Zachary Lewis immigrated from Wales to America in 1692, settling in Virginia. There he became quite prosperous. Like most of his neighbors, Zachary was an Anglican, and he brought up his seven children in this religion. The youngest child of the family was Addison. Addison could not find peace in the church of his parents. When he was nineteen, the conviction of his sin lay upon him with such power that he gave up school, sports and spending time with his friends. He even gave up food. His brother, John, reported that he became a walking skeleton. All he could do was read his Bible and beg God for forgiveness, which never came.
Over the years, the Lewis family had procured a number of slaves to work their land and serve in their home. One of those slaves, a man named Morgan, so demonstrated the grace and peace of God, that Addison asked him to instruct and counsel him in the things of the Lord. Morgan, a Baptist, was blessed by God to lead his owner’s son to a saving faith in Christ.
On this day in 1808, Addison Lewis was baptized and subsequently became a faithful member of the Baptist church of King and Queen County, Virginia. As he grew in the Lord, the congregation recognized the gifts which God had given him and called for his ordination. Addison Lewis went on to serve the Lord in Virginia, Kentucky and eventually in Huntsville, Missouri, from where he was called home during his sixty-eighth year on earth, and his forty-ninth year of service to his Saviour.