Field Notes: Is That Joseph or Joesph Langrill?

The whole thing started Sunday. I received an email from FamilySearch, a notification titled "Weekly FamilySearch changes for people you are watching". I opened it immediately. It looked wrong. I went to FamilySearch to see just what had been done.

Oh oh.

Can of worms.

The person I was watching was (I thought) my 5th great grandfather, Joseph Rowley; or Joseph L Rowley, or even sometimes Joseph Langrill Rowley. But the wife that FamilySearch had listed for him was wrong. The family they had listed for him was wrong.

This was not a case of someone 'fixing' a family without any knowledge (for a change) No, this was a case of sources being added to support the family unit. It made sense. The sources were correct. Shoot.

That means the problem was me.

Or rather, my grandmother AND the 10 people who used this man to join the DAR.

Yes, Joseph was a patriot. My grandmother's supplemental patriot. One I really hadn't investigated since it had been approved by the DAR. Oh, I would have gotten around to it eventually - but he wasn't a high priority.

Until now.

I am a tenacious researcher. I see a problem and I must fix it. Dog with a bone kind of thing. Funny in a way, not so much to those outside the inner sanctum. (aka husband). I can easily look (and act) like Gary Bussey after untold hours in the Cave. Babbling about stuff and nonsense to the unenlightened. (aka: see above)

So I dug in.

First stop the DAR website. I can't share the actual images, but I can tell you that there are 2 patriots named Joseph Rowley. (DAR Disclaimer: The databases contain DAR proprietary information which should under no circumstances be redistributed to others; assembled or collected for purposes other than DAR membership or for citation in genealogical scholarship; or reproduced, published or posted in any form whatsoever.) One, my grandmother's patriot, Joseph Rowley #A099328; the other? Joseph Langrill Rowley #A210894. You can look for yourself here. If you look at the descendants list for each application you will begin to see the same confusion that I had.

Hoo boy.

Seems somebody's got some 'splainin' to do.

And, to make it MORE confusing (because, why not?) Both men we born in Colchester, CT! One in 1750 the other in 1752. They were listed as dying in different states, in different years and the service records were completely different, they were certainly different men, and it's highly unlikely they were brothers. Cousins?

There is only one DAR application associated with Joseph Langrill Rowley. This application shows his wife to be the same as the FamilySearch entry that started this whole thing.

The other Joseph has 10 applications associated with him, including my grandmother's. Some show his name as Joseph, some show Joseph L while others show Joseph Langrill. The SAR applications are even more confusing - let's just not go there ....

What to do?

Put aside all previous research! Start over. Start with what I know.

1) Joseph Rowley (A099328) b. 1752 Colchester CT d. 12/23/1835 Victor, NY m. (1) Sibbel Fox (2) Hannah Loveland; Service: Mass. Rank: Private, Pension #: SR9051V

2) Joseph Langrill Rowley (A210894) b. 4/16/1750 Colchester, CT d. 10/1849 Fayette Twp, OH m. Mary Welch; Service: Conn. Rank: Staff Officer, Pension #: S7408

Edith Rowley's Notes
in Pension File 7408

I started two research trees on Ancestry with the above information. I was able to put together Joseph #2's life pretty quickly. There were lots of good records on him, including his complete 35 page pension file (#7408)! And one very interesting document (on page 27) that perhaps started the confusion. Dated 1903, a letter from a  Miss Edith Rowley requesting information for her DAR application. Her letter gave the name, birth/death dates and service history (correctly) of  Joseph #1 - but the Pension Office sent her the service records of  Joseph #2 - or at least filed her letter with the wrong Joseph Rowley! Poor Edith! Was she as confused as I was? (Who knew our boy had a middle name - well, he does now!)

Since I had found Joseph #2's pension so easily* - and read the entire thing through, of course -(*Ancestry actually gave it to me as a hint) I searched within the "U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900" database for Joseph #1.

Jackpot!

Excerpt From Pension File 9051

There it was in all of it's 52 tattered, dog-eared, glorious pages! THIS was the file Edith was looking for. THIS file explained everything. Well, started to anyway. This file listed both wives, birth dates, death dates, children's names - every place Joseph had lived his entire life! Entire life! I read those 52 pages three times, I'll read them again ... (and yes, they are safely downloaded to my computer - and my back-up) Seems there was quite a stink over widow's rights, the second wife was trying to get death benefits, lots of court stuff but what a great read!!

Back to the DAR records for a minute. There was a second son listed on two of the applications, eight of the records used my 4th great grandfather, but two used his brother. This brother was not listed in the pension records, but not all the grown children were. I added him to the new tree and man did things explode!

Sideways research is my new best friend. Collateral research has solved more 'brick walls' for me in the last few years than I can count on one hand. (they are, after all 'brick walls')

Turns out this guy, Jireh Rowley, was an early pioneer of Will County Illinois and much was written about him. Through him I was able to discover his father Joseph #1's parents, found Joseph's birth record (it was actually 1753) and, ultimately linked the whole thing together.

Joseph and Joseph Langrill were second cousins!

