Philemon Towson (1770-1843) and Wives

Philemon and Ruth Towson

Philemon Towson was born about 1770 and died May 18th 1843. Philemon had three wives, had at least one child, and was one of twelve children of Ezekiel Towson, the proprietor of Towson's Tavern, and Ruth Cromwell. Philemon was the brother of General Nathan Towson and may have himself served during the War of 1812.

Wives
Philemon Towson was married at least three times. His first marriage was to his first cousin, Ann Cockey. Ann Cockey was born July 31st 1770 to Captain John Cockey and his wife, Chloe Cromwell, the sister of Philemon's mother Ruth Cromwell (source). According to a LDS index record of Maryland marriages from 1666-1970, Ann Cockey married "Phillip Towson" on March 3rd 1803 (source).  Their marriage would not last long, as Ann Cockey Towson died two months shy of her 39th birthday  on June 5th, 1809 and is buried at the Sater Baptist meetinghouse, where her parents are also buried (source). It is unknown whether Philemon and Ann had any children, but I have yet to find any evidence that suggests they did.

EDIT 11/25/2021: Today, in the Chancery Record Index 1668-1853, MSA Citation S1431-78 (viewable here), I found several index records referring to a daughter born to Ann Cockey and Philemon Towson. The first, dated 1808, names Ann Towson as the mother of Ann Lobre (B 60 - 193, Devisee). The next lists Ann Towson, wife of Philemon, nee Cockey of John, Sr. & Chloe, as having died prior to 1811 (B 119 - 107) and legatee to a case 2/6/1808 (B 119 - 112). The third names an Ann Towson, of Philemon & Ann, as infant defendant in an 1811-1822 case (B 119 - 107). A final names Philemon Towson as a defendant to the 1811-1822 case and guardian to Ann Towson (B 119 - 118), and as father of Ann Lobre (B 60 - 139). A search of Ancestry revealed a marriage between an Ann Elizabeth Towson and a Francis Alfred Lobre on 1 September 1821. Beyond this, I have found nothing else for Ann or Francis Lobre, but the case which refers to Philemon as her father is dated 1827, so perhaps she passed away.

Secondly, Philemon Towson married Mrs. Catherine Cushman on April 18th, 1810 or 1811 at the First Methodist Church. Their marriage was reported in the Baltimore American, according to Marriages and Deaths from Baltimore Newspapers 1796-1816 by Barnes. On April 1st, 1815, Bass Otis painted portraits of Philemon Towson and his wife for a total of $30 (about $500 in 2018) according to the artist's diary. (At the same time Philemon and Catharine had their portraits done, his brother the then Colonel Nathaniel Towson also had his portrait painted by Mr. Otis, though there is no record of what he paid.)

In January 1832, Mrs. Catherine Towson, wife of Philemon, died at age 60 or 61. Henry C. Peden's Methodist Records of Baltimore City, MD: Volume 2, 1830-1839 provided two references which may have been to this wife of Philemon. The first simply states "Catharine Towson, dead, 1831" amongst a list of parishioners removed from the records. A second indicates that Catherine Towson, age 61, was buried in the public vault at the Methodist Burial Ground. A date was given of January 25, 1832, though it is unclear whether that was the date of death or date of burial. A death notice in the Baltimore Gazette and Daily Advertiser gives her date of death as January 24th, 1832.

Source: GenealogyBank.com, American and Commercial Daily Advertiser, Jan 28, 1832, pg. 3.

Source: GenealogyBank.com, Baltimore Gazette and Daily Advertiser, Jan 28, 1832, pg. 3.

It was during Catherine's life that Philemon made what appears to have been his only appearance in the United States Census– although he would live through a total of six censuses, the 1830 Census is the only one for which I have been able to find his name. The household of one Philemon Towson appears in Baltimore's 10th Ward during the 1830 Census. Among the household are one white male, 60-69 (Philemon) and one white female, 50-59 (Catherine); one white male, 10-14; one white male, 15-19; one white female, 10-14; one free black male, 24-35; and one free black female, 36-54.

