BARROW of LOUISIANA and TEXAS

 

 

            RUEBEN BARROW was born in 1758-`759 in the area of Pitt Co., NORTH CAROLINA.  He was the son of RICHARD BARROW II and his wife MARY GODEN (or GODWIN, GODIENNE, etc), daughter of NATHAN GODWIN of BEUFORT Co., N. C., according to research by Dr. Jonathan B. Butcher, Registered Genealogist of Cary, N. C.  NATHAN GODWIN made his will dated 27 February 1751/2 (o. s.), proven 9 June 1752, naming his wife MARY GODWIN and daughters MARY and JEAN GODEN.  MARY married RICHARD BARROW II who joined with her in selling lands inherited from her father (DB E:209 recorded April 1774 in PITT Co., formed from BEAUFORT Co).  Mr. Butcher speculated that RICHARD BARROW II may have died in GEORGIA.  However, our research indicates that he is the RICHARD BARROW who sold his lands in GEORGIA and removed to MOBILE, the under Spanish Dominion, where they appear in the Spanish Census taken on January 1, 1786.  Their son, REUBEN, appears as a Widower on the Census of January 15, 1787, listed as being “28 years of age”.  The Baptismal records of REUBEN’S children, prove his parentage of RICHARD BARROW and MARY GODIENNE.

 

            REUBEN BARROW’S first wife, according to family historians, was FANNY KENNEDY (There is some doubt that Fanny is correct in the family, some think she had passed away and another woman was actually the mother of Levi Barrow) by whom he had two known sons:

 

i.      VINCENT BARROW, m. (1) GERTRUDE THIBODEAUX on 5-29-1810.  (2) CATHERINE OBERLAND.  Children by his first wife:

            LEVI OLIBER (b. 8-2-1811 moved to CHAMBERS Co., TX prior to 1850)

            REUBEN SHADRACH (b. 12-13-1813 moved to CHAMBERS Co., TX prior to 1850).

            BENJAMIN ANATOILE (b. c. 1810 moved to CHAMBERS Co., TX prior to 1850).

            ADALINE (b. c. 1820, Bapt. 2-15-1826 at age 6 years).

            MARIE BELZIRE (b 1825, Bapt. 2-15-1826 at 11 months old).

            LOUISA SARAH (b. 1827, Bapt. 10-28-1828 at 14 months old).

            ZELPHIA (age unknown, probably c. 1818 as she m. ROBERT DUNMAN ON 12-26-1839).

 

ii.      LEVI BARROW m. MARY TALLEY (dau. of WILLIAM) on 9-4-1809 in OPELOUSAS PARISH, LOUISIANA.  LEVI died in 1817 leaving two children:

            AARON LEONARD (b. 4-6-1811 m. LUCINDA LaFORE c. 1831, removed to CHAMBERS Co., TX prior to 1850).

            MELINDA (b. c. 1813).

      His widow then m. NEHEMIAH PARISH in Louisiana.

 

            By his second wife, MARY JANE JOHNSON (dau. of  DANIEL JOHNSON and his wife SUSANNA DALEY), whom REUBEN married circa 1787 in Spanish Territory which become LOUISIANA, by whom he had 12 children.

 

                  iii.                  RACHEL BARROW, m. JOHN FOREMAN on 3-6-1811.

 

                  iv.  ELIZABETH BARROW (b. 1790, Bapt. 11-12-1795 at 5 years old), m. SAMUEL BARBER on 11-24-1813 in Louisiana.

 

                  v.   SARAH (“Sally”) BARROW, m. ELISHA HENRY ROBERT WALLIS on 10-17-1814 in Louisiana.  She died 11-15-1841 (according to records of Mrs. Villa Mae Williams).

 

                  vi.  JULIA BARROW, b. 8-3-1797 (Bapt. 1-7-1802 at 5 years old), m. ALEXANDER STEPHENS on 3-1-1815 in OPELOUSAS PARISH.  She d. 8-8-1869.

                  vii. MARIE BARROW

 

                  viii.            VICTORIA BARROW

 

                  ix.  AMELIA BARROW, b. 8-17-1803, m. HENRY MOODY GRIFFITH on 4-24-1824.

 

                  x.   SOLOMON BARROW, b. 1801 (Bapt. 1-7-1802 at 1 year old), m. ELIZABETH WINFREE, removed to CHAMBERS Co., TX prior to 1826 where he was listed on the ATASCOSITO Census dated 7-21-1826.  He died in 1858.  His widow, ELIZABETH, applied for a Pension for SOLOMON’S service in Capt. WILLIAM SMITH’S Co. from 3-1-1836 to 6-1-1836 during the War of the Republic of Texas with Mexico, with a Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas in Baytown, TX named in his honor.

