Be Fruitful and Multiply

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”

Genesis 1:28

Clearly, some Rowland families took this bible verse to heart. Today, most of us think that two children are a handful. A few generations ago, families with half a dozen children were not uncommon. However, the following Rowland families pushed the limits and did their best to propagate the Rowland name.

Here are the Rowland families with a dozen or more children.

18 Children

1. Barbara (Roland) Keithley (1757-1847) appears to be the titleholder for “Most Children Birthed by a Roland” with 18 offspring to her credit. She was a daughter of Gasper Roland and Marie Hunsaker, and her husband was Jacob Keithley. Their children’s birthplaces include the counties of Fayette, Bourbon, and Warren in the great state of Kentucky.

17 Children

1. George Rowland (1840-1919) was born in Eastwood, Greasley, Nottingham, England, and emigrated to Utah, United States in 1862, where he fathered 17 children. His first wife, Martha Boot, had 3 children before her death in 1872, and his second wife Amy Naylor birthed the next 14.
2. Louis Freeman “Freeman” Rowland/Roling (1854-1934) and his wife, Malinda Roberts, had 17 children in Franklin and Jackson counties of Georgia.

16 Children

1. Matthias Roland (1767-1843) was the father of 16 children in Berks County, Pennsylvania between 1789 and 1832. A dozen were with his first wife, Scharlotta Alter, and another four with his second wife Elizabeth.
2. William Henry Rowland (1800-1858) had 4 children with Elizabeth Holman and a dozen more with Mary Ann Catherine Rousch in Macon County, Missouri.
3. William Rowland (1836-1918) and his first wife, Mary Ann Nowlan, had 9 children in Maitland, New South Wales, Australia. He had 7 more with his second wife, Jane Downey.
4. James F Rowland (1859-1935) was the father of 16 children, all born in Hawkins County, Tennessee between 1885 and 1922. The first four were with his first wife, Susannah Whetsel, and Caledonia Dona Hamblen was mother to the next dozen. James himself was one of 15 children born to David M Rowland and Phoebe A Vaughn (see below). He is mentioned in “The 84 Grandchildren of David M Rowland and Phoebe A Vaughn.”

15 Children

1. David Rowland (1794-1866) and his wife, Elizabeth, had 15 children in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.
2. Elizabeth Rowland (1807-1889) and Jacob Thomas Adrian (1804-1851) had 15 children in Jefferson County and Morgan County, Ohio from 1827 to 1850.
3. William Griffin Rowland (1812-1892) had 15 children between the years of 1838 and 1882 in Georgia and Florida. Nine were with his first wife Nancy Jones, one with an unknown mother, and five with Sarah Yates.
4. Philip Rowland (1828-1923), with the help of three wives, fathered 15 children in McMinn County, Tennessee, spanning 32 years from 1859 to 1891. He lived to the ripe old age of 94 and had 10 surviving children plus 52 grandchildren at the time of his death.
5. Capt Joseph C Rowland (1834-1898) married three times and had 15 children in Burleson County, Texas beginning in 1856. He never got to meet his last child, who was born after his 1898 death.
6. David M Rowland (1838-1926) and Phoebe A Vaughn (1842-1918) had 15 children (and 84 grandchildren) in Hawkins County, Tennessee between 1858 and 1884. Their story is highlighted in “The 84 Grandchildren of David M Rowland and Phoebe A Vaughn.” Their eldest son, James F Rowland, had 16 children (see above).
7. Elizabeth Ann (Rowland) Parberry (1839-1900) produced 15 children in Daviess and Grundy counties of Missouri. Her husband was Henry C Parberry, who had at least one additional child with his first wife.
8. Solomon Franklin Roland (1854-1925) had nine children with his first wife, Martha Ann Elizabeth Dooley, and six more with hsi second wife, Sallie Jane Cromer. All 15 were born in Lexington County, South Carolina.

