*Recent Letters
Home Old Letters AddressBook Descendants
Following are excerpts of recent email letters received from Towse cousins,
both "old" and "new". Thought everyone would like to see who else has
joined our original little group and this is easier for everyone than forwarding
letters and addresses around. I've taken the liberty of only including
parts that would be enjoyable for everyone to read, so dont be afraid that
everything you write will be up in print. This page not indexed;
just posted in chronological order, so you'll have to scroll down the list.
Last updated: July 2000
What a treasure to find the Towse Homepage! I, too, am a Towse. I'm of the Hawaii clan. Let's see if I can map this out right: My Grandfather was Edward Armstrong Towse. He was the Supreme Court Justice that I found mention of somewhere in all the info you have gathered. He married Mary Tallon & they had one child naturally...my Aunt, Mary K. Towse Nelson & my dad, Edward Arm rong Towse II was adopted. Mary K married Alan Nelson & they have 2 daughters, Mary Ann & Jessica. My dad married Bettye Irene Huffman Fordham (she was widowed at the tender age of 19) & had 7 children. We kids are as follows: 1. Beth Ann Huffman Towse Price Gonsalves Novak Scholl (the writer of this email) Living in Dale City, VA Married to Michael Lee Scholl 3 children between us, but no "ours": Michael Stuart Price Jr. (Ann's) Matthew Kalani Gonsalves Scho (Ann's) Christopher Douglas Scholl (Mike's) 2. Cynthia Marie Towse Cook Living in Overland Park, KS Married to Ferris Wayne Cook 3 children: Cameron James Cook Carson (I forget his middle name, but I'll get it for you later) Cook Conor Wayne Cook 3. Daniel Towse died at birth 4. Edward Armstrong Towse III Lives in Waldstetten, Germany (20 years & counting) Married Michie (I forget her full name, but she's German & they are divorced) 2 children (they did not give their children middle names): Daniel Towse Chr topher Towse Married again to Ursula "Uschi" (forgot last name) 5. Rebecca Bon Towse Casella Thwaites Lives in Junction City, KS Married James Casella (no children) Married Patrick Murray Thwaites 2 children: Kyle Patrick Thwaites Kayla Marie Thwaites 6. Jennifer Sue Towse Kelly Wiggins Lives in Aiea, HI Married Brian Kelly but divorced, no children Married Mark A. Wiggins, no children yet 7. Patricia Mahina O'Pele Towse Baker Lives in 29 Palms, CA Married Richard Baker 2 children: Rachel Ann Baker Rylee (forgot middle name) Baker
Mary K & Alan divorced several years ago but remain quite close. Mary Ann has not married & Jessica has been married & divorced twice. They all live in Foster City, CA.
My dad died August 1998 & is buried in Hawaii beside his grandparents. My mother now lives in Savannah, GA.The arts are prevalent in our part of the family. I’ll give you a quick run-down:Dad – sang classical, religious, & Hawaiian; played ukuleleAnn ( th Ann) – sings pretty much all styles but predominantly country, & Hawaiian; plays guitar, ukulele & some piano; dances ballet, Polynesian & modern (country, waltz, etc)Cyndi –sings pretty much all styles but predominantly country & opera; is also a bu ing novelist & enjoys a personal friendship with renown British author, Colin Dexter of Inspector Morse fame & Ian Rankin, mystery writer.Teddy – sings pretty much all styles; plays guitarBecky – modern danceJenny – sings pretty much all styles; modern ncePatty – sings pretty much all styles, modern dance. Mama says she doesn’t have any musical talent because she gave all hers away…LOL.And now to help you update your addresses:
Mary K. Towse Nelson778 Niantic DriveFoster City, CA 94404650-573-6652
Bettye I. Towse322 E. Taylor St., Apt 910Savannah, GA 31401912-236-7874
B. Ann Towse Scholl14806 Daley LaneDale City, VA 22193703-730-3396
Cwmom98@aol.com
Cyndi Towse Cook10602 W. 97th StOverland Park, KS 66214913-438-1957
cookhouse@earthlink.net
Edward A. (Ted) Towse IIIGarten Str. 29Waldstetten, Germany 73550011-49-7171- 443-12
edward_towse@hp.com
Becky Towse Thwaites149 Kiowa Court, Apt 1Junction City, KS 66441785-762-7050
pbthw@flinthills.com
Jenny Towse Wiggins98-402 Koauka Loop, Apt 916Aiea, HI 96701808-484-4076
Patty Towse Baker8020-A Rainbow Canyon29 Palms, CA 92278760-368-4572
rpbaker3@gbis.com
Well, gosh, I hadn’t started out to write such a long letter, but I guess that should be expected when sharing info on a family as big as ours (smiles). I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Warm regards,
Ann Scholl
PS…I have some pictures if you’d be interested.