 

                  xi.  REUBEN BARROW, JR., b. 7-21-1806 (B apt. 9-21-1806 at two months of age in OPELOUSAS PARISH of Louisiana), m. SUSANNA DUNMAN, removed to TEXAS about 1824 where he appears on the 1850 Census of CHAMBERS  County (LIBERTY).

 

                  xii. BENJAMIN BARROW, b. 4-24-1807, m. PERMELIA JANE WHITE, dau. of JAMES TAYLOR WHITE and his wife SARAH CADE, c. 1835, by whom he had 9 children.  He removed to TEXAS with his older brothers, according to the research of Mrs. Villa Mae Williams of Anahauc, TX.  He appears on the 1850 Census of CHAMBERS Co., (formed from LIBERTY County).

 

                  xiii.            WILLIAM BARROW, (Bapt. 10-14-1804 at age 6 months in OPELOUSAS PARISH) died young.

 

                  xiv.RICHARD BARROW, b. c. 1802 (Bapt. 1-7-1805 at 3 years of age in OPELOUSAS PARISH).

 

                  From these records we learn that 3 sons of VINCENT BARROW:  LEVI (m. ISABELLA WEED); REUBEN SHADRAC (m. ELIZABETH WEAVER a native of Germany); and BENJAMIN (m. ELIZABETH WEED) removed from LOUISIANA into LIBERTY County (became CHAMBERS County prior to 1860 Census), TEXAS.

 

                  Further, we learn that LEVI BARROW’S only son, AARON LEONARD BARROW, removed to LIBERTY Co. (CHAMBERS Co.) where he was living next door to his first cousin, BENJAMIN (son of VINCENT) in the 1850 Census.  AARON married LUCINDA LaFORE in Louisiana where five of their children were born before they moved to LIBERTY Co. about 1840.  AARON was an M. D., graduating from the Medical School in New Orleans.  They did not remain very long in CHAMBERS Co. as we find them in GUADALUPE Co. at a village named “Barrowdale”, know as a Stagecoach stop, in 1860.

 

                  These three sons of VINCENT and the son of LEVI, appear to have followed their Uncles: SOLOMON, REUBEN, JR. and BENJAMIN into LIBERTY Co., TEXAS (by 1860 this area was formed into CHAMBERS Co.), all arriving there by the 1850 Census of LIBERTY County.

 

                  In addition to these 7 men, from the family of REUBEN of LOUISIANA, we find REUBEN’S daughter, ELIZABETH [nee BARROW] BARBER, widow of SAMUEL BARBER, with her son, BENJAMIN BARBER, in the household of her daughter ELIZA and her husband AUGUSTUS BROCK.

 

                  By 1860, SOLOMON BARROW was deceased, leaving his widow, ELIZABETH [nee WINFREE], living on the plantation on “CEDAR BAYOU” in CHAMBERS Co.  Their son, BENJAMIN with his wife MATLIDA CURBELO, LIVED NEXT DOOR.  Their son, SOLOMON and his wife HENRIETTA LAWRENCE, lived nearby.  Son AMOS BARROW and daughter HENRIETTA, and daughter TABITHA [with her husband WILLIAM MACKEY and 2 children] all appear in ELIZABETH’S household.

 

                  Linving in the WALLISVILLE area, in 1860, were Benjamin (son of Reuben) and his wife, PARMELIA JANE WHITE, with 7 children.  Their son, HOHN SHADRACH BARROW, lived next door.  Nearby was his nephew BENJAMIN (son of VINCENT & GERTRUDE THIBODEAUX) with a large family.  One ANN M. BARROW, age 61 years, born in IRELAND, was nearby in the household of SUSANNAH [BARROW?] and DAVID WALLIS who are unidentified in our records.

 

                  Sill in WALLISVILLE, though the record states “LIBERTY Co.”, was REUBEN SHADRACH BARROW (son of VINCENT & GERTRUDE THIBODEAUX BARROW), in 1860, with a large family.  Apparently, his brother, LEVI, was deceased as we find his widow, ISABELLE (age 40) married to CALEB HIGGINBOTTOM in LIBERTY Co. with her daughter MARTHA BARROW, age 15 years, in their household.

 

Note:  All data based upon research of Mrs. Villa Mae Williams of Anahauc, TX and the Census Records prepared by Ms. Carol J. Barrow of Atlanta, GA.

 

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Submitted by: Donnie G. Helton