I am sure that the writer of the History of Salem, Michigan is only writing about the very beginnings of Salem, Michigan (the 1830s to 1860s). Even so, it is sad for me to read any history after 1880 that does not include the Lewis family. John William Lewis (my maternal great-grandfather), with his wife, Evangeline Smith Lewis, and his daughter Ethel Naomi(born 1877 in Ontario) and son,Raymond Chester (born 1878 on a visit to Salem in November 1878) moved to Salem in September 1879 (according to his Civil War pension records.)

John Lewis was known as "Uncle John Lewis" and also "Honest John Lewis." He was a mason (there is a mystery connected to this: John's grave stone at Thayer Cemetery has a Mason symbol and someone who researches the Masons wrote to me saying that he did not know that the Mason's had black members and that he would investigate more and let me know)and helped build many of the villages buildings. John Lewis died in 1941. I have his full obituary which states his importance to the town of Salem and the people. The Lewis Family has attended the Salem Federated Church (the red brick church on the corner of McFadden Street and Six Mile Road) since 1879 and there are still Lewis descendants there at present. I am the Lewis family historian at present, have been working on it for over 20 years, and have researched it back to the Revolutionary War.

Ambrose Lewis, my great-great-great-great grandfather. He was born approximately 1761 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, and died August 26, 1833. He served as a militia soldier in the 2nd Virginia Regiment, American Revolution (this being the war that brought about America’s independence from the British). He applied for his pension in 1787 at the age of 26. He had been severely wounded as a soldier. He also served as a sailor (more on this later). His wife’s name was Fanny (maiden name unknown). Ambrose could not do heavy labor because of his injuries. He made a small living as a barber. He and his wife had several children.

One of the children, William Berry Lewis, did not always live with his father. This information came from my grand-uncle John Franklin Lewis, a lifetime Salem resident, who at nearly age 100, died many years ago. I used to sit and ask him question after question when I was a young girl. He would give me bits and pieces of information. He was the historian of our family. He said that his father (John William Lewis) told him many things but that the younger generation did not want to know about family.

William Berry Lewis (known as “Berry”) was born (approximately 1814-1816) a free black man in Virginia (I think Alexandria, VA). He was “free” because his mother was free. That was the only way a black child could be free; the mother had to be free. I found Berry in the Free Blacks of Virginia 1830s census. He married Lucy Clanton, born approximately 1823 in Virginia, a slave and the daughter of her master Edward Clanton (a Quaker), in approximately 1839-1840. Clanton provided for her and her mother (also a slave of his) in his will. She and Berry lived in Virginia for a few years and had a daughter, Josephine, in 1842. They left Virginia because of the dangers blacks faced. (Even though Berry was free, and he had papers to prove it, it was still dangerous for blacks because slave hunters could capture black people and destroy any papers they might have).

They moved to Ohio (Mt. Pleasant, Jefferson County) and had six more children: John William (your great-uncle, my great-grandfather), born January 1845; other great-aunts and uncles—Mary Jane, born in 1847; James Ambrose, born in 1849; George, born in 1851; Charles, born in 1853; and Nancy, born in 1855.

Because of slave hunters from the deep south coming to Ohio and kidnapping adults and children (whether they were free or not), Berry thought it best to move to Canada. Canada, at that time, was the “Promised Land” for blacks who wanted to be completely free with no danger of being kidnapped. He took his wife and seven children and, it is said, traveled the Underground Railroad to Canada (going through Detroit). There is a possibility that they stopped at Second Baptist Church in Detroit, which is historically connected to the Underground Railroad experience and helping people get to Canada.

Berry and family crossed over into Canada and lived in South Colchester, Ontario (one of the Negro settlement areas there, now known as Harrow). He and Lucy had four more children: Lucy, born in 1858; Robert, born in 1860; Emmanuel, born in 1862; and Desdemona, born in 1866: eleven (11) children total.

