LINCOLN COUNTY, GA - BIOGRAPHIES Towns family Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Sue Ellen Marable" Table of Contents page: http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ga/lincoln.htm Georgia Table of Contents: http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ga/gafiles.htm From a book hopefully in the D.A.R. Library in Washington, D.C. but stamped “Public Library Dallas, Texas June 3, 1954. transcribed from copies of the original pps. 331-335 Sue Ellen Marable 2003. “The Descendants of William Towne Who came to America on or about 1630 and settled in Salem, Mass.” Compiled by Edwin Eugene Towne “Our ancestors should never be forgotten while memory is spared to us.” Newtonville, Mass. Published by the Author 1901. Families Living in the Southern States Who do not think they descended from William and Joanna, But can give no Further Information….. “S.B. Townes, attorney, of Columbus, Ga., gives the following. This line spell their name with the final letter “s”. He thinks his ancestors settled first in Virginia, so for convenience we will call this William 1. WILLIAM 1 TOWNES settled in the county of Kent on York River. M. Rebecca Clarke. Their children were Richard 2, William 2, John 2, James 2, Priscilla 2, Judith 2, Elizabeth 2, and Rebecca 2. RICHARD 2 TOWNES, son of William 1, m. and left one dau., Mary 3 who m., first : Joseph Royall, of Amelia, Va., who d. and left five sons: second: John L. Cooper, and had three children. WILLIAM 2 TOWNES, SON OF Williaim 1 , m. and left one son, William 3, Jr., who d. under age, and his valuable estate passed, under the old English laws, to Mary 3, the only child of Richard 2, deceased. JOHN 2 TOWNES, son of William 1, m. Martha Allen, of new Kent, and left nine children: Richard 3, John 3, Priscilla 3, Rebecca C. 3, Williiam 3, James 3, Allen 3, Martha A. 3, Armistead T.3, Richard 3, dau. un/m.. John 3, m. Elizabeth Leigh, and had two sons and two daus.: John L. 4, Paschall 4, Elizabeth T. 4., Nancy L. 4, John L. 4, m. Polly Eggleston. Paschall 4 m., first, Mary Overton; second, Lucy Walker. Elizabeth T. 4 m. John T. Leigh. Nancy L. m. William Leigh. JAMES 2 TOWNES; SON OF William 1, m. first, Rachel Marrett Booker, in 1792 (the first date given), who d., leaving one dau., Judith 3 , who m. Joseph Smith, of Tennessee; second: Lucy Worsham, dho d., leaving two sons and two daus.: Dr. J. M. 3 , who m. Betsey Leigh; Lucy 3 , who m. Richard Leigh; Martha 3, who m. John Leigh; and Samuel Allen 3. PRISCILLA 2 TOWNES, dau. Of William 1, m. Z..G. Leigh, and had three sons and two daus.” *Note: (SEM) poor copy blurs next two or more sentences . End of sentence fragment says: “had two sons and five daus. ELIZABETH 2 TOWNES, dau. Of William 1, m. Richard Clough, and had one son and six daus. REBECCA 2 TOWNES , DAU. OF William 1, m. William Mosely, of Powhattan, and had two sons and two daus. WILLIAM 3 TOWNES, son of John 2 , m. Nancy Godwin. No children. JAMES 3 TOWNES, son of John 2 , m. Molly allen, and had two children: John 4, who m. Betsey Lewis, his cousin; Elizabeth 4, who m. John Royall. ALLEN 3 TOWNES, son of John 2, m. Judith Jones, and had three sons and five daus; Robert 4 , who m. Patty Eggleston; Richard A. 4, sho m. Betsey Ann Leigh, and had two daus. ; Augusta A. 4, who m. Mr. Bush; Maria 4, who m. William Jones; Martha R. 4, who m. John R. Read, of Petersburg, Va.; Armistead T. 4, who m. first, Rebecca H. Booker, who d., leaving one dau. , Amelia R. A., 5, who m. John T. Bottom, of Amelia, Va.; second, Eliza M. Giles, November, 1808, and had sixteen children. In 1852, of these children the following were m. Virginia A. 5 m. F.A. Tyler; Adolphus D.. 5 m. Fanny Giles; Columbus 5, m. Junius L. Leigh; Richard 5 m. Eliza Meek; Martha 5 m. E.S. Fisher. WILLIAM A. TOWNES, an attorney in Richmond, Va., was b. there about 1867. His parents d. in 1873, when he was a mere child, and he has no reliable information to give. His grandfather, Armistead Townes, lived on a large plantation called “Oak Hill”, where he was b. in 1780. in 1837 he moved to Mississippi. It is pretty evident that the Armistead Townes named above is his grandfather. SAMUEL ALLEN 3 TOWNES came from Virginia to South Carolina about 1791, and settles, when about eighteen years of age, in Greenville District, where he m. Rachel Stokes. Their children were Washington 4, Eliza 4, Henry H. 4, John A. 4., William A. 4., Samuel A. 4, Eliza. 