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Organized into 15 series:
1. Estate papers of Mary S. Lewis, 1913-1940, .25 cubic foot
2. Mary E. Lewis & George Lewis Account Information, 1934-1945, .25 cubic foot
3. George Lewis Financial Records, 1928-1936, 1 cubic foot
4. George E. Lewis Financial Records and Papers, 1900-1972, 6 cubic feet
5. Sara A. Lewis Financial Records, 1958-1968; 3 cubic feet
6. Mary D. Lewis Financial Records, 1948-1953, 1.5 cubic feet
7. Miscellaneous Records of the Lewis Family, 1859-1976, 1.5 cubic foot
8. Family Correspondence, 1919-1967, .5 cubic foot
9. Miscellaneous Banking Publications, 1846-1966, .75 cubic foot
10. Letterbooks, 1853-1910, .5 cubic foot
11. Lewis Family Financial and Property Records, 1866-1912, .5 cubic foot
12. R.B. Shuman Trust Fund, 1929-1949, 1 cubic foot
13. Photographs of Lewis State Bank, 1.5 cubic foot
14. Newspapers, 1902-1966, 3 cubic feet
15. Artifacts, .25 cubic foot
By record type.
Restrictions:
Terms Governing Use:
Biographical/Historical:
The Lewis family was a prominent Tallahassee family, active in the financial, social and civic life of Tallahassee and Leon County, Florida. Benjamin Cheever (B.C.) Lewis came to Tallahassee in the 1830s and began work as an apothecary. After twenty years in the drug business he sold out and entered the banking business in 1856. His three sons, George, Edward, and William, followed him in banking and formed B.C. Lewis and Sons, which later became the Lewis State Bank. B.C. Lewis died in 1880; his son, Edward died in 1901. In 1929, William Lewis and his wife, Mary Elizabeth Bailey Lewis, resigned from the bank.
Control of the Lewis State Bank passed to George Lewis and his wife, Elizabeth Douglas Lewis; his son, George Edward Lewis and his wife, Sarah Davis; and his daughter, Sarah Everett Lewis Henderson and her husband, John Ward Henderson, Sr. George Lewis II, the son of George Edward Lewis, entered the family banking business in 1933 at the time of the death of his grandfather, George Lewis. The Lewis family maintained its ownership of the bank until it became a part of First Florida Bank in 1974.
Summary:
The collection contains the papers of the Lewis family of Tallahassee, Florida. It includes photographs of the Lewis family and acquaintances, as well as some views of the Tallahassee area. The financial records include correspondence, receipts, bonds, tax materials, deeds, and bank account statements for various family members. Some of the material pertains to the family banking business. The bulk of the collection contains the financial records of George Lewis, Sarah Davis Lewis, Mary D. Lewis, George E. Lewis, George Lewis II, and his wife, Mary E. Lewis. There are some documents signed by B.C. (Benjamin Cheever) Lewis. The collection is divided into 15 series as described below.
Series 1, Estate Papers of Mary S. Lewis, includes her will dated 1913 and deeds from 1929 to 1935.
Series 2, Joint Financial Records of George Lewis and Mary E. Lewis, his wife, consists primarily of account statements and balance statements.
Series 3, Financial Records of George Lewis, includes account statements, tax materials, and two letterbooks (1883 -1890 and 1900-1926). Also included are court records and correspondence concerning an 1891 legal suit between George Lewis and George Allen, a bank cashier.
Series 4, Financial Records and Papers of George Edward Lewis, includes financial records from 1911 to 1968 and personal papers such as his grammar school reading book, 1940 repairs to house, awards for service to the Boy Scouts of America, and material from when G.E. Lewis was a Captain in the First Infantry.
Series 5, Financial Records for Sarah D. Lewis, includes account statements and balance statements for the years 1959 to 1968. Also included is documentation of a special separate account from 1958 to 1962.
Series 6, Financial Record for Mary D. Lewis, includes account statements for the years 1948 to 1953.
Series 7, Miscellaneous Records, contains various records dealing with the Lewis State Bank and the Lewis family. Included are the army papers of Captain B.C. Lewis (1948) and savings books for Francis E., Frank Davis, and Bettie Douglas Lewis. Also included are 1949-1950 records of plumbing and electrical work done on the Lewis State Bank. Of interest is material discussing the 100-year anniversary of the bank in 1956, including a published historical booklet.
Series 8, Family Correspondence, contains general correspondence from various family members, some of which relates specifically to G.E. Lewis and Sarah D. Lewis.
Series 9, Banking Publications, contains publications relating to banking in Florida and America.
Series 10, Letterbooks, contains two letterbooks. The first is a record of minutes for the Pensacola and Georgia Railroad, 1853-1869. The second is a record book for the Tallahassee Volunteer Fire Company, 1902-1910.
Series 11, Lewis Family Financial and Property Records, includes Tallahassee Railroad Company Travel Coupons from 1866-1870, deeds held by G.E. Lewis, and the will and property distribution list made by Lilla Lewis, 1907-1912. The material in this collection came from a black locker box.
Series 12, R.B. Shuman Trust Fund, includes files and correspondence related to the R.B. Shuman Trust Fund set up through Lewis State Bank. It details Shuman family members at various colleges and universities from 1929 to 1937.
Series 13, Photographs, contains images of the Lewis State Bank and Lewis family acquaintances. It includes some Tallahassee-area photos as well as Lewis family photos and oversized portraits of B.C. Lewis, Edward Lewis, John W. Henderson, Sr., and W.C. Lewis.
Series 14, Newspapers, contains newspapers collected by the Lewis family, including The Tallahassee Democrat paper commemorating the Civil War Battle of Natural Bridge (Feb. 27, 1966) and the Democrat paper following John F. Kennedy's assassination. Other newspapers include the Citrus County Chronicle, Weekly Tallahassean, Florida State Journal, and Florida State News.
Series 15, Artifacts, contains items used by G.E. Lewis: a Lewis State Bank pen and letter opener.
Finding Aids:
Folder listing available. 0
Additional Physical Form:
Reproduction Note:
Location of Originals/Duplicates:
Associated Materials:
For more records related to the Lewis State Bank, see Collection M87-18, Lewis State Bank Records, 1856-1972 (60 cubic feet). For more on the Lewis family, see Collection M82-58, Mary Lewis Historical Files, 1888-1942 (.50 cubic foot). Also see the Lewis Bank Papers (MSS 0-178) at the Florida State University Special Collections and Archives.
Language Notes:
Ownership/Custodial History:
Publication Note:
General Note:
Electronic Records Access:
Subject Access Fields:
Lewis family. Lewis, B. Cheever, 1915-2009. (Benjamin Cheever), Lewis, B.C. 1816-1880 (Benjamin Cheever), Lewis, George Edward, 1880-1972 Lewis, George, 1848-1933 Lewis, Mary S. Lewis, Sarah Davis, 1891-1983
Bank management Florida. Banks and banking--History Florida Family Florida Fire-departments Florida Fire departments. Railroads Florida Women History 20th century Florida
Letter books. aat Business records. aat
Leon County (Fla.) Tallahassee (Fla.)
Added Entries
Lewis, B.C. 1816-1880 (Benjamin Cheever),
Lewis, George Edward, 1880-1972
Lewis, George, 1848-1933
Lewis, Mary S.
Lewis, Sarah Davis, 1891-1983
Pensacola and Georgia Railroad Company.
Tallahassee Volunteer Fire Dept.
for detailed listing.