Found in copies of the Warrington (St. Elphin) Parish records from 1698 to 1783, researched by Loa Don Glade of Bountiful, UT, is name of William Hewett, born 17 December 1749, and his marriage on 3 March 1771 to Dorothy Andrews. Also, the death of their son, William, aged 9 months, buried 13 August 1772. There was no further mention in these records of this William Hewett, soldier, or mention of the death of Dorothy (Andrews) Hewett. Family historian, Evelyn Hewett, suggests that, "William's wife, Dorothy, probably died in England while he was in the British Army and he never bothered to talk about it in his 'new' life in America."

William was left an orphan as a baby. His father died just before his birth and his mother died just three weeks after his birth. William's father, John Hewett, kept a "public house" or tavern with the sign of the Ram's Head, probably in Warrington, Lancashire, England where William was born and where probably his siblings were born. We do not know the names of his sisters, but his four brothers were named Thomas, John, Joseph, and Edward.

William lived with an uncle, the brother of his father, until age 14 when he was apprenticed to learn the weaver's trade. When he was about 18 years old, he quit his master and in 1769 enlisted in the British army. He served six years in the King's Guard in London before being sent to America early in 1775 as a non-commissioned officer under General Howe to help subdue the colonial rebels.

In late 1775, he and an old comrade took leave without a pass one night and failed to return the next morning. After being assisted by a Quaker who gave them clothes and directions on how to keep clear of spies and tories, they went to New Hampshire where William was hired to work on a farm in New Ipswich.

When men were called to enlist as patriot volunteers, William enlisted on 7 March 1777 to fight "for the independence of his adopted country." He was sent to the front and was in many battles such as Stillwater in October 1777 and Valley Forge in 1778. "He was at the surrender of Burgoyne's army. As he stood with arms presented and the surrendered troops marched out without arms to the tune of Yankee Doodle, he recognized some of his old officers and comrades and he used to say, 'I say for't I felt bad for them.'" Simon C. Hewett, Paper: written by him, 8 Spetember 1903, in Hope, ME when he was 86 years old, pp. 1 and 2. For a while, after the Battle of Monmouth, he was a sergeant in the body guard of Gen. Washington. After serving for five years, he was given an honorable discharge on 7 June 1783 signed by George Washington and was honored with the Badge of Merit. Unfortunately, these items were not preserved in the family and so are lost to us. However, copies of these documents may be found in the book William Hewett and his Descendants by Evelyn Hewett.

William returned to New Ipswich where he lived until 1786, whereupon he, his wife, and a one year old child moved to what was then Barrettstown, now Hope, ME. They traveled by ship from Boston to Rockport, ME, then traveled by a line of spotted (marked) trees about six miles to Barrettstown. They were the second family to settle in the southeast part of that town, and their third child was the first white male born there.

William and his second wife Sarah (King) Hewett had seven children, their first son died young but the rest of the children all lived over 70 years anf four of them more than 80 years:

• John, b. in New Ipswich, NH 15 March 1784; d. in New Ipswich 13 Aug. 1784.
• William, Jr., b. in New Ipswich, NH 11 June 1785; d. in Hope, ME 24 July 1865; m. in Barrettstown, ME 18 Sept. 1808 Sarah Crane.
• Samuel, b. in Barrettstown, ME 5 June 1787; d. in Thomaston, ME 17 April 1865; m. (intentions filed in 1808) (1) Eunice Amry who died shortly after their marriage; m. (2) in Camden, ME 29 May 1814 REbecca (Harrington) Thorndike.
• Sarah, b. in Hope, ME 14 May 1789; d. in Iowa 19 March 1869; m. in Hope, ME 29 Nov. 1810 Nathan Tolman.
• Hannah, b. in Hope, ME 25 Nov., 1793; d. in Hope, ME 5 July 1868; m. in Hope, ME, 5 Oct. 1809 Asa Payson.
• John, b. in Hope, ME 19 Nov. 1794; d. in Hope, ME 21 Feb. 1869; m. in Hope, ME 4 Dec. 1817 Esther Wood Brown, daughter of Obadiah and Esther (Wood) Brown.
• Benjamin, b. in Hope, ME 21 Jan. 1797; d. in Windsor, ME May 1880; m. in Camden, ME 13 Jan. 1818 Hannah G. Harrington, daughter of David and Betsy Harrington.