He was the son of Lewis Lewis, a cordwainer and later a miner from Cornelly, and his wife, Margaret. He moved to Merthyr Tydfil with his family in 1819, where he and his father found work in the mines.
He was the son of Lewis Lewis, a shoemaker who later became a miner from Cornelly, and his wife, Margaret. He relocated to Merthyr Tydfil with his family in 1819, where he and his father found employment in the mines.