The Barlow Family

Randall Barlow, the head of the family in America and a miller by trade, was born in Shropshire, England, in 1809, and his wife Catherine Read Barlow was born in Shropshire, England, on October 31, 1810. Randall died near Clyde, Ohio, (Riley Township) on August 4, 1842, at the age of 33 years; Catherine died near Bloomingville, Erie County, Ohio, on February 23, 1875. The Barlows were Episcopalian arid were baptized at the Malpas Church in England. Their son Thomas was born in Shropshire on December 12, 1830. In April, 1832, Randall and his wife Catherine and two-year old Thomas sailed to America from Liverpool on the "Eliza Grant," an English vessel (a sailboat) named after the captain's wife. The William Harding family traveled with the Barlows; Sarah Harding was a sister of Randall Barlow. The trip took six weeks and three days, and they landed in New York in the summer. Following a rest in New York City after the long and tedious journey, the family traveled west on the Erie Canal to Elyria where they lived six months. After these months during which the family built up their stock of food and staples, tools, and various necessary equipment, they moved on to Milan (where they lived one year), then to Castalia where Randall took charge of a grist mill. Later the Randall Barlow family and the William Harding family purchased farms in Riley Township near Clyde, Ohio.

Ann Eliza Barlow, wife of Thomas Barlow

Thomas Barlow, son of Randall and Catherine Barlow

Randall and Catherine's four other children were born in Ohio: Ann (born in Riley Township on November 28, 1832; died at Castalia on August 15, 1836); Margaret (born on March 28, 1835; died at Green Springs on January 3, 1921); John (born at Castalia on March 20, 1838; died in Sandusky at the Soldier's Home on March 10, 1912); and Sarah (born on December 12, 1840, in Riley Township; died on March 29, 1922). Margaret was married to Oliver Shutts and had two boys who died in infancy. She reared Lois (Thomas' daughter) following Martha Carrick Barlow's death. John married Lydia Harris but later they were separated and divorced. They had two children who died in early life. Sarah Ann Barlow married John Magill of Bloomingville; they had two children: Ada Magill Burson (born May 26, 1861; died March 28, 1936), and Marion (born September 1, 1862; died December 27, 1932). Edith Burson Conn is Ada's daughter.

When Randall died in 1842 the home was broken and the family was separated. Thomas lived with the Hamilton family not far from Clyde, Ohio. John lived with the Hardings and Aunt Margaret at the Walters home. Sarah was only two years old and stayed with her mother, Catherine, who went to the Slocum family and was a housekeeper for them.

Catherine Read Barlow married William Finlay, a Scotsman, in November, 1848. To this marriage were born three children: Mary (born October 1, 1850; died September 9, 1852); William (born June 12, 1853; died near Monroeville on August 22, 1927); and Harriet (born March 5, 1856; died on November 16, 1861). Harriet died by accidentally drowning in a mash barrel at the old Finlay farm near Bloomingville. The Finlays are all interred in Sand Hill Cemetery. Following the death of Mr. Finlay, Catherine lived with her son Thomas and his second wife Ann Eliza until Catherine's death in 1875.

Thomas, the eldest of Randall and Catherine's children, made the overland trip to California during the Gold Rush days, in the 1850's. He returned to Ohio, and married Martha Carrick of Iowa on January 25, 1857. Thomas and Martha had two children: John, who died in infancy, and Lois. Martha Carrick Barlow died at the old Finlay homestead on June 2, 1864.

Thomas and John both served in the Civil War. John was wounded in the battle of Shiloh; Thomas served• in the 145th O.V. Infantry and was honorably discharged on July 24, 1865. Four days after Christmas in that same year, on December 29, Thomas married Ann Eliza (known as "Emma") Dermott. Thomas' wife was the captain's niece. Thomas and Ann had four sons: Abram Lincoln ("Linc"); Charles Randall ("Riley"); Ira Thomas; and Bert ("Doc"). Thomas Barlow's family married as follows: Linc married Christina Eichner; Charles married Hattie Bur-due and after her death in 1894, he later married Orie Moore; Ira married Anna Nees; Bert married Ella Parritt and after her death in 1902 he later married Clara Lashaway. Thomas' daughter Lois (by his first wife) married Charles Ridley and they had one son named Victor. Later Lois married Frank Moore and after his death she later married a Mr. Egg of Ft. Wayne. Thomas (who died on July 24, 1905) and Ann Eliza are both buried in the Heath Cemetery, Colton, Ohio. Their sons are buried in Heath Cemetery with the exception of Bert, who is buried in the Mohler Cemetery near Colton.

