Randall Barlow

Randall Barlow was born in Shropshire, England, in 1890. He married Catherine Read, born in Shropshire, England, October 31, 1810. Their eldest child, Thomas was also born there in Dec. 12, 1830, baptized in the Episcopalian Church of England, at the Malpas Church. When Thomas was about 2 years old, they came along with Randall's sister Sarah, and her husband, Mr. and Mrs. William Harding, bid all their relatives, whom they were never to see again, and set sail on the sailboat "Eliza Grant," for America. They sailed from Liverpool and after a long and tedious journey, being blown back for 6 weeks, finally arrived in New York in 1832. After resting for several days, they started west on the Erie Canal. They stopped at Elyria, Ohio, for 6 months, then journeyed on to Milan, Ohio, living there 1 year, then moving on to Castalia, formerly called Cold Creek. Randall was a miller by trade and operated a grist mill for sometime at Castalia. He later moved to Riley Township, Clyde, Ohio, where he died from milk fever, August 4, 1842, leaving Catherine in the wilderness with 5 small children. Six years later she remarried.

Besides Thomas, Randall and Catherine were the parents of: Ann, born Nov. 28, 1832 and died Aug. 15, 1836 at Castalia; Margaret, born March 28, 1834, married Oliver J. Shutts, died Jan. 3, 1921; John, born March 20, 1838 at Castalia, died March 10, 1912 at Sandusky, 0., married Lydia M. Harris; Sarah, born Dec. 12, 1840, married John Magill, 2 children, Ada and Marion, died Mar. 29, 1922. In November 1848, Catherine married Wm. Findlay. To this union were born 3 children; Mary, born Oct. 1, 1850 - died Sept. 9, 1852; Wm. Jr. born June 12, 1853 -died Aug. 22, 1927; Harriet, born Mar. 5, 1856 and drowned by falling into a mash barrel, for cow feed, Nov. 16 1861. Catherine, Wm. Sr., Mary and Harriet are all buried in Ellsworth Cemetery at Clyde, Ohio.

Little Thomas grew up and decided to seek his fortune in California, so he went with a group in a covered wagon. He didn't stay very long and came back through Iowa and liking that state very well, he stayed awhile and met and married Martha Carrick. Theyhad a little daughter, Lois. When Lois was about 2 years old, her mother died from quick consumption. His sister, Margaret (Aunt Magee) having lost her 2 little girls, took little Lois to raise.

Heartbroken, Thomas joined Co. G. 145 Ohio N.G. Infantry, serving in the Civil War in 1862 for about a year or year and half. He was in Libby Prison and suffered many hardships. Following the war, he went to Columbus to visit a beloved army captain, and met and married the Captain's niece, Anna Eliza McDermott. Her parents died when she and her sister, Teresa, were small children. Their mother's brother, John McCormick raised the girls. Anna Eliza McDermott (went by the name of Em), was born on High St. in Columbus, Jan. 25, 1835. Following their marriage, Thomas and Em, went to California, and on the way back their eldest son, Abraham Lincoln Barlow (my father) was born at Osage Mission in Neoshe County, Kansas, on Nov. 23, 1866. They traveled with a group in covered wagons. They came back to Erie County and Charles - 1869, Ira - 1871, Burton - 1873 were born to them while living in Erie County. The Thomas Barlow family lived there until 1875 and then moved to Henry County, living in Colton, in a log cabin with a dirt floor. Many a time they walked to Napoleon from Colton. They had hardships, but were never bored. They had many pioneer stories to tell about traveling in covered wagons, helping each other in sickness, husking bees, spelling bees, making apple butter in large kettles outside, butchering and curing their own meat, threshing together, and holding debating teams.

Since Thomas and his youngest sister, Sarah were both born on Dec. 12th and she was living at Grelton, they always managed to cross the Maumee River to be together, sometimes even crossing the river on ice.

Later they lived west of Colton, until their deaths, Thomas, July 24, 1905, and his wife, Em April 1, 1910.

