Lolley Family History

by Estella Gunnell Taylor

Much of the history of the Lolley family has been told by my Grandfather, John Wesey Lolley II as told to him by his father, George W. Lolley who was born in 1835 in Devonshire, England.

Susan Lolley was born in England, presumably Devonshire, in 1810. Her husband preceded her in death and of him, our ancestor, little or nothing is known. Prior to Susan's arrival in America she was married to a pugilist by the name of William Fowler.1 The 1870 Federal Census for Johnson County, Missouri shows William was 10 years her junior.2

With Susan's four children, John Wesley, born 1829; James Henry, born 1833; George William, born 1835 and a daughter named Frances, Susan and Fowler set out for the United States. Tragedy overtook them and Frances died enroute to this country and was buried at sea due to the fact that sharks were following the wood bottom boat.

According to tradition, George was 12 years of age when he arrived in America, thus making it the year 1847. It appears their point of arrival must have been New York because the 1870 census for Johnson County, Missouri shows a small boy in the household of Susan and William Fowler, William by name was born in New York.3 Also, the census shows a Thomas Lolley, age 33, a tailor by trade was living in Warrensburg and was shown as being born in New York.

According to tradition, John Wesley Lolley of Susan Lolley-Fowler was the eldest son and under English law was entitled to inherit the family fortune. It was said money had been left in escrow in England and according to Mrs. Crosie L. Lolley, wife of Ray Lolley, his grandson, John Wesley did return to England when he became of age but was not allowed to bring any money out of the country and was able to bring only some clothes and a small copper or brass piece made in the shape of a shamrock and was supposed to have been a portion of the Lolley Coast of Arms. This is bewildering because I wrote to the College of Arms in London and was informed the family has no coat of arms from England. This gives rise to the thought the family may have been of Irish descent originally. In Ireland, according to a friend who once made a trip there, a lolley is a sweet confection or candy in that country.

It is not known what year Susan Lolley-Fowler died, but my grandfather, John Wesley remembered her and said when he was small she came to their home and said with a brogue, "goodby lassies and laddies, this is the last time you will see me ever again." And it was true, she died soon thereafter.

Her husband, William Fowler, it was said, had a booming voice and liked to sing a song which in part was, "Jack got up in the morning and began making brooms, gay brooms." He lived much longer and it is thought married Sarah Ann McBride, Grandfather's aunt on his mother's side.

Notes

1. The 1860 census for Marquette County, Wisconsin shows William and Susan with a daughter, Mary A., who is listed as having been born in New York circa 1846, coincidentally the same year George was said to have died. So did George die earlier than 1846 in England, or did he actually immigrate with the family and die here in the U.S.?

With a daughter born in New York in the 1840s, the family of Susan and William should show up in the 1850 census, but a search turned up nothing except for this rather interesting set of next-door-neighbors in Wayne, Ontario County, New York.

William Fowler 34, born in England
Elizabeth Fowler 33, born in England
George Fowler 9, born in England
John Fowler 7, born in England
Mary Fowler 8 mo., born in England

Susan Lolly age 34, born in England
George Lolly age 14, born in England
Harriet Lolly age 10, born in England
David Lolly age 8, born in England
Mary A. Lolly age 5, born in NY

Maybe there's a bit more to William and Susan's story than we previously knew? Susan is known to have had a son George and daughter Mary A. of these ages. Neither a Harriet or David appear with the family in the 1860 census, but they would have been 20 and 18 and could have been on their own. The Susan and William in this census would have been born in 1816. Following census records give their birth years variously as 1812, 1810 and 1813. If this really is our William and Susan, what became of William's family?

2. The 1860 census of Marquette County, Wisconsin gives William's age as 49 and Susanna's as 48.

3. The 1860 census give the boy's birthplace as Wisconsin, but does show a daughter, Mary A., as being born in New York.

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