| 14. | Reuben (or Robert) Barrow, Sr. was born about 1759 in Georgia (son of Richard Barrow and Maria Godenne); died about 1820 in Louisiana. Other Events and Attributes:
- Residence: 1787, Mobile, Alabama
- Residence: 1795, Louisiana
Notes:
Old Reuben
Any snap course in Chambers County genealogy almost always has to begin with a gentleman named Reuben Barrow, Sr., who probably never came to Texas. A brace of family genealogists have studied the Barrow family for decades, but no one has ever determined when Old Reuben was born nor when he died. The fact that he lived, however, has never been in question. A man by that name appears on the 1787 census of Mobile, Alabama, aged some 28 years, which would place his birth in the vicinity of 1759. The late Villamae Williams, a longtime researcher and a former chairman of the Chambers County Historical Commission, placed the elder Barrow in Louisiana by 1795.
Reuben was married first, possibly about 1783, to Fannie Kennedy, by whom he had two sons, Levi and Vincent.
His second marriage, to Mary Jane Johnson, took place around 1790. The 1810 census of Opelousas shows two Barrow households, one headed by Reuben and the other by his son Vincent. His other son, Levi, can be found on the census of Rapides Parish that same year. By that time, however, Reuben's household was fairly swarming with young children from his second marriage. These included their daughters Rachel, Elizabeth, Sarah, Julia and Amelia. Over the years each of these girls would marry and most of these families made their way into what would become Chambers County. Elizabeth married Samuel Barber. They would settle on Old River. Sarah married Elisha Henry Roberts Wallis (known in legal documents usually as "E. H. R. Wallis). They would settle at Wallisville. Julia married Alexander Stephens and lived briefly on Turtle Bayou. Amelia would marry Henry Griffith and settle also on Old River. Their eldest daughter, Rachel, married John Foreman, but no one has ever figured out where they settled or what became of them. Four of Reuben and Mary Jane's children (William, Marie, Victoria and Richard Barrow) died young. The legends that developed around the Barrow family most often surround the three sons of Reuben and Mary Jane. Solomon, who was born in 1801, was the oldest of the three. Reuben, Jr. followed in 1806, and Benjamin was born in 1808. Old Reuben settled just below Vermillionville, Louisiana on the lyrically named Bayou Que de Tortue, which meant the Tail of the Turtle. He had some extensive holdings along the bayou, where he farmed and raised cattle. Before we cover the lives of the three Barrow brothers, we should also address one of the major problems confronting any casual student of that family's history. Most of the Barrow families tended to name their children for other members of the family. Since most of them settled in Chambers and Liberty counties, this creates a confusing minefield for the uninitiated. Old Reuben's two sons by his first wife were also involved in the mix. His son Levi died in Louisiana in 1818 and never settled in Texas, but his son Aaron Leonard Barrow and his wife came and stayed for awhile. Levi's brother, Vincent Barrow came here after the death of his first (missing text)
such manner did the first part of the Barrow clan find their way here. wife, Gertrude Thibodeaux and received a land grant near Hankamer. His sons were Levi Oliver, who married Tabitha Isabel Weed; Reuben "Dutch Reuben," who first married Elizabeth Weaver and second to Susan Benton Albritton Courtney (who had been widowed twice); Benjamin Anatoile "French Ben," who married Eliza Weed; Louisa, who married Lucien Abshier; Adaline, who married John Dunman; and Zilphia, who married Robert Dunman.
The pivotal event in the Barrow exodus from Louisiana to Texas is a lengthy journey conducted in the late fall or winter of 1824, when Elisha Henry Robert Wallis and his wife Sarah Barrow loaded their four children and all of their possessions into wagons and set out for the Trinity River. It was not a particularly perilous journey, but it was arduous. There were lots of streams, bayous and rivers to cross. Mr. Wallis came with his three young brothers-in-law. This was a practical way for a family to travel. All of the men helped in fording the streams and driving their combined livestock. They arrived in Liberty on Christmas Day in 1824 and then headed south into present-day Chambers County. Old legends say that skirted the woods to the east, camped along Turtle Bayou, and kept huge fires burning at night to keep away the alligators. In such manner did the first part of the Barrow clan find their way here.
- THE BARROW BROTHERS OF CHAMBERS COUNTY
By Kevin Ladd, Director Wallisville Heritage Park
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http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=juuledwards&id=I1123
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from Opelousas Post
ROBERT BARROW - native of North America; son of Richard Barrow and Maria Godenne (?); MARIA JOHNSON - daughter of Daniel Johnson and Susana Daly
Julia - baptized January 7, 1802; five years old; Godparents, Estevan deville and his wife
Richard - baptized January 7, 1802; three years old; Godparents, Clark Barton and Carlota Reed
Solomon - baptized January 7, 1802; one year old; Godparents, Thomas Hofpower and Clarisa Mils
RUBEN BARRORD (BARROW) - son of Richard Barrord and Maria Godenne; MARIA JOHNSON - daughter of Daniel Johnson and Susana Daly.
Emilia - baptized August 17, 1803; one year old; Godparents,
Guillermo Perry and Anna Robert
(Ed. Note: Are the two above couples the same, or were two
brothers married to the same woman?)
Reuben married Mary Jane Johnson-Barrow, (dau?) in 1789 in Mobile, Spanish West Florida. Mary (daughter of Daniel Johnson, (son of who?) and Susanne Daley) was born about 1771 in North Carolina; died after Apr 1807 in of, Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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1854 - Aft 1870 (17 years)