Page 146 - History of Rockingham Co
P. 146
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY
Gen. Samuel H. Lewis, ^ who Jived a mile or two below
Port Republic, was a wealthy farmer and man of affairs.
Like many of his contemporaries, he frequently consulted
the almanac in the management of his farm, and was in the
habit of recording weather observations and related items at
the proper places in the calendar. His almanac for 1852 is
before me, and I reproduce from it the following item:
Great Flood.
April 19.— Great flood in the river& runs— Being as high (within two
—inches) as in 1842. The Bottom field being recently ploughed, & almost
ready to be planted in corn, was very much damaged
In his letter of 1840 Joseph Funk makes reference to a
wedding and an infair. In order that present-day readers
may know what an infair was, and at the same time appre-
ciate more definitely the social conditions that obtained in the
earlier half of the century, I append the following account,
written for this work, upon special request, by Mrs. Bettie
Neff Miller, of Bridgewater.
MyI will tell you of the first wedding I ever witnessed. step-grand-
mother Neff 's maiden sister, Barbara Landes, was united in marriage
with David Stemphley (a German) sometime in the forties. I was about
8 years old. (You remember Stemphleytown near Bridgewater; since
he was the first settler there the place was named for him.)
I will describe the costumes. The groom was dressed in drab cloth;
the bride in a brown merino dress-made petticoat and short gown, with a
white apron and handkerchief and a white jaconet cap.
The first relative wedding I ever attended was Uncle Abe Neff' s.
That was soon after the other— sometime in the forties. He was attired
in fine black cloth, the bride in a white dress, with apron of the same
material, a beautiful white silk handkerchief and a bobinet cap. The
7. Samuel H. Lewis (1794-1869) was the son of Charles Lewis (1772-
1832), who was the son of Thomas Lewis (1718-1790). Thomas was the
eldest son of John Lewis, pioneer of Augfusta. Thomas lived and died at
Lewiston, below Port Republic. He was the first surveyor of Rocking-
ham, and had one of the largest libraries in the West. General Andrew
Lewis (1720-1780) and Col. Chas. Lewis (1736-1774) were his brothers.
Samuel H. Lewis was the father of Sen. John F. Lewis and Samuel H.
Lewis (1820-1892).
-127—
Gen. Samuel H. Lewis, ^ who Jived a mile or two below
Port Republic, was a wealthy farmer and man of affairs.
Like many of his contemporaries, he frequently consulted
the almanac in the management of his farm, and was in the
habit of recording weather observations and related items at
the proper places in the calendar. His almanac for 1852 is
before me, and I reproduce from it the following item:
Great Flood.
April 19.— Great flood in the river& runs— Being as high (within two
—inches) as in 1842. The Bottom field being recently ploughed, & almost
ready to be planted in corn, was very much damaged
In his letter of 1840 Joseph Funk makes reference to a
wedding and an infair. In order that present-day readers
may know what an infair was, and at the same time appre-
ciate more definitely the social conditions that obtained in the
earlier half of the century, I append the following account,
written for this work, upon special request, by Mrs. Bettie
Neff Miller, of Bridgewater.
MyI will tell you of the first wedding I ever witnessed. step-grand-
mother Neff 's maiden sister, Barbara Landes, was united in marriage
with David Stemphley (a German) sometime in the forties. I was about
8 years old. (You remember Stemphleytown near Bridgewater; since
he was the first settler there the place was named for him.)
I will describe the costumes. The groom was dressed in drab cloth;
the bride in a brown merino dress-made petticoat and short gown, with a
white apron and handkerchief and a white jaconet cap.
The first relative wedding I ever attended was Uncle Abe Neff' s.
That was soon after the other— sometime in the forties. He was attired
in fine black cloth, the bride in a white dress, with apron of the same
material, a beautiful white silk handkerchief and a bobinet cap. The
7. Samuel H. Lewis (1794-1869) was the son of Charles Lewis (1772-
1832), who was the son of Thomas Lewis (1718-1790). Thomas was the
eldest son of John Lewis, pioneer of Augfusta. Thomas lived and died at
Lewiston, below Port Republic. He was the first surveyor of Rocking-
ham, and had one of the largest libraries in the West. General Andrew
Lewis (1720-1780) and Col. Chas. Lewis (1736-1774) were his brothers.
Samuel H. Lewis was the father of Sen. John F. Lewis and Samuel H.
Lewis (1820-1892).
-127—