The Berry Lewis children (some information may be repeated):
1. Josephine (b. 1842 VA- I do not know what happened to her).
2. John William (b. 1/14/1845 OH -my great-grandfather who was the undisputed first black man with family to settle at Salem, Michigan in 1879. He married Evangeline Smith (daughter of Daniel and Naomi Smith, New Canaan settlement - Ontario) in November, 1875 at Grosse Ile, MI). He was a Civil War veteran (served with the First Michigan Colored Troops a.k.a. 102nd US Troops.) He died in Salem in 1941 and is buried at Salem, Michigan.
3. Mary Jane (b. 1847 OH/d. 1914 MI). She married James W. Davis, Jr. (brother of Delos Davis - Ontario's first "coloured" lawyer) on Christmas Eve 1862. He was born on March 17, 1840 on the Potomac River in OH. His parents were James W., Sr., and Ann Davis. Mary Jane and James had ten (10) children (from 1891 census):
• Walter R., b. 1866 - married Susan Hawkins.
• Frank, b. 1867 - married (1) Abbie and then (2) Elizabeth Hulbert. She had a son and named Oscar, who later lived in Ypsilanti, MI
• Arthur J., born 1869.
• Lillie, born 1874, married Charles Campbell
• William, born 1879
• Mary A., born 1884, married Daniel S. Woodson
• Myrtle Davis, born 1886, married William Cobb
• Pearle Davis, born 1890, married to Oscar Hulburt
• (Two more children, Albert and Berrie were not listed in the 1891 Census.) I have much more history concerning Mary Jane. She died at Salem, Michigan in 1914.
4. James Lewis (b. 1849 OH) From the InGeneas Databuse (AfriGeneas) I have confirmation that James Lewis, age 25, Colchester, Ontario, born in OH, son of Berry and Lucy Ann Lewis - married - Rachel Ann McCurdy, age 18, from Colchester, Ontario, born in PA, daughter of William and Mary Ann McCurdy
•Married on December 18, 1873 at Colchester Township, Essex County, Ontario, Canada
•Witnesses & Residence: George Bissell & George W. Wright - both of Colchester
•Both James and Rachel were Methodists.
5. George Lewis (b. 1851 OH) - lived there until 1881 and maybe beyond - there is word that he moved out west to California during the Gold Rush and was a cowboy.
6. Nancy Lewis (b. 1855 OH). She married Leander Jones in 1888 (according to 1901 Ontario census) and they had three children: Thomas J. (1890 ONT - 1968 ONT); Charles (1889 ONT ); Louis, 1894 ONT - ). Nancy Lewis Jones died in July, 1915 in Anderdon and was buried in Amherstburg, Ontario.

There is no information on the rest of Berry and Lucy's children:
• Charles, b. 1853 OH
• Lucy, b. 1858 ONT
• Robert, b. 1860 ONT
• Emmanuel, b. 1862 ONT
• Desdemona, b. 1866 ONT
In the 1881 Canadian Census, Berry and several family members are listed (Census place - Colchester South, Essex, Ont./Family History Library Film #1375916/NA Film Number C-13280/District 181/Sub-district E/Division 2/Pg. #39/Household # 175):
•Berry, birth year - 1816, birthplace - USA, age 65, married, African, Methodist - occupation: Teacher.
•Lucy, age 60, married, African, Methodist.
•George, 1851, USA, age 30, African, Methodist, Teacher.
•Lucy, 1858, ONT, age 23, African, Methodist
•Robert, 1860, ONT, age 21, African, Methodist, Teacher.
•Desdemonia, 1866, ONT, age 15, African, Methodist
•Charles, 1853, USA, age 28, African, Methodist, Teacher
•Nancy, 1855, USA, age 26, African, Methodist
•Imanuel (Emmanuel), 1862, ONT, age 19, African,
Methodist, Teacher
In the 1883 ONT Census, Berry is listed as living in North Colchester Twp. Other sources include: -Illustrated Historical Atlas of the Counties of Essex and Kent, 1881, including Union Publishing Company's Farmers' Directory for County of Essex for 1883-4 - Farmers' Directory of the County of Kent of 1884-5. Publisher: Cumming Atlas Reprints. Publication place: Stratford. Volume/Page(s): 26.

In the 1891 Census there was no listing for this Lewis family.

My maternal great-grandfather, John William Lewis (Berry's first son), served as a Union soldier in the Civil War in the First Michigan Colored Troops-Company G (this name was changed to the 102nd Regiment United States Colored Troops. As a soldier, John traveled through Salem and like it very much because he and the other soldiers were treated so well. (Salem has a history regarding the Underground Railroad).

After the war, John went back to South Colchester and soon met Evangeline Smith who lived with her family in New Canaan (a Negro settlement near South Colchester). She was born on November 14, 1854 in Indiana, and was the daughter of Daniel Smith (born in Maryland) and Naomi (born in Virginia) – both Pennsylvania Dutch heritage. (I have the Smith family tree also).

John and Evangeline were married on December 10, 1875 at Grosse Ile, MI. Their first daughter was Ethel Naomi (your great-grandmother). She was born in July 1877 in South Colchester, Ontario. John had not forgotten about wanting to return to Salem. When Evangeline was pregnant with their second child (my grandfather, Raymond “Chester” Lewis), they prepared to move to Salem.

I will be adding more shortly. The Lewis family is connected to the following surnames: Daniel and Naomi Smith (New Canaan, Ontario in the 1800s); Peter and Laura Brooks (Amherstberg, Ontario-1800s-parents of early 1900s composer Shelton Brooks; Burl/Burrill-Hall of Fayette County, Lexington, KY; Williams-Cleveland,OH) I will give other names soon.