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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES - SOUTH ANCESTORS
DOWLIN
(Also recorded as DOWLEN, DOWLAN & DOWLING)
112-Paul DOWLIN, Sr. (my 4G Grandfather) was born in Scotland in 1716. He emigrated to America sometime before 1750. On 15 October 1750 he married 113-Elizabeth WILLIAMS in Philadelphia. They had at least two children, David and 56-Paul, Jr.
On 22 December 1761 he purchased a 236 acre farm in Horsham Township, Philadelphia (now Montgomery) County, Pennsylvania from Daniel and John CRAIG. He owned and farmed this land until his death in 1801.
After 113-Elizabeth’s death (date unknown) he married Margaret BROWN on 24 February 1773. Margaret was still living and included in 112-Paul’s Will when he died 16 September 1801 at age 85. He willed 88 acres of his farm to 56-Paul Jr., 98 acres including the “mansion house” to second son David and 50 acres to grandson Paul, son of David. 112-Paul, Sr. is buried in Bucks County, PA. Nothing has been found concerning the burial places of his wives 113-Elizabeth or Margaret.
56-Paul DOWLIN, Jr. (my 3G Grandfather) was born in 1761 in Horsham Township, Philadelphia (now Montgomery) County, PA where he was raised on his father’s farm. His farm, including the 88 acres inherited from his father, was sold in 1806 to a Samuel DEHAVEN. In the early 1790’s he was a Lieutenant in the 3rd Regiment, 1st Battalion, 5th Company of the Montgomery County Militia. He moved from Eastern Pennsylvania to Greene County, PA in about 1807. In time he purchased a farm near Carmichaeltown (now Carmichaels), PA. He also owned a farm in Jefferson Township, Guernsey County, Ohio that was farmed and later inherited by his son, Josias.
He married 57-Margaret (maiden name unknown) and they had seven children 28-John, Josias, Jane, Elizabeth, Margaret, Martha, who married Joseph GWYNNE, Jr., son of 58-Joseph GWYNNE and 59-Mary.
56-Paul, Jr. died in 1834 and 57-Margaret in 1842 at age 82. Both are buried in the Glades Church Cemetery, Carmichaels, Cumberland Township, Greene County, PA.
28-John DOWLIN (my 2G Grandfather), the oldest son of 56-Paul, Jr. and Margaret was borne in Cumberland Township, Greene County, PA. He married 29-Elizabeth GWYNNE, a daughter of 58-Joseph GWYNNE, one of the early settlers of the region. They had nine children, 14-Lewis, Martha, Paul, John, Crawford, Josiah, Jesse, David and Mary Jane. 28-John inherited 212 acres of the family farm near Carmichaels upon his fathers death and he and Margaret lived there the rest of their lives.
28-John's brother Josias inherited his fathers Ohio farm where he had lived for some time before his father’s death. According to an obituary in my possession he married a sister of the mother of William McKINLEY, the 25th President of the United States. Assuming that this is correct it would make his wife 29-Elizabeth ALLISON, a sister of Nancy (ALLISON) McKINLEY, mother of William McKINLEY. Josias later sold the Ohio property and he and Elizabeth returned to Greene County, PA to live out the balance of their lives. 28-John died in 1871 at age 81 and 29-Elizabeth in 1878 at age 91. Both are buried at the Glades Church Cemetery at Carmichaels, PA along with brother Josias and his wife Elizabeth, and John and Josias' parents.
14-Lewis DOWLIN (my G Grandfather) was raised on his father’s farm near Carmichaels, PA. He married 15-Emilene RINEHART a descendant of one of the early pioneer families of the region. This was just one of several marriages between the DOWLIN and RINEHART families. Lewis and Emilene moved to the Davistown area in Dunkard Township where they purchased a farm and raised a family of nine children, Martha Ann, John Crawford*, Margaret Jane, David Rinehart, William Paul, Jesse Franklin, Ida Samantha, Josiah Gwynne and 7-Elizabeth Ellen.
At Davistown 7-Elizabeth Ellen met 6-Rev. Frank SOUTH, minister of the Davistown Methodist Episcopal Church, who became her husband. Sometime after the children were grown, 15-Emilene died. The date of her death and place of burial are unknown at this time. Records indicate that 14-Lewis remarried at least twice. His will dated 4 April 1890 includes a wife, Anne, as beneficiary and mentions a stepdaughter Jessie Calvert. It also provides for "tombstones at all my wives graves".
In his will (see DOCUMENTS) 14-Lewis disinherits seven of his nine children due to problems allegedly created by his youngest daughter 7-Ellen. While time has obscured the reason for this family dispute it is thought to be the reaction of a devout Baptist father to his daughter "leaving him" to marry a young Methodist minister without his permission and then having several of her siblings side with their younger sister in the dispute that followed.
