Beyond our Elusive William Daniel

He is descended from Fielding Lewis and Betty Washington, George Washington's sister.

He met his wife when her date took him along to be a blind date for Minnie's girlfriend. They began dating shortly after that. Sometimes he walked eight miles to see her, and other times he drove. One time he let her drive the car, and she drove it off a narrow bridge's side. Even though they had not dated long at that time, he still continued to see her. They dated for two years before they married. She was 21, and he was 20.

Although they moved around a lot in the early years, when their children started school, they returned to Chillicothe where they had gone to school. Their children graduated from the same school that their parents had.

The depression was difficult for them, and people that Bill worked for were often unable to pay him cash. Instead, they paid him with eggs, cows, horses, or whatever they had available. That helped the Lewis family to eat, but it did not supply much cash for other things they needed.

Bill finished plumbers training in 1947 in Alabama. At that time they moved to Odessa where he had a small plumbing shop. His first big job was for the Odessa High School building.

Census:
1930, CHILLICOTHE TOWN, HARDEMAN, TEXAS, Series: T626 Roll: 2340 Page: 86
40/40, Lewis, William A., head, rent, 12.30 (or is it 12.50?), R, not a farm, m, w, 30, m, 19, AL, AL, AL, plumming [sic], contractor
----, Minnie, wife, f, w, 34, m, 21, TX, IN, LA, none
----, Robert H., son, m, w, 8, s, TX, AL, TX, none
----, Dorothy J., dau., f, w, 6, s, TX, AL, TX, none
----, Betty A., dau., f, w, 4, s, TX, AL, TX, none