Thomas and Ann Barlow's third son, Ira Thomas, was born at Bloomingville, Ohio, on June 5, 1871. When Ira was about four years old, his parents moved from Erie County to Henry County. Ira's father, Thomas, was a farmer and Ira followed in his father's footsteps by choosing farming as a career. Ira was united in marriage to Anna Nees (born on December 3, 1869), a young girl from Kentucky, on January 24, 1891, in the Colton Methodist Church. The wedding was officiated by the Reverend Oliner Shreves, the Methodist pastor of the Liberty Center parish.

The children born to Ira and Anna Barlow were Montford Burton (born on August 14, 1891; died on January 1, 1949); Lura Iona (born on July 27, 1893); Lottie E. (born on April 20, 1897; died on May 25, 1915); Edith Alvina (born on September 1, 1900); Albert Mathias (born on January 10, 1904); and Luster Marvin (born on October 30,1906; died on December 28, 1974).

Ira and Anna raised their six children on a farm located at the eastern edge of Colton, Ohio. In addition to farming, Ira Barlow served as assessor in Washington Township for Henry County, and held the position of Township Clerk for several years. He was an active member of the Liberty Center Board of Education and served in this capacity for nine years. Ira was a farmer from 1891 until his death on March 23, 1939. Anna died on August 11, 1963. Their old farmhouse still stands in Colton, Ohio. Anna and Ira are both buried in the Heath Cemetery.

Anne Nees Barlow, wife of Ira T. Barlow

Ira Thomas Barlow, son of Thomas and Ann Barlow

Ira and Anna's second oldest child, Lura, married Harry Bisher on December 23, 1915. Three children were born to this marriage: Ira John, Gladys, and Velma. John married Betty Artz, and a son named Jon Alan was born to them. Jon Alan married Pamela Cochran and their children are named Tod and Mat. Gladys Bisher married Elden H. Agler, and two children were born: Rita Rae and Hal. Rita Rae is married to Thomas Cox. Elden Agler died on August 23, 1972. Velma Bisher married John Hersland and two children were born to them: a daughter named Anne Marie, and a son, Tom. Anne is married to Stephen Clark. Lura's husband, Harry, died on November 15, 1946. Lura married Charles Houts on January 1,1949.

Ira and Anna's fourth child, Edith, married Vern Wagoner on September 27, 1919. To this marriage were born three children: Phyllis (born in 1920; died in 1967); Betty Rosalyn (born on February 7, 1922; died on September 6, 1922); and Donald. Phyllis married Melvin L. Koester, and they raised three children: Shirley, Sharon, and Douglas. Shirley is married to Larry Gineman and their children are named Kim and Kevin. Sharon is married to Ronald Kruse and their children are Tamara and Brian. Donald, the youngest child of Vern and Edith Wagoner, married June Ellis and three children were born: Susan Lynn (who died when she was three days old), James, and Linda. James is married to Barbara Gregor and their child is named Brian.

Ira and Anna's fifth child, Albert, married Ruby Babcock from Swanton, Ohio, on June 28, 1933. Their eldest child is Gary, a professor at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and the youngest child is Mark, a teacher in the Bellefontaine Public Schools.

The sixth child of Ira and Anna Barlow, Luster, married Wilma Cook from Neapolis, Ohio, on November 25, 1936. Their children are Joyce and Marvin. Joyce is married to Ronald Schaffert, and their daughter is named Amy. Marvin is married to Linda Glick.

The Barlows who came to America were a fine old English family, dependable and trustworthy and eager to start a new life in a new land. Their integrity, loyalty, and sense of family unity left a legacy for succeeding generations of the Barlow family to follow. We look to our forefathers with a sense of pride for their accomplishments, and with tremendous respect for their vision.

Compiled and Written By Gary C. Barlow