As I began to put the trees together, the farther back I was able to get the more familiar the names were getting. Turns out Joseph and Joseph Langrill shared a great grandfather. Their grandfathers were brothers. I had most of it right, but a two generation chunk was diverted. Like a detour. I think I blame the Pension Office for giving the wrong records to Edith back in 1903.

But it's all good now.

And I'm still related to Edward Fuller* - x2 now!

AND, when I got my Ancestry tree corrected - my DNA hints started to make sense for this line.

Happy dance in the Cave!

(Personal disclaimer: this is the Cliff Notes version - it took a while longer, with many fits and starts, to get it sorted! Still a work in progress - I've got a date with the American Ancestors database in the very near future!)

Grandma's Patriot Pin - Oh oh, wrong guy!

Rowley GENEALOGY

*Edward Fuller is Joseph #1's 4th great grandfather through his grandfather's line ... AND his 3rd great grandfather through his grandmother's line. Much has been written about the descendants of Edward Fuller. 

1) Moses Rowley Jr (1634 - 1735)  - - - - -  Mary (1650 - 1713)

among the children, two sons:

     ► 2a) John Rowley Sr (1690 - 1762) m. Deborah Fuller - they had:

               3a) John Rowley Jr (1727 - ?) m. Rebecca Hurd (Brainard) - they had:

                    *4a) Joseph Rowley - Patriot A099328
                        b. 6/15/1753 Colchester CT d. 12/23/1835 Victor, NY
                        m. 5/29/1773 Sibbel Fox (b. 1749 d. 5/8/1784)
                        m. 2/9/1785 Hannah Loveland (b. ?  d. 12/25/1847)


    ► 2b) Moses Rowley III (1679 - 1735) m. Martha Porter - they had:
       
               3b) Daniel Rowley (1719 - ?) m. Bethial Langrill - they had:

                    4b) Joseph Langrill Rowley - Patriot A210894
                      b. 4/16/1750 Colchester, CT d. 10/1849 Fayette Twp, OH
                      m. UNK (b. ? d. 1788/98)
                      m. Mary Welch (b. 4/8/1766 - d. ?)


So. There it is. Two Joseph Rowleys, two Patriots. The two men turned out to be second cousins. Mystery solved.


Now to figure out where these Patriots are buried.....

Research is never "done"!! 

©2017 Anne Faulkner - AncestorArchaeology.net, All Rights Reserved

PATRIOT WEEK! Joseph Rowley (1750 ~ 1837)

Joseph Rowley. Joseph L. Rowley? Joseph Langrill Rowley? My grandmother's supplemental patriot. There seems to be a bit of confusion, however. The DAR had two Joseph Rowley's, the SAR has four. My grandmother's paperwork lists this particular patriot Joseph Langrill Rowley, but the official DAR record lists him as just Joseph Rowley. There is another patriot listed as Joseph Langrill Rowley, a seaman, not the same as the subject of this sketch, or my ancestor. The SAR list makes even less sense. They have three Joseph Rowley's with similar birth years and death dates. And, Joseph Langrill Rowley, the seaman.

Are you confused? I sure am!

Here's what I know. Joseph Rowley was born in Colchester, Connecticut May 13th, 1750. He married Hannah Loveland, his second wife, maybe, between 1779 and 1785. He died in Victor, Ontario Co, New York December 23rd, 1835.

Private Joseph Rowley enlisted October 1st, 1775 in Col Simon's regiment, Capt Amos Rathburn's company, Major Jacob Hyde's detachment, of the Massachusetts Militia. He marched to Lake George than on to Ticonderoga. In 1776 he was in the same service under Col Ashley. Between 1778 and 1780 he frequently volunteered to go out on scouting service after Indians and Tories. Joseph Rowley was injured in an undisclosed accident.

DAR #A099328 and SAR #P-282473 seem to make the most sense. That is the patriot my grandmother is associated with. (And me too, actually)

The Fold3 memorial page for Joseph Rowley clearly has the two men combined. Not helping. The SAR applications available on Ancestry are also a variety of misinformation.

Looks like I've got myself  a project!!** But for now, here is what I have:

I am descended from Joseph Rowley and Hannah Loveland through their son Joseph. My lineage is as follows:

Joseph Rowley (1750 - 1837) m. Hannah Loveland (1760 - UNK)
i. Joseph Rowley (1788 - 1853) m. Anna Beach (1790 - 1863)
i. Rossiter Clark Rowley (1818 -1912) m. Rhoda Ann Vredenburg (1818 -1890)
i. Flora Dell Rowley (1857 - 1932) m. Jesse Louis Twining (1850 - 1933)
i. Carrie Elizabeth Twining (1881 - 1969) m. Irving Augustus Potwin (1878 - 1938)
i. Elizabeth Twining Potwin (1904 - 1985) - my grandmother


I have reason to suspect that Joseph is descended from Edward Fuller, the Mayflower Compact signer. The research on this man will continue!

**'project' update: you can read about how I sorted this all out here.

©2016 Anne Faulkner - AncestorArchaeology.net, All Rights Reserved