Henry LEWIS (bap. 17 Feb 1760), s/o Peregrine LEWIS and Hannah TRIVETT, married
Frances STOCK (d/o ?), widow of Isaac HARES,
on 26 Jul 1802 at St. Leonard's, Shipham. At his marriage he was listed as a mariner.
I believe he is the Henry LEWIS bur. at St. Leonard's 23 May 1839, and I believe she is the "Fanny" LEWIS bur. at St. Leonard's 3 Feb 1850.
The Lewis family right up until my great-grandfather in the early 1900s are usually quite nice and easy to find on records. My great-grandfather's grandfather was Henry LEWIS (according to 1841 through 1881 census, always living in Shipham, and born between 1804 and 1815 depending on the census). Henry married Phoebe STOCK at St. Leonard's in 1825. He died in Shipham on 16 Jul 1881, and his sister, Ann who married William STEVENS/STEPHENS (1826 St. Leonard's), was the informant on his death certificate. And from marriage records, I believe that they had another sister, Frances who married George VOWLES (1826 St. Leonard's), as they all had a witness, Henry ROE, in common (in addition to William FOORD).
Another possible sister is Sarah, who married Philip HENBERY/HENBURY probably around 1838; I haven't found the marriage to be sure of her maiden name, but she is listed as an aunt of one of Ann (LEWIS) STEVENS' children late in her life, and her son Charles (bap 4 Jun 1838) is probably the Charles HEMBERY living with the widowed Fanny (STOCK) (HARES) LEWIS, on the 1841 census (though he is also listed on that census with his parents); if Sarah belongs in this family then Fanny would be his grandma.
So...
I have seen Henry who married Phoebe listed as son of Henry and Frances (STOCK) (HARES) on websites, and the conclusion seems logical, but I can not find any sources for this nor any information on the births or parentage of his sister Ann and probable sisters Frances and Sarah. As I say they didn't move around--always at or near "The Hill"/ Cook's Hill in Shipham--but just in case I've checked registers for Axbridge (where family moved around the turn of the 20th century), Rowberrow, Winscombe, Banwell... nothing. I have found no children for that couple, which should be around 1802 to 1810+, nor any hints of other parents for these four kids.
I wonder whether the fact that Henry Sr. listed himself as a mariner might be relevant... I think of a wife staying in her home village if her husband goes off... but is there someplace nearby where a mariner's family might call home short term, remembering that they were back in Shipham by the time the children were getting married in the 1820s?
Or is there something else I'm missing? I feel like I've scoured the area's baptisms/ marriages/ burials upside down and backwards.
If anyone has a thought to help me connect the easy-to-locate earlier Shipham Lewises with the easy-to-locate later Shipham Lewises through more than a guess, I'd be most grateful.
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