4 m John Blassingame. WASHINGTON 4 TOWNES son of Samuel A. 3, d. in infancy. HENRY HAMILTON 4 TOWNES, son of Samuel A. 3., m. Lucretia Calhoun, his cousin, and niece of the great John C. Calhoun.” *note: (SEM) again, the copied page become unintelligible. One or two blurred sentences: then : “children. Samuel Allen 5; d. young; Henry H. , 5, died young; Katherine F. 5, m. Mr. Graves. JOHN ALLEN 4 TOWNES, son of Samuel A. 3., d. unm. WILLIAM AUGUSTUS 4 TOWNES , SON OF Samuel A., m. Fanny Seawell, of Marion, Ala. Their children: Mary Eliza; Fanny A.; Indianna, m. J.K. Earle, of Greenville, S.C.; Rosa, m. Dr. Thompson; Alice, d. young; Samuel Allen, who d. when about twenty years of age; Margaret S., d. young. SAMUEL ALLEN 4 TOWNES, son of Samuel A. 3., m. Joanna Lois Hall, of Charleston, S.C. Their children: Tweedy, d. young; Samuel Allen, Jr., m. Mary Thompson, of Greenville, S.CL. and had three children: Henry Hamilton; m. Sallie Harris, and has two sons: Willis Glover and Henry H.; George Franklin, m. Julia L. White, and had several children; John Allen, d. young; Georgie, m. W.G. Harris, and has one dau. GEORGE FRANKLIN 5 TOWNES , son of Samuel A., 4, m., first Elizabeth Sloan, of Greenville, S.C. and had Samuel Allen, who d. young; Alexander, who m. twice And has five children living; Ella, m. S.P. Brooks; Elizabeth, m. First, J.H. Dargan; second, P.H. Adams. George M. m. second, Henrietta Ann Johnson, and had four daus., and one son, William; third, Mary Isabella Keith, and had two daus., and one son, Henry. WILLIAM I. TOWNES , a lawyer in Atlanta, Ga., and a brother to Professor A.S. Townes, of Greenville, S.C., whose father was a practicing lawyer there before and after the war, are grandchildren of Samuel A., 3 above, who, they say, came to South Carolina about 1800. A. S. Townes is a professor in a college in Greenville. These families spell their names thus: TOWNS They think they do not belong to the New England branch, and it is not certain they do. JAMES TOWNS of Madison County, Ga., lived to be over one hundred years old. He was first cousin to George Washington Towne, who was governor of Gerogia in 1848 and 1849. His children: Richard William D., Drury. ” **** Drury is ancestor to transcriber Sue Ellen Marable. See ancestry that follows….. To continue: p. 334 “RICHARD TOWNS, son of James, “ here is found *handwritten notes by unknown person: ……….“of Madison Co., Ga. previous page probably a second or third as he is the age of Gerorge’s father….b. 1750….” Cont’d……”moved from Warren County, N.C. to Lincoln Co., Ga. His children: John Randall, Lewis, Edmund, Peter, Gideon. GIDEON TOWNS, son of Richard. b. in Elbert County, Ga. 1787. m. _____-Corbin, of Virginia. “ ***here is found another handwritten note by unknown person: …..of North Carolina (scratched out Elbert Co…) and Sally Corbin is inserted….. Cont’d. ‘d. in Telfair County, Ga. in 1873. Their children: Johnson C., James, Peter, Mary , Sarah. JOHNSON C. TOWNS, b. in Lincoln County, Ga. December 19, 1819. m. three times. Moved to Telfair County over fifty years ago. Their children: Eliza E., John, Gideon, Elijah E. , Daniel R., Jeremiah M. JEREMIAH M. TOWNS, son of Johnson C., b. at Towns, Ga., April 29, 1859, m. Sarena L. Wood, March 20, 1877. Their children : Edward D., Addie L., Luther A., Ida B., Eula l., Emma. Ruth. Ester Pearl. The name of the town was given in honor of Johnson C. Towns, who was the first settler in the place. He was postmaster for a good many years, and afterward his son Jeremiah had the office for eighteen years. He was a noble Christian gentleman, and had the confidence and esteem of all who knew him. EDWARD D. TOWNS son of Jeremiah, who gives the above account has been a school teacher and is now a photographer in Towns, Ga. DANIEL TOWNS lived in South Carolina, and m. _____Roark, of Madison, Ga. Their children: Louisa, Dickens, Nancy, Lizzie, Jackson, Daniel, Charlotte, Martha, Washington, James, John , Henry. HENRY TOWNS, son of Daniel, m. Alice Eaton, and lives in Athens, Ga. Their children: Lena Mae, Lula, Willie, Henry. BARTLEY, WILLIAM, AND JOHN TOWNS were brothers who came from Virginia and settled in Georgia. Their records and all their property were destroyed during the Civil War, and what follows is all I can learn. BARTLEY TOWNS m. and had these children: John Terry, b. in 1797; Bartley, Jr. moved to Polk County, Texas, in 1822, and had five children, and some of them live in that county now: Henry, who was a frontiersman among the Indians in Alabama, lived and d. in Coosa County, Ala., and had three sons and two daus. (one son was in the army and lost an arm; others of the family are in Alabama, but no trace of them. “ * blurred…..