Robert Lewis

According to subsequent information, Robert Lewis was born about 1724. We seek information on his background and early life.

In 1773, he would have been approaching fifty when he married a somewhat younger widow named Sidney Crawford. At that time, he was identified as a merchant. His will, filed in 1796, named a son and five daughters as his living heirs.

By 1784, he had settled in Albany where he was running a landmark tavern on upper State Street. Over the next decade, "Lewis's Tavern" was a popular meeting place, auction and banquet house, ticket office, and stagecoach stop. On a number of occasions, he was paid from the city treasury.

In 1790, the census showed that a man, four boys, six females, and six slaves were living under his roof. He also owned a house on Gallows Hill.

In 1789, a tract of 200 acres on Lake Champlain (at Split Rock) was confirmed to Robert Lewis and was known as "Lewis's Patent."

Robert Lewis filed a will in August 1796. It named his wife, Sidney, son Stewart, and five daughters as his heirs. He died in June 1798 at the age of seventy four. His will passed probate in April 1799.

Sources: The life of Robert Lewis has not been assigned a CAP biography number. This sketch is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources.