Edmund Lewis, of Lynn, Massachusetts, and some of his descendants

PREFACE.
The only excuse for the following records is the desire
that they might be of use to others, and that the labor of
gathering them be not wasted by no use being made of
them.
I collected them in the search I made for my ancestry.
In a few years many who gave me information will have
passed over. There are errors I have no doubt. In some
cases family and town records did not agree. Many
people live and die who do not know when and where
they were born, cannot tell the names of their grand-
parents or the maiden name of their mother or grand-
mothers. Few families think it of sufficient importance
to keep a correct record made at the time events tran-
spire, but trust to memory.
In preparing this work large quantities of land and
probate court records were copied, and many items of in-
terest that might have been printed in a subscription work
are here omitted. I take pleasure in acknowledging the
great assistance I received from Jacob Meek Lewis (574)
and Mrs. Salome A. (Ward) Lewis (978) was particularly
helpful by her interest and knowledge of family history,
without whose aid much would not appear here.
I have received many inquiries as to my connection
with this family. As my name does not appear elsewhere,
I will state that I descend from William Lewis (1), men-
tioned on pages 1 and 3 ; John Lewis (2) and wife Han-
nah, of Lancaster and Dorchester, Mass. ; John Lewis
(3) of Dorchester, and Ann (Whiting) Eaton, daughter
of Nathaniel and Hannah (D wight) Whiting of Dedham,
Mass. ; Jonathan Lewis (4) of Dedham and Abigail