14-Lewis died in 1896 at age 77. He is buried at the Samuel Point Cemetery, Greene County, PA.
* John Crawford DOWLIN was a prominent Carmichaels, PA businessman. He was one of the founders of The First National Bank of Carmichaels (since known as The Community Bank). According to an early handwritten history of the bank describing its opening day, “Previous arrangements had been made with the Farmers and Drovers Bank in Waynesburg for use of money on the opening day. John C. Dowlin left at seven o’clock on Monday morning July 1, 1901. Driving a horse named ‘Nellie’, Dowlin delivered the money, and the bank opened as scheduled.”
SUPPLEMENTAL BIOGRAPHIC MATERIAL -
DOWLIN
(Added after
initial printing)
The following refers to the Revolutionary War era farm of my 4G Grandfather 112-Paul DOWLIN (1716-1801) in Horsham Township, Montgomery County, PA
(From 1890 Publication) The old DOWLIN farm is one of the historical properties of Horsham. The present farm known by that name is only a portion of one that was much larger. It is situated northward of Prospectville and fronting the turnpike to Chalfont at the crossing to Chestnut Lane. The buildings are on a high position, a summit level, from which the drainage is in several directions. For many years the SPEECE family has occupied the property. William SPEECE married Jane, daughter of Paul DOWLIN III, the first Paul DOWLIN’S grandson.
The DOWLIN tract was part of a large tract northeast of the road, which in the early days of the colony was granted to Samuel CARPENTER. About or before 1736 it was sold to the first actual settler, a Welshman named Daniel PRITCHARD who is supposed to have made the first improvements upon the site of the present buildings. Later PRITCHARD passed away and before 1761 the plantation came into the possession of a Scotch Irishman named David CRAIG. That same year there was a conveyance of 236 acres from David and John CRAIG to Paul DOWLIN, Sr., of Scottish origin, whose descendants have continued to hold possession of a portion of that land to the present day.
Paul DOWLIN, Sr. continued as owner until after the Revolutionary period. His will was made in 1799 and registered in 1800. In this document mention is made of his wife, Margaret (his second wife), to whom he gave the use of a small stone house and made various provisions for her maintenance, together with 20 Pounds yearly. There were two additional houses on the property, one where his son David lived. To his son, Paul, Jr., he gave the other house and a lot of 10 acres. He then bequeathed the plantation in two main portions to his sons, David and Paul, Jr. David got 98 acres including the “mansion house” indicating that Paul DOWLIN, Sr. lived in no small residence. The inheritance of Paul DOWLIN, Jr. was 88 acres, the Southwest part, next to Horsham road. This he sold to Samuel DEHAVEN in 1807 and ended the DOWLIN ownership of this portion. (This is when 3G Grandfather Paul, Jr. departed for Greene County, PA.)
A third division of the estate, comprised of 50 acres was willed to his grandson, Paul III, son of David, whose daughter Jane, with her husband William SPEECE, now occupy the farm.
SOURCE: Condensed from JOURNAL OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
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PAUL & WILLIAM “WILL” DOWLIN
In the late 1700’s our ancestors started the trek from Greene County, PA westward that was to result eventually in our ancestors and relatives being spread from coast to coast. Thousands of fascinating life stories have been lost with the passage of time but following is one that has been preserved and called to our attention. It is the story of Paul DOWLIN (1828-1877) and William “Will” DOWLIN (1836-1884), sons of Josiah DOWLIN (1796-1862), brother of my 2G Grandfather 28-John DOWLIN (1790-1874).
SOURCE: Cousin Alice C. BLAKESTAD of
Hondo, NM
“For all the thousands of periodicals and hundreds of books that have been published regarding this area (New Mexico), none have really dealt with the personalities who struggled to make this part of our world what it is today.
They may not have become so famous (or infamous), but were the true settlers who pioneered the southwest with the intent of contributing their talents and establishing a decent home for their families, my grandparents were among these. In my opinion this research is long overdue.
I wish I had more to tell you about others in the DOWLIN family, but the little that I can offer you is centered around Paul and Will and their families since they were the ones who lived in this area.
The earliest information I have is on Paul DOWLIN. He enlisted in the New Mexico Volunteers on November 13, 1861, at Fort Union, NM. His enlistment papers state that he was born in Greene County, PA, was 32 years of age, 5’8” tall with light hair, gray eyes and a florid complexion. He was a saddler by occupation. During the course of his service in the Civil War, he served on detached duty at Fort Stanton, NM, during the time it was being reactivated after it had been abandoned by Confederate forces. He was transferred to Fort Stanton later, was granted permission to leave the service, resigning with the rank of Captain on May 1, 1866.