The identities of the children are unknown, however, their ages would suggest that they were Catherine and Philemon's children together. Had the oldest male been 19, he would have been born in 1811, the year of their marriage; for the younger boy and girl, they must have been born during Philemon and Catherine's marriage. However, during the 1815-16 session, the Maryland General Assembly passed an act allowing Philemon Towson and Sebastian Graff to "sell and dispose of certain property in the City of Baltimore, belonging to them and their infant children" though no further details are provided (source). Sebastian Graff was Philemon's brother-in-law to his marriage to Ann Cockey; Ann's sister Eleanor married Sebastian before dying on March 24, 1814, leaving an unknown number of children.

Source: GenealogyBank.com, Engine of Liberty and Uniontown Advertiser, April 7, 1814, pg. 3.

On April 3, 1833 Philemon once more marries, this time to a Ruth Anderson (source). I believe this Ruth Anderson to be Philemon's niece by his elder brother William and William's wife Rebecca Young. My reasoning is as follows:

1. On May 31, 1811 a Ruth Towson married a Joshua Anderson at First Methodist/Lovely Lane and almost exactly a year later, on May 30, 1812, there was a case in Chancery Court between Daniel Evans, Eleanor Evans, Ann Towson and Elizabeth Towson vs. Joshua Anderson, Ruthy Anderson, William Towson, Thomas Towson, and John Towson over the petition to sell Mollys Industry, Pearces Security, Gotts Hope, James Meadow.
2. As William's other known children included Eleanor "Ellen" Towson (wife of Daniel Evans), Ann Tolly Towson (who would later marry Edward Trippe), Elizabeth Towson, and sons William, Thomas, and John, it seems to be that chancery court case was one between siblings arguing over their father's estate, confirming Ruth's relation not only to William but also to Philemon.
3. While that alone does not confirm that said Ruth Anderson is the one who would marry Philemon in 1833, it does seem likely. Further, Philemon's widow Towson passed away in 1846 at the age of 57, putting her birth year at around 1789, and although I cannot find the original source, a pedigree file posted to FamilySearch.org on 7/30/2013 by vjh103132 claims that Ruth Towson, the daughter of William and Rebecca, was born December 18th 1790 and was baptized September 20th 1791 in St. Paul’s Parish Church. Those dates would be consistent with Ruth Towson having been a Towson by birth as well as marriage.

From what I have been able to gather, marriage between an uncle and a niece would have been illegal in 1833. Yet I have two theories as to why they may have married anyway. The first is to keep money in the family– it is unknown what Ruth's financial situation was, but perhaps she inherited land from her father (as was the dispute in Chancery Court) and Philemon wished to keep it in the family. The second, more compelling reason, was that Philemon was an old widower with two or three children who had yet to reach maturity. By marrying his younger widowed niece, he could provide for her financially while assuring that there would be someone to care for his children.

Regardless of who she was, Ruth would survive Philemon by three and a half years. Philemon Towson died in May 1843 at the age of 75. What would come of his children is unknown.

Source: GenealogyBank.com, American and Commercial Daily Advertiser; May 22, 1843; pg. 2. 

Source: ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Baltimore Sun (1837-1988); May 22, 1843; pg. 2. 

Source: ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Baltimore Sun (1837-1988); Oct 18, 1843; pg. 3

Source: ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Baltimore Sun (1837-1988); Dec 5, 1846; pg. 2. 

Source: ProQuest Historical Newspapers, The Baltimore Sun (1837-1988); Oct 7, 1847; pg. 2. 

Jobs

As varied as Philemon's love life was, his work life appears to have been no different. As varying times, Philemon could be found as a silversmith, a hotelier of some kind, an aspiring politician, and an inspector of butter and lard.

The earliest references indicate that Philemon started out as a silversmith. A source, regarding a 1798 Grand Jury of Frederick County which indicted Negro Dick, slave of James Marshall, for possession of a stolen watch belonging to Philemon Towson, claims that Philemon was a "well known Maryland watchmaker." According to 18th and 19th Century Maryland Silver (1975) and Silver in Maryland (1983), Philemon Towson was, at the very least, a silversmith in Baltimore. According to the website American Silversmiths, there is no known maker's mark for Philemon (source). Contrary to the first source, Philemon's career as a silversmith does not appear to have been considerably long lived or prosperous, as he would change careers multiple times throughout his life. Interestingly, according to an article published in the quarterly journal of the Colonial Coin Collectors Club, he would later face off in the political arena against another silversmith– and lose.

