Lorenzo Dow: Methodists, Mormons and Spiritualism
Eli J. “Lorenzo” Dow: (Maternal Second Cousin 4x Removed)
Lorenzo Dow: 1845-1903 (Maternal Third Cousin 3x Removed)
John Lorenzo Dow: (Maternal Fourth Cousin 2x Removed)
Lorenzo Dow Park: 1830-? (Maternal First Cousin 4x Removed)
Whitcher Dow: 1804-1882 (Maternal First Cousin 5x Removed)
I read Amy Johnson Crow’s email regarding this week’s 52
Ancestors prompt. She was discussing ways to determine the church affiliation
of ancestors, suggesting that we look at burial locations, social groups or
societies the ancestors belonged to, and their children’s names, noting, “For
example, Lorenzo Dow was a popular name among Methodist families.” I did a
double take. I was familiar with the name “Lorenzo Dow”. I had a couple Lorenzo
Dows in my family tree, and had always wondered why their families chose “Lorenzo”
for a first name. I needed to take a second look at my Lorenzo Dows.
First, I did some research on the original Lorenzo Dow. Who
was he and why did Methodists name their children in his honor? According to
Wikipedia, Lorenzo Dow “was an eccentric itinerant American evangelist, said to
have preached to more people than any other preacher of his era. He became an
important figure and a popular writer. His autobiography at one time was the
second best-selling book in the United States, exceeded only by the Bible.”
.jpg) |
| The original Lorenzo Dow, traveling preacher. Image from Wikimedia Commons |
He preached all across the United States and in England and
Ireland. He was unkempt and poorly-dressed, but he was a mesmerizing preacher.
Wikipedia noted that “Dow's public speaking mannerisms were like nothing ever
seen before among the typically conservative church goers of the time. He
shouted, he screamed, he cried, he begged, he flattered, he insulted, he
challenged people and their beliefs. He told stories and made jokes. It is
recorded that Lorenzo Dow often preached before open-air assemblies of 10,000
people or more and held the audiences spellbound…”
He preached from 1798 until his death in 1834. Wikipedia
states, “His influence and popularity during his life led to many children of
the early 19th century, especially on the American frontier, to be named after
him…[and] the 1850 U.S. census counts Lorenzo as one of the most popular first
names in America.”
The first Lorenzo Dow in my family tree was born as Eli J.
Dow, but at some point took on the name or nickname of “Lorenzo”. He was born
in 1816 in New York; the original Dow preached in the region. Perhaps Eli’s
speaking style reminded family members of the fiery preacher, or perhaps his
religious fervor led to the comparison.
 |
| Lorenzo Dow of Utah. 1845-1903 |
This first Lorenzo named one of his sons Lorenzo Dow,
showing that he continued to admire the fiery Methodist preacher. However, by
the 1840s, Eli “Lorenzo” had converted to Mormonism, and his son Lorenzo was
born in the Mormon town of Nauvoo, Illinois. Lorenzo the son moved west to Utah with the Mormons,
settling in the town of Draper, Utah. He named his first son John Lorenzo Dow,
so the name continued an additional generation, but no longer took prominence
as a first name. The Mormon Dows preferred Biblical names.
I had one additional Lorenzo Dow in the tree: Lorenzo Dow
Park. I have little information on this cousin, born in New York in 1830. Some
trees connect him to another Lorenzo Dow Park with four children, but I don’t
believe that information is correct.
While researching the Dow line, I ran across one additional Dow
family member with some unusual religious traditions of his own, far removed
from those of the famous circuit riding, fire-and-brimstone preaching Lorenzo
Dow. Whitcher Dow, Eli Lorenzo Dow's uncle, was born in Vermont in 1804 and became a farmer, moving to
Illinois where he was one of the founding fathers of Fairfield, Illinois in
Bureau County. He was apparently very devoted to his wife Eunice, and when she
died in 1877, he turned to spiritualism. He claimed to be in regular communication
with her beyond the grave. A Dow Family history described him as follows:
“Whitcher Dow: He was a farmer, served as supervisor; was
a devoted spiritualist and during his last five years held daily conversations
with his wife, who often told him much of what was to happen. He was a fine
man, temperate, charitable and honest to the last degree.-From the Book of Dow,
Genealogical Memoirs compliled by Robert Piercy Dow.”
Whitcher Dow's headstone in Yorktown Cemetery, Illinois. Photo by Lynn W. on Findagrave.
Without Amy Johnson Crow’s mention of the popularity of the
name “Lorenzo Dow” in connection to religious traditions, I never would have realized
that this name popped up in my family tree as a tribute to a famous traveling
preacher. In addition, I never would have unearthed the interesting information
about Whitcher Dow. In the future, I will try to look for information on my
ancestors’ religious affiliations, as I now know their church connections can
provide important clues about their lives.
Sources:
Wikipedia entry on Lorenzo Dow. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lorenzo_Dow#References
The Book of Dow : Genealogical Memoirs of the Descendents
of Henry Dow 1637, Thomas Dow 1639 and others of the name, immigrants to
America during colonial times, also the allied family of Nudd. Robert Piercy
Dow, writer and editor. Claremont, NH. 1929. https://archive.org/details/bookofdowgenealo00dowr/page/436/mode/2up?q=whitcher
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/46986934/person/322192349992/hints
Image of Lorenzo Dow, preacher. By Unidentified. Publisher:
Childs & Lehman. - This image is available from the United States Library
of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID cph.3a28796.
See Commons:Licensing., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47376386
Findagrave Entry for Whitcher Dow. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/19503623/whitcher-dow?_gl=1*1f21hay*_gcl_dc*R0NML
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