Willie Ann (ROWE) BLUE – She really IS Reuben ROWE’s daughter! – 52 Ancestors (Ancestor 39)

Oh, Happy Day!

In the days before birth, marriage, and death records that list parents’ names, where, besides obituaries (if they exist) does one go to find a potential ancestor’s children? Why, land, probate, and will records, of course!

In the span of about 4 hours, I studied, at Family Search (why didn’t I think to look there in the first place?) the digitized and online microfilmed Fayette County, Ohio, probate and will books for the exact time period which covered the records of Reuben ROWE, deceased. How lucky can I get?!

Most of them were concerning his executrix, Lucy ROWE, who in his will he states is his wife, and whatever it is she had to do related to that job over a period of about 4 years after her husband’s death. (I must admit, I haven’t studied them in detail yet. I was taking the shortcut and looking for names, people, NAMES!) Not being a crazy genealogist attorney, I don’t know what all of it means yet, but I’ll put studying this on my list of things to do.

But OH (as in OMG and Ohio), then did I get really excited when just out of the blue (actually, the third to the last of about two dozen records I viewed) popped up a probate document that did indeed list every single one of Reuben’s children’s names and spouses? Inside my head, I squealed! I just have to say it again: EVERY SINGLE ONE OF REUBEN’S CHILDREN! Sigh. If any died as infants or children, they are not listed, but right now, I’m okay with that.

Outline and underlines are mine.

“Ohio, Probate Records, 1789-1996,” images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-27661-25608-41?cc=1992421&wc=S2HH-YW5:266276701,266325601 : accessed 29 December 2014), Fayette > Probate records 1852-1866 vol A > image 39 of 413; county courthouses, Ohio.

The probate record lists the children as follows. The numbering is the order in which they are listed in the document.

1. The above named Nathan ROWE of Fayette County, Ohio
2. Frankey SHEPHEARD who intermarried with James SHEPHERD of Madison County, Ohio [the ancestor of the autosomal DNA match of my 2nd cousin, 1x removed]
3. Willy BLUE (formerly ROWE) who intermarried with John BLUE of Hardin County, Ohio [Oh, Willy, happy day!]
4. Wesley ROWE of Hamilton County, Ohio
5. Harriet HAMILTON (formerly ROWE) who intermarried with Johnathan HAMILTON of Louisa County, Iowa
6. Jane HURST who intermarried with Joseph HURST of Pickaway County, Ohio
7. William S. ROWE of Fayette County, Ohio
8. Eliza ADAMSON (formerly ROWE) who intermarried with William B. ADAMSON of Fayette County, Ohio
9. Lucinda CHANDLER (formerly ROWE) who intermarried with Rees CHANDLER of Fayette County, Ohio
10. Deceased daughter: Elizabeth DAVIS, wife of Amistead DAVIS, had one and only one child, William DAVIS, of Pickaway County, Ohio, who is also named as an heir to Reuben ROWE

I will write a whole lot more in the future about this family.

There is another little goody in this document – the boundaries of Reuben’s land in Fayette County. It’s only a 2.5 hour drive from my house. That sounds like a beautiful spring drive on a sunny day with my camera. I’d just have to find someone to tag along. (And to drive drive. I mean, I can drive, but – it’s a long story. You don’t want to hear it.)

I Love Lucy, my fourth great grandmother, for listing your children in this record. I would imagine legally, it was required, but you probably had no idea what an impact that could have on your descendants.

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How to cite this article using Elizabeth Shown Mills’ Evidence Explained formatting (replace the date in the citation with the date you viewed the page):

Elizabeth Wilson Ballard, “Willie Ann (ROWE) BLUE – She really IS Reuben ROWE’s daughter! – 52 Ancestors (Ancestor 39)”, Diggin’ Up Graves (https://digginupgraves.wordpress.com/2014/12/28/willie-ann-rowe-blue-she-really-is-reuben-rowes-daughter-52-ancestors/ : accessed 20 January 2023).

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