GEORGE ROWLAND

BIOGRAPHY

AS RECORDED IN:

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD OF TOLLAND AND WINDHAM COUNTIES CONNECTICUT.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF PROMINENT AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS AND OF MANY OF THE EARLY SETTLED FAMILIES.

PUBLISHER: J.H.BEERS & CO., CHICAGO; 1903 P. 844

GEORGE ROWLAND, a prominent agriculturist in Canterbury, Windham Co., Conn., was born June 20, 1839, in Derbyshire, England, where his father and his father's people had lived before him.

John Rowland, son of Edward, and father of George, was born in Taddington, Derbyshire, in November, 1783, and there grew to manhood. He married Clarinda Coats, also of Derbyshire, England, and after her death, Alice Hays, who was born in Bolton, Lancashire, England, daughter of John Hays. By the first marriage there were seven children: (1) Ann, married Richard Williams. She died in Belfast, Ireland. (2) John, left England and came to New York, but later returned to his own country where he died. (3) Joseph, was a successful business man, operating a factory and keeping a store at New York Mills, N.Y. He died at Ilion, N.Y. (4) Edward was an overseer at New York Mills. He lived there forty-five years, living for twenty years a retired life. (5) Mary, married Peter Bartell and lived in Derbyshire, England; she died in Lancaster. (6) Samuel, who was in the insurance business, died in Liverpool, England. (7) Thomas, a farmer, died in Derbyshire, England. By his second marriage Mr. Rowland had nine children: (8) Henry, died in one of the southern States on his way to Texas. (9) William, for nearly twenty years in the employ of the Remington Co., is now a retired citizen of Ilion, Herkimer Co., N.Y. (10) Clarinda, died in England at the age of twenty-four. (11) Jane married Pierce Brumly and lived in Cheshire, England; she died at the age of thirty-two. (12) George, is mentioned below. (13) James, a mill-operative, live in Derbyshire, Eng.; he died at the age of thirty-seven. (14) Charles, resides in Oswego county, N.Y. (15) Annie Elizabeth, married James Rhodes and lives in Cheshire, England. (16) Isaac came to America, but later returned to England, where he died in his twenty-eighth year.

George Rowland received his training for life mainly in factories. At the age of twelve he left the public schools which he had previously attended and entered a cotton factory in Derbyshire, England. After three years of faithful service he entered a mill at Cheshire, where displaying marked efficiency he worked for twelve years. In 1867, on the steamship "Mannaten" he came to New York. His previous factory training enabled him to readily secure positions, and for two years he worked in the N.Y. Mills near Utica, for three years as a weaver and loom fixer for the Lonsdale Co., in Rhode Island, and two years longer as loom fixer in a factory at Taftville, Connecticut.

Mr. Rowland married, in Phenix, R.I., Sarah A. Reed, widow of Robert Reed, whom she married in England. She was born in Manchester, England, Jan. 13, 1838, daughter of Andrew and Ann (Moorhead) Knox, and at the age of eighteen came to New York. Andrew Knox, father of Mrs. Rowland, by occupation a silk manufacturer, was a native of Scotland, where he for the most part resided, dying at Dundee. His wife, Ann (Moorhead), an English woman, died in 1839. By her he had three children: Andrew John lived in Scotland where he probably died. Thomas resides in Warrington, England. Sarah A., is mentioned above. Mrs. Knox, by her marriage to a Mr. Carson had two children: Nancy, who married William Hawley, and lived at Manchester, where she died; and Samuel, who also died in Manchester, England. By her first marriage Mrs. Reed had one child, Thomas, born Sept. 10, 1857, who lived to be twenty-one and cast his first vote with the Prohibition party; he died in Canterbury.

Mr. And Mrs. Rowland have had five children: (1) Harriet Alice, born Aug. 20, 1870, married George D. Stewart, of Worcester, Mass., and they have one child, William Charles, who was born Oct. 28, 1899. (2) Elizabeth, born Jan. 6, 1872, died Oct. 16, 1874. (3) Joseph, born Oct. 19, 1873, received his education in the common schools of his neighborhood, acquiring great accuracy and rapidity in mathematics. For a business he has mainly followed hotel work. He began as a clerk in the store of A.H. Mathewson, of Canterbury. Later he worked at the "Hallatt House" in Providence, R.I., was employed in responsible positions in hotels in New York City, and at summer hotels on the Jersey coast, and he is now room clerk in the Pine Forest Inn, at Summerville, S.C., an immense and very exclusive establishment. He has also been employed by the Providence Athletic Club, and by a similar organization at Buffalo, one of the best in the country. For the summer of 1902 he had charge of a hotel at Cape May, N.J. (4) Hannah Louise, born Dec. 17, 1874, died Nov. 14, 1886. (5) Charles Frederick, born May 26,
1876, is a man of marked ability. He is employed as fitter up by the Plunger Elevator Co., of Worcester, Mass., and resides at Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.

In April, 1875, Mr. Rowland purchased a farm in the town of Canterbury and engaged in agriculture. Two years later he bought the Le Valley place where he has since resided. The two farms embrace about 100 acres, and he works them both. He carries on general farming and having about a dozen cows also conducts a profitable dairy business. Mr. Rowland has never taken an active part in the public affairs of his town. As a member of the FirstCongregational Church of Canterbury, to which his wife belongs, he serves on the Society Committee. He has for some time been an efficient member of the School Committee. With his wife a charter member of the Canterbury Grange he has acted as Chaplain, and is now Master and has also been for several years treasurer. His wife has also filled several offices including those of Pomona, Ceres, and Flora.

Reproduced by:

Linda D. Pingel great-great granddaughter of Cyrus White of Rockville, Ct.