“Thomas Lewis was an active and successful man, and in addition to being a ship-owner and pilot was evidently engaged in trade and in the sale of liquor. He first figured in the Mayor’s Court February 5, 1667, when he was sued by John Danrell, and the matter was referred to arbitrators. On the 7th of the same month he contributed eight beaver skins to the support of the minister. He was engaged in a long controversy with Simon Turcq in 1668 over 230 planks, which he claimed to have theretofore paid, and out of which rose a suit against Poulus Leenderson for ninety of the same boards. In 1669 he was sued by Warner Wessels, the city farmer, for taking into his house ’1 hogshead of rum and 3 anckers of stilled waters’ without accounting therefor. This suit he won. But he lost an action brought by Hendrick Obe to recover f.79.5 in wampum for the excise duties on some wine and beer. At a Council meeting held at Elizabethtown, New Jersey, November 7, 1671, it was ordered that no corn or provision be transported out of the Delaware River except what was then aboard the sloop of Thomas Lewis, then in the river, for which he was given a special license. In 1672 he sued William Waldron for borrowing his boat without his consent, and then setting it adrift, when it was thereafter found by John Benneco at Staten Island, who demanded salvage. The defendant was mulcted in the salvage and was directed to turn the boat over to the owner, who was to send his boy to the island to take possession of it. At a council held at Fort James January 27, 1673, permission was given to all vessels from this point to go up the Delaware River above New Castle, upon producing the Governor’s certificate in consequence of a complaint concerning Capt. Lewis’ sloop. During the Dutch re-occupation of the city, when war again threatened, we find in the ‘Records of New Amsterdam’ ‘that the Schout, Burgomasters and Schepens being assembled “Collegialiter” in the City Hall of New Orange March 10, 1674, they sent for the skippers and barquers of the city, when they were notified of the Governor General’s order that no more than two sloops shall go at once to Willemstadt and Esopus, and one to the South river, and that they sail alternately to be determined by lot; also that no passengers be conveyed without passports.’ Whereupon the skippers making known in turn their views, ‘Thomas Lewis is satisfied with what the Governor and Council decree.’
“We find records of trips made by him to Virginia, Boston, Rhode Island and the Delaware (South) River from 1665 to 1669, carrying merchandise of all kinds. September 26, 1671, Governor Lovelace promises ‘Mr. Tom’ at the Delaware to send him information by Peter Alrick ‘who tomorrow will embark in Tom the Irishman’s yacht.’ In 1675, he was appointed to make a calculation of the expense for building a new church in conjunction with Adolph Pieters and Abraham Jansen. We find that in 1678 he owned a sloop called the Katharine.
“In a list of the richest inhabitants of New York made February 19, 1674, Thomas Lewis is credited with the possession of property valued at 6,000 florins, Holland currency, only sixteen appearing therein as being wealthier. At the time of the English occupation he owned real estate on the west side of Pearl Street between Wall and William streets, then known as the Water Side, then valued at $10,000; also on the South Street (now William) between Hanover Square and Wall Street.
“From the records of the baptisms in the Dutch church we learn that he had eight children, named, respectively, Barent, Cornelia, Leendert, Catharina, Cornelia, Thomas, Cornelis and Rachel. Anthony Brockholst was one of the witnesses at the baptism of the last named in 1678. The descendants of Barent, Leendert (or Leonard) and Thomas are scattered throughout the Hudson Valley, and the family name appears at various times in the records as Lenwis, Leuis, Lieuwens, Lieuwes, Lieuwis, Lievens, Lievenszen, Lieuens, Liewensen, Liewes, and Liewis. In the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record (Volume XXXIV) the date of Thomas Lewis’ death is given as September 24, 1684, and his age as 56. His will was admitted to probate under Governor Dougan, April 1, 1686, and letters testamentary were issued to his wife Geesie Lewis. She then lived with her daughter Catharine along the Strand (Lang Strant) and they were members of the Dutch church. Her sons then living were Barent, Thomas and Leonard, with the eldest Lodiwick (apparently born at Fort Orange) who at the time of his father’s death was living with Lewis Thomson at Belfast, and thereupon returned to New York, where he died without issue.
“But there are some names of merchants doing business here from 1643 to 1647 which, if not English, must be Irish, and while the present ascertainment of their exact nationality seems hopeless, yet careful research might still enroll them in the honor roll of Irish pioneers. These were Rev. Francis Doughty, the English minister, residing in Pearl Street, between Whitehall and State streets, who on March 28, 1647, received a grant of 6,666 (Dutch) acres of land at Mespath (Newtown patent); Robert Butler, residing on the same street, between Stone and Bridge streets; Michael Pickett, residing on Broad Street, near Beaver; and Thomas Sanderson, residing on Beaver Street, who received grants of land on this island July 13, 1643, October 25, 1653, and September 14, 1665.
“There was a Jan Patrickx or John Patrick here in 1653 and a James Code or Cody in 1658. Thomas Higgins was sued for value of 275 pieces of firewood on November 20, 1661, and by Thomas Hall for the return of a saw January 31, 1662.
“Among the names of those to whom grants of land under the Dutch occupancy were made were Thomas Hall, Thomas Chambers and George Holmes, each receiving more than one grant; the first two took the oath of allegiance to the English authorities between October 21 and 26, 1664.
“The English capture of New Amsterdam in 1664 did not, so far as we have any records, lead to any influx of Irish settlers here. So novel was their coming that we find reference made as a remarkable fact to the presence of the person, unnamed, who is supposed to have been the first direct Irish immigrant to New York, being an Irish girl, a servant in the household of Isaac Allerton, a well-known English tobacco merchant, and who was working therein in 1665, shortly after the English occupation. Little could she have dreamt of the host of her sister voyagers who brought to this country the spirit of devotion, of self-sacrifice, of faithful discharge of duty, which ultimately forced itself upon the grudgingly-given attention of the community and admiration for which as well as for the tenderness and purity of the women of the Irish race was the most potent force in tearing down the wall of hostility and hatred which intolerance and ignorance had reared in the way of the progress of the Irishmen in this country towards recognition, equality and success.
MR. JOHN J. DALY.
Of New York City.
An Earnest and Helpful Member of the Society.