William Lewis

Brief Life History of William

When William Lewis was born in 1778, in Llangyfelach, Glamorgan, Wales, United Kingdom, his father, Thomas David Lewis, was 49 and his mother, Gwenllian Thomas, was 44. He married Mary Hopkin on 15 March 1799, in Llangyfelach, Glamorgan, Wales. They were the parents of at least 1 son.

Photos and Memories (0)

Do you know William? Do you have a story about him that you would like to share? Sign In or Create a FREE Account

Family Time Line

William Lewis
1778–
John William
1808–
Jane Lewis
1814–

Sources (4)

  • William Lewis, "Wales, Glamorgan Parish Registers, 1558-1900"
  • Wm Lewis, "Wales, Glamorganshire, Parish Registers, 1538-1912"
  • William Lewis, "Wales, Glamorganshire, Parish Registers, 1538-1912"

Spouse and Children

World Events (6)

1815

The defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo marks the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon defeated and exiled to St. Helena.

1831 · Merthyr Uprising 

Sparked by a depression that was going through Wales the previous three years, the Merthyr uprisings were carried out by workers that were in debt. In the process, twenty-four people were killed and twenty-six were arrested. Troops were brought in to stop the protestors.

1839 · The Rebecca Riots Take Place

The Rebecca Riots were a group of protests in west Wales from 1839-1843. The people involved were mostly poor farmers, primarily men dressed as women. The group was called “Rebecca and her daughters”, a title believed to have come the book of Genesis. They mostly fought against the toll-gates. There is only record of one death during the riots: a young Sarah Williams had been warned that the rioters were coming, but upon refusing to leave, was killed.

Name Meaning

English: from the Middle English, Old French personal name Lewis, Leweis, Lowis, from ancient Germanic (originally West Frankish) Hludwig (itself from hlōd- ‘fame, famous’ + wīg- ‘battle’). This was Latinized as Ludovicus and Chlodovisus, which were gallicized as Clovis or Clouis, French Louis. The name may also appear as Lawis, Laweys, Lawes, by unrounding of the vowel of Lowis on the analogy of the variation between Low and Law as pet forms of Middle English Lourence alias Laurence. This surname is also very common among African Americans. See Laws 2 and compare Lawrence .

Welsh: adopted for the Welsh personal name Llywelyn (see Llewellyn ).

Irish: shortened Anglicized form of Gaelic Mac Lughaidh ‘son of Lughaidh’. This is one of the most common Old Irish personal names. It is derived from Lugh ‘brightness’, which was the name of a Celtic god.

Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.

Possible Related Names

Discover Even More

As a nonprofit, we offer free help to those looking to learn the details of their family story.

Create a FREE Account

Search for Another Deceased Ancestor

Share this with your family and friends.