Old Dead Relatives

The genealogy of my extended family

Who's Your Daddy?
First Name
Last Name
Winslow LEWIS

Winslow LEWIS[1]

Male 1770 - 1850  (80 years)

Personal Information    |    Notes    |    Sources    |    All    |    PDF

  • Name Winslow LEWIS 
    Born 11 May 1770  Wellfleet, Barnstable County, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Died 20 May 1850 
    Person ID I13588  Main
    Last Modified 8 Jun 2009 

    Father Winslow LEWIS,   b. 3 Jul 1741, Eastham, Barnstable, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 15 Jul 1801, The Spanish Main, 10 days from Barcelona Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 60 years) 
    Mother Mary KNOWLES,   b. 20 Oct 1746, Eastham, Barnstable, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 31 Jan 1807, Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 60 years) 
    Married 12 Sep 1765  Eastham, Barnstable, Massachusetts Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F4473  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Elizabeth GREENOUGH,   d. ? 
    Last Modified 26 Feb 2019 
    Family ID F10453  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Notes 
    • Winslow Lewis (1770-1850) was a sea captain, engineer, inventor and contractor active in the construction of many American lighthouses during the first half of the nineteenth century.
      A resident of Wellfleet, Massachusetts, Lewis began developing his ideas during the embargo of American shipping during the Napoleonic wars. He created a new lighting system based on Argand lamps; in 1812 the United States Congress purchased his patent rights for the system. In so doing, it awarded him a contract to equip all American lighthouses with the lamps. The fitting took four years; afterwards, Lewis won another contract, this one allowing him to supply oil to all the stations, and to visit them yearly to ensure their smooth operation.
      Lewis soon branched out into contracting work, winning bids to build new lighthouses around the country. When Stephen Pleasonton took over the responsibility for these contracts in 1820, he formed an alliance with Lewis, who was soon being awarded most lighthouse construction deals in the United States. While demand for the towers was high, funds were short, and Pleasonton took great pride in the fact that Lewis was able to do cheap, fast work.
      Lewis soon had a set of standard plans drawn up to meet demand; these plotted out five different sizes of lighthouses, at 25, 30, 40, 50, and 65 feet high. Many such towers were built; most were made of brick, but a few were constructed of stone. But Lewis knew little about proper engineering practices, and most of the lighthouses were either poorly constructed, or they were too short. Most had to be replaced; only a handful survive today.
      Little is known of Lewis' later career. His nephew, I. W. P. Lewis, was also a lighthouse builder and engineer.«s76 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winslow_Lewis»

  • Sources 
    1. [S44] Orcutt_001 gedcom file, Robert Waddell.


Notes

This website uses dates from the Gregorian calendar (New Style), unless otherwise noted.

For more information on dates, see Wikipedia: Old Style and New Style dates.

I strive to document my sources. However, some people and dates are best guesses and will be updated as new information is revealed. If you have something to add, please let me know.

Updated 23 Dec 2023