Moses McHughs KY to TN 1803 and desc to MS and AR
Recent research has uncovered the following "facts" regarding Stephen Rowland and the real names of his wife (Sarah McHughs) and his father (James Rowland). I will summarize the results here. If you are interested in the detail source data and its evaluation be happy to share.
1. Stephen Rowland was born 1791 in NC and died after 1860 near Parthenon, Newton County, AR. (We have never located his or his wife's graves).
2. He was the son of James Rowland, Rev War Patriot, b. 1753 in Amelia County, VA, who moved to Anson Co. NC about 1763; married Elizabeth Jones in Anson Co in 1774; 1777 served 6 months in Anson County, NC Militia. Was living in Lawrence County, TN in 1818 county census "Old Mr Rowland"; received a land grant in McNairy County, TN in 1826 next to and at same time as son Stephen; received Rev War Pension in 1833; died in McNairy, County after 1840. James was 38 years old when son Stephen was born in 1791.
3. Stephen Rowland married Sarah McHughs in Lawrence County, TN on October 12, 1818. County clerk used her nickname "Sally" and misspelled her maiden name as McKew in the marriage record. Charles "McKew" was bondsman. Following month, Charles "McHughs" married Polly Roaland (no such surname, again a misspelling) in Lawrence County, obviously the sister of Stephen Rowland. Plenty of McHughs in the census records of Lawrence County in 1818 and 1820 but no records of a McKew. Proof of misspelling!
3-a. The total adult male population (voter list) of Lawrence County in the fall of 1818 was 458. Assuming each household to have an average of 6 people, this would give a county population of about 3000.
3-b. In the various census, land and marriage records following the Moses McHughs probate in 1803, we see just about all spelling variants: McHughes, McHugh, McHues, McKew, etc. I will use McHughs in this post, although some of the records have the above variants.
4. Sarah McHughs was the daughter of Moses and Jane McHughs who moved from KY to the southern part of Williamson County, TN about 1803. He died shortly after arriving there. This part of Williamson County, TN became Lawrence County, TN in 1817. Other children of Moses were James, John, Charles and Jane. Probate records in Williamson County show that his daughter Jane was born in 1801 and Sarah in 1803. Sarah was 15 years old and fatherless when she married Stephen Rowland in 1818.
5. Stephen Rowland acquires land grant in McNairy County adjacent to that of James Rowland and on the same date in 1826. Obviously father and son moved there together. James McHughs also moved his family to NcNairy County about this time and died there after 1840.
6. James Rowland, Stephen Rowland and James McHughs are recorded in McNairy County in 1840 census. His daughter Sarah Jane Rowland (my gg-grandmother) was born in McNairy County, TN Jan 8, 1829 (not Lawrence County as previously thought).
7. About 1834, Stephen Rowland, Charles McHughs and John McHughs move to Tishomingo County, Mississippi (this is just across the state line from McNairy County, TN and touches the SE corner of that county. Move likely was less than 30 miles.
8. John Rowland and Rebecca Rowland were born in Tishomingo County, MS in April 1837 and 1839 respectively. All three families are recorded in the 1840 census for Tishomingo County.
9. Stephen Rowland moved to Newton County, AR about 1843. Daughter Martha is born in Newton County in 1845 and his wife Sarah dies about that time.
10. Charles McHughs (brother of Sarah Rowland in 9) died in Tishomingo County about 1843. His widow (Stephen Rowland's sister) and some children are recorded there in 1850 census. John McHughs and his family are also living in Tishomingo County in 1850.
11. Sometime between 1850 and 1854, John McHughs follows his brother-in-law Stephen Rowland to Newton County, AR.
12. In 1854, John McHughs and his sons George W. and Moses purchase BLM land patents totaling 160 acres in SE part of White Twp, Newton County, AR. They were about half way between Parthenon and Mt Judea.
13. Apparently John McHughes and his wife both die before 1860...no further record of them has been found.
14. In 1857 and 1859 George McHughs purchases more land patents...this time about 2 mile SW of Parthenon near where Stephen Rowland was living. In 1860, his brother Moses is married and living on George's land near Parthenon. George is still living in White Twp but has not married. Woman living with him is either his mother or aunt, both about the same age and both named Mary.
15. George W. and Moses McHughs both serve in Union regiments during the Civil War. Moses dies.
16. Three of Richard Owen's children wind up married to Rowlands and McHughs. John Rowland married Nancy Owen, Rebecca Rowland married William "Bud" Owen and George W. McHughs married Malissa Alvira Owen (Harris). In the latter case, Malissa Owen had earlier married Hobart A. Harris and had two children by him before he died of disease at Lewisburg, AR while in service.
17. George McHughs and Malissa Alvira Harris were married in 1867 in Newton County. In the 1870 Census, George and Alvira McHughs are living next door to John and Nancy Rowland.
18. This should put to rest the theory that Stephen Rowland's father was the George Washington Rowland who lived in Smith County, TN during the period that Stephen was living in Lawrence county. George Washington Rowland came to Newton County about 1828 and died at Buffalo in 1844. The only connection between these two are that both came from NC and lived at different places in TN and arrived at different places in Newton County at widely different times. They could have been related back in NC...but were not father and son.
19. Finally, note that the 1790 Census for North Carolina showe two George Roland's living in Rockingham County, North Carolina as well as a James Rowland living in Robeson County, North Carolina. One of the George Rolands was likely the George Washington Rowland who died in Buffalo, Newton County, AR and the James Rowland was very likely the father of Stephen Rowland who migrated together from Lawrence County, TN to NcNairy County, TN in 1826 and was the Stephen Rowland who lived at Parthenon, Newton County, AR from about 1843 until after 1860.
Comments welcomed.