Benjamin died January 12, 1923 in Montgomery County. Volume #4063, Certificate #5412, and was buried Jan 15, 1923 at Woodland Cemetery. 24
1 Rowe, Margaret Stevens. Gives date only as June 25. No year given.
2 David MacClement Rowe’s birth certificate. David b. 22 Jan 1868 Mary [Caroline] (informant) gave father’s age as 23 which would mean he was born in 1844 (since he had not yet celebrated his 24th birthday in January).
3 Ibid. Mary gives place of Benjamin’s birth as Cincinnati, Ohio.
4 Montgomery County Marriage Records “Carrie” MacClement Her age at time of marriage "seventeen" father granted permission
5 Ibid. Caroline, age 17, at time of marriage -- father Thomas MacClement, granted permission.
6 Record of the Vanderslice Family. Testimony of Janette VanDerslice (Grandmother of Caroline M. Rowe) dated: Sept. 24, 1862, signed, and witnessed in front of Justice of the Peace.
7 Montgomery County Marriage Records.
8 Record of the Vanderslice Family.
9 Records of the Linden Avenue Baptist Church, Dayton, Ohio.
10 Ditto (all names and baptism dates as appear on these records).
11 Rowe, David MacClement. His unpublished autobiography written probably in the first decade of the twentieth century, as a presentation to a group of men.
12 Brandt & Fuller, publishers. History of Vanderburgh County, Indiana: From the Earliest Times to the Present… Madison, WI, 1889. Available on Heritage Quest.
13 Service verified at Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System. Service Thomas V. Clement 131 Ohio Infantry (National Guard) Co. G. Rank in and out: Private Film number M552 roll 19
14 Rowe, David MacClement. Apparently B.N. formed a partnership with his brother-in-law, and together they had exclusive rights.
15 Rowe, David MacClement.
16 Ibid. David was born in his grandfather MacClement’s home. Thomas MacClement, b. November 03, 1811 Ireland d. January 21, 1883 Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio
17 This is also recorded in D. M. Rowe’s autobiography, “Later we settled in a home of our own and my father bought out a retail and commission grocery business at the corner of Main and South Market street. The old market house was still standing.. It was an open shed sort of a building. My father did a good business but two much in credit and during the panic of 1873-75 like many other merchants he failed.”
18 Dayton City Directories.
19 1880 US census.
20 Linden Ave. Baptist Church records
21 Rowe, David MacClement. Also Obituary of B.N. Rowe.
22 IBM Archives on the web. “In 1891, Edward Canby and Orange O. Ozias, two businessmen from Dayton, Ohio, purchased the patents for the newly invented computing scale and incorporated the Computing Scale Company for the production of commercial scales.”
23 B.N. Rowe’s Obituary.
24 Woodland Cemetery CD.
UPDATE: I don't know how I missed the following from Benj. N. Rowe's obituary [1923] states:
"In order to have something to occupy his time Mr. Rowe moved with his family from their residence on Linden avenue a few years ago and took up residence in Carrmonte where he owned considerable ground and there he returned to farming in miniature."
The other thing I missed was: "Most of Mr. Rowe's relatives live in or near Baltimore, Md., and Richmond, Va. He has three brothers living in Dayton, Charles E., William G., and Albert.
Benjamin Norris Rowe and Caroline Mary MacClement
Benjamin Norris Rowe was the son of the aforementioned William and Clarissa Rowe, and was born June 25, 11844 2, in Cincinnati, Ohio 3. He married Caroline Mary MacClement 4 (daughter of Thomas 5 and Catherine J. R. Vanderslice 6) Apr. 18, 1867, in Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio. 7. Caroline was born 16 Aug 1849 8, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Children of Benjamin and Carrie were: David M, Norris Eugene bapt. 3/3/1884, Carrie Mabel 9 bapt. 3/23/1884, Nina E. bapt. 2/14/1886, Charlotte Jeanette bapt. 2/12/1888, Katherine MacC “Kitty” bapt. 1/22/1893, Lavenia H bapt. 3/5/1893 10.
By 1870 Benjamin was 26 years old and appears in the Census in Vanderburgh County, 1st Ward Evansville. By occupation he was a sewing machine agent, he is not recorded as owning any land, but in personal property was worth $1500.00, his birth place is listed as Ohio. His wife is listed as Cary M. age 20, born Pennsylvania. They had two children David age 2 and Eugene age 6/12, both born in Ohio. It’s interesting to note that David MacClement Rowe, in his autobiography states “after reaching Evansville My father purchased quite an attractive residence on one of the desirable residential streets 11.”
