Edward Lewis House

Edward Lewis was born in Gonzales, Texas, on April 10, 1869, to Judge Everett Lewis of Mississippi and Alice Josephine Strictland of Missouri. His father’s position as a judge provided Edward with a stable and prominent upbringing in a growing frontier town. On May 27, 1903, Edward married Cayloma Ponton in St. Louis, Missouri, where she held a position at a business college in Sedalia. Cayloma, born November 18, 1873, was one of seven children of Thomas Jefferson Ponton and Martha “Mattie” Kentucky Brown Ponton. She was also the granddaughter of Andrew Ponton, the alcalde of Gonzales during the Texas Revolution, adding a significant historical legacy to the family. Before her marriage, Cayloma had worked at a business college in Buffalo, New York, reflecting the expanding opportunities for women in higher education and professional roles during that era.

Edward’s professional life centered around commerce, specifically hardware. He partnered with J H Boothe to form the Boothe & Lewis Company, which operated in both wholesale and retail hardware. The partnership flourished, and together they constructed the Boothe & Lewis Building on the east side of what is now Independence Square. This building played a crucial role in local commerce, supporting the town’s rapid development in the early 20th century.

In 1909, Edward acquired the lots for their future home and, by 1910, completed a Greek Revival style house. The home’s classic design, with its stately columns and symmetrical façade, reflected both Edward’s business success and the broader architectural trends of the time. Greek Revival homes were often favored by successful businessmen who sought to convey a sense of permanence, stability, and refinement.

Following Edward’s death on July 2, 1926, after surgery in Houston, Cayloma relocated to San Antonio. She lived in the elegant St. Anthony Hotel, one of the most prestigious residences in the city, until her passing on November 27, 1962. Both Edward and Cayloma were laid to rest in the Gonzales Masonic Cemetery, a resting place for many of the town’s prominent citizens.

Though Cayloma spent her later years in San Antonio, the home remains a significant part of Gonzales’s history, symbolizing the town’s early 20th-century growth and the legacy of the Ponton family’s role in Texas’s fight for independence.