As early as 1807 a Philimon Towson was recorded in city records indexed by the WPA at the Baltimore City Archives. Records for P., Philimon, Philemon, and Phillip Towson were common from 1814-1843, including numerous records to “inspection, butter & lard.” Indeed, in the 1838 Ordinances of the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, Philemon Towson is listed as inspector of butter and lard, inspecting 35,634 kegs of the two substances at 64 cents per keg, for a total income of $2,227.12, which has a value of approximately $57,023.79 in 2018. Philemon Towson the lard inspector served up until his death in 1843 and was replaced by Jacob Stouffer.

Philemon placed an ad in the February 8, 1814 edition of the American & Commercial Daily Advertiser, notifying the public that he had "taken that well known stand lately occupied by the Widow Griffith; where every attendance will be given to render general satisfaction to Travellers and those who may favor him with their custom, and on the most accommodating terms" (source)– referring to the Washington Hotel at 4 North Gay Street. Philemon was listed at that address in the The Baltimore Directory and Register for 1814-15, and in 1816, he published another ad offering a $200 reward for "detecting Aaron Wright," a bar-keeper at the Washington Hotel who had stolen a pocketbook containing about $1,300 (about $20,000 in 2018; source). Philemon is still listed at the hotel in Matchett's 1816 directory, but the next freely available directory for 1822-1823 has Philemon Towson, gent., living at 25 Alisana (Aliceanna). By 1827, he was listed as butter and lard inspector.

He ran for the office of Sheriff in Baltimore in 1809, 1812, 1821 and 1824, losing in the last to Standish Barry, a fellow silversmith. Interestingly, the last race was the closest race for Philemon. Standish Berry won by a mere 149 votes, but won 800 more votes than Philemon with Baltimore City voters. Philemon was more popular in Baltimore County, particularly among voters in the area known as Cockey’s (also the 8th District), which may (or may not) be associated with the fact that Philemon’s mother was herself a Cockey. You can learn more about these elections on A New Nation Votes, from Tufts University.

Misc.

In 1801, Philemon purchased 450 acres on Irish Creek in Rockbridge County, VA, not far from Lynchburg, from William Daughtery according to Rockbridge County Artists and Artisans by Barbara Crawford and Royster Lyle. This Daughtery appears to have been Philemon's brother-in-law, husband to his sister Ruth.

In the early 1800s, Philemon Towson and Ruth Towson were a part of the founding of the Harford Baptist Church. They signed the covenant on October, 1803 from the History of Harford County, Maryland (1901) by Walter Wilkes Preston. I believe that the Ruth Towson in question was either Philemon's his mother or another kinswoman, as he wouldn't marry Ruth Anderson until 1833.

He provided a testimonial for "Drs. Dresbach, Kuhn & Pryor's Dyspeptic Cordial," claiming that it had helped a niece by the name of Mrs. Wallace, in the November 14, 1839 publication of the Daily national intelligencer. Philemon's sister, Ann, married a John Wallace in 1785. It is quite possible that John and Ann had a daughter, and given the conventions of the time, even an unmarried adult daughter could've been known as Mrs. Wallace (source).

Philemon was a master mason in the Amicable Lodge No. 25 (source).

Questions:
Although I feel sufficiently confident in the research detailed above, there remain several questions related to Philemon Towson, his wives, and his potential children. I list them here in the hopes that someone may have answers, and to remind me should I revisit the topic in the future:

1. Who was Catherine Cushman's first husband? Or was Mrs. being used in the same way as "Mrs. Wallace"?
2. What was Catherine Cushman's maiden name? (If she was married.)
3. What is the source for the obituary for Catherine Towson?
4. Who were the three children in Philemon's household in 1830?
5. When did Ruth Anderson's husband die?
6. Where is Philemon Towson buried?
7. Where is Catharine Towson buried?
8. Where is Ruth Towson buried?

