Biography of The Stowell Family

From Reminiscences of Worcester
by Caleb Wall (Worcester MA; Tyler & Seagrave, 1877)

Pages 53-56

THE STOWELL FAMILY

Cornelius Stowell, who came here soon after the town was organized, married Sevilla, sister of the second Capt. Palmer Goulding, and located near him, on the west corner of Park and Orange streets, residing on the very spot still occupied by his granddaughters. Cornelius Stowell was a clothier by trade, and started more than a century ago that business in Worcester, in all its branches, his shop being on the opposite corner of Orange street, in the building afterwards owned and occupied as a dwelling by the late Willard Brown, now standing on the west side of Washington street, to which place it was removed when Mr. Brown erected his new dwelling upon its site, now occupied by his son. Cornelius Stowell afterwards took his sons, Peter and Ebenezer, into partnership with him, about 1790, when they began the business of manufacturing woolen goods, and printing calicos, making a specialty of weaving carpets, dyeing and dressing wollen goods at the same time. They had two fulling mills, and dyed fine scarlet and deep blue colors in the best manner. They also built shearing machines. At one time they had six looms of their own invention and construction in operation. The quality of their work may be judged by the fact that they made the first carpets used in the present State House in Boston. Peter's brother, Abel, the old clockmaker of the last century, who made the present clocks in the Old South Church tower and in the old Worcester Bank, had his residence and shop on the west corner of Park and Salem streets. Peter and Abel Stowell married sisters, daughters of Capt. Israel Jennison, and the latter sons William married a daughter of Cornelius Stowell. The house occupied by Abel Stowell was afterwards owned and occupied by the late William Harrington as a hotel from about 1820 to 1836 when Mr. Harrington, who married a daughter of Peter Stowell, built his new residence on Portland street, where he afterwards resided. The hotel occupied by Mr. Harrington was continued a short time by N. R. Tilton and others, and then occupied as a dwelling, other structures having long since occupied its site.

Cornelius Stowell was born in Watertown, Sept. 13, 1724, being the youngest son of Samuel Stowell, clothier, who married in Watertown, in 1714, Sarah ____, had three sons and six daughters, and died March 12, 1748, in that part of Watertown now Waltham. Cornelius, who came to Worcester several years previous, was married here March 22, 1749, at the age of 25. He died here Jan. 3, 1804, aged 79, and his widow Sevilla June 7, 1812, aged 82. They had six sons and five daughters, born between 1751 and 1774, of whom Peter, who married Betsey, daughter of Capt. Israel Jennison, died July 10, 1810, aged 48; and Abel, who married Relief, sister of his brother's wife, died Aug. 3, 1818, aged 66. Ebenezer, born in 1768, after being in company in business here for several years with his father and brother Peter, removed to Sheldon, Vt., where he died Jan. 14, 1849,a ged 81, having never married. Another brother, Thomas, born in 1756, who married Anna Stone from Newton, resoded on the old Stowell homestead at Northville, which has since been in possession of the family for three generations, now owned and occupied by his grandson Frederick T. Stowell. Thomas, who haad three sons, Thomas, Samuel, and William, died in 1799, aged 43.

Samuel Stowell, who succeeded to the old homestead of his father in Northville, now owned and occupied by his son, Frederick T., died Feb. 20, 1849, aged 79. His wife was a sister of the late Henry Heywood, and the latter married a sister of Samuel Stowell. Frederick's brother, Francis P. Stowell, who married a daughter of the late Willard Brown, resides on the corner of Salisbury and Forest streets, on what used to be the Willard Moore place, and site of the old " Cow Tavern."

Thomas Stowell, Jr., was a clothier, continuing the business of his father for a while at Northville, after which he carried on the same business for a short time at South Worcester, sold out about 1818 to John Hubbard and others, and went to Burlington, Vt., where he afterwards resided and died about fifteen years ago. His brother William, who married a daughter of Jacob Chamberlain of Millbury, started over sixty years ago the business of building carding machines, in a building still standing on the south side of Lincoln street between the Curtis farm and the French Catholic Cemetery. He afterwards removed his business to South Worcester, in the old fulling mill previously occupied by his brother, where he was engaged with Joshua Hale and others. He removed his machinery thence to New Worcester, on the site afterwards occupied L. & A. G. Coes. After carrying on the machinery business at the latter place for a while, William Stowell sold out nearly fifty years ago to William M. Bickford and others, who removed the business to School street. Mr. Stowell afterwards turned his attention to removing buildings, and resided on the southwest corner of Main and Austin streets, where he died, Aug. 7, 1853, aged 63.

There was also a Benjamin Stowell, (son of John Stowell,) who came to Worcester several years after Cornelius, and one or two generations back may have been of the same family, from Watertown. Benjamin married here, Oct. 23, 1755, Elizabeth Parker, daughter of Moses Parker of Framingham, and located on Granite street, residing until his death, Aug. 6, 1803, on the estate afterwards owned and occupied by his son, Dea. Nathaniel Stowell, now in possession of his grandson, Benjamin F. Stowell.

Tlie first Benjamin Stowell, whose wife Elizabeth died March 26, 1821, had six sons and two daughters, born between 1756 and 1776, of whom the three oldest sons, William, Daniel, and Elias, resided in Paris, Me., on farms given them by their father, from the extensive grants of land given to him by the government for services rendered in the revolutionary war. William died in 1829, Daniel in 1828, and Elias in 1839. Elias married a sister of the late Capt. Lewis Barnard.

Of the three other sons of this Benjamin Stowell, the oldest was the late Dea. Nathaniel Stowell, who died April 27, 1860. at the great age of 90. He had been deacon of the First Baptist Church thirty-eight years, being chosen to that position in 1822 at the same time with our venerable fellow-citizen, Dea. Daniel Goddard. Besides filling other prominent positions, Dea. Stowell was six years a member of the board of Selectmen from 1816 to 1821, and representative to the General Court in 1830, with Capt. Lewis Bigelow, and Otis Corbett. He married in 1792 Katy Bixby, their children being: Leonard W. Stowell, who married a sister of Dea. Daniel Goddard; Sophia, who married Capt. Lewis Bigelow; Almira, who married Capt. Zenas Studley; and Amelia, who married James S. Woodworth. By his second wife, Lucretia Willard, Dea. Stowell had two sons, David D. and Benjamin F. Stowell. David D., who resided upon a portion of the ancestral estate with his brother, Benjamin F., died several years ago. Maria, daughter of Capt. Lewis and Sophia Bigelow, is wife of Mason H. Morse. Dea Stowell's brother David, born in 1773, married a daughter of the late Aaron Flagg, and went west, where he died in 1802. His youngest brother, Benjamin, was a graduate of Williams College and practised law in Natchez, Mississippi, where he died unmarried, leaving his property to his brother Nathaniel.

There was also a Hezekiah Stowell, who married in Worcester Nov. 24, 1758, Persis Rice, (daughter of Adonijah Rice, the first white person born in Worcester,) but he did not probably remain here long.

Page 362

THE STOWELL FAMILY

In addition to what is stated on page 53 of the descendants of Cornelius Stowell, his daughter Mary married John Adams of Boston; and his granddaughter Eliza, daughter of Peter Stowell, married Thomas Howe, of Worcester, father of George S. and Albert J. Howe, wholesale druggists. The latter's sister Eliza married Wm. A. Smith, and their sister Mary married Wm. A. Noyes, of the former firm of Noyes & Long of Worcester.