John Rowland (?)
There are several Rowland families who lived in the western portion of Rutherford County in the 19th century and who appear to have been related. The mystery is that it is not at all clear who the parents of this group of possible siblings were for various reasons:
-- While most of these Rowlands are in Rutherford County in the 1850 census (at least one is in neighboring Marshall County), there are no potential parents of that surname anywhere in the county.
-- There are no Rutherford County land or probate records that directly indicate a head of household.
-- So far, there are no other Rutherford County court records that offer clues as to possible parents.
Because the boundary between Rutherford and Williamson Counties changed significantly over the years (check out the wonderful animap of Tennessee!), we also have searched many Williamson County records, but so far have found no links between our Rowlands and others.
Why do we think these Rowlands are related? There are various clues and information that indicate relationships among the various Rowland children that are proposed for this family group:
-- Lucy A. Rowland, Littleberry Rowland, William Rowland, and John Rowland all married into the same Brown family (all four of their spouses were children of Lent Brown, who lived in the neighborhood)
-- Mary Jane Rowland and Martha Ann Rowland both married men named Underwood (possible brothers)
-- In 1850, William and Littleberry Rowland live next door to one another; John Rowland lives 3 houses away; Lent Brown lives in between.
-- In 1860, Thomas Rowland and his family were enumerated in Littleberry Rowland's household
-- In 1880, Emiline Rowland lives with “sister” Mary J. Underwood in Rutherford Co (she may also have lived with Mary in 1850)
-- John, Littleberry, and William Rowland all appear to live near one another as late as 1880-1900, judging from deed records
-- "Granville" (or variants) is a common name among these families. Both William and Thomas Rowland named sons “Granville” or “Granvel”; Columbus Underwood (son of Mary Jane Rowland) also named a son “Granville”.
There is one family that is especially intriguing: John Rowland (born between 1780/1790) was enumerated with his wife and eleven children in Rutherford County in the 1830 census, and the age groups of his children fit the Rutherford Rowlands rather closely. However, John does not appear in the 1836 and 1837 tax lists, suggesting that he either died and his wife remarried or that he had moved out of the county.
While we search for more evidence, we are using John as a hypothetical father for this group, but this is only tentative. We do know that the parents of this group were born in Virginia (all the siblings say in census records that their parents were from Virginia), and that is where they probably married, since several of these Rowlands were born in that state. John's wife's name is unknown at this point; she probably also was born between 1790/1794 in Virginia and died sometime after 1830. It is possible that John's first wife may have died and that he married a second time after arriving in Rutherford County; in 1812 a John Rowland married Mary "Polly" Robertson in that county, but it is unclear whether John and Polly are the parents of any of the Rutherford Rowlands.
A John Rowlon appears in Rutherford County land records in 1811 as a witness when William Rowlon purchased 200 acres on the east side of Stone's River from William Threatt; a John Roulon also witnessed a deed in 1816 between John Donaldson and William Ward, and John Rowland served as witness to a transaction in 1818 when Frederick Rowland sold 50 acres on Overall's Creek to Charles Newsom (the deed in which Frederick purchased the land has not yet been located in county records). Many of the Rowlands lived in this same general area throughout the 19th century.
Using the 1830 enumeration as a baseline, then, the children of John Rowland and his unknown wife (or wives) are:
i. unknown female (1808 - after 1830 -- no further information)
ii. unknown female (1808 - after 1830 -- no further information)
iii. Lucy A. Rowland (1810/11, in VA-1879); m. James A. Brown
iv. Littleberry Rowland (1812, in VA-1899); m1. Jane Brown, m2. Sarah Ann Winsett
v. Mary Jane Rowland (1814, in VA-aft 1880); m. Matthew Underwood
vi. Martha Ann Rowland (ca. 1817, in TN-after 1834); m. James Underwood
vii. William M. Rowland (ca 1819/20, in TN-1900); m. Elizabeth Brown
viii. John J. Rowland (1823, in TN-1889); m. Anna Brown
ix. Thomas T. Rowland (1825, in TN-1863); m. Elizabeth Smotherman
x. Emiline Rowland (1827, in TN-after 1880 -- never married)
xi. unknown male (1829 -- no further information)
The following chronology can be constructed using census and other data:
1780/90 - Born in Virginia, county and parents unknown
1806 - Marries in Virginia, county unknown, wife's name unknown
1809 - Lucy A. Rowland is born in Virginia, county unknown
1811 - Littleberry Rowland is born in Virginia, county unknown
1816 - William Rowland is born in Tennessee, probably in Rutherford County
1826 - Emeline Rowland is born in Rutherford County
1830 - Enumerated in the census in Rutherford County
1836 - Does not appear as head of household in Rutherford County tax list
1837 - Does not appear as head of household in Rutherford County tax list
1840 - Littleberry Rowland and Matthew Underwood are in the Rutherford County census