Lewis was born in 1880 in Paisley.1 Lewis' father was Joseph Lafferty and his mother was Margaret French. His paternal grandparents were John Lafferty and Mary Ann Davidson. He had four brothers and five sisters, named John, Joseph, Joseph, Malcolm, Mary, Margaret, Mary, Elizabeth and Rebecca. He was the youngest of the ten children. He died at the age of 1 in 1881 in Paisley.