Thomas Lewis and the Revolution Years

How a Valley Leader Helped Shape Virginia’s Fight for Independence

Third Thursday Talk, August 20, 2026 • 7:00 p.m.

Thomas Lewis is remembered as a surveyor, lawyer, Shenandoah Valley pioneer, and early Rockingham County leader—but his role in America’s fight for independence deserves far greater attention.

Join descendant John Batzel as he explores Thomas Lewis’s contributions during the pivotal years of 1773–1784. Drawing from extensive research, Batzel will highlight Lewis’s service during Virginia’s Revolutionary era, with special attention to his participation in the influential Virginia Conventions that helped guide the colony toward independence.

Along the way, discover little-known stories, surprising connections, and fascinating details about the remarkable people and places that shaped both Virginia and the emerging United States. Whether you enjoy Revolutionary history, genealogy, or Shenandoah Valley history, this presentation offers a fresh perspective on a familiar local name.

Attend in person or join us live on the Rocktown History YouTube channel. Questions from both audiences will be welcomed following the presentation.

Donations encouraged to support free and accessible programming.

About the Speaker

John Batzel has lived in Roanoke, Virginia, since 1991. A 1986 graduate of Virginia Tech, he has spent his entire professional career with Carter Machinery Company—forty years and, happily, counting.

John’s lifelong interest in Shenandoah Valley history began with his mother, Nina “Dolly” Messersmith of Grottoes. Her stories of local people and places, along with her pride in their Lewis, Yancey, Mauzy, Messersmith, Nicholas, Smith, Miller, and Harrison family lines, inspired a passion for historical research that continues today.

Thomas Lewis was John Batzel’s fifth great-grandfather, making this presentation both a carefully researched historical study and a personal journey into his family’s Revolutionary-era roots.