Family of Obadiah and Frances Towson

 Obadiah and Frances Towson

Who is Obadiah Towson? There appear to have been a number of Obadiah Towsons over the years, including  Obadiah W. Towson (b. 1793) and Obadiah George Towson (b. 1825), but the individual in question today is the Obadiah Towson who died in 1797 leaving behind a widow Frances.

Mysterious Miss Maude

Mary “Maude” Towson

Mary was born January or July 11th 1872, the fourth child of Charles Towson and Frances Tarr. At the time of her birth, her parent’s first children, twin boys, had already died. The household also contained older brother Charles, born December 1869.

1880-1889

First recorded in the US Federal Census as Mary. At the time, she was listed as 8 years old and attending school, alongside her 12 year old brother Charles and 4 year old brother Edward. Younger siblings Sarah Ellen, 3, and Harry, 3 months, were not yet old enough to attend school and were at home. Sadly, neither Sarah Ellen nor Harry would ever make it to school age, with Harry dying before his first birthday and Sarah Ellen following in 1881.

Baltimore City Directories show that the Towson family remained in Baltimore through 1885, living in the Locust Point community near Fort McHenry on Beason and Cooksie streets. Sometime after 1885 and by 1889, the Towson family moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

In 1889, the little girl named Mary would have been almost a full grown adult at seventeen years old. In Polk’s Greater Harrisburg City Directory for 1889, a Maude Towsen was listed as a trimmer working at 334 Market, and living at 1038 South Cameron (also the address listed to Charles, screwsman, and Charles W. Towsen, laborer). For unknown reasons, at the time the family moved to Harrisburg, they began to spell their surname with an E instead of the typical O.

1890-1899

26 Jul 1892– Miss Maud Towsen was the guest of her aunt, Mrs. Lare in Lancaster. (Lare is thought to be a misspelling of Tarr.)

16 April 1894– in Wassaic, New York, “popular clothier” Isaac Winestine married Miss Bessie Golvonsky, daughter of Isaac Gelvonsky, of No. 229 Locust Street, Lancaster, Pa. A Miss Maud Towsen, of Harrisburg, was part of the wedding party. A Mr. David Hersh was one of the guests.

In mid-1897, Maude was involved in a scandal that made headlines in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, New York, and Washington, D.C. On April 27^th 1897 in Jersey City, New Jersey, Maude Towson married a furrier from New York by the name of Gustave Herzig.

The problem with this is that Herzig was already married, with a wife and three children living in New York City. Maude’s story was that she knew nothing of this, and that he seduced her. Herzig’s story was that Maude knew he was married with children, and that Maude had drugged him. The clergyman who married them reported that Herzig seemed in full control of his faculties at the time of the marriage.

The two separated, with Maude returning to her family in Harrisburg. Herzig eventually showed up and was beaten by Maude’s father and possibly her brothers. Herzig was arrested, and eventually transferred to the custody of the Jersey City police on charges of bigamy, while Charles Towson was taken into custody for assault. I have attached the most comprehensive report of the incident, which is also the most flattering to Maude. At various times, Herzig claimed that the whole incident was a conspiracy between Maude and a man by the name of Hirsch.

One report has Maude declaring her intent to move to Lancaster after the incident ended.

1900-1909

A widowed 28-year-old woman named Maud Hirsch appears in the 1900 Federal Census in the household of Mary Giffin at 701 Eleventh Street, Philadelphia. Maud is listed as a boarder, born in January 1872, widowed, born in Maryland to parents born in Maryland, a saleslady who had been married 5 years and who had no children.

Is this our Maude? Did she marry her supposed co-conspirator? If so, when, and when did he die? Did she merely adopt another name to escape the infamy of her previous marriage?

1910-1919

2 October 1911– Maude’s mother Frances died in Sparrows Point. On the 5th of that month the Baltimore Sun reported that Mrs. Maud Hirsch, of New York, is the guest of her father, Mr. Charles Towson.

22 June 1916– in Philadelphia, at the age of 43, she would marry John Herman Sell as “Marzella F. Townsend.” (A pension record of her father also records her name as “Mozilla.”)

The circumstances relating to this marriage are interesting. The Philadelphia Inquirer would publish a short piece about the marriage, titled “Divorced, to Wed Again.” Emily Koons was his wife of twenty years.

