A. A. Lewis

A. A. Lewis


From History of Tennessee From the Earliest Time to The Present
Goodspeed Publishing Co.
Nashville, TN
1887

Retyped for the page by Eileen McCarey
1999

A. A. Lewis, postmaster at Gallatin and assistant publisher of the Tennessean, was born in 1825 in Sumner County, a son of Andrew and Sidney V. (Boyers) Lewis. The father was of English-Irish descent, and a native of Dickson County, Tenn. About 1824 he moved to Sumner County, but in a short while returned to his native county, where he died about 1828. He was a farmer and a blacksmith. His wife was of English-Irish and Scotch-Welsh origin, was born in 1795 in South Carolina. After Mr. Lewis' death she married Harbert Wallace, now deceased. Her death occurred in 1881. Of four children, our subject is the only surviving one. He received a liberal education at Gallatin, at which place he became an apprentice in a printing office, and for four years worked on The Gallatin Union, published by D. C. Gaskill. He was afterward journeyman printer in other places. About 1855, in partnership with Martin Van Buren Hale, he established the Tenth Legion at Gallatin, and about 1859 he became associate editor with Robert Duncan of the Courier and Enquirer at same place. In 1861 he entered the provisional army as clerk in the paymaster's department, under Col. Boyers, who was assistant paymaster of the Army of the Tennessee. The latter portion of 1862 our subject was appointed chief clerk under Paymaster-General Col. William Williams, of the provisional army of Tennessee. He resigned in 1864 and returned home. In 1848 he married Miss Emeline P., daughter of R. S. Follis of Allen County, Ky., where Mrs. Lewis was born in 1825. She died in 1886. Six children were born to this union, of whom are living Sidney R., Ella C., Frank W., Alberta A. and Lula O. In 1872 Mr. Lewis and son, Sidney R., established The Tennessean, a newsy and ably edited county paper with a weekly circulation of about 1,500. It is Democratic in politics and fearless. In June, 1886, Mr. Lewis was appointed and commissioned by President Cleveland as postmaster at Gallatin. After assuming charge of the post office, his son Frank became associate editor of The Tennessean, and has since been published by the Lewis Brothers. Our subject is a life-long Democrat, voting for Lewis Cass in 1848. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, a Royal Arch Mason, and connected with the I.O.O.F., Scarlet degree.



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