Lewis, Mrs. Nellie

Mrs. Nellie Lewis was born in Colony, Anderson County, Kansas, as the oldest child of Joseph H. and Laura Matthews McDowell. She attended grammar school in Kansas before moving with her family to Selma, California, in 1914. In December 1915, she married William Andrew Lewis, a Missouri native and member of the real estate firm Lewis & Wells.

Following the death of her husband at age thirty-five in Selma, Mrs. Lewis applied her strong business ability to the local commercial sector. She managed interests for the Sun Maid Realty Company and E. J. Wells & Co., which operated seven ranches previously owned by her late husband firm. A member of the Christian Church at Selma, she remained active in civic affairs, church activities, and wartime support efforts throughout the community.