However, several months before their marriage, the Baltimore Sun reported “Mrs. J. Zell, of Harrisburg… is the guest of her brother, Thomas Towson” and that John H. Sell, of New York City, was visiting Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Towson.

On John Sell’s draft papers (dated September 12th 1918), the address of John and Maud Sell is listed as 671 Beach Street in Revere, Massachusetts. He is listed as working for the Southern Surety Company, headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, but his occupation is illegible.

In the 1919 Des Moines city directory, John H. Sell, bonds, res 20 Bernice Apartments.

1920-1929

In the 1920 United States Census, the Sells were listed as boarders at 208 West Markham Street in Little Rock, Arkansas.

In 1921, John Sell is listed as a field rep of the Southern Surety Company on the 7th floor Register & Tribune Building, which was most likely an office building.

On September 17th, 1921, John Herman Sell died in the Lutheran Hospital of Des Moines. The informant was “Mrs. J. H. Sell” of 504 1/2 Sixth Avenue.

John Herman Sell dies September 17^th 1921, in Des Moines, Iowa. The funeral service takes place at a church in Des Moines before his body is shipped to Philadelphia to be buried in the North Cedar Hill Cemetery.

After that, Mary “Maude” “Mozilla” “Marzella” Towson Herzig Hirsch Sell is never found again.

–––––

Maude is probably my biggest genealogical mystery. Sure, I'd like to find out who gave us the Towson family name,  but Maude– well, Maude's story is unique. Maude's story brings people in. It fascinates people who ordinarily don't care about history. And they want to know where it leads. But the problem is, I don't know.

She just disappears in 1921 in Des Moines, Iowa. It's almost fitting, but I'm not satisfied.

I want to find Maude. Will you help me?

–––––

Assorted tidbits about Maude:

• Maude habitually lied about her age.
• I have been unable to confirm a marriage to a Hirsch in Lancaster, but I believe it to be likely (or likely that she at least took the name Hirsch to cover up her fiasco of a marriage to Herzig).
• Various family sources speak of Maude as having been incredibly beautiful, tall with red hair. Some say she was a model. I can find nothing to confirm this, but she was known to mingle with the folks in the fashion industry.
• No living Towsons have any information (or prior knowledge, before I talked to them) about what happened to Maude.
• I have a death certificate for John Herman Sell but I do not have an obituary.

A Tale of Two Brothers

My great-great-great-grandfather, Charles Towson, was the youngest of six children born to Charles and Mary "Polly" McClung. Charles Sr. died in 1848, and Polly died in 1850. The two eldest children, John Thomas (1828-????) and Margaret (1830-1830), are thought to have died in childhood. So what happened to the other four children?

The Case of a Misspelled Name (Or Two)

It all started a few years ago, when I stumbled upon the marriage announcement for my third great grandfather, Charles Towson, and his wife, Frances Elizabeth Tarr. At this point I didn't know anything about Frances or her family, and I likely wouldn't have if my eyes hadn't scanned over the index, past the Towsons and Townsends and finally up to Tows, Charles.

Family of John P. and Mary E. Towson

John Philip Towson was born July 5th, 1837 to Joshua Towson (1793-1842) and Mary Ferrel (1795-1884), according to Ancestry.com user judyflash. He was the younger brother of James Franklin Towson. According to the same family tree, his wife was Mary Parsons, born 1833 in Harford County, Maryland. The couple had at least two sons and four daughters, whose birth dates are provided from judyflash's public family tree: Joshua Joseph (born 31 Jan 1860), Virginia "Jennie" (born Oct 1862), Elizabeth "Lizzie" (born Jan 1865), Rosalia "Rose" (born 2 Sep 1867), Helen (born 2 Mar 1870), and John P., Jr. (born 4 Jul 1875).

Towson Households in Baltimore City Directories

A select number of Baltimore City Directories have been made available through the University of Maryland library system, which you can access them yourself here. For the sake of myself and my fellow Towson family researchers, I have put together a list of all the Towsons listed in the available  Machetts and Woods' Baltimore City directories.

Italicized names are direct relatives of mine.