of Ireland, whose father was the Laird of Loch Lynn, and a descendant of the chieftains of the once powerful clan of Lynns in the Scottish highlands. Four sons were born to them in Ireland, — Samuel, Thomas, Andrew and William, — and one in America — Charles — besides two daughters, Margaret and Anne. In 1732 he settled near what is now Staunton, Virginia. There despite the wild conditions and the depredations of Indians, he amassed a large fortune. In 1745 Augusta County was organized and John Lewis was appointed a magistrate. The first court house was erected at Staunton on the site of the present county clerk's office and the first court was held December 9, 1745. The descendants of John Lewis figured conspicuously during the Revolution and became important factors in county and State affairs. Col. William Lewis, a son of John Lewis, established a home at Sweet Springs, Monroe County, Virginia, now West Virginia; this ancestral home was recently purchased by the subject of this sketch. It was one of the original land grants, and now includes 2,000 acres. It is a valuable property for either agricultural purposes or as a summer resort. Charles Cameron Lewis was educated in the public and high schools of Charleston and Hampden-Sidney College at Hampton Springs, Virginia, and later graduated from the Kanawha Military Institute. He became a civil engineer but before he had made much headway in his profession he accepted a position as treasurer of the Kanawha & Michigan Railway Company, and continued with this company until the wholesale business of Lewis, Hubbard & Company was organized in 1880. He is also interested in the Payne Shoe Company, with headquarters at Charleston. He is a man of great executive ability and is largely interested in coal land's and companies of West Virginia. He is president of the Greenbrier Grocery Company at Ronceverte; president of the Charleston Electrical Supply Company and in every way is a representative business citizen. On September 9, 1898, Colonel Lewis was made inspector general of the West Virginia National Guards under Governor George W. Atkinson and he was very active in recruiting the ranks after the Spanish- American War had withdrawn so many members. Later he was promoted to the rank of brigade adjutant general with the rank of colonel. Colonel Lewis is a Republican in politics, but is no politician. He is a progressive and honorable business man and enjoys a large measure of the public esteem. ------------------------------------------------------------------- DEATH CERTIFICATE, Kanawha County WV, #2957 FULL-NAME: Charles Cameron Lewis BIRTH-DATE: August 28, 1865 BIRTH-PLACE: Malden, West Virginia DEATH-DATE: March 4, 1943 AGE-AT-DEATH: 77y-6m-4d DEATH-PLACE: 1202 Kanawha Blvd., Charleston, Kanawha County, WV USUAL-RESIDENCE: 1202 Kanawha Blvd., Charleston, Kanawha County, WV MARITAL-STATUS: Married (Mrs. Evelyn Lee Lewis) OCCUPATION: Wholesale Grocer FATHER: Charles Cameron Lewis, Sr. (born in Kanawha Co.) MOTHER: Bettie Wilson (born in Kanawha Co.) CAUSE-OF-DEATH: Myocarditis / Arteriosclerosis INFORMANT: Mrs. Evelyn Lee Lewis (of 1202 Kanawha Blvd., City) BURIAL: Springhill Cemetery ------------------------------------------------------------------- If you've reached this file through a SEARCH, you can access other biographies for Kanawha County, WV by going to the following URL: http://www.us-data.org/wv/kanawha/bios.html -------------------------------------------------------------------