People

Miles B. Lewis

Miles B. Lewis (1811–1893) was a Connecticut legislator and farmer of Welsh descent, best known locally as the father of Charles E. Lewis, who came to Kane County, Illinois in the late nineteenth century to superintend the Carpentersville branch of the New York Condensed Milk Company. Miles B. Lewis spent his life in Connecticut and, according to the 1898 *Biographical Record of Kane County, Illinois*, served two terms in the Connecticut state legislature during the same period that P.T. Barnum held a seat in that body. (Source: *Biographical Record of Kane County, Illinois* (1898))

Known Activities

Miles B. Lewis served two terms as a member of the Connecticut legislature, reportedly sitting alongside the showman and promoter P.T. Barnum. No further detail is recorded in available sources regarding the specific years of his service or the nature of his legislative work. (Source: Biographical Record of Kane County, Illinois (1898))

Lewis was of Welsh descent. According to the Biographical Record, the Lewis family traced its American origins to three brothers who emigrated from Wales and settled in different states. Miles B. Lewis established himself in Sharon, Connecticut, the Litchfield County town where his son Charles was born in 1847. (Source: Biographical Record of Kane County, Illinois (1898))

He was survived by his wife, Maria Kelsey Lewis, who was still living in 1898 at the age of approximately eighty-four — herself a native of Connecticut. (Source: Biographical Record of Kane County, Illinois (1898))

Timeline

YearEvent
1811Born, believed to be in Connecticut
unknownServed two terms in the Connecticut legislature; sat alongside P.T. Barnum
1847Son Charles E. Lewis born in Sharon, Connecticut
Spring 1893Died in Connecticut
## Sources
  • The Biographical Record of Kane County, Illinois (1898). Article on Charles E. Lewis, pp. approx. 464 ff. Available online: archive.org