#08 (Vol 3, No 1) - March 2022

Hello Rowland Genealogists,

On April 1, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) will release the U.S. 1950 census. It has digitized and will provide free online access to the 1950 Census population schedules for U.S. states and territories, enumeration district maps, and enumeration district descriptions.

This issue of the newsletter includes updates on our research into:

Rowland DNA Group C
Manchester to Yonkers
Dunbar Rowland
Isle of Wight, England
Frederick County, Virginia
Randolph and Macon Counties, Missouri

Additionally, we cover family reunions, a medieval soldier database, and the online availability of the Rowland Genealogy Newsletter archives. Our regular features include summaries and links to three recently posted articles and three additional books available for download.

Rowland DNA Group C

We have added about 600 hundred profiles to WikiTree for Rowland DNA Group C. The earliest known ancestors of this line were from Granville County, North Carolina. At the present time, we have two unconnected descendant trees sharing the same Y-DNA. They are Dowdle Rowland (1780-1857) and Thomas Rowland (1741-1814). Walter Neely’s book, “Descendants (A) of Thomas Rowland,” provided guidance for many of the new WikiTree profiles.

From Manchester to Yonkers

John Rowland Sr. (1827-1891) was born in Manchester, Lancashire, England, and passed away in Yonkers, Westchester, New York, United States. He was a hatter by trade, and he met a terrible death after losing his balance and falling out of a third-story window of his hat factory. He spent about five years in Missouri, where he tried his hand at farming. This is where one of his sons became friends and associates with Buffalo Bill Cody and General Custer. Despite being a hatter, there is no known relation between this line and the Roland Family Hatters of Reading, Pennsylvania, who are believed to be of German heritage. We have one Y-DNA test taker who is a descendant of this line and are hoping to get a second one in order to form a DNA group. Until then, this line is part Y-DNA Ungrouped.

Dunbar Rowland

Dunbar Rowland (1864-1937) was born in Yalobusha County, Mississippi. A noted historian, archivist, attorney, and author, Dunbar Rowland created the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. He is credited as author, editor, or publisher of numerous historical works, including “Jefferson Davis, Constitutionalist, His Letters, Papers and Speeches” in 10 volumes, and the “Encyclopedia of Mississippi History.” His portrait hangs in the Mississippi Hall of Fame located in the Old Capitol Museum. He has been added to our Famous Rowlands page.

He had no children, and most genealogical studies begin with his grandparents, Creed Taylor Rowland (1802-1866) and Matilda Brewer. Creed and Matilda married in Henry County, Virginia before moving to Chickasaw County, Mississippi. Creed’s grandfather, Michael Rowland (1755-1820) of Halifax County, Virginia, was a soldier in the American Revolution. Descendants of Michael are part of Rowland Y-DNA Group A. However, ancestors of Michael are currently attached to members of Rowland Y-DNA Group J. This conflict was noted in a previously published article Rowland DNA Group J Conflicts.

Isle of Wight, England

We have added descendant tree information for William Rowlands (1769-1831) of the Isle of Wight, Hampshire, England to the Rowland Y-DNA Untested page. In 1820, he, his wife, and four of their children migrated to Washington County, Ohio, United States, where he passed away 11 years later. His descendants settled in Noble County Ohio, Wood County West Virginia, Mahaska County Iowa, and Reno County Kansas. Much of this story is told in the article The Forgotten Relatives (see New Articles section below). We need a Rowland male of this line, from either side of the Atlantic, to step up and take a Y-DNA test. Until then, this line is in Rowland Y-DNA Untested, with more than 120 descendants identified.

Frederick County, Virginia

We have ongoing research on Rowland families in the Frederick County, Virginia area. This includes Clarke County, Virginia, along with Berkeley and Jefferson counties of West Virginia. WikiTree now has five Rowland descendant trees for this group. We believe most or all of them are related, but currently have neither a paper trail nor Y-DNA evidence to support that belief. As such, these lines are in Rowland Y-DNA Group Untested. We would like to hear from you if you are a descendant of Mathew Martin Rowland (1780-1835), Samuel Rowland (abt.1783-1870), John Rowland (1807-1882), Ray Moncrief Rowland (1870-1948), or David Morgan Rowland (1894-1961).

Randolph and Macon Counties, Missouri

We have ongoing research of Rowland families who settled in Randolph and Macon counties of Missouri. Currently, this includes Younger W Rowland (1770-1850) and what would appear to be his brother John Younger Rowland (1776-1839), who is believed to be a son of Jesse Rowland Jr and Elizabeth Marcus. However, this is where the line becomes less clear and perhaps conflated with another Jesse Rowland. WikiTree currently has Jesse’s ancestors attached to members that are part of Rowland DNA Group J. One of Younger W’s descendants assimilated into the Cheyenne tribe of Tongue River, Montana. We need direct male Rowland descendants of the above families to take a Y-DNA test to help resolve these uncertainties.

There are at least two more distinct Rowland lines that settled in Macon County. Ephriam Rowland (1824-1895) was born in Dowlais, Glamorgan, Wales, emigrated to Utah in 1855 and then moved to Macon County in 1867. Daniel Rowland (1830-1893) was born in Bedwellty, Monmouthshire, Wales, emigrated to Meigs County Ohio about 1849, and then on to Macon County, Missouri in 1865. There are no known descendants of these two Welsh lines that have taken a Y-DNA test.

