William Oliver Towson and Elmira Reynolds
William Oliver Towson (1817-1893) was born in Philadelphia, PA. According to his death certificate, he was 76 years old on the date of his death on June 3rd, 1893 and had lived in Baltimore for 60 years. His wife, Elmira Reynolds, was born about 1830. Elmira S. Reynolds was granted letters testamentary for William's estate in June 1893. The family can be found in the following United States Federal Censuses: 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1900, 1920.
According to his death certificate (see bottom of this post), William Oliver Towson was born in Philadelphia, PA circa 1817. In the 1810s, a Lavinia Towson was receiving mail in Philadelphia. Perhaps the name of his mother? He could also potentially be the child of Obadiah Wilkinson Towson and his wife, Catharine Olivia Irwine.
In 1820 in Philadelphia there was one Towson family headed by a William Towson who was 45 or older. There were two free white males under the age of 10, presumably one of whom was William Oliver Towson. Two boys aged 10-16; one boy 16-18; two boys 16-26; and two boys 26-45. There were several women in the household as well: one free white female under the age of 10; one 10-16; one 16-26; one 26-45; and a woman over the age of 45. Four members of the household were engaged in manufacture. No Towson families were enumerated in Philadelphia in 1810 or 1830.
William Oliver Towson married Elmira S. Reynolds on January 23rd, 1849 in Baltimore. The groom was about 32 and the bride was about 19.
- Lizzie A (1850-1852)
- Catherine "Kate" (1852-1933)
- William D. (1855-)
- Leonard Reynolds (1859-1944)
- Eliza V. "Lilly" (1862-1925)
- Lavinia Sterling (1868-1928)
They had at least the following children: Catherine "Kate" (1852-1933), William D. (1855-), Leonard Reynolds (1859-1944);
Eliza V. "Lilly" (1862-1925), and Lavinia Sterling (1868-1928).
Source: ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Baltimore Sun (1837-1988); Feb 2, 1852; pg. 2.
Source: ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Baltimore Sun (1837-1988); June 5, 1893; pg. 4.
Source: ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Baltimore Sun (1837-1988); Mar 12, 1923; pg. 10.
Source: ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Baltimore Sun (1837-1988); Mar 12, 1923; pg. 5.
Catherine "Kate" (1852-1933) married Anthony S. Davis of Port Deposit, MD on October 31st, 1872. They had five children, including: Elmira R. (1876-1963), William Towson (1880-1948), Marguerite Allen (1888-), who married George Crampton O'Brien of Wilmington, DE in 1914; and Lillian E. (Feb 1891-), who married Leon Albert Anthony of Bellaire, NY. By 1900, one of their children had passed away.
William D. (1855-) married Ella Frances Hall (nee Fling). In the 1900 and 1910 censuses, he is recorded with his wife Ella F. Towson and stepdaughter Ethelyn L. Hall living in Chicago. In the 1920 and 1930 censuses, William is recorded as being "married" but Ella is not present. He appears to have died December 12th, 1930 in Los Angeles, CA at the age of 75. It does not appear that he had any children.
William D. Towson
1900 Census– age 49, married to Ella F. Towson (age 51, born in NH) to whom he had been married for 16 years, and his 22-year-old stepdaughter, Ethelyn Laura Hall
1910 Census– age 54, wife Ella F. Towson (61), and his 31-year-old stepdaughter Ethelyn Hall
1920 Census– age 64, married, living in Chicago with his 41-year-old stepdaughter Ethelyn Laura Hall
1930 Census– age 74, married, living as a lodger in Chicago. This census said he was 27 at the age of his first marriage. He was a salesman of men's hats.
It appears he was a salesman for the Benjamin L. Ames Hat Company in Chicago as early as 1897 [source].
Leonard Reynolds married Ada Terry. They had a son, William Oliver (1891-1967) who married Caroline Hutton (1892-1973). William and Caroline had four children, two daughters and two sons: Caroline Hutton Towson, who married Jack Calvin Morgan; Terry Towson, (-1972) who married David Reid Will; William Oliver Towson, Jr. (1915-); and Paul Churchill Towson (1916-).
Source: ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Baltimore Sun (1837-1988); Oct 11, 1944; pg. 18.
Source: ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Baltimore Sun (1837-1988); Mar 22, 1953; pg. 9D.
Born Eliza Towson on February 8th 1862, later in life she was known as Lily. Her middle initial has alternatively been reported as B, V, or T. Sometime after 1903 she was married to John L. James, Jr., but she was widowed in 1913 when he passed away. Lily would follow her husband on August 10th 1925 and is buried beside him at Camp Chapel United Methodist Cemetery in Perry Hall, MD. It does not appear that she had any children.
Source: ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Baltimore Sun (1837-1988); Oct 6, 1903; pg. 6.
Source: ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Baltimore Sun (1837-1988); Aug 12, 1925; pg. 4.
Lavinia Sterling Towson was born January 11th 1868 and married William John Middleton on April 26th 1888 at the Eutaw Street Methodist Episcopal Church (source). They had three sons: William Towson in 1889, Albert Gamble in 1890, and Leonard Reynolds on February 5th 1892.
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