Idawalley Zoradia Lewis was born February 25, 1842.
In 1857, Ida Lewis' father, Hosea Lewis, accepted the position of keeper of the Lime Rock Lighthouse, at Newport, Rhode Island but after only four months of accepting the post, he suffered a stroke, which left him disabled.
Ida's mother and Ida took charge of the upkeep of the lighthouse and since Ida was the oldest of the four children and her youngest sibling was ill, most of the duties soon fell to Ida so that her mother could tend to her father and the younger children.
Ida's swimming skills soon became well known in Newport, Rhode Island and her rowing skills and strength were also quite accomplished as she had to row her siblings to and from Lime Rock, which was completely surrounded by water with a constant current, to school in Newport and to get their supplies.
In the mid 19th century it was very unusual for a woman to handle a boat, but not only did Ida do it with great skill, she is credited with saving at least 18 persons and possibly as many as 35 persons from drowning over the course of her years at the Lime Rock Lighthouse.
Ida continued to help her father thru his declining health over the years and in 1879 officially received the post of keeper of the lighthouse, which she maintained until 1911 when she retired.
One morning of that year, Ida herself apparently had a stroke and she died on October 25, 1911 at the age of 69. The bells of all the ships of Newport Harbor tolled for Ida Lewis that night.
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