After he was mustered out of the army he settled (‘squatted’) on the Rio Riudoso and was one of the first to file on land in the area after it was surveyed. This area became known as DOWLIN Mill and now is called Ruidoso. He built two sawmills, a gristmill and owned quite a substantial amount of land upon which he developed a ranching operation. His business interests expanded rapidly with the influx of settlers in the Territory and he contacted his brother, Will, urging him to come to New Mexico and become his partner. Will, his wife Clara, and their three young sons, Milton Joseph, Edwin Josiah and Charles Paul, arrived in June of 1871.
A new opportunity opened up in June of 1873 when L. G. MURPHY Co. was forced off the post at Fort Stanton. Paul bought the mercantile business and was issued a Post Trader’s license on December 1st. In addition, he received an appointment as postmaster on December 1873. Paul took over the management of the Sutler’s Store at the fort and Will took charge of the mills on the Ruidoso. So well did the DOWLIN brothers work together that Paul finalized his promise to make Will a full partner when, in 1874, he created a firm named Paul DOWLIN & Brother. This entitled Will as one-half owner in the stock and business at the fort, the mill, and all of Paul’s real and personal property.
On July 13, 1876, Paul entered into an agreement with W. D. CROTHERS, the Indian agent at Mescalero, NM to raise and educate his three daughters, providing for them until they should reach womanhood. When CROTHERS left Lincoln County he and his wife took the girls with them. Paul paid the couple $2,000 at that time, and reserved the right to have the girls back, should he marry and wish to bring his children home.
Paul DOWLIN’S oldest daughter, Francisca (Frances), was born in 1867, Louisa (Lucy) in 1869 and Rufina in 1871. Their mother was a local woman named Placida VALENZUELA. Many of the soldiers who came to New Mexico married and/or cohabited, as in this case, with Hispanic and Indian women. It is possible that Paul and Placida had separated at the time the girls were entrusted to the CROTHERS and this proved to be the best solution for the girls. Certainly it removed them from the violence and harshness of the frontier during those early days and offered them a more gracious way of life in Valpariso, Indiana. By mid-1877 Placida had already established herself at another man’s hearth.
Paul served on the First County Commission after the formation of Lincoln County in 1869. He was elected representative to the NM Legislature for the 1877-78 term. A former employee, Jerry DILLON, killed Paul on April 28, 1877. Ironically, Paul was chairman of the County Commission which had appointed Jerry DILLON constable in the newly created Precinct 3 (DOWLIN Mill/Ruidoso area) on August 21, 1876.
After Paul was killed on April 28,1877, Will was made administrator of his estate. It is in the probate records that Will gave the names and addresses of Paul’s next-of-kin, “three daughters born out of wedlock, to wit, Francisca, Louisa, and Rufinita, minors, residing at Valparaso (sic) in the State of Indiana; and also “three brothers and one sister, to wit, William DOWLIN, your petitioner, Rea DOWLIN, a resident of Coatesville, in the State of Missouri, Ann RINEHART and John DOWLIN, residents of the town of Moulton, in the State of Iowa.
Later that year Will sold his half-interest in the mill properties to Frank LESNET and focused his energies at the post trader’s store at Fort Stanton. He formed a partnership with John C. DELANY about 1878 and in 1879 this company took over the defunct J. J. DOLAN Co., successor to the L. G. MURPHY Co. which in the meantime had built a large two-story store and set up business in nearby Lincoln, NM. Within a year and a half Will DOWLIN & Co. was bankrupt.
Clara and Will DOWLIN moved to Las Cruces, NM after losing the business and were divorced in 1882. It is said that Will became so despondent over his losses that he never recovered and he died December 20,1884 in an asylum in Pueblo, CO. Clara lived in Denver, CO, where she operated a rooming house for many years. She died there November 7,1922."
Notice in the Las Cruces, NM RIO GRANDE REPUBLICAN, 20
Dec. 1884.
“We regret to learn of the death in the asylum for the insane, in Pueblo, Colorado, of Will DOWLIN, formerly of DOWLIN Mills in Lincoln County. He was well and favorably known throughout Southern New Mexico, having succeeded his brother, Capt. Paul DOWLIN, as post-trader at Fort Stanton, and in the company of Mr. DELANEY, the present trader, conducted the business for several years. It is said that business troubles growing out of the tradership and company partnership mentioned, brought about the result. He leaves a wife and three sons, to whom the REPUBLICAN extends a heartfelt sympathy.”
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William "Will" Dowlin (1836-1884) Courtesy of Lincoln, NM Museum |