My father, Abraham Lincoln Barlow, born Nov. 23, 1866 - died Mar. 23, 1916, married Christina Eicher, b. July 21, 1876 - died Feb. 10, 1935. To this union were born 7 children: (1) Irvin b. Sept. 1, 1894 - d. Feb. 6, 1906, (2) Alonzo Lincoln (John), b. Dec. 13, 1897 - died Aug. 8, 1951. John married Ruth Jeffers and to this unionwere born 7 children: Mary Christina b. April 5, 1920, married Melvin Kessler, Feb. 28, 1941; Helen Marie b. May 20, 1921 - married Raymond B. Donnelly on July 25, 1947; Guy Clarence b. Jan. 30, 1923 - married Joan Katon on May 21, 1947, (They had 3 children. Joan died and Guy remarried Mary Jane Sager Gruber on Feb. 16, 1973.); Betty Jean - b. Sept. 27, 1924 - married Richard R. Heidtman Sr., in May 1945 (had 5 children); William Ray b. June 15, 1926; and Leo Dale b. Aug. 4, 1930, married Shirley Louise Felter -Washington D.C., Nov. 10, 1954. He served in the Marines Mar. 8, 1950 to Mar. 7, 1954. Leo and Shirley have 6 children. The youngest child of John's is Peggy Ann b. Apr. 8, 1937 - married Thomas Lowell Lambert, Sept. 8, 1956. They have two children. (3) Gertrude Ann, b. Aug. 29, 1899 - married Chauncey Greisinger in 1919. Their 4 children are - Merwyn, Daryl, Yvonne and Robert. (4) Ernest b. Oct., 27, 1901 - married Violet Heft in 1924. Their 5 children are: Clarence Edward b. Mar. 28, 1925 (He married Marie Mae Rogers); LaDonna Jeanne b. Apr. 4, 1926 - married Robert G. Mason; Ernestine Rosalind, b. Mar. 22, 1930 - married Ross H. Mathers; Richard Lincoln b. Apr. 23, 1934 -died Mar. 6, 1941; and Lawrence Dale, b. July 1, 1938 - married Shirley Jeanne Free. (5) Edward Ira, b. Mar. 25, 1904 - died Nov. 10, 1932 - married Helen Sharpe June 28, 1928, had one daughter, Norma Jean, b. June 15, 1929.

(6) Leona Marie b. April 21, 1909 married Donald Eugene Saneholtz on Oct. 16, 1927. Their six children are: Willaim Eugene b. April 13, 1929; Bernard Burdette b. June 16, 1930; Melba Arlene (Patsy) b. Oct. 30, 1931; Elnora Louise b. Aug. 31, 1934; Milton Duane b. Oct. 21, 1935; and Philip Raymond b. April 2, 1947. (7) Ada Margaret b. Feb. 21, 1911, married Sumner Conway, March 17, 1932. Their daughter Jane was born Dec. 8, 1932 - died Aug. 11, 1973. Sumner passed away Nov., 1939. Ada married John F. Gerken April 10, 1943, a widower with 5 children. Karen Ann was born to them on Mar. 12, 1946.

William Burton Barlow, born in 1873 and died June 28, 1915, was Abraham Lincoln's youngest brother and lived much of his life in the Colton area. After the death of his first wife,

Ella Parrit, he married Clara Lashaway and to this union were born Avis, Ivan, and Elva.

Avis married Lloyd Gordon from Kenton, Ohio, and they now live in Miami Shores, Florida. Their son, Steve and his wife Carol live in Florida also. Both father and son are in the electronic development field.

Ivan, a former Liberty Center and Ohio State U. graduate, worked for the U.S. Dept. of the Interior in the geological survey field, as a chemist at Washington D.C. He died Nov. 10, 1963.

Elva Barlow is an alumna of Bowling Green and Ohio State Universities. She taught at the Liberty Center Grade School many years. She married Thomas Claque and they are residents of Tampa, Florida, where she is a private tutor.

Submitted by Leona (Barlow) Saneholtz, Napoleon