Today’s post is the last of the direct Tower line family sketches, as the next generation has some extremely long lived family members and we’ll be approaching privacy issues.

John Colin Tower was born 24 May 1871, Youngs Cove Road, Queens, New Brunswick, Canada, the youngest child of John Nelson Tower and Methitable Ann McMann.

John married Alice Ada Ferris on 10 July 1891 in Queens, New Brunswick, Canada. She was born 14 February 1884 in Waterborough, Queens, New Brunswick, Canada, the daughter of Lorenzo Dow Ferris and Melinda Alfreta Smith.

John and Alice raised a large family of ten children, all of whom grew to adulthood and nine of whom married.

Children (All born Youngs Cove Road, Queens, New Brunswick, Canada):

1. Maurice Blair, born 5 January 1902; died February 1979, Youngs Cove Road, Queens, New Brunswick, Canada; married Lena Blanche Jeffery, 6 May 1967, Johnston, queens, New Brunswick, Canada. They had no children.
2. Helen Eliza, born 14 July 1905; died 9 September 1987, Needham, Norfolk, Massachusetts; married Wesley Robert Colwell, 112 January 1927, Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts
3. Kenneth John, born 7 June 1907; died 25 October 1991, Youngs Cove Road, Queens, New Brunswick, Canada; apparently unmarried
4. Stella Mae, born 23 March 1910; died 30 January 1999, Youngs Cove Road, Queens, New Brunswick, Canada; married Herbert O. Mason, 11 January 1928, Canning, Queens, New Brunswick, Canada
5. Dora Velma, born 13 January 1912; died 20 April 2011, Oromocto, Sunbury, New Brunswick, Canada; married Edward A. Dinsmore, 14 October 1943, Chipman, Queens, New Brunswick, Canada
6. Harold Rowlands, born 17 July 1913; died 14 January 2003, Minto, Queens, New Brunswick, Canada; married Mary Louise Pangburn, 10 December 1938, Waterborough, Queens, New Brunswick, Canada
7. Elma Pearl, born 1 July 1915; died between 2006-2011; married Charles George Ambrose Cole, 25 December 1939, Waterborough, Queens, New Brunswick, Canada
8. Cecil Arnold Judson, born 11 August 1917; died 13 February 2005, probably Youngtown, Maricopa, Arizona; married Jeanne D’Arc Carmen, before 23 August 1952, Canada
9. Harold Blake, born 1 October 1919; died 7 June 1980, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; married Dorothy Madeline Wooden, 12 September 1945, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
10. Perley Ferris, born 27 July 1921; died 3 December 2006, Sussex, Kings, New Brunswick, Canada; married Vera Pauline Moss, 1 November 1941, Waterborough, Queens, New Brunswick, Canada

John Colin Tower died 25 May 1945, Queens, New Brunswick, Canada. His wife, Alice, lived an incredibly long life, dying in 1982 at the age of 98 years young!

As you can see by some of these death dates in the 21st century, there are some strong genes to be found and there are a number of children of this family group who are still living.

Therefore, the next series of posts will trace the lines of some of the direct ancestor females’ branches in the Tower family tree.

Today, the Tower family sketches continue with John Nelson Tower and Mehitable Ann McMann.

John Nelson Tower was born c1818 in New Brunswick, Canada, likely in Queens County, the son of Gideon Tower and Catherine McFarlane.

Mehitable Ann McMann was born c1833, also in New Brunswick, Canada, the daughter of Silas McMann and Eliza McFarlane.

John and Mehitable married c1850 and lived in Youngs Cove Road, Waterborough, Queens, New Brunswick, Canada for the rest of their lives.

John died there on 9 May 1891. Mehitable passed away four years later on 3 August 1895. Both are buried in the Youngs Cove Cemetery.

They were the parents of six children (All born in New Brunswick, Canada and likely in Queens County):

1. Gideon H., born about April 1850 or 1851 [years vary on census and death certificate]; died 8 December 1900, Worcester, Worcester, Massachusetts; married Elizabeth Anne Millman, 27 February 1877, Prince Edward Island, Canada
2. Henry Allen, born January 1855; died 1927, Worcester County, Massachusetts; married Annie Matilda Wiggins, c1875
3. Eliza Jane, born 15 August 1855; died 31 August 1930, Cox’s Point, Queens, New Brunswick, Canada; married Alexander McBaine, 6 September 1897, New Brunswick, Canada
4. Charles Leslie, born 17 May 1861; died 18 October 1910, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada; married Eleanor J. Gale, c1886
5. Helen Amanda, born 13 July 1865; died 5 November 1947, Youngs Cove Road, Queens, New Brunswick, Canada; married Abram W. Wiggins, 23 July 1884, Cumberland Point, Queens, New Brunswick, Canada
6. John Colin, born 24 May 1871; died 25 May 1945, Queens, New Brunswick, Canada; married Alice Ada Ferris, 10 July 1901, Queens, New Brunswick, Canada

Next up is the family sketch of my cousin’s direct line, John Colin Tower and Alice Ada Ferris.

As we move forward in time with the Tower family, the next generation is that of Gideon Tower, born c1790, likely in Sackville, Westmorland, New Brunswick, Canada, the son of Benjamin Tower and Anne Phinney/Finney.

However, some of the Tower men found new opportunities in Queens, New Brunswick, Canada, including Gideon Tower.

A young Gideon Tower began the year of 1815 with his marriage to Catherine McFarlane on New Year’s Day, 1 January, in Queens County.

Online family trees generally only include scattered information about Gideon’s and Catherine’s children, but a bit of sleuthing has turned up more complete vital dates.

Children (All born in New Brunswick and probably in Queens County):

1. John Nelson, born c1818; died 9 May 1891, Youngs Cove, Queens, New Brunswick, Canada; married Mehitable Ann McMann, c1850
2. William Henry, born c1820; died November 1887 [When the steamer “May Queen” called at her wharf, Newcastle, morn. 3rd inst., a report was given that some of the crew had seen a boat adrift near Bailey’s Point. A boat was immediately procured, manned and sent out, and it was found that the boat adrift contained the bodies of William ELLIOTT and William TOWER. The boat was towed to the wharf at Newcastle (North. Co.) and Coroner Samuel Stewart empanelled a jury. TOWN (or TOWER was an old man of 70 years; ELLIOTT was 57 years of age. (see original) William Elliott was his brother-in-law]; married Mary Ann Segee, before 1851, New Brunswick, Canada
3. Charlotte Ann, born c1824; died 7 February 1898, Newcastle, Northumberland, New Brunswick, Canada; married William Elliott, who died with her brother, William
4. Andrew Stockford, born c1827; died 14 March 1908, Youngs Cove, Waterborough, New Brunswick, Canada; married Charlotte Caroline Mersereau, 3 January 1855, Maugerville, Sunbury, New Brunswick, Canada
5. James W., born c1829; died 21 January 1875, Kingsclear, York, New Brunswick, Canada; married Susanna Jane Simmons, c1853
6. Gideon Bedford, born c1832; died between 1910-1920, probably in Benton, Kennebec, Maine; married Rebecca Wiggins, 8 November 1855, Waterborough, Queens, New Brunswick, Maine. He went by Bedford in most records.

Gideon Tower Sr. died before the 1861 census of Canada, probably in Queens, New Brunswick, Canada. Catherine lived with her son Andrew’s family in Waterborough in 1861, but is not found in 1871.