(SEM). Cont’d. p. 335 “JOHN TERRY TOWNS, son of Bartley, b. in Georgia, in 1797. m. first, Julia Bearsley, who d. in 1848; second, Julia E. Wyman. Their children: J. Oliver, b. August 18, 1825; John Randolph, b. September 25, 1829, was Lieutenant- colonel of cavalry in the Civil War , and was killed; William, d. in infancy; Mary Ann, b. October 22, 1838, m. Graves Swanton, in LaGrange, Ga.,; William killed in battle in 1864; Henry Harrison, b. in 1841, was in the Civil War, and is alive now; Habersham Clay, b. in 1844, was in the war, and lives in Mountville, Ga., and has one son, George, and one dau., Lula Belle; Cerra Gorda, d. young; Buena vista, d. young; Palo Alto, d. young; Julia Terry, m. ______Strozier, of Greenville, S.C. J. OLIVER TOWNS, son of John Terry, b. August 18, 1825. m. first, Isabella Reid, in 1854, who d.,; second; Sarah (Barnes) Allen, November1, 1860. He owns and lives on a good farm in Senoia, Ga., Their children: Stephen Terry, m. and left a son, now in Ta®boro N.C.; Charles B., b. January 12, 1862, m. Mamie Barbour, October 10, 1887, in Florida, and lives in New York City; Thomas Randolph, b. November 16, 1863, m. Annie Sherlock, in Florida August 19, 1891; Jarrell Beasley, b. September 25, 1865, m. Emma Hunter, d. in 1894; Lulu Belle, b. August 25, 1867, m. Dr. J.H. Maddox, of Culloden, Ga., in 1889; Walter Pope, b. February 19, 1870 , d. in 1897; Julia Frances, b. December 10, 1872, d. in infancy’; Mary Eveline, b. November 18, 1875, m. W.W. Banks of Senoia, Ga., June 10, 1896; Henry H., b. August 19, 1878, d. in 1884; Oliver, d. in infancy. Last descendants of Bartley…. WILLIAM TOWNS, “ * Handwritten note: m. Rebecca” Cont’d. “ brother of Barley, m. and had these children : William, unm., lived in Alabama, where he d., very rich and left his fortune to a sister, who m. Baxton Harrison; a dau., and no more known. JOHN TOWNS, brother of William and Bartley, b. in Georgia. M. Wife unknown. “ Handwritten note: “Mary Hardwick” He fought in the battles of Eutaw Springs and the Cowpens in 1781. The family were from Virginia and moved to Georgia. Their children: George Washington, b. May 4, 1802; two daus., whose names are unknown. GEORGE WASHINGTON TOWNS, son of John, b. May 4, 1802. His poor health, until thirty years old, prevented him from receiving a classical education, but he obtained one sufficient to enable him to make his mark in the world. He studied law, and went to Alabama and was admitted to practice in 1824. In 1826 he returned to Georgia, where he became very popular and represented the county in both branches of the State Legislature. In 1834 he was elected to Congress and reelected in 1836. In 1839 he resumed the law until 1845, when he was elected to Congress again. He was elected governor in 1847 and reelected in 1849. He was a very king-hearted and genial companion, but of unassuming manners. He died in 1854. He had a daughter, Lou, who was a prominent personage in his household during his terms in office.” End of transcription from this source……. Misc. notes from S.E.M.: Knight’s Roster of Revolution John Towns, wife, 10 children to Washington, Ga., 1784. Warrant 799 “James Towns of Madison-pension records say he was born March, 1756 in Brunswick, Virginia, served in the Revolution out of Warren Co., North Carolina. He also lived in Greene Co., as did Bartlett Towns. Also appearing in Georgia in Wilkes area are these Towns. Drury Solomon Elisha Gideon They also appear in Warren Co., N. Car. Records by Kerr. These people, coming originally from Virginia, may have lived awhile in North Carolina, an even briefer time in South Carolina. In fact, John seems to be the only one to go to South Carolina at all. A Joel Towns appear in the Lunnenburg- Mecklenburg-Charlotte-Halifax area of Va. beginning about 1753.” There are several excellent and comprehensive biographies of Governor George Washington Napoleon Bonaparte Towns. I will refer