5/26/00
My parents are Currie Harrington Weatherbee and Therese Roberge; my father's parents were Neil Weatherbee and Ella Gertrude Moore; my grandmother's parents were Alfred Eli Moor and Dora E. Tower. I had posted the following inquiry on Tower Family Genealogy Forum, but had received no results.
"I'm looking for more information on my second great grandparents, Benjamin & Bessie Tower. My great grandmother was Dora Tower who married Alfred Eli Moor on 20 Nov 1900 at Cumberland County, NS. She was born about 1876 at Dorchester, NB, and died on 25 Oct 1917. The 1901 Cumberland County Census lists a Philip Tower, age 20, living with Alfred & Dora in Westchester, NS.
I also found a marriage record for a William Edward Tower (age 30 & widowed), son of Benjamin & Bessie, who married Ida Irene Blair (age 19) on 21 May 1913 at Colchester County, NS. He's listed as also being born in Dorchester, but was residing in Folly Lake, NS, at the time."
Last Sunday, I was searching the New Brunswick On-Line Archives and found these 2 Birth Records:
Tower, Murray Albert Parents: Tower, Benjamin E. & Towse, Bessie Born 1885-05-18 At Dorchester, WE, NB Ref 1885-T-49-F18773
Tower, Daniel A. Parents: Tower, Benjamin & Tower, Bessie Born 1895-06-26 At Dorchester Cape, WE, NB Reference: 1895-T-62-F18787
Within half an hour, I found your site and the wealth of information that it provided on my (our) Towse ancestors. I really enjoyed reading several of the letters, stories, etc. that you posted on the site. I hope the information that I've provided is useful and will send anything else that I find. Let me know if you'd like more information on the descendants of Dora Tower. Gratefully yours, Neil Weatherbee Gatineau, Quebec, Canada neil.weatherbee@pwgsc.gc.ca weatherbee.family@sympatico.ca
22 June 1999
Hi: I just stumbled across your pages. Have looked in the past, but have never found the name Towse. Wow, what a bunch there are now. I have found my mother, brother, ex sister-in-law, niece and great grandfather's brother. Am I ever excited! Would love to add what I have, perhaps leading to some of our missing spaces.
[Frank P. Towse, Jr] is my grandfather. His father was Frank Pevea Towse, Sr., brother of John M.L. Towse. We just learned that he had a much younger brother, John M.L. III, who had two daughters, Margaret and Jeanne Collins Laurens. I was able to meet Jeanne last December, she looks like my sister Eleanor and her sister Margaret looks a lot like my sister Margaret.
Just recently (last year) found two missing cousins through Ken Towse in Florida. Would love to hear back with any information on how I can continue with my search. We have little information, but I will send what we have, in hopes that someone can fill in the blanks. Thank you.
My address is: tobyj@afes.com
4-99
Dear Debra,
Having just joined the internet in the last couple of months I was suprised to find your Towse Home Page on the internet and a relationship to my wife's family. Her name is Caroline Ann Towse and her grandfather was William Gatenby Towse, the brother to William Towse, who was Wendy May McKenzie's (nee Towse) Great Grandfather. My wife's parents are Ernest Towse and Annie Eliza Cross. They emigrated to Australia in 1924 on the "Banella" from Yorkshire....
I have just opened a web page myself. So far I have just included a descendant chart for John Towse b.1820 plus some of my poetry and short stories.
I have had Caroline's eldest brother and eldest sister, John Robert, (Bob) and Mabel, writing down their memories from Childhood to the present so should get some nice stories. I know Mabel has one about coming over on the ship, the "Banella" in 1929. Will send some as soon as I get them.
All the best, Steve.
http://www.lisp.com.au/~snayler/index.html
4-99
Hi cousin! My name is Carin Misseldine. My grandmother was Florence Towse, who family lore says was born June 11, 1892 in Cripple Creek, Colorado. Her dad had something to do with newspapers in either Cheyenne or Landers, Wyoming . Her dad was Ed Towse (? born 10 Sept 1867 in Lubec, Maine), and her mom was Clara Iiams. Her parents were divorced and her dad ended up in Hawaii (he remarried and had two more children ) Ed Towse ended up being a supreme court justice in Hawaii, and they were quite well-to-do. My grandmother spent some time in Hawaii being raised by him, and so did my father, when my grandmother got divorced too. My grandmother's grandfather was a Walter (or William?) Towse who married a Clara Miller. Family lore says that Clara was part Spanish, but this is not confirmed yet by anything I have found.
