Gents: I am the care taker for the next generation of an E. Wesson 'scoped, muzzle loading target rifle (circa 1835-1840). The cheek piece medallion engraved "Lucius Lewis".

Anyone have any idea as to where I could possibly find something on this shooter?

Please post a picture of your rifle. A picture is.......

Here are some possible leads from Ancestry.com:  I used "born about 1800" as the only search criteria.

#1:  Lucius G. Lewis, died in Agawam, Mass. in 1869.

#2:  Lucius Lewis, b. about 1800.  In 1855, he was a millwright in Rochester, NY.

#3:  Lucius Lewis, b. April, 1802 in Derby, Connecticut.

#4:  Lucius Lewis, b. 1804 in Connecticut,  He was a cooper by trade, made barrels out of wood.  In 1850, he was in Albion, Michigan.  In 1860, in Clarendon, Michigan, and in 1870 in Quincy, Michigan.

#5:  Lucius Lewis, blacksmith in Northampton, Mass. in 1850.  His products for the year were listed as "custom work".

#6:  Lucius Lewis, farmer in Northampton, Mass.  He was born about 1834.  Died "of a fit" in March, 1879, age 45.  This guy seems least likely.

#2 might be the same guy as #3; but if not, #3 might be either #4 or #5.

#4 lived & worked in Michigan, which would seem to make him less likely, but he was born in Connecticut and may have encountered target rifles before moving west.

An Edwin Wesson scoped muzzle loading target rifle could have been in use through the 1870s, maybe even into the National Rifle Club days in the 1890s.

I changed the search criteria to "born about 1830" and got several more hits, but all seemed to be born & lived in the upper Midwest, not really NRC target shooting country.

Waterman: thanks for that information