Willard, Lorenzo Dow
Lorenzo Dow Willard (1843-1865)
Swanzey, NH
Lorenzo Dow was raised by his white grandparents in Swanzey, NH. He first appears in historical records as a child within the household of James Willard, in 1850. The 1850 census described Dow as a mulatto student who was also a pauper. His age is recorded as nine years old, but he was most likely seven. Lorenzo’s grandparents, James and Betsey Willard, were in their 50s and also paupers at the time. The Willards had another pauper living with them in 1850 as well; Elizabeth Phelps was a 14-year old white student. Lorenzo’s mother Esther Willard, however, was not living with the rest of the family.
Lorenzo’s last name changes from Dow to Willard in later historical records. As a 17-year old young man in 1860, Lorenzo resided in the home of a white farmer in Swanzey named P. A. Roberts. He was still attending school but completed his studies soon after.
In August 1865, at the age of 22, Lorenzo (Dow) Willard died of consumption while living in Winchester, NH. He is buried in the Homestead Cemetery in Swanzey.
GENEALOGICAL SUMMARY
LORENZO DOW was born around 1840, possibly in Swanzey, NH to Esther Willard. His father would have been Black; his mother is white. Lorenzo changed his last name to his mother’s (Willard) as a teenager. He died in Wincheter, NH, in August 1865.
SOURCE MATERIALS
New Hampshire Vital Records, Deaths, Winchester, 1865- Ancestry.com
U.S. Federal Census, 1850, 1860- Ancestry.com