interested persons to the two Towns Biographies found in: Dictionary of Georgia Biography edited by Kenneth Coleman and Charles Stephen Gurr. The University of Georgia Press. Athens, Ga. 1983 Vol. II. This account is of special interest for here you will find the biography of both Gov. G.B. Towns, b. 4 May, 1801, Wilkes Co., Ga., and d. Macon, Ga. 15 July, 1854, and the son of his half-brother: George Alexander Towns, b. Albany Ga., 5 March, 1870, d. Atlanta, Ga. 20 Dec., 1960. George Alexander Towns father, Luke, Jr. was both a former slave and the natural child of John Towns, father to Gov. Towns. From an account in There Was A Land History of Talbot, County “Among the early settlers in the town of Talbotton was George W. Towns. He was appointed one of the commissioners for the town of Talbotton when it was incorporated by act of the General Assembly in 1828. George Washing Towns was born in Wilkes County, Georgia, May 4, 1801. His father John Towns, was a native of Virginia and Revolutionary soldier. The Towns family moved from Wilkes County to Greene County and thence to Morgan County, where John Towns died. However, John Towns was a resident of Talbot County at the time as his will is probated here. “ *not a resident….his son & wife were residents…. “Govenor Towns commenced the study of medicine under Dr. Branham of Eatonton, but soon thereafter was thrown from a horse and gravely injured. He gave uup the thought of medicine and went to Montgomery, Alabama at the age of 20 where he read law under Mr. Benson, a prominent lawyer there. About that time he married a Miss Campbell, who died a few days after the marriage. He speculated with some success in town lots in Montgomery and for a brief period was in the mercantile business in Talbotton. He became colonel of militia in Talbot Count. Upon entering the practice of law in Talbotton, he became highly popular. In 1829 he was elected Representative from Talbot County..re- elected in 1830 and went to the Senate in 1832. In 1835 he was elected a member of the 24th Congress as a Union Democrat serving from December 7, 1835 to September 1, 1836 when he resigned. He was elected to the 25th Congress in 1835 and served the full term. He then returned to practice of his profession in Talbotton until Washington Poe resigned his seat in the 29th Congress. Governor Towns was elect3d to this vacancy, taking his seat January 27, 1847 and serving the remainder of the term. He was defeated for re-election by John W. Jones. The State Democratic Convention met in June 1847 and recognizing his prior public service and his present availability nominated him for Governor. Running against the Whig candidate, General Duncan L. Clin, he was elected by a jamority of 1, 289 votes. In 1819 he was again renominated and defeated his Whig competition by a mamority of 3, 192 votes. His term of governor was especially distinguished by the method of taxation which he devised. He retired from the executive chair in 1851 at the age of 50 as one of the most popular men in the State. While in Congress, he was married for the second time, to Miss Mary Jones, daughter of John Winston Jones of Virginia, former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Of this marriage there were five daughters and two sons. His mother, Mrs. Margaret Hardwick Towns, spent her last years at Talbotton, where she is buried. Her grave has been appropriately marked by the Talbotton Chapter, DAR, and is located near the Old Towns home formerly owned by Henry Persons. After retiring from the governor’s chair, he moved to Macon expecting to continue his law practice. Within a few months, however, he suffered a stroke and lingered in a deplorable condition , unable to write or hardly speak, until July 15, 1854, when he died. He is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Macon. During his last years he was faithfully administered to by his slave, Phil Towns, who was born in 1824 and lived to be over 109 years old. He was known to all the old timee residents of Macon as “Uncle Phil”. In 1856 the Legislature created a new county in North Georgia and gave it the name of this illustrious Georgian.” From his tombstone in Rose Hill, Macon, Ga.: “Author of the Inscription of the State of Georgia’s stone in the Washington Monument. Washington, D.C. “ The Constitution As It Is The Union As It Was.”