Gone, but not forgotten: The Stephen Rowland family

Stephen Rowland was born in North Carolina in 1791, the son of Revolutionary War soldier James Rowland, who fought with the Anson County Militia in its 1776-1777 incursion with the Cherokee Nation in what is now western South Carolina.
In the early 1800s, James moved his family to what would become Lawrence County, Tennessee, Oct. 12, 1817.
On Oct. 12, 1818, Stephen married Sarah McHugh (“Sally McKew”) there, with Sally’s brother, Charles, serving as bondsman.
In November that same year, Charles McHugh married Stephen’s sister, Mary “Polly” Rowland.
Stephen and his father moved their families to McNary County, Tennessee, between 1822 and 1826.
On June 30, 1826, land occupancy claims were awarded for adjacent acreages for Stephen and his father James. They were found there in the 1830 census, along with James and Charles McHugh.

In 1832, after the removal of the native people, Tishomingo County was created in northeast Mississippi. It was just over the border from McNary County, and Stephen Rowland and Charles McHugh moved there soon after the creation of the county.
Charles died there in 1843, and that same year Stephen moved his family to Newton County, Arkansas. They joined Stephen’s sister-in-law, Jane (McHugh) Henson and her husband John Henson in the Parthenon area.
Stephen’s wife, Sarah, died in 1845 following the birth of her last child, Martha. They had ten children born between 1819 and 1845. Stephen continued to live in the Parthenon area until his death sometime after 1860.
Of his ten children, three of them lived out their lives in Newton County. Mary Ann "Polly" Rowland (1827-1906) married John M. Smith. Elizabeth Rowland (about 1830-about 1912) married Vincent Dillard Henderson. John Rowland (born 1837) married Nancy Owen.

Barbara LeRoy is the author of “Which Side Were They On?,” a 302 page book listing biographical sketches of the Newton Countians who were involved in the Civil War, available for sale either in the Bradley House Museum or by purchasing online at www.newtoncountyar.com. The book sells for $33.