I have been doing some research on the Maine and New Brunswick Towse's to try to link them to "my" Towse. I did get to use a wonderful set of books that someone had taken all the people mentioned in a newspaper in New Brunswick (Sackville) and pulled out the pertinent info, and then indexed it. I found a notice for 5 April 1884 that a William Towse of Cookville joins the exodus for the west (He sold his livestock)
If you have any information that might help, I would greatly appreciate it, and if you haven't seen the set of books about the newspaper entries, I would be glad to share them with you. I did the shotgun approach when I had access to them: If a Towse was mentioned, I wrote it down, because I figured they all fit together somehow. I am very excited to be able to exchange information, although I suspect that you have more that I could use, but I hope I have something that could help you. Thank you for responding!
2 Mar 99
Debra,
My name is Daniel T. Tows. My father is Charles f. Tows from Woburn, MA. His father was Donald Murray (Cap) Towse. I've little info may self except for some family stories and would like more info, if you have any.
Thank you,
11-5-98 From: Ron Potterill To: Marty Lund
Martin,
My late wife was a Towse (Elaine Patricia). She was born in Kilham, east Yorkshire (which is inland from Bridlington and perhaps 20 miles from Beverley). I have lately been searching out her family roots, as this particular branch has only one male survivor, to my knowledge.
I have found the graves of a large number of Towses in Kilham and Nafferton churchyards (the earliest born being in about 1765).
I would be interested to see if we can find a connection.
Regards Ron Potterill Tel +44 (0)181 544 2844 Fax +44 (0)181 544 2804 Mobile 0468 546143
10-7-98
Hi Debra, I am Marjory Decker (Lund), descended from Mary Anne Towse and John Lund. I am 6th generation. Your charts are great! Just wanted to let you know that there is a new wife - my son Robert Lloyd married Tamarya Diane Fields on August 28, 1998.
I correspond with Marty Lund in Vancouver. We are cousins - our fathers Lloyd and Norm were brothers. I enjoy finding out more about our ancesters and appreciate the work that you and Marty have done on the Internet. It would be great if we could all meet in 2000.
5-13-98
Debra--
Hi! My name is Amanda Towse.
I am from Western PA. Here is a little bit about us Towse's in PA..
Derald and Evelyn(Stucky) Towse (my grandpartents) came to PA in the 60's
from Hutchison, Kansas. While in Kansas, they had 5 children...Larry, Jim,
Barb, Derald(Dale), and Robert (deceased). Derald served in the Navy, although,
I am not sure as to how long. Each of the children graduated from
Clarion-Limestone High school, in Strattanville, PA. Larry is married with
no children, Jim is married with 2 children, and Dale(my father) is married
with 3 children. In all there are 4 girls and 1 boy...
5-12-98 [in response to a query about Towse Publishing's founder--I asked
if it was Frank Towse--John ML is his brother]
Dear Debra,
Furniture World was incorporated in 1895 (started in 1870 by a furniture
manufacturer Levy Heywood and the owner of retailer Paynes in Boston as "American
Cabinet Maker."). The incorporation papers are stored away and not readily
available, but I looked in a 1921 issue of FURNITURE WORLD which reads..."The
Furniture World Published Weekly by the Towse Publishing Co. 15-17
West 38th Street, New York, G.H. Langworthy, Editor. Board of Directors:
G.H. Langworthy, John M.L. Towse, E. J. Morley. The only Towse, we
know of is John, but we never looked that hard. My grandfather purchased
Towse Publishing Company around 1922.
Russell Bienenstock
President
Towse Publishing Company
5-12-98 from Jonathan E. Towse
My name is Jonathan E. Towse, my wife (Rina) and I live here in Indonesia,
I've been living here for about 4 years, and it seems us Towses get around.
About 10 years ago, my brother Donald [M Towse of West Springfield, MA] and
myself traveled though Europe. And being The Towse that I looked up the family
name in England and France, There were a number of Towses listed in the London
and Oxford phone books. There were a few listing in Paris phone book. Also
in the Highlander Museum in Glasgow Scotland. There was a statue of a "Captain
Towse" or even "Sir Towse". I don't really remember.
However, my grandfather was also named Donald M. Towse. He is a Mason and
possibly your grandfather's 1st cousin. I was interested to learn that our
family is packed with teachers. I'm an English teacher myself, and hopefully
I'll continue my education, getting a degree in History. My sister Virginia
is now finishing up her degree and planning to go on become a teacher. Well,
I hope some of this information can help you in your Towse Quest.