14 Children

1. John Albert Rowland (1791-1873) had 14 children with two wives and adopted four more. John had 10 offspring with his first wife Maria Encarnacion Martinez from 1826 to 1846 in Taos, New Mexico, and Los Angeles County, California, and four more with Charlotte Gavitt between 1854 and 1857. A man of big heart, he and his first wife also adopted four children from the local Ute Tribe.
2. William Rowland Sr (1796-18812) had 14 children with three wives. Rhoda Woodruff (1799-1835) was the mother of the first eight, and they were born in Hamilton County, Ohio. Sarah Wikoff (1803-1863) gave birth to the next five, mostly in Edgar County, Illinois. Mary Unknown was the mother of number 14.
3. Thomas M Rowland (1809-1856) had 14 children with two wives. Nancy Jane Hodge (1811-1850) was the mother of the first ten, born between 1834 and 1848 in Missouri and Texas. Delila Elizabeth Miller gave birth to the final four in Collin County, Texas.
4. George Washington Rowland (1816-1883) had 5 children with Lavina Caudle, 2 with Susan Stewart, and 7 more with Caroline Weaver in Pope County, Arkansas.
5. George Harris Rowland (1818-1901) and his wife Catherine Cheatham had 14 children between 1842 and 1866 in Granville and Henderson counties of North Carolina.
6. James Rowland (1830-1915) had 7 children with his first wife, Jane Huffman/Heflin, and 7 more with Amelia Ann Toole in Harrison County, Ohio.
7. William Sherwood Rowland (1850-1927) and his wife Josephine Terry (1857-1930) had 14 children between 1878 and 1910 in Calhoun County, Mississippi and Hempstead County, Arkansas.
8. Charles Rowland (1839-1924) and Alice Dinnage (1843-1914) were parents to 14 children, born from 1860 to 1888 in Nuthurst, Sussex, England.
9. William “Bill” Rowland (1857-1935) had 8 children with his first wife, Fannie Partain, and 6 more with his second wife, Mollie Partain. All children were born in Hart County, Georgia.
10. John Riley Rowland (1864-1938) was the father of 14 children in Stanly and Cabarrus counties of North Carolina between 1887 and 1919. His first wife, Delila Lowder, was mother to four and his second wife, Sarah Shoe, gave birth to ten.

13 Children

1. Elizabeth (Rowland) Partin (1797-) was the mother of 13 children born in Wake County, North Carolina.
2. Sarah J “Sally” (Rowland) Wilhite (1800-1863) was the mother of 13 children born in Boone County, Missouri between 1819 and 1845).
3. William Rowland (1801-1883) and his wife Clarissa Rundel (1809-1897) parented 13 children in Cambria County and Indiana County, Pennsylvania from 1833 to 1854.
4. John Rogers Rowland (1807-1855) and Mary Ann Lanfare had 13 children, 3 of whom died in infancy. Most of the births occurred in Greene County, New York, and New Haven, Connecticut.
5. David F Rowland (1813-1865) fathered 13 children with Elizabeth Lee in Daviess County, Missouri.
6. Judge Peter Monroe Rowland (1820-1882) is the father of 13 children, all born in Chambers County, Alabama. Three were born by his first wife Mary Elizabeth Hurst, while Ann MacDaniel Hill produced 10 of his offspring.
7. George Washington Rowland (1826-1888) had 13 children with his wife Martha Emeline Bailey in Barren County, Kentucky.
8. James Henry Roland (1832-1920) had 13 children with Sarah Ann Wilson in Yancey County, North Carolina.
9. Solomon Roland (1835-) fathered 13 children in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.
10. Henry Rowland (1837-1917) fathered 13 children in Morgan County, Ohio. Three with his first wife Lucinda Beach and ten with his second wife Mary Elizabeth Brower.
11. Queenie Agatha (Rolen) Williams (1841-1930) birthed 13 children in Sevier County, Tennessee. Her husband was William Martin Williams.
12. Wiley Rowland (1844-1920) and Priscilla Shackelford (1846-1921) had 13 children in and around Lamar County, Alabama.
13. Lemuel Washington “Lem W” Rowland (1856-1941) was married three times and had 13 children in Calloway County, Kentucky. His wives were Mary Ann Apperson, Arlara Gay Booker, and Minnie R Kelly.
14. James Monroe Rowland (1858-1941) and is wife Nora Jones (1858-18900) had 13 children in Pittsylvania County, Virginia between 1875 and 1898.
15. William Balious Roland (1860-1935) and his wife, Nancy Ellender Silver, had 13 children in Yancey County, North Carolina.
16. Alexander John S Rowland (1860-1923) and Katie Elizabeth Walters had 13 children, all born in Claiborne County, Mississippi.
17. Hiram Gregg Roland (1860-1929) fathered 13 children in Marion County, Iowa with his wife Emma Laura Gray.
18. David Jackson “D.J.” Rollan (1868-1937) had 13 children with Mary Amanda Edwards in Chilton County, Alabama.
19. Frank Roland (1879-1934) had 13 children in Mercer and Daviess counties Missouri with his wife Mary Louisa Mason.
20. Daniel Sanford “Sanford” Rowland (1879-1962) and his wife, Lula Robbins, had 13 children in Morgan and Johnson counties of Kentucky.

