Lewis was born in Walpole, MA on June 10, 1824 to Silas and Maria (Fisher) Fales. He moved to Milford, MA in his late teens, and became an architect. In 1862 Lewis married Sarah A. Wheelock of Mendon, MA. The couple never had children, but they did adopt and raise two of his nephews who had been orphaned. Sarah Adelaide Wheelock was born on March 29, 1829 in Mendon, MA to Andrew and Louise (Hill) Wheelock. Her passport application in 1892 gives the following description: 5’3”