TOW(E)

One of the biggest blocks in my research has been the Tow/Towe line prior to 1840. Who are John Tow and Anderson Tow, and how are they connected?

Based on census records, John Tow was born between 1810 and 1810. He married Priscilla Walser, daughter of Jacob Walser and Margaret Slagel, on 22 March 1837. In 1840, he and Priscilla are in Davidson County, NC, with sons William Henry (1837-1909) and John Harrison (1939-1914). Their youngest son, Albert Hamilton (Hammy), (1840-1926), soon follows. John died in July 1844 in Davidson County, per probate records found by cousin Bernadette Easter Higby.

In 1850, Priscilla and her three sons are in the Northern Division of Davidson County for the census. Next door is Anderson Tow, 50 years old, with (presumably) his wife, Mary, who is 52 -- they both report being born in North Carolina. Anderson works as a cooper.

Looking at census records: I found Anderson in Davidson County in 1840 -- he's in the correct age range, and it shows a female in the correct age range for Mary, as well as a male 20-30 years old and a female 15-20 years old.  1830 shows an Anderson Tow in Davidson County, age between 30-40, with a female 40-50 years old, so possibly not Mary. There are two children, a male 10-15, and a female 5-10. Anderson does not show up as Head of Household in 1820, so presumably he's still living with his parents. I suspect he may be in the Reuben Tow household in Buncombe County, since it shows a male 10-16 and a male 16 to 26, either of which Anderson could fall into.

I've found two marriage bonds in Rowan County for men named Anderson Tow. The first is dated 15 October 1817 to Elizabeth Freemon, and the second to Polley Freeman on 8 January 1818 -- these could be for the same woman, although the last name is spelled slightly different on each marriage bond.

Between 1850 and 1852, Anderson is now living with Priscilla (aka Prissey) and has moved to Carroll County, VA. I've found no marriage records in either county, but their son Francis Wesley (Frank) is born in May 1851/1852 in Virginia. Anderson has land transactions in Carroll County by 1853. He shows up again in the 1860 census with Priscilla, John, Hammy, and Frank, and William is married and living nearby. The last land transaction I found for Anderson Tow was in 1862, and he is not listed in the 1870 census, so he has presumably died. I've found no death or burial record in Carroll or Davidson Counties. Priscilla is living with Frank and his wife and two sons in Carroll County in 1870, and again in 1880. I've found no death or burial records for her, either. By 1900, Frank and his wife have joined son Charley in Douglas County, MO.

The big question: How are John and Anderson connected -- are they brothers or cousins? Who was Mary Tow, and who are the children listed with Anderson in earlier census records? I know that William and Hammy stayed in the Carroll County area, while John moved west to Russell County, then to Texas and Oklahoma, and Frank went to Missouri. Now there are members of these lines in California, Arizona and Washington - are there more Tow(e) descendants out there? The four boys decided prior to 1900 to change the spelling from TOW to TOWE -- a letter states it was to keep people from pronouncing it "toe". There are pockets of TOW families around -- even a small town in Texas -- are they also connected, way back in the hills of North Carolina and Virginia?