P.S
Did you know my parents had nine children and my grandfather had fourteen
in his family !!! And don't forget what Captain Towse or Maybe Sir Towse
once said " Give me nine Towses and we would have a baseball team ".
5-4-98 from Dan Towse
Here's the info on our part of the Towse clan:
Daniel Thomas Towse (DOB 11/1/63)
Eileen Margaret Sawyer-Towse (nee Sawyer, DOB 1/4/64)
married 6/24/95
one child-
Caroline Claire Towse (DOB 10/1/96)
Hope this helps.
5-3-98 from Karyl Towse
I am the wife of Richard Murray Towse...
The attachment is from our local paper. While reading it I did a double-take
upon seeing the name Dave Towse, the same name as our late son who is the
father of our grandson, David. Could this be a person you're searching for?
How could it not? I'm thinking it would be great fun to take our grandsons
- David, just-turned-18, and Daniel, 15 in August - to Kernville for a rafting
trip and arrange to be on Dave
Towse's raft and wait for the shock when they introduce themselves!!
Anyway, just some more ammunition for your battle to find every Towse, worldwide!
Regards, Karyl (Carol the hard way,
I've been told), in rainy then sunny Wasco, home of only one branch of the
Towse family.
Teams Tackle Mighty Kern
Filed: May 2, 1998By JILL HOFFMANN
Californian correspondent
Huge water was the name of the game Saturday as professional and amateur
rafters kicked off the official start of rafting season during the 13th annual
Kern River Raft Races north of Kernville.
The race was sponsored by the conservation group Friends of the River and
SOTAR White Water Manufacturing Inc. and drew rafters from around the state
and as far as Colorado.
Many of the racers arrived a few days early to test the river, which continues
to rise every day, changing course conditions.
Rusty Justice, originally of Bakersfield, came from Palmdale to compete with
his friends in the amateur races.
"It's high water," Justice said. "Yesterday we ate it at the big rapids at
Limestone. We flipped and we all went for a big swim.
"It's a lot higher than last year," Justice said. "The water's moving a lot
faster, the holes are bigger."
The amateur races took on a new meaning when experienced guide Dave Towse
of Riverside took on the river with a group of friends, all new to paddling.
"I tried it last year with a group of guides and they wouldn't listen to
what I said so I'm trying with beginners and we're doing a lot better," Towse
said jokingly.
One member of his team, Steve Naeger, took his first whitewater rafting excursion
the day before the races.
"It's outstanding," Naeger said. "It's a rush, that's for sure."
According to Towse, the group couldn't have a better river to begin on.
"The Kern is about the best there is," he said. "The rapids are close together
and you can run anything from an easy Class II run up to a Class V run for
expert rafters."
Towse, who spends most of his weekends on the Kern River during whitewater
season, said the high water should make for a long season this year.
"It didn't even get this high last year and it's going to get at least twice
as high as this," Towse said. "We'll be rafting almost into winter up here."
Mark Joffe, event director for SOTAR, said the high water made it a great
day for the pro SOTAR races.
Joffe, who has rafted from Australia to Africa, said the Kern is considered
one of the top rivers in the world and is a must-paddle river for many involved
in water sports.
The river drew Cary Hayes, a kayaker from Crested Butte, Colo., who came
to California with a group of friends for a combination kayaking and paragliding
vacation.
The group planned to spend a few days on the river and to paddle some nearby
creeks.
Many of the spectators for Saturday's races were paddlers themselves, taking
time out to watch others go down the river and cheering them on.
The crowd at Limestone Campground saw some excitement when Team Colorado
flipped its raft in the deep hole at the race gates.
"It's a run river," said Team Colorado paddler Jason Moore.
"It's big water. It's a good year for it. We've been here for a week and
every day it goes up a little more."
Copyright 1998, The Bakersfield Californian
Thank You, Charlie Towse
My children :
Charles Towse Jr.
Jon & Ina Towse
Virgina Schnabel
Dan Towse
4-29-98 from Donald Towse
Enjoyed receiving your Email re Towse family today. My grandfather was Daniel
Murray Towse who came down from New Brunswick to Woburn MA. He had 12 kids,
and my father, Charles, his son had 6. So there are a lot of cousins,etc
starting from that small seed in Massachusetts. Most of those in the San
Jose CA area are my children. My grandfather, I believe, descended from John
and Mary.
