Notable Lewis Countians
Lewis Maxwell
1790–1862
A Weston lawyer, Virginia legislator, three-term congressman, surveyor, and major land patentee whose name is tied to Jane Lew's development. Maxwell practiced law in Weston and held extensive land interests in the region; Jane Lew's name is traditionally linked to his mother, Jane Lewis Maxwell.
Lewis County connection
Maxwell practiced law in Weston and held extensive land interests in the region; Jane Lew's name is traditionally linked to his mother, Jane Lewis Maxwell.
Lewis Maxwell, in a sketch by Joseph H. Diss Debar.
Lewis County connection
Maxwell practiced law in Weston and held extensive land interests in the region; Jane Lew's name is traditionally linked to his mother, Jane Lewis Maxwell.
Career and public significance
A Weston lawyer, Virginia legislator, three-term congressman, surveyor, and major land patentee whose name is tied to Jane Lew's development.
His career joined public office to the surveying and ownership systems that distributed economic and political power in western Virginia.
Reading the record carefully
The familiar Jane Lew naming story should be attributed as local historical tradition, while the scale and consequences of Maxwell's landholdings deserve equal attention.
Life and legacy
Timeline
1790
Born in Virginia.
1827–1833
Serves three terms in the United States House.
1862
Dies during the Civil War.
Sources and further reading
How this profile was documented
- Lewis Maxwell
U.S. House of Representatives
Starting source for biographical dates, offices, achievements, and the Lewis County connection.
- Jane Lew history
WV News
Starting source for biographical dates, offices, achievements, and the Lewis County connection.
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