12 Children

1. Lt. Col. Thomas Rowland (1741-1814) and Mary Russell (1750-1822) had 12 children in and around Botetourt County, Virginia.
2. John Younger Rowland (1776-1839) and Margaret Crawford (1786-1847) had 12 children, with a few born in Warren County, Kentucky before the family migrated to Randolph County, Missouri, where a majority of them were born.
3. James Rowland (1803-1866) fathered 12 children between 1821 and 1859 in Smith County, Tennessee. The first six were with his first wife Martha “Patsy” Payne (1804-1838), while Susannah Purnell (1819-) gave birth to the second half-dozen.
4. James Rowland (1805-1890) and Elizabeth Leinard produced 12 children between 1831 and 1849 in Harrison County, Ohio.
5. Celia (Rowland) Wright (1805-) gave birth to a dozen children in Greene County, Georgia.
6. James B Rowland (1810-) had 8 children with Frances J Holland and 4 more with Mary Weeks in Greene County, Arkansas.
7. James Roland (1810-1861) had 12 children with Eliza Jane Arnold in Lucas County, Iowa.
8. General Hollis Rowland (1811-1886) fathered a dozen children in Chenango County, New York. Two with his first wife Sally M Smith and ten more with his second wife Sarah Fitch.
9. Andrew Jackson Roland (1816-1916) and Mary Magdeline Morgan (1821-1891) had 12 children in and around Macon County, North Carolina.
10. William Jasper Roland (1821-1888) and his wife, Mary Ashby, had 12 children in Hopkins and Webster counties of Kentucky.
11. Sherrod Leslie Roland (1823-1885) and Susan R Turner has a dozen children in Collin County, Texas from 1846 to 1875.
12. Obadiah Rowland (1833-1885) and Adalaide Hannah (Griswold) Rowland (1832-1905) were the parents of 12 children, all born near the hamlet of Rowland, Lackawaxen Township, Pike County, Pennsylvania.
13. Lucinda Jane (Roland) Silver (1834-1913) and her husband Jacob William Silver had a dozen children in Yancey County, North Carolina.
14. Henry Rowland (1837-1917) fathered 12 children with Lucinda Beach (1831-1863) and Mary Elizabeth Brower (1843-1922) in Morgan County, Ohio.
15. Benjamin Franklin Rowland (1838-1914) fathered a dozen children in Caldwell County, Kentucky with the help of three wives. He had 5 with Martha Ann Guess, 4 with Mary Ellen Adams, and 3 with Mary Cordelia “Molly” Bleven.
16. James H Rowland (1838-1904) and Alice Jane Hicks had a dozen kids in Butler County, Missouri, and Randolph County, Arkansas.
17. Samuel Rowland (1844-1928) fathered 12 children across many states (West Virginia, Missouri, Kansas, Washington, and Texas) with three wives. Elizabeth Fenner was the mother of nine of them.
18. Joseph T R Rowland (1859-1930) had a dozen children across three wives in the Georgia counties of Emanuel, Jeff Davis, and Montgomery.
19. Hugh Rowland (1860-1934), with three wives, fathered 12 children in the Ohio counties of Jackson, Clark, and Fayette between 1886 and 1918.
20. Columbus Alexander Rowland (1861-1943) was the father of 12 children born to two wives. Most were born in Clay County, North Carolina, although the youngest ones were born in Towns County, Georgia.
21. Emma Alice (Rowland) Beals (1870-1921) and her husband James David Beals (1868-1941) produced a dozen children in Missouri and Roger Mills County, Oklahoma between 1889 and 1911.
22. Daniel Boone Rowland (1871-1949) and Mary Dixon (1875-1966) had 12 children in Madison County, North Carolina, and Cocke County, Tennessee from 1893 to 1915.
23. Andrew Rowland (1875-) and his second wife, Hattie Belle Smith, had 12 children in Fayette County, Ohio.
24. Jacob Martin “Jake” Rowland (1875-1971) and his wife, Nancy Elizabeth Childress, had a dozen kids in Chester County, Tennessee.
25. Flora Alice (Roland) Jones (1885-1963) and her husband Oscar Jones raised 12 children in Marion County, Iowa.
26. Charlie Thomas Rowland (1896-1975) and his wife, Cora Pearl Clark, produced 12 children in Calloway County, Kentucky.

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Yes, be fruitful and multiply the Rowland family name. Please let me know of other large Rowland families that should be added to this list.

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