Living in the same residence with them was D. F. MacClement age 24, who was also a sewing machine agent and valued at $2,000 personal property, born Pennsylvania. This would be Cary’s brother David MacClement (whom, no doubt their son, David MacClement Rowe was named after). According to History of Vanderburgh County, Indiana David was born in Philadelphia on Dec. 29, 1845. David tried a couple of times to enter the Union army, and was twice pulled out by his father. Finally he enlisted as Thomas V. Clement in the One Hundred and Thirty-first Ohio Infantry, and faithfully served till he received an honorable discharge on August 1864 12, 13. He returned to Dayton after the war and worked as a bookkeeper for the Grover & Baker Sewing Machine company until “forming a partnership with his brother-in-law B.N. Rowe, he took the agency of Howe Sewing Machine Company at this place.” According to David M. Rowe his father had “exclusive rights to a large territory for the Howe, and Wheeler & Wilson sewing machines 14.” While living in Evansville, two children were born, Mabel (03 Jan 1871) and Nina (06 Sep 1873).
Somewhere around 1874 B. N. Rowe walked into their home in Evansville and announced to his family that he had sold their home and purchased a large farm in southern Illinois 15. (Unfortunately, I have found nothing that gives any clues as to where in Illinois they moved.) While David gave a few funny anecdotes about farm life, by and large the two main things that he seemed to recall were the number of snakes in Illinois and the ague being so bad. He said the ague got so bad that when someone offered to buy the farm, his father sold it, and his mother decided the family should return to Dayton, which they did.
D.M. Rowe wrote: “After our household good[s] were carefully freighted we took the train back to Evansville where we embarked on an Ohio river packet for Cincinnati… From Cincinnati we took the train for Dayton, … and repaired at once to my grandfather's house I was at last back to where I started. 16
According to B.N.’s obituary, the family sold the farm, and returned to Dayton “two years later,” which would put it, 1876, which was the same year Charlotte was born in Dayton, on Sept. 15. There is some confusion as to the exact date that he returned to Dayton, since his obituary states that B.N. “bought a wholesale and retail grocery and located on the corner of Main and South Market Streets. At first he was associated with his brother, William G. Rowe, and the firm was known as Rowe Brothers. Later, Norris Rowe purchased his brother’s interest.” And “In 1875, during the panic, Mr. Rowe lost everything he had accumulated 17. He then associated with Edward Canby in the coffee and spice business and for many years represented that firm on the road.”
The obituary seems to have some errors in it however, as B.N. doesn’t appear in the 1873, 1874, or 1875 Dayton Directories. B.N. reappears in Dayton in 1876-77 Rowe, B. Norris, (Rowe Bros.), residence 348 W Fifth. 1876-77 Rowe Brothers, (B. Norris & Wm. G.) ,Wholesale & Retail Dealers In Groceries, Provisions, Foreign & Domestic Fruits, Canned Goods, etc., southeast corner of Main & Market.” However, by 1880 he is back in the census as a traveling salesman, so at some point something happened to his grocery business, but it was in operation at least as late as 1876, according to the Dayton City Directories.
The envelope below was sent by Rowe Brothers and was addressed to "David MacC. Rowe -- City." The Rowe Brothers Envelope is in my own personal collection. And is yet another treasure stored in the homes of my aunt and great aunts for nearly 130 years!
B.N. reappears in Dayton in 1876-77 Rowe, B. Norris, (Rowe Bros.), residence 348 W Fifth. 1876-77 Rowe Brothers, (B. Norris & Wm. G.) ,Wholesale & Retail Dealers In Groceries, Provisions, Foreign & Domestic Fruits, Canned Goods, etc., southeast corner of Main & Market. 18 By 1880 B.N. is a traveling salesman, so Rowe Brothers bellied up between 1876 and 1880. 19
In the 1880 census Benjamin N. ROWE age 36 was born in OH, both his parents were born in Maryland. His wife Caroline was 31 and born in Pennsylvania, she was keeping house. Her father was born in Scotland and her mother in Pennsylvania. Their children are listed as David Rowe, age 12, born OH; Norris E., age 10, born OH; Mable, age 9, born IN; Nina age 7 born IN; Lotta [Charlotte] age 4, born OH; and Daughter [Catherine] Rowe age 1 month born OH.
Benjamin was baptized 14 Feb 1886 at Linden Ave. Baptist Church in Dayton 20.
Benjamin continues to be listed as a traveling salesman [presumably with Edward Canby in the coffee and spice business 21], 15 E. 2nd, residence 152 S. Linden Av in the 1889-90 Dayton Directory. At the time Mr. Canby took over the Dayton Computing Scale Company (about 1891 22) B.N. was asked to represent it. 23
The picture of Caroline Mary The two photographs immediately above were taken on their 50th Wedding
MacClement Rowe above was
Anniversary.
Anniversary.taken by Bowersox in Dayton,
and is dated '06.
Benjamin and Caroline celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on April 18, 1917.
James Hadley Stevens attended the festivities and recorded in his journal, "April 18, 1917, Mr. & Mrs. B.N. Rowe having festivities a/c [on account of] 50th Wedding Anniversary this eve... went to Rowes a few minutes R[omelia] to tired to go Big crowd there."
The photographs and information gathered on this site are the property of Linda Trent
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