Family Reunions

Is anyone planning a Rowland, Roland, Rowlands (or other variants) family reunion? If so, let us know, and we can help get the word out.

Medieval Soldier’s Database

Medieval period records for ancestors are hard to find unless you descend from royalty. That is now changing. The University of Southampton has placed The Soldier in Later Medieval England database online. You can search it for any surname and download the results. The above link has also been added to our Genealogy Websites page.

The database currently contains three soldiers with the ‘Rowland’ surname, and all were archers. It has thirteen entries with the ‘Roland’ surname (although some appear to be duplicates). All but one were archers, which was obviously a primary soldier skill back in the day. The one unique entry is for Stephen Roland, rank of ‘Man-at-Arms,’ and status of ‘Esquire,’ an important chap indeed.

We reconstructed the Newsletter portion of the website, and it is now one of the top-line menu items instead of being a submenu item under Help. As part of this change, we have uploaded all the back issues to the site. Each issue has a link along with a short description of the major topics discussed. The newsletter landing page still begins with a sign-up box for new subscribers, but if you scroll down you will find the back issues listed under the heading of ‘Newsletter Archives.’ New issues will not be posted until a couple of months after publication.

Recent Articles

The Forgotten Relatives, by guest author Jean Rowland. Jean tells the story of William Rowlands (1769-1831) and his descendants. William was born on the Isle Wight, Hampshire, England, and emigrated to the United States in 1820. He settled in Washington County, Ohio, and died there eleven years after his arrival. His U.S. descendants continued their westward migration with one large branch settling in and around Hutchison, Reno County, Kansas

Roland the Farter: one jump, one whistle, and one fart. Don’t let the title fool you. This is a true story about a famous man, who was well rewarded by the king. Roland, a real person, with a unique skill set, received Hemingstone manor and 110 acres in Suffolk for his services to the King of England during the 12^th century. These “services” entailed performing one jump, one whistle, and one fart for the king on Christmas day. In other words, he was a professional flatulist, serving at the pleasure of the king.

The Murder of Andrew Rowland. Andrew Rowland was bludgeoned to death in 1868 while sleeping next to his wife, a woman who openly conspired with her “secret” second husband (polyandry) in the solicitation of a hitman, poisoning attempts, and spending the insurance money. It was western Maryland’s murder trial of the century, filled with shocking revelations, surprising witness testimony, and a storyline worthy of a Dateline episode. We present this true-crime story in five parts. Andrew, and most of the Rowlands of Washington County, are believed to be part of Rowland Y-DNA Group I.

Publications Added to Free Library

“Descendants (A) of Thomas Rowland” (1741-1814) of Granville County, North Carolina, compiled by Walter P Neely, self-published, updated Jan 2022, Jackson, Mississippi, 18-pages. Covers five generations of descendants beginning with the seven children of Thomas Rowland and Sarah Weaver. This line is part of Rowland DNA Group C.

“Rowland and Connected Families” of Schuyler County Missouri. Compiled, Edited, and Written by Viettia Alberta Newcomb, Cover Design and Book Assembly by Richard Edward Newcomb, 1996. Traces the descendants of William N Rowland (1809-1890), born in Warren County, Kentucky, and lived in Schuyler County, Missouri. There are no known Y-DNA test takers from this line, and it is currently in DNA Group Untested.

“Richardson Rowland (1791-1872) and His Family, Wilson County, Tennessee, and Caldwell County, Kentucky” by Richard C Sheridan, self-published, 1975, Sheffield, Alabama, 56 pages (47 numbered plus an unnumbered introduction, and 2 pages of additions/corrections). Richardson Rowland (1791-1872) was born in North Carolina and moved to Tennessee at an early age where he had 10 children. The family moved to Kentucky about 1855. The book includes details of his military service, land transactions, and about three dozen photographs. Richardson Rowland is part of Rowland Y-DNA Group J.

Free WikiTree Help

I am convinced that WikiTree’s vast richness of tools, its policy of a single profile per ancestor, and its pledge to remain free make it the best choice for documented ancestral tree building. I’m also aware that WikiTree can be somewhat daunting to newcomers, especially those without prior experience with document markup language techniques.

Therefore, I will help you get started by connecting you (or your recent Rowland/Roland ancestors) to the global tree. Please note that I will not add living people to the tree. That is something you will need to do so that you can control the privacy level. If this is of interest to you, then please email rowlandgenealogy@gmail.com with your ancestral information. Note: if you already have a public tree documented on another site, then I can work with that.

Share and Share a Like

Improving the awareness of our existence is key to our goals for 2022. You can help by forwarding this newsletter to family and friends that may find it of interest. If you received this newsletter from someone else, then you can sign up to get future issues directly at the Rowland Genealogy Newsletter.

Following us on Facebook may be the easiest way to keep abreast of new articles and activities between issues of the newsletter. To do so, simply “like” the Rowland Genealogy Facebook page.

____________________________

Ron Rowland
Editor & Publisher

PS – I welcome your suggestions for improvements, features, topics, and website restructuring. Please let me know of any errors, inconsistencies, or additional Rowland/Roland lines.