Having put the names of many of our Dow ancestors into a hat complete with their designated letters I pulled out a few whose stories appear below. This page will undoubtedly change from time to time as there are a great # of Dow's complete with story. If you have a tale you'd like to tell here please let me know.
Joseph Dow abbeebc, illustrious author of Hist Hampton, was well qualified for the work, his five ancestors in direct line having been town clerks for 100 consecutive years. He graduated Dartmouth 1833; A M in 1836; salutatorian of his calss, which included Judge Asa Fowler of Concord, Dr. Edward Spaulding of Nashua, Hon James F Joy of Detroit, John Ford LL D and others of distinction. He became principal of Pembroke Academy for 4 years; then in charge of the Gardiner, Me, Lyceum. The panic of 1837 came and next year this school went down in the general crash. He then taught in academies at West Machias, Pompey, NY and else where until 1862 he retired to his native Hampton. He was a commissioned Maj of militia in 1867 by Gov Isaac Hill; was justice of the peace and quorum throughout the state. One of his first duties on return to Hampton was to make a new survey of the town. In 1860 he was elected president of the NH Historical Society. He engaged in probate and other legal business, which brought him in contact with the old wills and deeds of Hampton. From 1852 until his his death he devoted himself to writing the History of Hampton, which was almost finished. His daughter completed it within a year and published it. Little sale was anticipated for the  two volume work and the edition was small. It was not "pushed". After several years Miss Dow sold the remainder to a dealer for a "trifle". It was available for $7.00 for years after.  In good condition today these two copies could be worth more than $100.00.   On April 12, 1999 The Hampton Historical Society will join with the Town of Hampton in observing the 192nd anniversary of the birth of Joseph Dow. His great works is still one of the finest histories  ever written in New England.

William B Dow abbegbdb lived some years in Lowell , Mass, where his brother in law came and found jobs from time to time. The two families remained closely together all their lives. William m Barnstead, NH, Oct 31 1838 , Rooxbe Gorge Tuttle b 1821. Several years later they bought a farm in Thornton, where the 1850 census gives him as a Farmer assessed $1000. In 1853 he drops from the Tax list, for many years genealogically untraced. A letter from his brother, who discovered Calif while a soldier in the Mexican War, changed the whole current of the lives of two families. William Dow and John Downing sold out completely and crossed the continent with wives and 11 small children. They landed at Healdsburg. William took up a ranch and as population came building up quite a town, he subdivided most of his ranch, the tract known as Dow's Addition. Rooxbe Dow died nine years after coming to Calif: He m 2nd 1864 Mrs. Fannie Tamar (White) Love b Kane Co, Ill, 1833, d Los Gatos Oct 8, 1895. In 1883 he was living in San Francisco on a competence; d Los Gatos June 17 1893.