John, according to my info, arrived in Prince Edward Island aboard Valiant,
in 1817. Reference: in PIONEERS ON THE ISLAND, edited by Mary Brehaut, PtI,
pp 87-88, "Voyage of the Valiant" by Matthew Smith. John is listed on pg
487. This is a reference from "The World Book of Towses", published by Halbert's
Family Heritage. That book has listings (quite incomplete) of names and addresses
of Towses from all over the world. For your research, I could copy the pages
of addresses and references and send them to you if it would be helpful.
My daughter Sally is our family-tree
person (genealogist)...my son
Lincoln ...my brother Dick's wife
Karyl (Wasco,CA) Halbert's book lists other
early NoAmerican immigrants like Edward to Virginia (1622), John to Virginia
(1634), he possibly duplicated or another John to Virginia (1635), and Elizabeth,
Mary, and Robert to Maryland (1663), long before John to Canada in 1817.
-- Cousin Donald Towse
(dtowse@delphi.com), San Jose CA
4-27-98 from Alan Towse
I am definitely from the Yorkshire Towse Branch and can trace my family history
back to early 1800's with certainty and before that with less. Glad to hear
of your project and will have a look at your web page. I will dig out my
files and send you what I have got.
Regards
Alan Towse
PS you can email my brother on PTowse@aol.com who is based in Houston TX
and has got very good records.
4-27-98 from Richard Murray Towse
I am Richard Murray Towse son of Charles F.Towse, born in Woburn, Mass. Brothers
Donald, Daniel, Robert, John, and Thomas-- did not ,alas, have any sisters.
I remenber uncles named Arnold and Raymond as well as Daniel so the common
names suggest that we have common ancesters. In a few minutes I have to pick
up grandson Daniel from school. I am not the geneologist of this family branch
but I imagine you will hear from Linda, Janet, Sally, or Amy Towse about
extensive information they have. This is great fun. Thanks for the contacts.
More later.
Dick
P S My son Peter (no e-mail address yet) lives in Grand Junction, CO; I'll
pass on any mail to him.
4-27-98 from Bryan Robert Towse
I think it's a great idea. I've often wondered if I had a larger family that
somehow got disconnected years ago.
I only know of my immediate family which consists of my grandfather, Robert
Towse, of which is now deceased and my father, Gary Towse, 51 (I think) and
was an only child who now resides in Ashland, Kentucky . My grandmother,
Marjorie Towse, would probably know more about my grandfather's family. I
can get that information from her if you'd like.
I also have an older sister, Laura Deom who is 31 years of age and has two
children. A two-year old girl and a four-year old boy. She is a teacher in
Indianapolis and owns a daycare center in Greenfield.
As for me, I am 28 years of age with no children as of yet. I am a graphic
designer at a local newspaper .
Sincerely,
Bryan Robert Towse
4-16/17-98 from Linda Towse Frey
My name is Linda Towse Frey. My father was Raymond Arnold Towse, b. Woburn
MA 1913. His father was Daniel Murray Towse b. Sackville, NB, Canada 1865,
his father also Daniel was born Garton-on-the-Wolds, Yorkshire, England 1806.
This Daniel was the son of John and Mary Woodell Towse. John Towse was the
son of Daniel and Elizabeth Parker Towse...
I found William G. Towse on a descendancy chart I got from LDS files, while
I visiting in New Brunswick this past February. I note that Eliza Ann Towse
and I share the same birthday, 100 years apart. My father had a brother who
died in his first month who also had the same birthday--a fact that my father
was either not aware of or never mentioned.
About me, I am 53 years old, married to my high school sweetheart and now
living in Canton, Ohio. My husband is a consulting engineer (water treatment
of steam generating boilers). We have three children. Our son is a PhD candidate
in History and is married, living in New Jersey. Our older daughter is living
in Mass., and our younger daughter is attending Ohio Northern University
in Ada, Ohio (her first year--pharmacy major.
My sister and nieces live in Ormond Beach, Fl. so maybe they can do a little
rooting and share some of the info I have forwarded to them.
3-27-98 from Marty Lund
Hello to the first living relative I've found since getting into this genealogy thing! This is quite exciting... This site will give you many descendants of Mary Ann Towse, who has been described as "the Grandmother of us all". She and John came to homestead in the Lippentott district on the Manitoba/Saskatchewan border in 1884, when she was 67, with 8 sons and daughters who all homesteaded and married in the area too. She died at age 77; John outlived her and died at 85 in 1904. They are buried together in the tiny Lippentott cemetery now in Saskatchewan. Will send more soon.