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James Martin Towe & Martha Boothe Towe

 

James Martin Towe (1817-1886) and Martha Boothe Towe are my great-great-great grandparents.  They were married near Gatesville, NC on 11/30/1843 by Ira Walton, esq. I think that Martha's family may have been from Gates County. The Towes lived in  the Perquimans County, NC community of Chapanoke, about 5 miles east of Hertford.
Children:
  • William Cherry (Billy) 10/4/1844-1911or 12
  • Elizabeth Francis 11/4/1846-12/6/1909
  • James Henry 1/20/1848-1/16/1908
  • John Martin 4/21/1850 (died young?)
  • Mary Caroline (Mollie) 11/18/1852
  • Alice (2/11/1854-10/8/1908)
  • John Martin 4/19/1856
  • Martha Louise (Mattie) 6/20/1858
  • Eugenia Boothe (Jennie Darling) 10/5/1860
Where is the Towe Land today?

A deed drawn up upon James Towe's death shows the division of the family farmland among the children. According to this deed the land lay on the "west side of the main road from Chapanoke to Woodville."  I have not yet been able to identify this location. From what I can tell most of the children sold their portion of the land and did not farm it themselves. Only William and James Henry turn up as farmers in the census records. It is possible that Jennie and her husband John did live on her portion of the land as their daughter Ercel used to talk about the family living on a farm. 


Link to Deed


 

The Towes were farmers. Most of what I've learned about their family was gleaned from the records in their family Bible. It contains notes in the back accounting for their household, including several horses, and unfortunately several slaves. This Bible is truly a treasure, and I am thankful to Barbara Palmer for passing it down to me.
Link to Family Bible Notes
 		 James Towe inherited land along the Perquimans River from his grandfather, Joseph Towe, in the early 1840s. This document states that the land is situated in Old Neck, on one side bordered by Benjamin Skinner's land. Since Benjamin Skinner's house is still standing, according to this map this is a picture (right) of the land that James inherited. Another connecting portion of the land that contained "manor buildings" was inherited by James's brother Martin. As far as I can tell these manor buildings were destroyed...the only homes on the property now are fairly modern. Here is the text for the deed.

Link to Joseph Towe's Deed for Old Neck land

In a wall frame in August and Annie Diehls' bedroom, copied 12/27/1954:

There is no death!
What seems so is transition;
This Life of Mortal breath
Is but a suburb of the life elysian,
Whose portal we call Death.

In Loving Remembrance of
Martha Towe
Died May 8th, 1888
and
James Towe
Died August 16th, 1886
Asleep in Jesus! blessed sleep,
From which none ever wakes to weep:
A calm and undisturbed repose,
Unbroken by the last of foes.

Asleep in Jesus! far from thee,
Thy kindred and their grave may be;
But thine is still a blessed sleep,
From which none ever wakes to weep.

 

Our little group of researchers:
Front row: Patty Hogan, Barbara Palmer. 
Backrow: Bill Bernard, Holly Schoenhoff, Carol Bernard
Perquimans County Courthouse, Main Street, Hertford, NC
 



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