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- Niagara Gazette - 1/15/1969
Niagara History By Clarence O. Lewis
Hewitt Family
Among Oldest
In Falls Area
THERE ARE a few families still living in Niagara
County whose ancestors came to the Frontier
before the War of 1812 and who went through the
terror, anguish and financial loss of that British and
Indian raid of Dec. 19, 1813. Among the descendants
is the Hewitt family, every generation of which has
produced men of prominence.
In 1802 Joseph Hewitt of
Brooklyn, Conn, m a r r i ed
Jerusha Morse, before they
started for the Niagara Frontier.
In 1805 Joseph Hewitt and
family made the then arduous
trip from Connecticut to what
is now Niagara County. However,
at that time it w a s
Genesee County and our area
was in the Town of Batavia.
Joseph Hewitt first settled
on the bank of Howell Creek
about four-fifth's of a mile
west of Streeters Corners on
the south side of what was
then c a l l e d the "Grand
Ridge" but was a continuation
of the Niagara Road, now
called the Lewiston Trail from
Batavia.
It is almost certain that Joseph
Hewitt came by that only
slightly improved Indian
Trail. We have no means of
learning whether he brought
his family on his first trip but
we believe he did. However,
in 1805 after he had traded
the Howell Creek place with
Col. William Howell of Lewiston
Heights and built a log
cabin ..there, a son, Benjamin,
was born.
* * *
WHILE LIVING at the
Howell's Creek Site, t h e ir
nearest neighbors to the east
were Mr. and Mrs. John
Forsyth who settled at what is
now Warren's Corners in 1804.
The Hewitts' new home at
Lewiston was near the bank
of the Niagara River close to
the present Country Club golf
links. This was an historic
area and was destined in a
very few years to become
more so. His lot was No. 24
of the Mile Reserve, the lots
being auctioned in 1805 at Albany.
. .
Joseph Hewitt was much
better located here because he
had a few neighbors below
the escarpment and there was
considerable land cleared of
trees .on his property so he
could] start primitive farming
at once. He could also cut
down more trees and find a
nearby market for b a r r el
staves or ship timbers at Newark,
now Niagara - On The
Lake. Because of this nearby
markel,- Joseph Hewitt prospered.
* « «
IN 1808 NIAGARA COUNTY
was carved from Genesee
County and included what'is
now Erie County. The whole
area north of the Tonawanda
Creek became the Town of
Cambria and on April 5, 1808,
the first town meeting was
held in the Hewitt house. Joseph
was elected supervisor
which made him the f i r st
supervisor from what is now
Niagara County. It was then
the Town of Cambria. However
he had to go to Buffalo,
the county seat for meetings.
Later he served two more
terms.
* * *
WAR WAS DECLARED
against Great Britain on June
18, 1812. In 1813, Dec. 19-an
English and Indian raiding
p a r t y crossed the river at
Five Mile Meadows and here
divided, one party going north
and capturing Fort Niagara,
the other party going south
looting and burning every
home on the way. A single
American p a t r o l saw the
torches and heard the Indians,
whoops and rode through LewistoR
warning the settlers. Joseph
Hewitt and his wife and
son Benjamin gathered a few
most precious household
.articles that could be carried
"and fled with other refugees
eastward on the Ridge Road.
They went as far as Batavia
where Joseph left his wife and
son and returned to help defend
the Frontier.
The war was over in late
December 1814. The settlers
who began to return in 1815
had lumber cut at Judge
Porter's Saw Mill at Niagara
Falls, some without sufficient
means, rebuilt log cabins.
As previously si a t e d, Joseph
Hewitt, before the War
had prospered and despite the
loss of the log cabin and contents
and at least one full
year of no farm operations,
had sufficient capital to build
in 1815-16. quite a* pretentious
stone house on or near the
site of his former log cabin.
Carved in a conspicious
place on the front wall was
the year 1816. This house remained
the home of succeeding
generations of H e w i 11 s
until about 1905.
CORRESPONDENCE with
a geneologist a few years ago
stated that Joseph Hewitt Sr.
reared 16 children, apparently
by two wives. The first child
born in what is now Lewiston,
was Benjamin in 1805.
We find the Mile Reserve
** NOTE UNREADABLE AREA**
father, he served as supervisor,
from Lewiston in 1846
and again in 1849. He operated
a large farm which on the 1851
map appears to comprise all
of Mile Reserve, lot 24 which
was a mile deep and contained
154 acres.
Benjamin Hewitt and L'ydia
his wife had six children. Four
are listed in the 1850 Census.
A boy Joseph, born about 1834
fought in the Civil War in
Peter Porter's Eighth Heavy
Artillery.
* *
I FIND SOME evidence that
Benjamin had a brother Joseph
Jr.\ son of Joseph Sr.
who fought in the Mexican
War. I have not been able to
confirm it»however.
Another son of Benjamin
and L y d i a was James P.
Hewitt, born 1852, who also
turned to farming as each
preceding gen eration had
done. When of age he married
Ida Cleghorn-who came from
another old and p r om inent
Lewiston family. J a m e s P.
Hewitt- operated a 240" acre
farm but still found time to
engage in many other activities.
Their family consisted of
five sons and ow daughter.
The second son was the late :
Roy Hewitt, who m a r r i ed
Edna Sutherland. He devoted
his life largely to agricultural
pursuits but found time to
serve as supervisor of Lewston
from 1924 to 1929. He also
served three terms in the
state Assembly from 1929 to
1932. He was a Mason and
Odd Fellow for 60 years. He
died at age 88. He was survived
by two sons. One of
these sons is J. Paul Hewitt,
chairman of the present Board
of Supervisors.
* * *
IN THE ABOVE biography
I have followed the direct line
of only one of Joseph Hewitt
Sr. of 1803 16 children. It being
the most prominent line.
There are other possibly only
a little less prominent Hewitt
families in our county who
are descendants of Joseph Sr.,
however it would have been
an almost impossible job to
relate the biography of all the
Hewitt lines.
On the old maps, the name
Hewitt appears many times'
in the Town of Lewiston and
occassionally in other towns.
One descendant of Joseph Sr.
born in Lewiston in 1874 of
James P. Hewitt and wife,
operated farms in South
Dakota. He was named Benjamin
after his grandfather.
He retired in 1951 and returned
to Niagara County
taking up residence on the
Niagara Falls Blvd. He died
in 1954.
To other Hewitt families not
included herein, I apologize
and if they will send in their
biographies I will file their
records and at some l a t er
date write another story about
t h i s remarkable pioneer
family.
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